Kia Sorento Complaints (2016)

1,262 consumer complaints on file.

#11524599May 31, 2023
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN
This is the second very similar incident with the engine of this vehicle. On Monday, May 29, 2023, the engine failed at a stop light in Fort Wayne Indiana. A few miles before it failed, it suddenly got very noisy and wouldn’t go over about 15 mph. It wouldn’t really react to the accelerator pedal. At the stop light it just quit at a major intersection leaving me stranded in the middle of the road. It has been towed to the Kia dealer in Fort Wayne. They have not diagnosed the problem yet but I have read many reports on line and my experience was similar: vehicular just quit, engine lost oil, accelerator pedal not responsive, and loud ticking sound. I’m afraid the repair will be thousands of dollars and I’m a senior citizen on Social Security. This is a second incident. On October 20, 2022, my daughter in law drove my car to IU Health Hospital in Indianapolis to visit me in the hospital (major surgery). In an hour and a half she used a full tank of gas and 3 quarts of oil — the car slowed to 40 mph, accelerator pedal didn’t work and she was on Route 69 a 4 lane major highway and was very scared. She pulled off at the next exit. The car had to be towed from Indianapolis to Fort Wayne. My mechanic worked on it, got it running ok but it had a major oil leak. I was recovering from my surgery so drove it little. I now find out that the engine in my car has major problems just like what I have experienced and that Kia is refusing to fix them unless people pay in excess of $6000. This is a safety issue!!!! Having the car fail and just quit while on local or interstate roads leads to accidents and injuries. This engine needs to be recalled. Kia knows it and has settled claims out of court so they don’t have to admit responsibility. This is a serious safety hazard. The recent date of May 29, 2023 is provided but the previous date this happened is October 20, 2022. So there were two incidents.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11524692May 31, 2023
SUSPENSION
Rear control arm weld broke drivers side. 18 year old lost control on interstate at 70 miles per hour. Was spinning around and avoiding hitting a steal fence, steal beam and wall. I have pictures of the broken weld. If no recall yet their needs to be before it kills someone!! [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
#11524534May 30, 2023
ENGINE
It has 120,000 miles on it. No warning lights. No “low oil” light or anything. My ex-husband hooked up a code reader to it and no codes were being given. It’s currently sitting at dealership, I still owe $3500 on the car and I can’t drive it. Will cost more to put an engine in then to pay off of my car. The dealership can’t look at it for another week. I have no means of another car. And Kia says they can’t do anything.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11524381May 30, 2023
ENGINE, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My vehicle is still leaking oil bad after paying over $700 to get the oil pressure switch and gasket replaced on March 1, 2023. I was promised a reimbursement of my funds spent to fix the issue and have not heard back for over a month nor have they addressed the issue with the vehicle still leaking badly. As others are having the same issue it is not fair to us costumers we are left with a defective vehicle. I have small children and this is my only vehicle which is not safe to operate. I need help just like the others who are being ignored. I have included the estimate of the other issue as well.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11523581May 24, 2023
ENGINE
The car lost power while driving and the engine caught fire.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11523607May 24, 2023
POWER TRAIN
I would like to confirm if the recall for 2016 Kia Sorento Transmission Shift Level Assembly also covers all of us who have reported complaints about having to use a screw driver to engage our vehicles out of park? This is a safety concerns just as well as the cars that are impacted by the shift lever slipping out of park while engine off. using a screw driver because Kia refuses to replace the part they have acknowledged is faulty, is something that customers should not be responsible for fixing. If there was an issue identified (and clearly there was) the exact same year, make and model and part (the shift lever itself) then the investigation either needs to be expanded or Kia needs to just own that these parts need replaced in a larger span than the recall currently covers. please let me know as I am getting no assistance with these issues from my dealership - Shawnee Mission Kia in Kansas. thanks
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11522900May 19, 2023
TRAILER HITCHES
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V703000 (Trailer Hitches) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer had not been made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11522654May 18, 2023
ENGINE
MY 2016 KIE SORENTO USE OIL I CAN ONLY GO 2000 MILES AND HAVETO ADD OIL TOO IT DEALER DOES OILS CHAGES AND SAY IM GOOD FOR 600O MILES IS THERE A SOLITION TOO THIS ISSUE
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11522488May 17, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Saw a news report that the Tow Hitch Harness electric may start on fire. Received a notice from Kia November 1, 2022 regarding the possible fire. Parked car outside as instructed in notice Called local Kia Dealer re: issue (January 16, 2023) NO remedy per [XXX] Asked [XXX] if car can be parked inside garage and if it was advisable to NOT drive the vehicle and he said that the fire issue is only if the hitch electric is used that there is a fire concern and it is ok to park in garage. So we started parking in garage and did not use hitch electric. I contacted. Kia and was put on hold so was unable to share my concerns with the Called again 2/16/2023 still no remedy Asked again if we needed to park outdoors and was there danger is we drove the car. Was told the fire concern is only if the hitch electric was being used and it's ok to park in garage. Called again 3/28/2023 still no remedy Asked again if we needed to park outdoors. Was told no as the fire concern was only if hitch electric was being used and its ok to park in garage. Received another Interim Notice Update today(5/17/2023) dated May 8, 2023 stating that there was an interim fuse fix for the fire issue. Called local Kia Dealer in Waukesha Wisconsin and was able to schedule an appointment for June 6, 2023. Again I asked if we needed to park outside and if it was safe to drive the Sorento. Did not know...follow the letter instructions. My concern is that the dealer is giving different information than what is outlined in the letter from Kia regarding our 2016 Sorento. I am concerned, so we again are parking outside away from our home and other vehicles and will not drive the car until the interim fuse fix is taken care of. Why does the Kia service department tell us it is ok to park in the garage? Why does the Kia service department tell us it is ok to drive the vehicle? I am concerned that mixed messages are being given out by Kia Dealer Service Dept and information from Kia. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA),
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11522110May 15, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I called Kia to replace fuse per their safety recall information. They are really uninterested in fixing these recalls or allowing me to speak to a manager to fix the issue. What's the point?
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11521947May 14, 2023
ENGINE
On my way home from work I heard a knocking sound coming from the engine while on the highway the vehicle slowed down at 40 miles per hour then the from end dipped then return in an upright position. The vehicle suddenly lost power the engine would not turn over. There were no warning engine lights or anything before hand to indicate there was a problem before the engine power loss. I had to pay the highway tow truck to get me off he highway and then my insurance tow transported my vehicle to Queens. Galaxy Auto completed diagnostic test and informed me the engine is no good, basically the engine seized. I reached out to KIA headquarters via email no response to the situation at hand. On 05/12/2023 received notice from KIA recall for tow hinge on vehicle. KIA did not address the engine failure on the 2016 KIA Sorentia GDI which I just finish paying off. My vehicle is parked up no monetary funds to purchase an engine or to pay for labor cost. Not having a vehicle is causing undue hardship for me and my children. Getting to work and my doctors appointment for chemo treatments is financially difficulty. It is a shame that KIA is allowed to duped consumers and put our lives at risk for profit without any consequences. I would never purchase another KIA vehicle and I warned my friends and family to stay away from KIA brands. Shame on you KIA. Shame on you KIA.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11521448May 10, 2023
ENGINE
Engine failed with less than 92000 miles on it. Apparently had been running hot but no warnings lights came to indicate rise in engine temperature.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11521293May 10, 2023
VISIBILITY
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH, the contact heard a loud popping sound. After stopping to inspect the vehicle, it was discovered that the glass sunroof had shattered upward. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer. The cause of the failure was not determined. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted and notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 95,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11521175May 9, 2023
STRUCTURE:BODY, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Paint peeliing and car rust has stated as soon as warranty ran out.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11520463May 4, 2023
ENGINE
While driving on Souther State Parkway on 04/23/2023 I heard a knocking sound coming from the engine. The Vehicle suddenly slowed down while in motion front end dipped then returned to original position. The knocking sound got louder I signaled exit the highway vehicle loss power on the ramp. Tow truck called to tow vehicle. Mechanic shop informed me vehicle engine is no good the engine seized up and malfunctioned. This vehicle almost killed me on the highway. It's very sad that KIA is not being held responsible for these defective vehicles. I need KIA to pay for engine replacement and labor cost. As a healthcare worker I cannot afford to purchase another vehicle. I just finish paying off the car note on this vehicle. 2016 Kia Sorento.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11520498May 4, 2023
STRUCTURE:BODY
Literally overnight large pieces of paint began peeling off of my hood and roof. Within days I took it to a body shop and they immediately identified it as a factory defect. The pearl white paint is separating in sheets. If not repaired it will rust the metal underneath.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11520502May 4, 2023
ENGINE
Engine locks up (blown) with no check engine light warning lights of any kid while driving down the highway I have read this over 1,000 time on the internet from different sorento owners this needs to be recalled I could have been hit by a semi this is a manufacturer defect
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11520311May 3, 2023
ENGINE
While driving with my family of 4 on the interstate the cars engine stopped running without warning. All the dashboard lights illuminated and the car quit running. This almost caused me to lose control of the car and cause a major accident with injury and possible loss of life. This was a traumatic event for me and my family. The car was towed to the shop and we were told that the motor blew and it’s $15K to replace it. I also just found out that KIA issued a service bulletin to modify the computer so that the engine goes to limp mode and does not just blow up. Had there been something on a carfax or a notification to other shops this traumatic event would not have happened. There should be a safety recall and not just a bulletin only known to KIA dealers on all of these motors. This car was serviced regularly outside of KIA dealership and oil was just changed about 1 weak ago. KIA has refused to cover the repairs. We never got notification of the bulletin.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11520211May 3, 2023
ENGINE
Started Tuesday, April 25, 2023. Went to head out to take kids to school and go to work but wouldn’t accelerate much over 20mph. No indicators came on or anything. I turned around and went back home. Friday, we got a dealership to look at it and they said it was burning oil and smoking a little. Didn’t drive it any where outside of those times. Monday called the dealer that looked at it on Friday and they told us to bring it up there and they would look at it to try and figure out the problem. Drove about 10 minutes and everything shut off. Pulled over, tried to crank, and indicators came on-battery/flashing engine/car with key, and heard rattling then quickly shut it off. Dealer said motor is done.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11520266May 3, 2023
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:LEVER AND LINKAGE:COLUMN SHIFT, POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while pulling the gear shift lever to shift the vehicle into reverse, the lever then would not shift into drive or any other gear. The check engine warning light illuminated but turned off after a couple minutes. The contact noticed that the gear shift lever was locked and placed a screwdriver into the shifter lever lock and the contact was able to shift the lever to reverse and drive. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 190,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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