Kia Sorento Complaints (2021)

276 consumer complaints on file.

#11487776October 3, 2022
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, ENGINE
As my vehicle was in drive and I was actively driving, an error displayed on the dash stating to "stop safely immediately." The vehicle would neither accelerate nor decelerate and would not generate any RPMs. The check engine light came on, went off hours lately and the vehicle appeared to perform normally thereafter. Nonetheless I had the vehicle towed to the dealership and was told they were unable to duplicate the error although. I was told that although they could download the code for the error, it was unlikely that Kia would replace the faulty sensor that needed replacing as it was located on the side of the transmission. I was told to video the issue if it ever happened again. 7 days later, the exact same thing happened while I was in the middle of an intersection with my children. I leased this vehicle in May of 2021 and this issue occurred in July 2022 with 7800 miles on the odometer. There were zero issues with this vehicle prior to this and I have all service records and video footage of the incident.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11487524October 2, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My vehicle was in my garage and I noticed a crack in my windshield. Nothing hit my windshield and there are no knicks in the glass. The crack starts all the way at the top of the windshield and the crack is spreading very quickly. I bought this vehicle used on 7/12/22 and I only put 789 miles on it since purchasing it.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11484695September 15, 2022
POWER TRAIN
The transmission failed; it is at the dealership awaiting a replacement transmission, and, if needed and if possible, I would authorize for it to be inspected. While in a parking garage, the instrument cluster displayed a "Safely Stop Immediately" message and a check engine light, and the vehicle began to lose momentum and roll to a stop, regardless of accelerator input. The problem was was replicated and confirmed by a Kia dealership. The vehicle has not been inspected beyond the service department at the dealership.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11483178September 6, 2022
POWER TRAIN
while driving car dropped to 20 miles pe hour pressed gas harder and rpm stayed at 2 and car failed to accelerate, Loss of driving power. It intermittently will drop rpms and lose speed with no warning no light or indicators. This is the 2nd transmission the original failed on 09/11/21 with only 12,000 miles on the car and had to be replaced. this transmission only has 14, 00 miles on it and is a replacement from the Valley Kia dealer. This car is unsafe to drive you dont know if you press the gas pedal it will actually accelerate or stall.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11482741September 3, 2022
POWER TRAIN
I have a 2021 SX with 6000 miles sitting at the dealership with a failing transmission. yesterday September 2, 2022, my vehicle lost 100% of power and I was left at a traffic light with no power. The dashboard said, "Stop safely immediately". The engine light came on and thank God I was not on the highway. Got towing service to Kia Dealer in Houston. It is a very dangerous situation for any driver to lose all power suddenly. I went to the internet and this is a common problem with this model. It is related to the DCT transmission.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11482634September 2, 2022
ENGINE
i have 2021 Kia Sorento Hybrid, which a regular message stating that it needs to refill inverter coolant fluid keeps coming up, even though the car coolants level is full. This is not a new problem for the all the Kia users that have this model. Also, Kia and their network of dealerships have known of this problem for over 1 yr and their standard answer is" we know its a software program, and will get back to you once the software code is fixed". Basically, they are dismissing the complaints and issues from the car owners. Also, this is poses a security and safety concern, since the warning light/message takes over the entire center console/display. Other relevant safety and security warnings/functionality is obstructed by it. Please force Kia to make this a mandatory recall for all Hybrid owners. There are thousands of customers impacted.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11481962August 30, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Refil inverter fluid warning light is on constant, this doesn’t allow the driver to access any digital information while vehicle is on. The vehicle is also having issues with the entertainment consul, Bluetooth connection issues along with the ability to access apple car play. Dealership says it’s Kia and nothing is being done. Various forums with others having similar issues.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11481714August 29, 2022
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
Vehicle is not shifting properly. The vehicle is hesitating on shifting up and have a very hard down shift. When vehicle was brand new this was mentioned to the dealer and they said it was "normal" for these "new" transmissions. This issue has now since gotten way worse. When sitting at a stop sign and needing to accelerate to get out onto the roadway and wheel is slightly turned on "dry" roads the traction control light will come on and vehicle will not accelerate. This is a very BIG safety concern as myself and my kids use this car daily! This problem has been made aware to dealer but only to be told its "NORMAL" this is not normal its a big risk of possibly getting myself or others into an accident. The vehicle is going to be relooked at with another dealer 8/30/22 as it has gotten worse and im concerned of the safety of myself that this vehicle may malfunction causing as accident. I have also looked at other reports of these 2021 Sorentos and seeing a pattern with the transmission issues of them.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11480490August 22, 2022
POWER TRAIN
Car fails to shift gears. Will not allow to switch to manual and get stuck in first gear. Car has less than 12,000 miles
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11480328August 20, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN
Vehicle went into limp mode suddenly while driving on the road and would only go 10 mph. We were able to pull vehicle aside and within a minute the car would not move. Check engine light came on with a warning message to pull vehicle to the side of the road. We were able to drive the vehicle home 7 miles after waiting about 1 hour after the issue and the next day drove it to the dealership. Car has been at dealership since 8/8/22 and service advisor and Kia engineer have yet to figure out what went wrong. We have no eta as of today when we will get car back. This issue is concerning as the vehicle came to a complete stop with traffic around us.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11478896August 11, 2022
POWER TRAIN
On my way to the grocery store less than a mile from my home an alarm and dash alert popped up "SAFELY STOP IMMEDIATELY." The vehicle was stuck in first gear and the rpms revved up. Almost immediately I lost power and it was stuck in neutral even though it was in drive. Then the engine shut down. When I restarted it I could not move. This is extremely dangerous and should never happen. The vehicle has 17,802 miles on it and now my wife and I are afraid to drive it. After sitting for about 20 minutes I was able to start it and return home. It has not moved since. We called the dealer and they were backed up for over a month on service. This is a new vehicle? Upon investigating this issue I found just on one website over 43 reports of the same incident. One person said that a dealership has an entire row of these vehicles with the same problem and transmissions are on backorder. It's been 3 days and still waiting for a reply from my local dealer. This is not safe!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11478385August 9, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, POWER TRAIN
1) Automatic Braking: Twice, Car has auto braked in the middle of a 4-way intersection when a car was stopping at the light. Car has auto braked in the middle of the 3rd lane (fast lane) on the highway during rain. Car has auto braked multiple times when reversing out of a parking spot. In one of those incidents, I have to drive forward in order for the car to move; turning it off and on does not reset the vehicle. The auto-braking while driving especially on the highway causing rapid decceleration could result in another vehicle rear-ending me. 2) MANY transmission issues: jerky transmission, car moving backwards while in drive (usually uphill, doesn't have to be steep), car stalling in park or when going up steep hills, traction control kicking on and engine downshifting (even though the roads were dry).
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11478217August 8, 2022
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN
I have owned this vehicle for about 1 yr & 7 months now. it's been great but all of a sudden last Friday, the dashboard started producing an engine overheat warning with an alarm sound when I was driving under normal conditions. So then I pulled out of the highway and went to the nearest parking lot, and checked the engine. The coolant color was normal & max level. no sign of leaking. Then we resumed driving and nothing happened. later on the way back home... the same thing happened. The alarm sounded for a while and the temperature indicator reached red at the max level then it went away. it was already too late for us to reach out to either dealership or KIA, so I was going to get in touch later. The next day afternoon, I got a diagnostic appointment for the coming Wednesday with the nearest KIA dealership and went out to take care of a few other stuff. The alarm sound with the temperature gauge reaching the red max level happened again after merging into the highway, and it went off after a while. This occurrence has happened 3 times already and I'm a bit worried that it may happen again and something else may happen even though the engine and other fluid levels were fine based on the visual inspection. Not sure if this is fixable...
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11477630August 4, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My 2021 Kia Sorento with 15,500 miles suddenly displayed a “stop safely immediately” warning with no other lights or indicators as to an issue. My husband and I were trying to find a safe place to stop when the vehicle suddenly stopped accelerating and would not shift out of first gear and the RPMs increased to over 5000. We then lost all drivability in the middle of the road and couldn’t move at all. The dealership said a sensor was dirty and “cleaned it” and sent us on our way. Less than a week later, with my four year old daughter in the car with me, the same thing happened again but the “stop safely immediately” warning displayed briefly, disappeared, and then the car again lost all drivability in the middle of a busy highway.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11477473August 3, 2022
POWER TRAIN
Vehicle randomly losses power when trying to accelerate from a stop. This creates a risk of being rear ended or struck while attempting to merge into traffic. Power loss is 100%. May last from a couple seconds to several minutes. No warning lights come on. The vehicle is currently at the dealership awaiting diagnosis which I was told could take several weeks due to a “backlog of vehicles awaiting repair and a shortage of repair technicians”. Dealer refused to offer a loaner car and Kia will not provide a loaner or rental vehicle until the car is diagnosed by the dealer.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11477136August 2, 2022
POWER TRAIN
Vehicle randomly looses power to the wheels while driving vehicle. This has occurred while in drive and reverse. Engine check light is lit (not blinking) and message appears on instrument panel of "Stop Safely Immediately" at time of occurrence. This first started on 7/4/2022. This occurred while in heavy traffic which put myself in a dangerous position as it did for other drivers around me. Vehicle is at the dealer service department for the third time. They are having difficulty recreating the issue. On first visit technician found history code P1C2D03 described as "Incorrect Gear Ratio". Transmission software was updated, I picked up car on 7/7/2022 and did not make the 4 mile trip home before it occurred again. The last occurrence was on 7/27/2022. Problem occurred while backing out of driveway.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11476723July 30, 2022
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Hello Sir / Madam, I bought this used 2021 Kia Sorento with Vin Number [XXX]. Greenway Kia Orlando, Has Verified with me and given me a print out saying This Recall has been repaired successfully by them in March of 2022 before they sold it to me. They even said that Documents have been submitted to NHTSA and NHTSA is not updating in to their system Since 3 months. Can you please help me on this subject. Recall has been repaired and I have the repaired invoices and proofs that they provided to me. 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
#11476205July 27, 2022
POWER TRAIN
Vehicle slams into gears, jerks forward when accelerating, hesitates a long time when reversing then changing to drive(extremely dangerous), and when in park and not turned off yet it surges or revs slightly and you can feel it trying to go forward. At first these things were rare but then became occasional and now after a year they have become constant. Dealership says I need a new transmission and they may have my car for two months or more! Have also had a dead battery twice already with nothing left on or plugged in.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11475778July 25, 2022
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Vehicle has a constant, unresolved error reporting that Inverter Coolant level is abnormal. Occurs daily. Dealership is unable to determine whether it is an issue. Has been taken to the dealership 2 times in the last 3 months. The warning also occupies the dashboard screen and cannot be dismissed, preventing me from viewing any vehicle details (engine temperature, tire pressure, digital speedometer)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11475036July 20, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Refill inverter coolant warning on dashboard. Took it onto local dealer, no problems located. May be a sensor issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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