Kia Sorento Complaints (2012)

880 consumer complaints on file.

#11434856September 29, 2021
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that there was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local mechanic where it was diagnosed with needing the engine replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11434887September 29, 2021
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while stationary, the vehicle stalled inadvertently and was unable to be restarted. The contact stated that the check engine and oil warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local mechanic where it was not diagnosed. The vehicle was next towed to a local dealer and was diagnosed with needing the engine replaced. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 79,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11434044September 23, 2021
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, there was a knocking sound coming from the vehicle when the brake pedal was depressed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and diagnosed with complete engine failure from the engine block. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 170,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11433975September 22, 2021
ENGINE
This vehicle has an oil consumption problem. It has shown on separate oil consumption tests from the dealer, that the vehicle is consuming oil at an abnormal rate. The vehicle does not have any visible oil leaks. I feel unsafe driving this car because in the past, I've experienced shakiness on the freeway and loss of acceleration, which forced me to quickly exit the freeway.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11433393September 17, 2021
ENGINE
While driving the vehicle it felt smooth and after a while a clicking sound started very faintly. I stopped at a red light and when I tried to accelerate at the green light the engine stalled and wouldn't power the vehicle. Everything worked well except the engine, it was locked. My safety and my passengers safety were put at risk because I was driving the vehicle on the street and it could've gave out while driving causing a major accident by an intersection. The issue has been address by an independent mechanic who stated a full engine is needed. The vehicle is currently on its way to a Kia dealership. There were no other lights or signed of engine failure.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11432773September 13, 2021
ENGINE
I doing oil change every 3 month. The engine light was on and lost power immediately when I was driving on the road. Brought to auto shop, they told me the engine oil was leaking pretty bad , and it will cost me $7k to put a new engine in. I’m at a tough situation.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11432847September 13, 2021
ENGINE
We bought this 2012 Kia Sorento on November 2018, never miss a oil change. But The engine light was flashing and lost power immediately when I was driving on 09/10/21, my husband and me bought it to auto shop they told us the oil was leaking caused the engine problem, and we’ve to replace the engine. They also mentioned kia is recalling 2012 Kia Sorento because engine problem. We called Kia customer service but they said we haven’t upgraded a software which we just received a software update notification on 09/06/21, so they couldn’t fix this problem for free. Shall NHTSA help me figure out is it my problem or their? Thank you very much!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11431394September 1, 2021
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that the passenger’s side front headlight had stopped working. Upon inspection, the contact noticed that the wiring harness in the headlight was melted. The vehicle was not diagnosed by an independent mechanic or dealer. The headlight assembly was replaced however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11429922August 20, 2021
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Passenger side headlight went out while driving. Went to replace bulb and found connector melted. Quick internet search shows this is not uncommon and even a YouTube tutorial on how to replace the pigtail. Question remains what caused the overheating in the first place? While it's a major inconvenience at this point as we can't drive the vehicle without fear of getting a ticket or repair order until fixed, worst case scenario this happens to both at night?
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11429401August 17, 2021
POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY:LINKAGE:CLUTCH CABLE/ROD/ARM
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving at an unknown speed, there was an abnormal knocking noise detected. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that there was plenty of fluids in the vehicle however, the rod bearings needed to be replaced. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 81,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11429414August 17, 2021
AIR BAGS
The air bag light on the driver side dashboard will not turn off and the concern is that the airbags will not deploy if in an accident, or may randomly deploy. The vehicle has been in no type of collision affecting the front of the vehicle. At this time, the vehicle has not been taken to the dealership or a mechanic, but it seems that the dealer should repair at no cost given the issue is related to a safety concern.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11428531August 10, 2021
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that on the startup of the vehicle, the engine would begin to knock and blue smoke would emit from the muffler. The contact stated no warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was diagnosed by the dealer with needing gaskets replaced but the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 94,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11427689August 4, 2021
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sorento. The contact received a recall notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V750000 (Engine). The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that no issues were found. The contact stated while driving 60 mph and changing lanes, the vehicle inadvertently stalled and lost power. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road and was unable to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who could not determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was then towed to Sansone Kia (90-100 US-1 North, Avenel, NJ 07001) who diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced and the failure was related to the recall. The dealer informed the contact that the part for the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The vehicle was repaired but consumer could still smell the gas leak. The approximate failure mileage was 77,250.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11427322August 1, 2021
AIR BAGS
The airbag light came on for no reason. It will not go off. The concern is the airbags won’t deploy if there is a collision.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11427305July 31, 2021
ENGINE
The vehicle has been diagnosed with oil leaking out through the exhaust. On July 31st, 2021 I was on the highway and my car started making a loud clicking sound. It lost power and the engine light came on blinking. The safety of others and myself/passenger was in danger as it lost power on the highway and the speed limit was 75.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11427024July 29, 2021
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Pearl white paint pealing on front, back, top of car
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11425351July 18, 2021
SUSPENSION, ENGINE
Hi, I get my car fixed at the dealer Inver Grove Kia in West Saint Paul in Minnesota. There is s problem with my suspension. With that being said, the first problem was my sway bar and that was not fixed correctly. I am now hearing the same noise on the passenger side of SUV and they are telling me it is strut. I need to have all information and recalls sent to me. Then dealer is not looking into other problems that the 2012 Kia Sorento has right now. The dealer has put me in a bad situation and also in danger with not inquiring more about the suspension problems associated with my 2012 Kia Sorento. https://www.lutherkiamn.com/?utm_source=gmb&utm_medium=organic
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11425095July 16, 2021
STRUCTURE:BODY
*White Pearl paint is pealing / chipping away on the front hood and around the top of the windshield roof. *I have been told that the area of missing paint around my windshield can rust/corrode through and affect the windshield seal. *My Kia dealer has seen it and said it was a widespread problem with the white pearl paint on the Sorento model.....but no further action was done. *It has not been inspected by the police, insurance....just the Kia Dealer. *No warning lamps or messages.....
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11421894June 22, 2021
AIR BAGS, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
In 2012 my sister bought new 2012 Kia Sorento from Caribbean Auto Mart in St Thomas VI. About a year ago, the horn stopped working and the air bag light has been on for some time now clearly indicating a possible problem with the clock spring assembly in the steering column mentioned in the recall notice attached. On contacting the dealer, Caribbean Auto Mart, she was told that they were no longer a Kia dealer and that it was not their responsibility to fix the problem. The local Jiffy Lube apparently is doing warranty work for Kia here now but they refuse to fix it without authorization from Kia. On contacting Kia, they refuse to even acknowledge the existence of this vehicle. They say they have no matching VIN. We asked if they would just send the part and I would install it. They refused this as well. I’m concerned that my sister is still driving this vehicle with defective safety equipment with no apparent way to resolve the situation. Any help you could provide in this matter would be greatly appreciated.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11421637June 21, 2021
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:ANTILOCK:ABS WARNING LIGHT, SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:ANTILOCK:WHEEL SPEED SENSOR
The rear wheel speed sensor housing covers are prone to water intrusion. The rear wheel sensor signal is interrupted and illuminates the ABS(anti-lock brakes),the ESC(electronic stability control) and the downhill sensor warning lights in the instrument cluster.Kia fixed the problem on July 24 2017. The same problem is occuring again (the warning lights came on last month) and Kia states that its out of warranty. I am not certain if it is a safety concern, but I don't want my rear wheels to fall off. Thank you
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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