Kia Sorento Complaints

10,397 consumer complaints on file.

#11546775September 27, 2023
ENGINE
On Saturday September 23,2023 I was driving thru the City of Spring Garden, Alabama at 9:30 am. I was traveling at 45 MPH when I heard a light tapping noise coming from the engine compartment and almost an instant later the engine locked up and the right hand tire locked temporarily causing loss of steering control only lasted a couple of seconds and then the right tire freed up. I coasted to a stop. I tried to restart the engine but it would not turn over. I had the car towed to a local garage and after inspection determined that a main bearing had spun. The vehicle was running perfect up to this instant with no issues.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11546799September 27, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, STRUCTURE:BODY
White Pearl paint peeling significantly
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11546800September 27, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES
While driving my 2020 Kia Sorrento at low speeds, my brakes will lock up on me, and it sounds like metal to metal. Rubbing, I was almost rear, ended because of it. It feels like a very hard grab. This is happened quite a few times and I am a commuter so it’s very scary not knowing when this is going to happen.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11546813September 27, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, STRUCTURE:BODY
The paint is delamanating and flaking cause value to drop daily. A 2015 should not have this issue, Toyota recalled for the same issues. It start with a very small spot and has incresed daily in size and new spots are appearing daily.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11546854September 27, 2023
ENGINE, FIRERELATED, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owned a 2012 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in her carport, she was awakened by her son that a fire had ignited and that the vehicle was in flames. The contact then stated that the fire from the vehicle had extended to her home living room. As a result, half of the house was in flames. The contact stated that she and her family were able to exit her home to safety and then notified the fire department. The fire department had extinguished the fire. No injuries were sustained. No medical attention was required. The family's iguana pet passed away due to the fire. The contact then stated that the vehicle was towed to a tow lot and inspected by the insurance company and that the source of the fire was near the carport area and may have been electrical related but was to be determined. The vehicle was deemed a total loss by the insurance company. Additionally, the contact stated that she was not notified that the VIN was included in a recall, and upon research she discovered that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V750000 (Engine). Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11546873September 27, 2023
ENGINE, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:OIL/LUBRICATION
After inspection, the service agent, Jeff, came and informed me there was “good news and not so good news”. Good news - He said there was a 999,999-mile warranty on the engine for the oil pressure stick problem. The not so good news is that Kia will not replace the engine until it locks. I was shocked to say the least. I asked him, how in the hell is that safe? Why isn’t the fact that the car started shutting down on me (power steering) enough of an indication that it needs to be replaced? That along with the amounts of oil I’ve had to replace. All the years I’ve had my Kia, I’ve NEVER had to add oil. He said those warnings were not enough. He said the engine light would come on as well as others, the engine would start knocking as well. THEN you get to the side of the road. I told him as I’m going to state here, that is the most asinine thing I have every heard! So essentially, before Kia will replace my engine, I have to possibly kill myself, any passengers and any other drivers on the road first? What if I’m in heavy highway traffic and cannot get over, cannot get to an inside grassy area or shoulder and my car just stops? He said his hands were tied unless these things happened.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11546876September 27, 2023
STRUCTURE:BODY:HOOD:HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS:SUPPORT DEVICE/STRUT
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while the engine hood was opened and raised, the hydraulic hood lift struts failed causing the hood to close down onto the contact's right hand. The contact's hand was trapped under the hood for approximately 30 minutes before help arrived. During the incident, the contact sustained a bruised right hand which did not require medical treatment. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 30,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11546920September 27, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, ENGINE
UNKNOWN Possible head gasket, radiator or water pump damage. Light smoke from engine. Constantly have to fill car up with antifreeze & water every few miles. Car is never driven over 45 mph.Car easily overheats & leaves us stranded as we live in a rural location. Have to purchase antifreeze every 3 days that we cannot afford. Have VERY LIMITED funds to assist with mechanical work, but we can contribute a little. No income whatsoever coming in due to job loss. Can't rely on car to get to work, but can work from home. Currently seeking employment, but competition has been tough. This is our only car for our family of 4. 2 kids in school age 8 & 4. No bus or friends/relatives who can help.Was referred to this program by a friend as they informed me that it offers financial assistance for some repairs. This affects the safety of the vehicle as we have small children, and the car constantly overheats leaving us stranded in areas without sufficient cellular coverage to make calls. Located in Sevierville, TN.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11546947September 27, 2023
AIR BAGS, AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER
Passenger seat air bag sensor doesn't work.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11546964September 27, 2023
POWER TRAIN, LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION, LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
Had been getting “BSD” disabled messages while driving on expressway for several months, dealer inspected twice and found nothing. On May 30, 2023 while driving on street rear differential locked not allowing rear wheel rotation for short period ( 2 street blocks ), then resumed operation but with a high pitch squealing. On May 31, 2023 l took vehicle to dealer requesting a full inspection of the differential, mileage at 133367. I was immediately told that the differential is a sealed unit and could not be inspected, but they recommended a transmission force flush, a complete fuel system flush, plus an oil and filter change. I agreed to service, but insisted they needed to test drive vehicle. Dealer called me back same day indicating vehicle ready. We picked up vehicle, $600.93 cost. We were told everything checked out fine. On way home upon entering expressway just a mile away from dealer, rear differential locked up again!! We immediately pulled over to shoulder, Had we been on expressway, our vehicle would have been rear ended ! I called dealer to come pick up vehicle, they sent a tow truck & vehicle was brought back to dealer. Dealer confirmed rear differential was seazed and would have to be replaced. A week later they called to inform us that the front differential/transfer case had also failed and also needed to be replaced. Two weeks later, on June 17, 2023 vehicle repairs were finally completed at cost this time of $7292.60, totaling $7893.53 including initial repair costs. Mileage is now at 138320, and vehicle has once again begun to display “BSD” disabled messages. Differential has been making engagement/disengagement clicking sounds as if their is a lot of backlash/slop between gears.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11547000September 27, 2023
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Headlights switch set in Auto position. Headlights turned on spontaneously, two different times while auto was off and locked. This resulted in battery being drained and auto would not start. This has not happened since switch was set to Off position.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11547013September 27, 2023
ENGINE
The engine on my 2014 Kia Sorento has failed. I brought the vehicle in to Bob Sight Kia to have them diagnose the problem. They claimed that when they drained the oil, they only found 3/4 of a quart of oil and for that reason, Kia was denying the claim for a new engine. I find it hard to believe that there was only 3/4 of a quart of oil in the car as we conducted regular maintenance on the vehicle and provided all service records. When I contacted Kia, they stated that they had not received any documentation from Bob Sight Kia, and specifically no technical details why the engine had failed, or provide an estimate for repair costs. In the last three weeks that our Sorento has been at Bob Sight Kia (brought to dealer on 9-9-23), when I call to speak with the service center point of contact, I get his voicemail or someone says he is away from his desk or on leave and nobody responds to my voicemails or emails, even though I have volunteered to provide more information if necessary. There is a Facebook page with 976 followers stating why Kia has denied their claims for replacement of failed defective engines. Fortunately, in my case, I was able to drive the car to the dealership before the engine stopped working but in many cases the engines failed while people were in busy traffic, exposing them to dangerous situations. In my case specifically the engine light started flashing and the vehicle was being very sluggish, struggled to make it up hills and would occasionally stall.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11546527September 26, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
UNKNOWN Possible radiator or water pump damage. Constantly have to fill car up with antifreeze & water every few miles. Car is never driven over 45 mph. Car easily overheats & leaves us stranded as we live in a rural location. Have to purchase antifreeze every 3 days that we cannot afford. Have VERY LIMITED funds to assist with mechanical work, but we can contribute a little. No income whatsoever coming in due to job loss. Can't rely on car to get to work, but can work from home. Currently seeking employment, but competition has been tough. This is our only car for our family of 4. 2 kids in school [XXXXXX] . No bus or friends/relatives who can help. Was referred to this program by a friend as they informed me that it offers financial assistance for some repairs. This affects the safety of the vehicle as we have small children, and the car constantly overheats leaving us stranded in areas without sufficient cellular coverage to make calls. Located in Sevierville, TN. 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
#11546630September 26, 2023
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
this vehicle is a match box waiting to kill someone. I've been reporting these problems an nobody has follow up. on 08/20/2023 fuel pump had to be replaced after fumes coming into vents report one on 06/03/2023 issue happened again, 0n 09/04/2023 engine went out. after getting vehicle back catalytic converter and manifold was burnt out do to engine .had it inspected by a muffler shop. kia will not replace anything even if they are told it was caused on behalf of there produce
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11546718September 26, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
The abs brake light, traction control, and downhill assist lights all came on at the same time. This is being caused by a faulty speed sensor. This item was recalled on the two wheel drive kias, but not the all wheel drive models... hiwever.. looking for answers in the forums show that there is a systemic problem in the kia system, just Google search it and watch all the other car owners stories pop up.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11546720September 26, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The pearl white paint is coming off the car from just driving the car. It started at 75k miles and now the car is rusting because of it. This white paint is discontinued now but what about the car they used the paint on. It's like this on the hood, sides of the window and the top of the car.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11546591September 26, 2023
POWER TRAIN
I backed a boat trailer into the lake to load a boat. I had the car in Park and had the engine running and the driver side door open about half way. After about 2 minutes I was standing behind the vehicle cranking the boat onto the trailer. The car came out of park without notice and no one in the vehicle. It went into reverse and was driving into the lake. I was nearly runover by the vehicle but got to the side. The open driver side door caught the dock and slowed the vehicle down enough for me to get in the vehicle and step on the brake. I was able to drive the vehicle out but water was over the rear tire. The driver side door is a complete loss. If the door did not catch the dock to slow it down I could have been trapped under the vehicle and drowned or the car fully submerged in the lake. Dealer was contacted. Insurance claim filed.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11546505September 26, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, STEERING, LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
My 2021 Kia Sorento X-Line Prestige comes with Driver Assist features. One is for steering. Without warning it will disengage, particularly on a 2-lane highway, or when entering a curve in the road. This is dangerous. It needs to come with a warning that Driver Assist can flake out on 2-lanes and on curves, and is fairly useless unless you are on a straightaway on an interstate. This has happened to me multiple times since I bought the car from the Heiser dealership in Wisconsin.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11546504September 26, 2023
POWER TRAIN, ENGINE, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My 2021 Sorento randomly gets stuck in between gears, slipping into neutral and rev'ing up to 4000-5000 rpms. This is at lower speed usually within a mile or so of leaving my house. It's very frightening and has happened to me dozens of times, but I live in a rural area over an hour from a Kia dealership, and they do not offer loaners. This issue first arose for me after the transmission oil pump recall was already addressed. I am the 2d owner, and suspect this could be why the previous owners sold the car, which I bought through Autotrader from the Heiser dealership in Wisconsin. After the latest episode, I finally arranged alternate transportation and took it in to the Serra Kia dealership in Jackson, TN. They have had it over a week and not been able to replicate the issue so far. No computer codes show up on it either. They say there's no technical advisory on the issue, and have no idea what's going on with the transmission. Serra Kia is saying that Kia corporate will not approve replacing the transmission without an error code. From reviewing other owner reviews in Kia forums, the Kia 2021 Sorento slipping into neutral while driving appears to be an issue for others as well. It is dangerous, as I could be rear-ended. Quite honestly, it’s terrifying, and I am afraid to drive the car again without this issue being addressed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11546316September 25, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, STRUCTURE:BODY
Rear passenger door will not open from outside. Have been told other Kias have had recalls due to this. Also radio will not work and stays on a static screen. And makes driving at night worse by being blinded by the radio screen( gets bright white)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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