Kia Sorento Complaints (2011)

1,520 consumer complaints on file.

#11481531August 27, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, EXTERIOR LIGHTING, ENGINE
My headlights are randomly going off and back on while driving. It was just happening under the auto setting while turning, then on auto only at anytime. Remained on in the “on” mode. Last night went off on the highway under the ON mode so getting worse.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11481533August 27, 2022
ENGINE
The vehicle stalls and I lose all power while driving. This starts with interior dash lights flashing and going off along with radio and all other lights. This also has happened while sitting in running car. I have replaced two alternators and 3 batteries. Please help.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11480666August 22, 2022
AIR BAGS, SEATS, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The car will not always go in park and will click into gear a few seconds afterwards. The car rolled out of my driveway in reverse and caused over 5000.00 dollars in damages. Also the seat settings will get stuck moving and not moving. The air bag light is also on and the fuel cap sticks and won't open unless forced opened
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11479791August 17, 2022
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
My headlights are randomly turning off when driving at night. This is a serious safety issue and possibly a defect. Also have sensors (down hill assist) that have failed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11478043August 7, 2022
SUSPENSION
For awhile now the suspension seems to be worse. Almost every time I go around a corner either to the left or to the right there is a clanging clanging noise. It seems as thought the car is falling apart coming from the back of the car.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11476822August 1, 2022
ENGINE, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Kia Sorento 2011 LX 2.4L Oil disappears weekly, I have to check it often and/or refill. I use the required oil it calls for on the engine oil cap. Vehicle jolts while driving. I've been parked with vehicle off, turned it on, reversed from parking spot and about an tenth of a mile vehicle stalled, put it in park, and restarted. While driving headlights flicker Tapping/knocking noise from engine area, checked oil and its full, mechanic can't seem to find issue. Some forums have suggested throttl control module?
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11476208July 27, 2022
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2011 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while her husband was driving at 55 MPH, the vehicle caught on fire without any warning. The contact's husband was able to pull over safely and the fire department was able to extinguish the fire. A report was filed with both the police and the fire department. No one was injured. The vehicle was towed to Doug Auto Motor for diagnosis and they stated the rod broke through the engine and caused the oil to leak into the engine. The vehicle was not repairable. The dealer was contacted, and they stated that they were aware of the failure but there was no recall. The manufacturer was contacted, and they also confirmed that there was no recall for the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11474427July 18, 2022
ENGINE
Driving the vehicle on a two lane road at approximately 50 mph (steady cruise state), the vehicle experienced bump or jump in the powertrain (shutter). I immediately lost power to continue at the desired speed (engine missing or lack of power). I slowly tipped into the throttle, but the vehicle was not responding as expected. I put the vehicle in neutral and slightly revved the engine to see if the engine would run normal without load, and it would increase in RPM, but not smoothly. I let the engine return to idle and the engine stalled. I lost my power steering and power brakes and had to muscle the vehicle into a parking lot where I was able to bring the vehicle to a stop and put it into Park. While this event took place the engine or vehicle warning lamp was on the instrument cluster. I got out of the vehicle and looked under hood to see if I could see any obvious signs of an issue and found nothing. I then restarted the vehicle after having the key in the off position. It started and seems to rev up normal. I put the vehicle in drive and cautiously drove the vehicle to my home (about 3 miles). There is no sign of the issue and no lights on the dash. This is not a condition I would want my wife or daughters to encounter, as it produced no warning leading up to the event. The loss of power steering and brakes makes the vehicle difficult to maneuver in a safe manner. It's difficult to trust this vehicle now. The mileage is 92K.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11474353July 17, 2022
ENGINE
The check engine light came on in our Sorento so we took it to a local mechanic. They changed the oil and said the car was good to go on May 13. Less than a mile from the mechanic, on a busy street the car became unresponsive. Suddenly there was no way to accelerate or slow down and steering was incredibly difficult. Managed to coast to the middle of a busy parking lot but the car shut down completely before I could park in a space and I ended up partially blocking the lot entrance and several parked cars before we could get the car towed back to our mechanic. The mechanic reported to us that other Kias had experienced similar issues and we should check with the dealership for recalls. The car was towed to Oakes Kia Dealership on June 3 and they said the car needed a new engine. Having an engine with only 90,000 miles on it shut down without warning is an obvious and incredibly serious safety risk to drivers and others on the road. In a highway situation, this would have likely caused a serious accident.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11473955July 14, 2022
POWER TRAIN
While driving engine will die unexpectedly & jerk the car, sometimes it will immediately start up on it’s own, sometimes don’t. Has done this several times in the last few months that I’m afraid to drive it. So it’s sitting, while I’m still making payments.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11473284July 11, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The car intermittently smells like burning rubber after being driven. This has been an ongoing and unresolved issue for about a year, and is of serious concern to me. The car has approximately 130k miles, and is in excellent condition otherwise. Two mechanics have tried to troubleshoot this issue without being able to find the problem. I have tried to eliminate certain potential causes i.e. turning the air or heat off, etc., but it does not affect it. The car does not read "hot". No warning lights come on. There are no signs of leaking fluids, etc. as my garage floor is clean. With Kia having a history of some engines catching fire, it is of even greater concern, although my particular vehicle does not appear to have a recall for that issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11473323July 11, 2022
POWER TRAIN
My car experienced high engine oil consumption at 198,000 miles approximately. Yesterday at 210,000 miles approximately, blew a big ring of smoke and lost compression or the ability to move. When I pulled up to a stoplight, I also lost the ability to start it back up
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11473030July 9, 2022
ENGINE
My car is going to kill me. It stalls while driving or sitting at lights. Sometimes while I’m driving it surges and bucks and jerks. I’m really concerned with the stalling issues almost got rear ended 2 days ago. I drive on the northway and can’t afford this car stalling while driving I’ll be killed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11472752July 7, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, EXTERIOR LIGHTING, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Headlights either blink on and off or turn off for about 5 seconds and then will go back on. It also will blink when using the directional. It does this while driving and parked. Also, the horn has just stopped working.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11472402July 5, 2022
ENGINE, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2011 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, an abnormal clunking sound had emitted from the vehicle. The contact then heard parts falling out of the engine as white smoke began to release from the vehicle's hood. The check engine warning light was also illuminated on the instrument panel as the contact pulled over. The contact lifted that hood and saw flames coming from undeath the vehicle. The contact immediately shut the hood as smoke continued to discharge from the vehicle. The fire department arrived at the scene; however, the fire had dissolved on its own. The contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic and was informed that a rod had blown in the engine resulting in engine failure. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer and was initially informed that her vehicle would be repaired under an extended warranty; however, the manufacturer later denied the warranty extension since she failed to have a manufacturer campaign performed on the vehicle. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11472136July 2, 2022
ENGINE
The Engine as while driving down road locked up on me causing the vehicle to stop running. From my understanding this type of engine has had issues in past and was under a class action lawsuit that also included Hyundai. Now Kia has responded saying my vehicle vin number isn't part of the theta engine recall. Which baffles me.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11471977July 1, 2022
POWER TRAIN, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Was driving and came to a red light. Then proceeded to get on the highway when all of a sudden it got 65 mph then off of a sudden lost power and rpms would go past 3000. Had to pull over and shut the SUV off and turn back on and drive 30 mph all the way home. Did I mention I almost got hit by a semi and not to mention my child was in the freaking car!!! Plz kia help
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11468411June 9, 2022
STRUCTURE:BODY
Paint is faulty and peeling rapidly.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11468004June 7, 2022
STRUCTURE:BODY, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My rear doors are locked and will only open from the inside. This is very frustrating and I believe very dangerous
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11468091June 7, 2022
AIR BAGS, UNKNOWN OR OTHER, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Airbag light stays on and the controls on steering wheel don't work
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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