Kia Sorento Complaints (2023)

167 consumer complaints on file.

#11552503October 29, 2023
VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY
I was driving my 2023 Kia Sorento on the I-5 freeway going about 70 MPH when the front-half of the panoramic sunroof spontaneously shattered and dropped glass into the cabin of the car. There was no debris, falling objects, or any other event to cause the glass the break. We were at a wide open area of the freeway with no overpasses and not much traffic around us. It had been almost freezing in the morning, but a very sunny day. We were traveling at about 4:30 PM pacific time on Oct. 28.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11551422October 23, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
1. I have been complaining about the vehicle turning off by itself. No one is listening to me or telling me what is causing the problem. I have numerous witnesses when the car turns off by itself. It isn’t safe. It could cause a deadly accident. No it’s not the auto shut off either. I have to put the car in park and hope it restarts each time. 2. When auto shut off is in use the vehicle stalls leading it to act like it’s trying to get fuel to move and turns off. I’ve come too close to having accidents. I never know when it will do it. Sometimes I don’t drive it because I don’t want to be held liable for causing an accident and harming somebody's life. 3. I had been complaining to them that I smelled something burning but I couldn’t identify it. I asked them to keep my car and check it out and they refused. While driving in the hottest summer the AC goes out. I immediately took it to the dealership. The worker said we can’t fix it. It'll be a week before they will take my vehicle. The lady was rude and said go to another dealership. It was too hot not to have AC then on top of that it rained the rest of the week and I wasn’t able to work because I couldn’t defog my windows to drive. It finally stopped raining and I was able to get another dealership to check it out and they told me something had burned up that makes the AC work ( I have the paperwork). If they would have checked the car like I asked when I first started complaining about smelling the burning smell this could have been avoided. Also, I don’t get notifications about recalls via mail, phone, call, email etc.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11549499October 11, 2023
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
While driving on Oregon I-205 south bound received a refill inverter coolant warning. I was on my way to the dealer for other issues and decided to let the dealer fix it. About five miles down the freeway I began to lose power. I was in the center lane and had to move over two lanes of traffic while losing more power. Luckily I made it across with the help of a few understanding drivers and many horn honkers so there was no accident. I turned off the engine and called Kia roadside assistance. After about 15 minutes I was connected to a Kia assistant who after a few minutes asked if the engine would start and it did. I was then directed to try to make it to the nearest Kia dealer which was about 8 miles away. The car went the first seven miles with no problem but then I started to lose power again. I was doing five miles an hour tops when I pulled into Weston Kia in Gresham, Ore. I left my car at the dealer. I was called the next day to tell me that a small piece of metal (road debris) had flown through the air intake space below the grill and hit the invertor radiator and that the invertor radiator reservoir was empty causing the car to lose power to save the engine. Luckily they had an invertor radiator in stock and I got my car back six days later. It was not covered by warranty because it was not a manufactures defect. The cost to repair was almost $1100. I question this. I googled this problem and found out that I am not the first person to have this exact problem happen to. If the air intake to the invertor radiator had some protection (1/4 inch mesh) or the invertor radiator were behind the grill this would not of happened. This, in my opinion, is extremely dangerous and would have very easy fix. I asked to keep the old radiator and I have documentation from Weston Kia covering the repair.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11547541September 30, 2023
POWER TRAIN
Transmission problem arised on/about 9/15/23 and 3,000 miles. There is a distinct shudder when shifting through lower gears, more recently, on/around 4,000 miles l, shudder is growing worse, and there is intermittent problems at highway speeds. This is very dangerous, and could cause an accident/injury at any time. I have been to my local Kia dealership 3 times now, who have flight recorded and concurred with me that its the transmission failing, but have been sent home every time with "we don't know exactly what it is, so keep driving it". These symptoms are very similar to the 2021 model years dct transmission recall problems. I know of others with this same problem, and Kia needs to be held liable asap.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11547524September 30, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
Dear NHTSA, I am writing to report a serious safety issue with my 2023 Kia Sorento, purchased in February 2023 from Ken Garff Kia Avondale. In July 2023, I began experiencing alarming issues, including flashing lights, dashboard error messages, and malfunctions, despite the vehicle being unused for several days with no visible damage. The air conditioning system malfunctioned, blowing hot air even when turned off. Upon inspection at the dealership, I was told the front sensor was damaged, with a repair estimate of $1700. However, no visible damage was evident, and I believe this issue should be warranty-covered due to its electronic nature. The dealership noted that 35 others faced similar problems, raising concerns of a manufacturing issue. Despite persistent efforts and a replacement part installed nearly two weeks later, the problem persists. I've incurred nearly $500 in rental car expenses, as the situation remains unresolved, even with involvement from Kia Corporate engineers. My aim in reporting this issue is to ensure consumer safety and seek a prompt resolution, as I continue to make $1k monthly payments for an unused Sorento. I respectfully request your assistance and prompt investigation into this matter. Sincerely, [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
#11544710September 15, 2023
SEATS, LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION
There are two user profiles on the main infotainment system for this vehicle and there are two seat position memory buttons on the door. I am the main driver of the vehicle and have input my seat position into seat memory button #1 on my door making sure my profile on the infotainment is up and the position is confirmed. The system will randomly delete my position and the seat will move to what appears to be the factory setting. I am 5’ 2” so the seat moves lower and so far back I cannot reach the gas nor break pedals. As this has happened what seems like at least 100 times, I mention the problem to the dealer in early August 2023, they had not heard of a similar problem and they ran a diagnostic and all was fine. On Saturday, Sept 9, 2023, I was in the driver seat and put the vehicle into drive. A few seconds later my husband changed the infotainment system from his profile to my profile and the seat went to the factory setting while the vehicle was in drive and I could not reach the gas nor the break pedals. Luckily I had not pressed the gas yet and we were on a flat side street and the vehicle did not move but we were in a residential neighborhood. The second problem has happened around five times with the latest incident on Friday, September 8th. I was on the interstate traveling at 75 mph with light traffic I came up on a few vehicles and noticed the blindspot detectors on both sides of the vehicle did not work while passing the other vehicles. I have also had this happen in heavy traffic with speeds in the 30-50 mph range.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11543753September 11, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I was cleaning my Kia and I was wiping the back-up camera, the camera housing clip broke and I didnt even put any pressure.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11541153August 28, 2023
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
We were driving on the highway at about 65 MPH. Without warning, the vehicle suddenly started to struggle and slowed to about 40 MPH. We were able to safely pull over, but we were in an acceleration lane merging onto another highway and didn't feel safe due to the sudden deceleration. This is a plug-in hybrid. We have driven at 65+ MPH on long rides before, and this was the first time that we noticed that the battery had completely drained. We expect that when the battery is drained that the car would function like a normal hybrid and continue to function in a safe manner. The car's cluster displayed a message along the lines of "Maintaining hybrid mode," although it isn't clear if the speed-limiting behavior was an expected consequence of that. After being pulled over for a bit, the battery level recuperated enough that we attempted to resume driving on side roads. Battery level varied from red to blue (normal) and then back to red, but thankfully the battery didn't fully deplete again and we were able to return home safely. We're waiting on an appointment with a dealership to have the car checked out. It was last serviced 3 days prior to the incident (first oil change, filters changed, etc).
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11540904August 26, 2023
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
I was driving down the highway on cruise control going 67 on a 65. The car started revving up and then proceeded to go faster. I turned off the cruise control but its continued to speed up. I stomped on the brake 4 or 5 times with no effect. I rammed into the back of a bus at 110 mph.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11538734August 15, 2023
LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
My blind spot and forward collision warnings kept going off with any vehicles in front me or in my blind spot. I was on the road by myself and they constantly would go off over and over and nothing covering the sensors.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11537103August 8, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Driving my vehicle my sunroof glass shatter, now it has a big hole in the middle. The car is at kia in laurel Maryland.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11537024August 7, 2023
ENGINE
I just purchased my car four days ago as I was driving on expressway. I got an error that there’s an issue with my engine and cooling system. And the engine light has came on. This car was purchased brand new from a Kia dealership in Dearborn Michigan.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11536379August 3, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Yesterday I was driving and I heard an explosion above my head. I smelled smoke and heard glass rattling. I was shocked but held it together to cross 3 lanes of traffic on the freeway and safely get onto the break down area. I got out of the car, went to the passenger side and looked on top of the car. The glass on the sunroof was exploded upward and metal was sticking upward as well. I took pictures and then got into my car, got back on the freeway until the next exit where I exited the freeway and made my way to the dealership where I had purchased the vehicle in 5/2023. I got there as service department was opening, I took more pictures as the lighting was different. The took my car, said I would hear something back in the next 1-3 days. They said they had to file paperwork with Kia USA to get approval to make repairs as well as to reimburse a rental car. The service person told me that this was second time he had seen this occur in the 2 years he had worked with Courtesy Kia. The other time it was a Telluride versus a Sorrento PHEV like mine.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11534290July 25, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
The contact owns a 2023 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brakes spontaneously engaged. The brake warning light was illuminated. The contact stated there was no other vehicles nearby when the failure occurred on several occasions. Additionally, the sunroof was deactivated due to the software being disconnected spontaneously. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure and informed the contact that the manufacturer needed to be contacted to check the logs. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11528594June 23, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY
Sunroof on the vehicle blew out out of nowhere. No prior cracks or damage.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11526836June 13, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, EXTERIOR LIGHTING, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My passenger interior dash and glove box trim are melted. I’ve had it checked out by Kia, however they do not see where an origin could have come from. The day i noticed it, my vehicle had been hit on the front right passenger fender. The melting looked to be electrical or caused by a combustion of sort but we also believe it could have been caused by reflection off of the interior of my vehicle to that spot. I live in Michigan, the temperature was above 80*.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11526046June 8, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
On 6/6/2023, the sunroof shattered while driving. No rock/debris collided at this time with the sunroof and I believe this is a security malfunction due to the glass overheating. This incident isn't the result of mishandling on our (the consumer's) behalf. The car dealership (VANGUARD KIA of Arlington) has denied responsibility in the defect of this car part. As such, I'm filing on for our situation and warning of others who are at risk. Additionally, no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of the problem were present prior to the failure.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11521649May 12, 2023
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD
The contact owns a 2023 Kia Sorento Hybrid. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in the garage, the windshield cracked from the top to the base on the passenger's side. The contact stated that there was no indication of an external cause for the failure. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 900.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11518946April 25, 2023
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2023 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle independently decelerated with the transmission error warning light illuminated. The contact was able to push the vehicle to the side of the roadway. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 12,000. The VIN was not available.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11516071April 8, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, SERVICE BRAKES, ENGINE
car parked automatically while in drive. won't allow car to shift to drive or reverse due to "driving conditions not met". hybrid system light also randomly comes on.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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