Kia Sorento Complaints

10,397 consumer complaints on file.

#11655762April 21, 2025
STEERING
The steering is sticky. When on the highway you have to keep correcting the steering because the wheel seems to be sticking then moving. As a result you can not just go straight down the road but have to keep putting in steering corrections!!!!! This needs to be addressed! This is an ongoing problem , not just on one date.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11655450April 18, 2025
STRUCTURE:BODY
Above the windshield on the driver's side, paint is progressively peeling away with regular operation of my pearl-white 2017 Kia Sorento. What began as a very small and barely noticeable chip in the paint has progressed to a large paint-less spot. On the hood and surrounding areas, paint chips are appearing as well. According to the auto body repair shop I received an estimate from, this is referred to as "delamination" and is a result of poor quality paint or craftsmanship in the manufacturing process. The auto body shop said this is a recurring issue in WHITE Kia Sorentos specifically. Many other owners of white Kia Sorentos have reported this same issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11655490April 18, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:INSTRUMENT PANEL:SPEEDOMETER/ODOMETER
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2015 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while attempting to register the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was an auction sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 20,19,4 and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 20,735.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11655357April 18, 2025
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Front headlights are fogging up and blocking headlights. Dealership has looked at the issue and waiting for KIA to approve the replacement. No action yet, but if this is happening to my SUV, I'm sure others are having the same issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11655152April 17, 2025
ENGINE
Engine blew at 175000. It is not one of the vehicles that is covered under the class action lawsuit but the vehicle itself just blew an engine after an oil change. One of the Pistons let go.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11655226April 17, 2025
ENGINE
We have noticed a great amount of oil consumption in the engine. We first thought we needed an oil change. We keep up on maintenance of our vehicles. When we took it in to get the oil changed, they said we had almost no oil in the vehicle. So once we had an oil change, we took it to Kia of Alcoa and they said there was nothing wrong with it. We drove it a while and again low on oil. We take it back to Kia of Alcoa and they do an oil consumption test. We drove it 1,000 miles like they said to do and we came back. They checked the oil level and they said the oil consumption was normal. So again we drive it and still having issues with oil consumption. We always have to put anywhere from 1 to 5 quarts of oil in the vehicle on a regular basis. We should not have to add oil in between oil changes. Now we have a rattling going on and we are taking it back to Kia Alcoa soon to get looked at. We believe that rattling is from the high oil consumption. Nobody seems to have a solution and everyone thinks there is nothing wrong with the vehicle.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11655276April 17, 2025
ENGINE
According to the dealership diagnostic assessment, the engine has two holes in the block as a result of connecting rod bearing failure. My Kia Sorento engine is a V6. This is a known issue in the Kia Sorento 2.4L for which a recall/extended warranty was granted. The Kia tech service line is denying any assistance with repair/replacement of my engine exhibiting the same engine failure results as the 2.4L engine. The day the engine blew, the oil level was full prior to drive, on the interstate it began sputtering and rattling, the engine then made the sound of a pop or muffled explosion and the car ceased to run causing us to have to quickly divert across lanes of traffic to get safely to the shoulder. Once stopped, the car was noted to have a pool of oil underneath and would ceased to drive.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11654937April 16, 2025
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
See attached document for complaint.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11654871April 15, 2025
ENGINE
I own a 2019 Kia Sorento SX V6 that I purchase in January 2024 that now has 73k miles. I recently started encountering a problem where the oil light would come on and stay on while my car is an idle position. I went to City Kia of Greater Orlando to get an oil change because I assumed that was the problem. Sometime after the oil change the light continued to go on when my car was in idle position and my engine oil that was just replaced had been severely depleted so I returned to Kia to have a diagnostic done and was advised that the oil filter housing gasket, oil pressure regulator valve needed to be replaced along with some other repairs for leaks so I approved the repairs but after the repairs were completed and I retrieved my vehicle the same problem of the oil light coming own when idle continued. I returned one again to Kia and had another diagnostic done and they found that now the oil pressure switch with harness needed to be replaced which I questioned because why wasn’t this issue found with the first diagnostic. Why so many issues with parts related to my engine and is not covered under warranty or as part of a recall. I’ve done some research and found numerous complaints of the 2019 kia sorento having the same engine issues and having the same parts replaced. I strongly believe that this is a defect on this car and should be addressed immediately and these issues scrutinized.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11654744April 15, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
All safety features disabled, srs light turns on, vehicle shuts off when driving, guage cluster is inop doesn’t show speed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11654270April 12, 2025
POWER TRAIN
I bought the car at 28k miles certified pre owned at jake sweeney kia in Florence ky. I had taken the car to the service station multiple times complaining of a clunky transmission. Things got worse and a whine from the engine bay occurred. At this time kia replaced the transmission at just under 42k miles. After having the new transmission about 500 miles later this issue is occurring again. Within 50 miles of replacement I went back to the dealership complaining of the the same clunking issue. At this time the dealership told me they could not replicate the problem. Now just a few hundred miles later the problem is extremely worse. I once again visit kia were they tell me again they could not replicate the issues. At this time I asked the service advisor Donavon to ride with me and I will point out the issue. Within a mile of our trip the problems occurred and the advisor noted the issue. I now am driving the car and waiting for a loaner from the dealership so they can yet again diagnose the issue which may result in another transmission replacement
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11654212April 11, 2025
ENGINE
Head gasket blew due to head bolts losing threads or stretching not sure exactly why but many people has reported this issue
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11653820April 10, 2025
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle went into LIMP Mode and failed to accelerate above 35 MPH. There was an unknown warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the engine had seized. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with an internal bearing failure. The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle was previously in a crash and declined the warranty coverage. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 103,274.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11653792April 9, 2025
ENGINE
premature bearing wear within the engine
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11653730April 9, 2025
AIR BAGS, STRUCTURE:BODY, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I am writing to bring to your attention a concerning issue regarding the instrument panel of the 2016-2020 Kia Sorento. My car - 2017 Kia Sorento. In approx. 2021, I noticed a small 2 cm crack resembling a razor blade cut on my instrument panel (Part Number: 84710-C5000WK, also 84710-C6000WK and 84710-C6001WK). At the time, I did not find this defect alarming as it was minor and located far from the airbag area. However, over time, the situation has deteriorated significantly. The small crack has now developed into three substantial cracks measuring between 6 to 8 inches, with some of them encroaching upon the airbag area. I am increasingly concerned that these cracks may impact the airbag deployment mechanism and potentially result in fragments from the panel flying out during a collision, an issue that has been documented in other vehicle brands in the past. After conducting some research, I found that this problem appears to be common among the Kia Sorento models manufactured between 2016 and 2020. Numerous sources online indicate that these dashboard cracks pose a safety hazard. I have made attempts to address this issue directly with Kia. However, I was informed that the initial inspection fee is $150, and the estimated cost for part replacement and installation is approximately $3,959. This amount is quite significant. I urge your organization to investigate this matter further and consider providing a remedy for affected customers. Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11653221April 7, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The ABS, down hill light, and swaying light came on. As I was pulling into a parking space slowly with my foot on the brakes, the car sped forward knocking over a post and shrubs.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11652979April 5, 2025
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, ENGINE, SUSPENSION
Kia failed to take accountability for rods related to oil pan and engine damage defect on this vehicle. Did not offer other safety options and did not give any warning signs. I have ALL my receipts and maintenance on vehicle that I DID Maintain my vehicle responsible and this was a Kia vehicle safety issue on manufacturing. I did not receive any warning or lights on my dashboard and I have all my oil change receipts. Please see all attached documents for my complaint. All Kia customer service was concerned with was warranty when this is a manufacturing product defect of this car not being put together properly and my vehicle has been serviced over years at a Kia dealership and no one has ever told me my vehicle was not maintained. Kia corporation won't even investigate or even move forward in any direction even with all my receipts reports and evidence to submit my claims are true.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11652948April 5, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, EXTERIOR LIGHTING, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Vehicles instrument cluster goes black at times ( speedometer, tach and all exterior lights and turn signals are inoperative during this time) I took it to the dealership and they said they couldn’t duplicate the problem
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11652827April 4, 2025
STRUCTURE:BODY
THE PAINT ON MY PEARL WHITE CAR IS PEELING OFF.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11652700April 4, 2025
ENGINE
Kia Sorento Limited 2015. Regular oil changes on engine using Valvoline synthetic oil. 118k miles on the 3.3L engine. Car is in mint condition. I have all records. At oil change, Valvoline tech mentioned it was low on oil. Never had a tech tell me that before. 24 hours after oil change, I started the engine and heard a pinging noise. I let the engine warm up and the sounds smoothed out. I drove it for less than 5 minutes on the highway at 60mph and warning lights came on and the car had no power from the engine. No loud sounds or knocking at the time. Kia South Dealer is telling me I have to buy a rebuilt engine for $5.5k and will cost $6K to install. That cost is more than the car is worth. With me research, there are two huge issues with the engine. Head bolts loosing and lack of oil distribution on one cylinder causing bearings to melt. I know there is not a recall on this but there is on the same engine for the Hyndai Sante Fe. I baby this car and I feel very betrayed that the engine gave it the way it did. My car looks brand new as I take great care of it but now I have an engine that should last twice as long that is now dead. Shouldn't this engine should be applicable for an extended warranty or for Kia to step up and help with the cost? What can I do? Really appreciate your help!!!!! Sincerely, [XXX] Original Owner since I bought it Dec 2014. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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