Kia Sorento Complaints

10,397 consumer complaints on file.

#11564303January 8, 2024
ENGINE
We bought this vehicle new and have been the only owners. I was about halfway through an ~8 hour drive, on a highway in rural West Virginia, when the Check Engine light came on and the vehicle started making a light clicking noise from near the engine. Moments later, I heard a loud pop and the vehicle lost power (gas power, not electrical) and started gliding. Some smoke and/or steam came from the front of the vehicle. I glided over to the shoulder and several other drivers pulled over. One told me that the car was on fire and I should get out and move away. I and the others were able to see the fire under the vehicle. It appeared to be oil that ignited after engine blew. The fire went out, the other people left, and I took care of getting the vehicle towed to Freedom Kia in Morganton, WV, where it has been ever since.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11564045January 7, 2024
STRUCTURE:BODY
After review by local body shops, the paint/primer on the body of our Kia has been flaking off. This is s known issue by Kia for multiple years with multiple examples of various Kia vehicles with various color types. This is a concern as over time the raw metal will deteriorate, rust and cause further structural issues. The problem has been reviewed both by the manufacturer as well as multiple independent body shops as mentioned above. There were no warnings on the vehicle. The paint started to show cracks and then continuously started to chip and flake off the vehicle which is continues to do today.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11564046January 7, 2024
STEERING, WHEELS
Rear Coupler parts. Yes it is available for inspection on request. My safety was put at risk, #1 the rear wheels lock when turning, and makes a horrendous noise whilst turning. I live in a snowy state so this is very dangerous to have wheels lock up and have tires shredded. This is my third set of wheels as we just figured out the issue (coupler) this could cause accidents and hurt/injure/cause serious bodily harm to others. I have tried reaching out to the dealership but they said it is out of warranty and the dealership gave an outrageous quote. They have not inspected it but it has been reported to them. The vehicle has been inspected by a mechanic and confirmed it is the coupler, while steering and shredding the tires. There were no lights or warning signals, it just happened while turning.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11564049January 7, 2024
STRUCTURE:BODY
Kia Sorrento 2013 white paint peeling off all over my car. At first I thought it was my fault, but I take great care of my car and this has never happened before. Large sections of the paint are peeling off on the drivers side door as of most recent (11/23) and the top began peeling off around (10/21)and only solution is to strip and repaint the entire car which is extremely costly. According to my research many Kia owners with this paint have the same issue and it should not be ignored.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11563887January 6, 2024
STEERING
When in motion and at higher rates of speed, the vehicle’s steering wheel gets stuck and requires additional force to turn which causes an over correction. This is a consistent problem that happens.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11563937January 6, 2024
AIR BAGS
Turned the steering wheel to the right, and the airbag warning light came on. It’s a safety issue that needs to be addressed. If I’m ever in an accident will it deploy? This is ridiculous. Waiting to get an appointment with the dealership.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11563974January 6, 2024
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
My headlights, when set to ‘auto’ randomly turn off. Very scary and dangerous at night! Also, illegal. I can get them to come back on by turning the lights off and on multiple times from the left stalk. But can’t believe Kia hasn’t addressed this.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11563702January 5, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sorento. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11563827January 5, 2024
ENGINE, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Engine stalled while driving on highway. Took it to a Kia dealer and had it diagnosed as an engine block/head gasket failure. I have documentation of service. Service document reads “owner states vehicle runs rough when first started and a/c doesnt cool properly, started vehicle, a/c is currently working normally, upon inspection, found coolant about 3/4 gallon low and has bubbles coming up in reservoir tank, topped coolant, performed engine block test, photo of yellow fluid in tester indicates combustion gases are getting into cooling system and not going out exhaust as it is supposed to, took video of bubbles coming up into tank, advise more than likely due to overheating of engine either has crack in block or warped heads or a combination of the 2, advised recommended long block replacement as tear down is not cost effective , gave estimate, owner declined repairs at this time”. I have been made aware of other customers and people experiencing exact same issue with their Kia sorento models. We have only had this car for over a year from a reputable dealer.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11563721January 5, 2024
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving 80 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact pulled to the side of the roadway. The contact stated that she restarted the vehicle and was able to continue driving. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure recurred several times while driving. The contact stated that the last time the failure occurred, the vehicle restarted but failed to respond upon depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was being diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V760000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could only assist after the dealer diagnosed and determined if the failure was related to the recall. The failure mileage was unknown.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11563662January 5, 2024
POWER TRAIN
Transmission Oil light came on and the vehicle lost power. It was determined that the Transmission was faulty with only 3800 miles.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11563493January 4, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC, ENGINE
The contact owned a 2011 Kia Sorento. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated while reversing out of the garage, there was smoke coming from underneath the hood. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was out of the garage. The contact stated that the turned off the vehicle and opened the hood. The contact stated that there was a significant amount of black smoke coming out of the engine compartment. The contact stated that he attempted to disconnect the positive battery thermal but was unable to do so. The contact stated that he applied a fire extinguisher to the engine compartment; however the smoke persisted and the vehicle caught on fire. The contact stated that the fire then extended to the entire vehicle. The fire department extinguished the fire. The contact stated that the vehicle had burned to the ground and remained at the residence. The vehicle was totaled. A fire department report was filed. No police report was filed. There was no injury sustained. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11563201January 3, 2024
ENGINE
The engine failed and stopped while driving on the highway going about 50 mph. Fortunately was able to pull off to side of the road without crashing. Took the vehicle to the kia dealer it was determined that the engine failed due to rod bearing failure. It stopped without any warning. It also appears that there is a current recall and class action lawsuit on v4 2.4 engines identifying the same problem. This needs to be checked into
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11563257January 3, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC, ENGINE
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Sorento. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to coast off to the side of the highway and then noticed smoke coming from underneath the vehicle. The contact did not open the hood and had the vehicle towed to an unknown dealer. The contact stated the dealer advised that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11563272January 3, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
The contact owns a 2011 Kia Sorento. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11563401January 3, 2024
ENGINE
To whom it may concern, I recently came across an article stating the NHTSA is investigating KIA about the faulty engine. I personally found out the hard way when my family vehicle, a 2016 KIA Sorento EX V6 3.3L V6 lost power on I75 while driving back from a trip to Disney World Orlando. I was able to pull aside but almost got hit by a speeding car. I looked in the engine bay and the coolant was overflowing from the reservoir and was very hot. I towed it back home and then followed up with my mechanic who said the head gasket was blown and that it needed to be replaced. The car is only shy of 50,000 miles and I got it with 4000 miles. I tried to get the engine replaced but KIA doesn’t have any engines for replacement. I have been looking to buy a car to get the engine from a newer KIA because I’m 100% sure this is a factory defect that they won’t fix on their own. I just received a letter stating to take the car to the dealer for a diagnostic on this exact issue and that they would fix it if they found the fault. Well, they said the issue was not about the head gasket and that the motor of the cooling fan was at fault. Yet I talked in person to the tech that diagnosed the car and only VERBALLY they would acknowledge the issue is the head gasket but not only that, they even said the entire engine needed replacing. Are they trying to get away from taking responsibility? Why they wouldn't state it in the paperwork? But if I send you the diagnostic they produced it would only say yellowing tires and wiper replacement to be necessary. This confirms there is a “cat in the bag.” But what they don’t know is that there was a prior inspection at another dealer that stated the head gasket was indeed blown. You are welcome to contact me at any time. My name is [XXX] . The vehicle is under my wife’s name [XXX] . My direct number is [XXX] . Thank you for your help and I hope you make KIA accountable for this really bad experience. 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
#11562973January 2, 2024
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2011 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH on the interstate, the RPM dropped to 0. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal however, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled while pulling off the roadway. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was restarted, and the contact drove the vehicle to the residence. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 104,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11563111January 2, 2024
STEERING
The contact owns a 2023 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, there was squealing sounds coming from the steering wheel and the steering wheel was difficult to turn. The contact stated that several system warning lights illuminated and the check lane departure warning, check speed limit, check high beam assist, and check driver attention messages were displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed but was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 2,400.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11562990January 2, 2024
STEERING
The contact owns a 2023 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, there was an abnormal squealing sound coming from the steering wheel and the steering wheel was difficult to turn. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact stated that the vehicle received an unstated repair; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 1,328.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11562893January 1, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE, EXTERIOR LIGHTING
We were told by our auto mechanic that this vehicle needed a new electrical control module. The part has been on back-order with the local KIA dealership for a couple of months. My daughter was driving the car recently when all of the lights went out, and the car would only drive forward approximately 5 miles per hour. The car began to shudder and I had my daughter pull into the nearest parking lot and park the car. The engine shut off as she entered the parking lot, the car could not be placed in any other gear except neutral, and there was a burning smell. We pushed the car into a parking spot and removed the key from the ignition. We had to put the emergency brake on to keep the car from rolling. There is a safety recall related to this specific problem, but KIA states it does not have a remedy for the problem yet. What are we supposed to do?
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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