Kia Sorento Complaints
10,397 consumer complaints on file.
- #11486204September 24, 2022ENGINE
The engine and yes it is available for inspection The Car stalled at a red light at a busy intersection on my way to work I was afraid I was going to be hit The car is at a mechanic shop There was no warnings lights it all the sudden started tapping and then stalled and would not crank back up
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11486221September 24, 2022ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
I have a 2016 Kia Sorento that was purchased Certified Pre-Owned on 5/18/2022. On 9/16/2022, I was driving the car at approximately 50 MPH when the care began to lose significant power. The car completely lost power making it hard to drive and adjust steering. I was able to safely pull over; however, being stranded in the dark as a woman is not safe, and I feel had another car been in front of or near me, I could have easily crashed. At that time, the car would not restart, and I noticed when I tried to start the car, smoke coming from under the hood. I sat for about 30 minutes, tried to start the car again, the car would not start. Prior to the car shutting down, there was no warning. The engine light has never been on in the car. What I did notice is the engine light flashed just before it went into this coasting mode. So, whatever was happening, happened without any warning at all. I had the car towed to my home. The tow driver parked the vehicle in a spot where I do not park; I noticed upon inspection oil had puddled on the ground. The car has never had or shown any previous leaks. I park in the same spot daily and have never seen a leak. Since having the car towed into the dealer, I have learned from Kia, the engine locked up; however, they have not been able to determine the cause as of yet. What they have shared with me is that they ran the diagnostic on the vehicle and confirmed that oil was everywhere (as I reported). They stated although the oil was dirty, the oil was full in the engine. They have confirmed the engine is locked but stated any claim with Kia against the Theta II Settlement Claim was denied because the KSDS had not been upgraded. When I asked how would I have known the car needed this recall because my car's VIN does not produce any recall notices on neither the KIA site nor NHTSA, I was told Honda (the Seller) should have performed the update before selling the car to me. So currently I am looking at $8K-$12K in repairs.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11486044September 23, 2022VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
On many occasions the cruise control cancel button does not work. The brake system is needed to disengage the cruise control. When mentioned to dealership they stated probably dirt behind the steering wheel cover or in or around buttons. Stated would have take apart inspect at owners expense. Stated they have heard of that problem before. Seems to be a known safety or design problem. Did not have dealership do any work due to pricing and the fact I know the issue. Other owners may not know and may cause serious safety issue.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11486087September 23, 2022SERVICE BRAKES
Intermittent brake issues without error code or visual indication. On or about July 27, 2022 my wife was driving away from our house in our neighborhood when she noticed the brakes weren't responding normally & she was able to press the brake pedal all the way to the floor. This happened again the following day & she recognized that something was wrong. She called roadside assistance to assess towing but the first available service appointment in our area was August 17, 2022 at Lee Johnson Kia in Kirkland, WA. The vehicle wasn't driven due to safety concerns & was towed to Lee Johnson Kia on August 16, 2022. The service department has been unable to fix the car as of September 23, 2022. The brake master cylinder has been replaced twice & evidently has a leak issue. Kia America Customer Case #15006678.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11485789September 22, 2022STRUCTURE:BODY
The paint is delaminating . It is peeling off down to the primer. This is a know problem with Kia. The Kia service manager stated Kia would not make good for the repair stating it has been more the 36 months and the warranty has expired. A heavy rain furthers the peeling. Under the right circumstance in the rain with the peeling sticking to the windshield could cause limited vision during driving and could be hazardous.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11485806September 22, 2022VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle would not properly accelerate. The contact stated that occasionally while stationary and attempting to accelerate, the RPM would increase significantly before causing the vehicle to experience unintended acceleration. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V089000 (Vehicle Speed Control). The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 60,000. The consumer stated that the dealer was able to replicate the issue and repair it. But even after the repair, the vehicle still stalls just a bit.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11485886September 22, 2022EXTERIOR LIGHTING
The headlights spontaneously shut off while driving at night. This has happened multiple times since we have owned the car. Mostly happens when lights are in AUTO mode. Also the headlights will turn on while parked and shut off.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11485950September 22, 2022EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Driving down a dark highway tonight and headlights just randomly went out completely. Had to switch them on and off several times to get them back on. Safety risk is obvious for myself and other cars on the road. Has not been inspected, just happened tonight. I have noticed my lights cutting on and off during the day randomly lately but I just assumed it was the auto mode picking up shady areas but it appears to all be related based on the thread I just read online and sounds like an issue with this year Sorento.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11485581September 21, 2022ENGINE
Last year driving on a highway, my car suddenly lost power. I was able to coast another mile onto a 2 lane roadway, then it just died*every light on panel came on & went off. I was very lucky & very scared that no one rear ended me. My car was towed to a Kia dealer where the RECALLED ENGINE was Replaced. Now here it is a year later & the Knocking noise has been reported & videoed by me to the Kia mechanics(nothing done). This past saturday(9-17-2022) we were in the car & the exact same thing happened(backed up & car was on but would not do anything*No Warning Lights). After sitting for a few minutes we were able to start the car (this time) & went home, called Kia mechanic and left a message. I was on my way out of town but definitely changed my mind about driving my Kia. Monday we took it to the Kia mechanic & he said it just needed something RESET 😒 .... This morning knocking noise( I recorded it again) was present . It really makes you mad. Should Kia be held responsible for another ENGINE.😒 I hate having a car that i'm scared to drive to far from home. 😢
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11485630September 21, 2022ENGINE
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while her husband was driving 40 MPH, the engine started sputtering and failed to accelerate upon depression of the accelerator pedal. The check engine warning light illuminated on the instrument panel during the failure. The contact's husband was able to drive the vehicle home and later had the vehicle towed to a dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle with a blown head gasket which resulted in engine failure. The manufacturer was notified about the failure and the contact was provided a case number. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 107,000.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11485632September 21, 2022ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, SERVICE BRAKES, ENGINE
El mes de 01\22\2022 compre un beiculo y el primer problema que tube fue como alas dos semanas de tenerlo con migo y fue con los frenos y lo lo llebe a que lo areglaran pero el gran problema bino con el motor que se quemo cuando iba de camino a mi trabago y apenas tenia dos meses con el beiculo y en el lote cue la compre ni mis aseguransas que le puse al beiculo quieren alludarme
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11485691September 21, 2022ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
There is an electrical problem with the Kia Sorento. I had the battery and Alternator replaced when the vehicle shut down and locked up on me. This is the second time in a few months it just shut down while I was driving.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11485735September 21, 2022ENGINE
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, his wife noticed an abnormal sound coming from the engine. Additionally, his wife also noticed that the vehicle was not accelerating as needed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the high-pressure fuel pump follower was replaced; however, immediately there was a knocking sound coming from the vehicle. The mechanic diagnosed the vehicle and stated that the knocking noise was coming from the engine and might be the rod bearing. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were contacted and stated that the vehicle was out of warranty and that the VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was 70,000.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11485398September 20, 2022SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC, ENGINE
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle overheated with the temperature gauge indicating that the engine was hot. The contact also stated that smoke was coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and was diagnosed with engine failure; the vehicle was no longer operable. The contact then received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V331000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) which she linked to the failure. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the issue and the contact was informed that the recall was not related to the engine failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was towed back to the residence. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11485564September 20, 2022UNKNOWN OR OTHER
It was apparent on 9/17/22 that paint on our 2014 Kia Sorento was peeling off. We thought a piece of paper flew onto the roof. It was actually sheets of paint peeling off the top, back roof. The sheets were so large they could of imparted my vision if they fell into the front or back window. We plan to contact Kia Customer service next.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11485568September 20, 2022ENGINE
Vehicle has 64000 miles, I was driving at 70 mph on highway with no warning the engine cut out lost power, engine light was now on. Had it towed to Kia dealership was told engine failure is a problem with this vehicle as well as excessive burning oil and I had to pay $500 to have engine cleansed, told it would not fix the problem but engine cleanse was the recommended step. Told to drive car for 1000 miles bring it back to have oil checked then I am to drive it, not to check the oil or add oil and drive it until the engine goes out again then have it towed back to the dealership. Didn’t even make it to 1000 miles check engine light came on, now being told it is the intake manifold that needs replaced not covered under warranty and this will cost me $1000 and still refuse to replace the problematic engine. Asked technician if the lower engine issues could cause damage to other parts of my engine not covered by lifetime warranty for lower engine to which I was told he didn’t think so but couldn’t say for sure. Contacted Kia customer center received an apathetic response to my concerns and merely offered to mail me a hard copy of the details of the warranty told not sure why the technician told me not to check or add oil as that would be owner negligence and engine would then not be covered by lifetime warranty. Kia is consciously putting my family at risk by refusing to resolve the clear problem with this engine. Their actions are negligent. They willingly took my money for a vehicle that they know he problems but refuse to remedy the issues.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11485423September 20, 2022VISIBILITY/WIPER
We have a new 2022 kia Sorento. the windshield without any impacts at all cracked overnight in our garage. from lower driver corner up across to passenger side right in line of sight of driver. Kia refuses to answer there phones to remedy this problem. there are several complaints and a possibly class action suit.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11485289September 19, 2022EXTERIOR LIGHTING
While headlight switch is in Auto mode, it will frequently turn off the headlights at night while indicating that I changed the headlight mode even though I haven't touched it. This happens on dark rural roads with no other vehicles around so oncoming headlights isn't the issue. This happens multiple times a week and I am forced to quickly turn the headlights manually to the "always on" position before I crash into something. I am quick, but it is dangerous and scares my wife to death. Searching online forums shows this to be an extremely common problem. This happens all of the time so there is not one specific date to select. It has been happening multiple times a week for about a year now. Kia pretends they haven't heard of this issue before but any simple search online will show they are lying.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11485328September 19, 2022EXTERIOR LIGHTING
This has been an ongoing issue, headlights set in automatic mode will turn off at night with no warning. They will also turn on in direct sunlight. This is an intermittent issue. Have taken to Kia service on two separate occasions, told they can not find issue or replicate problem. Have video of lights at night turning completely off set in auto mode.There is no warning when headlights turn off, which has happened to us in the rain and on roads that have no overhead lighting creating very dangerous situations.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11485152September 19, 2022UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I HAVE A 2014 KIA SORENTO THE PAINT IS PEALING ON THE PASSENGER SIDE DOOR CLOSE TO WINDSHIELD I SAW WHERE THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM IT NEEDS REPAINTING BEFORE IT GETS ANY WORSE WHICH EVERTIME I WASH IT NOW IT GETS BIGGER PLEASE CHECK ON THIS AND SEE IF THERE IS ANYWAY KIA CAN FIX MY CAR IT ONLY HAS 61,345 MILES ON IT AND THIS SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING I JUST BOUGHT IT 3 MONTHS AGO WITH NO PAINT PROBLEMS
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0