Kia Sorento Complaints (2016)

1,262 consumer complaints on file.

#11433816September 21, 2021
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I was driving, when my car started making an unfamiliar sound. I have never heard of it before because I have never had problems with my car so I decided to pull over on the side of the road. Before I was able to do so, another driver rolled down her window and yelled, “you know your car is on fire!” Realizing my safety was at risk, I immediately merged to the right side of the road and noticed flames igniting from under the hood. I put the car in park and jumped out of the car and called 911. Within minutes, the Whitley County Sheriff’s and Fire Department arrived. I am unsure the specifics on what caused the fire. Luckily enough, no other vehicles were involved. My car was inspected by Geico Insurance Fire Adjuster and his lack of communication with Kia Motors of america, they were unable to inspect the car. According to Kia Settlement, I am unable to receive money but I do not understand because this was a situation that I had no control of and I am at a loss of money because I was not been able to get all of my personal belongings recovered and had to put an additional down payment on another car.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11433845September 21, 2021
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
When I am driving at night the dashboard, media system/radio, and headlight go out randomly. It is really scary at night because I cannot see where I am driving. My kids are in the car with me and this has been happening for the past 3 years. If I take it to the dealership they cannot find the issue or refuse to even look. They said it is out of warranty and too bad. Why build vehicles so dangerous?
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11433902September 21, 2021
ENGINE
I was driving on the highway when my vehicle started sputtering, acceleration response declined, and the check engine light started flashing. This was a huge concern as I was in the area of the highway where there are multiple logging trucks and could not accelerate if I needed to get out of the way. I pulled off the highway into an Autozone and my vehicle shut off, I attempted to start it and it would not stay running. I pulled the spark plugs and noticed the cylinder four plug was coated in oil. I had previously told a Kia dealership I was experiencing high oil consumption and was told Kia was aware of this issue and was doing nothing about it at this time. I was told, "run the car till the engine dies and Kia will replace it." Once at the dealership Kia performed a connecting rod bearing test but stated it was unable to be completed due to cylinder two failing. They pulled the head and found the exhaust valve to cylinder two had a piece missing. This was sent to Kia elevated claims through consumer affairs who advised me it would not be covered. They stated the exhaust valve likely broke due to carbon build-up. I explained the carbon build-up was due to burning oil which was likely caused by a worn connecting rod bearing. I was told burning oil would not cause carbon build-up and they would not do a good faith repair on my vehicle. I contacted the service manager of the dealer and explained this. He stated the consumer affairs person was not correct and these items were linked. I contacted Kia consumer affairs supervisor and explained my situation again, stating the service manager at the dealership would like to speak with him. He denied my claim again and stated he would "absolutely not speak with the service manager." He told me to refer him to a district manager and still denied any issues with Kia relating to oil consumption causing this engine failure.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11432199September 8, 2021
ENGINE
I was driving back home when the engine cut out on Hwy 85 south outside Greensboro doing 65 mph. I took it to a shop that told me the engine was seized. I didn’t get any oil notification or any check engine lights till the car shut off. While driving.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11431909September 7, 2021
ENGINE
In July on Highway my 2026 Kia Sorento blue up in blue smoke and stalked on busy multiple lanes of s highway… had to be towed to dealership…. Deakership let it sit fir 10-13 days after multiple text messsges…. Finally attempted to diagnose problem but not addressing blue smoke from tailpipe!!!! This has been occurring since 16,000 miles and excessive oil consumption at 52,887 miles… Aldo jerking, hard starting, stalling on highways…. No codes to diagnose…. All under water ty but did nit repair…. So the problems continued on until it abruptly stopped in the middle of busy Highway in heavy traffic… thankfully we were hit and struck by many cars and seriously injured!!!!!’ The dealership is not sure of their diagnosis and we feel the engine had been a problem since we purchased it new off showroom…. We use premium Mobil gasoline and have never had an issue such as this at 77,000 miles and the car is still in showroom with a spotless service record….. Please advise quickly as we now incurred a rental cost of over $1400.00 and the car remains on their lot for 6 weeks! It’s under warranty because they refused to repair it years ago!!!! Thank you for your prompt action regarding this matter…. Regards, M…….
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11431827September 5, 2021
ENGINE
I traveled from my home and back approximately a 50-mile round trip. When I returned home, I noticed an excessive amount of oil leaking from my vehicle. First, I checked the oil level and the dip-stick was bone dry and discolored from the heat of the engine. I then jacked the vehicle up placed it on jack stands removed the engine splash shield to better access the underside of the engine. After careful inspection I was not able to ascertain where the oil may have been coming from. I went to YOUTUBE and found numerous video's detailing the issue with the Sorrento models from 2010-to-2016. Turns out it is the 'OIL PRESSURE SENSOR” about $14.00 in replacement parts; mechanic verified. The issue which has been stated in the YOUTUBE videos and on the NHTSA website and numerous other websites; the vehicle engine will fail from excessive oil loss and the "WARNING LAMP" will not ILLUMINATE to alert you of the low oil level prior to the vehicle losing power and the engine failing. This can be a safety hazard if this occurs on the highway, which I have read other complaints and it has happened luckily no one was injured or killed. It should not cost you $400 in repair cost to replace a part that cost $14.00. If you don’t catch this issue in time and the engine fails that same $14.00 part will cost you $6100 for an engine replacement. This is an issue that KIA has been aware of for over 7 years that has not been addressed. This should be #1 on the NHTSA RECALL list.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11431333September 1, 2021
STEERING
Twice, the electronic power steering has stopped working at speed. Almost impossible to steer the vehicle. Kia has two service bulletins on this issue but dealer claims it cannot find the problem and will not attempt to fix it.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11430428August 25, 2021
ENGINE
In May 2021, my husband was driving the car and was bout 50 miles away from home when the engine caught fire. The car was towed to a repair shop where they confirmed the engine fire and stated the engine had thrown a rod. The car is only 5 years old and has 107,000 miles.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11430126August 23, 2021
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Excessive heat has caused the trunk latch to fail. It suddenly stopped latching, which creates an obvious safety issue as the car cannot be driven safely with a trunk that flops open every time you accelerate.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11429950August 21, 2021
ENGINE
On 28 July 2021 at 16:44, While traveling 65 mph on I70 west in Maryland the Kia Sorento started to smoke from the undercarriage and then under the hood. The Kia abruptly shut down and I was able to cost off the highway. The vehicle was towed to Dar Cars Kia of Frederick. After 10 + days on the dealer's lot, a technician said the engine had failed. Kia has refused to acknowledge any responsibility for the engine failure, stating because the car was not brought in to have a recalled engine component repaired. according to a search, there are no open recall statements for this vehicle. In addition, we never received any notification of any problem with the Kia Sorento
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11429968August 21, 2021
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
While driving down the road both headlights just turn off. I can turn the light switch off and on and they come back on.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11429789August 19, 2021
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, STEERING
I'm not sure I've had my vehicle serviced but nobody seems to know the problem. Every since my headlight was replaced my electrical system has been wacky. All of my doors keep locking and unlocking on its own. When I try to accelerate my vehicle seems to be more stagnant as if it's no longer increasing speed and the steering wheel does not appear to be in alignment with my tires when turning. My son has never been able to open the door while in motion but since the locks have started clicking there's been some close calls.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11429415August 17, 2021
POWER TRAIN
Shifter cannot be moved out of PARK without pushing down on the SHIFT LOCK RELEASE. I must do this every time I want to go forward or backward. A reliable service center informed me this is a frequent problem with the 2016 Kia Sorento and he suggested a recall may be forthcoming. Owners manual states that when using the RELEASE, depress the brake pedal so vehicles does not lurch forward or back. The additional step to move the car may be hazardous when attempting to get out of the way. Service center isolated the problem to Body Control Module which is expensive and OEM only. This happened without warning when I parked briefly in the road adjacent to a friend's driveway. I blocked the road until I discovered how to use the RELEASE button.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11429503August 17, 2021
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:OIL/LUBRICATION
In the past year my vehicle has exhibited a high consumption of oil. At present it has 92000 miles. At last check it consumed 1.7 quarts of oil in 750 miles. I have done as request by Kia. They request I do an oil change at the dealer followed up by checks at 1000 miles ( 2 quarts low). At the check at 2000 miles it was again 2 quarts low. They performed what they called a combustion chamber cleaning that was again followed by a check at 1000 miles (1.1 quarts low). After the next check it was at the 1.7 quarts used in 750 miles. Although Kia advertises a 10 year 100000 mile warranty they are excluding me from repair because I am the second owner. I did purchase an extended warranty for 4 years and up to 100000 total miles but I didn’t find the problem until March / April of this year. Kia admits this was caused by soft, improperly heated rings but will not offer any assistance to alleviate the problem. Do I have any recourse with Kia on this and can you help?
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11427999August 6, 2021
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while his wife was driving approximately 40 mph at dawn, the headlights, side marker lights, and turn signals became inoperable. The vehicle was examined by an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the front light module was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 94,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11428051August 6, 2021
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I have always had my car serviced regularly for oil changes. starting in July 2021 my mechanic told me that I was EXTREMELY “dangerously” low in oil, without low oil warning ever turning on. Researched and saw this is a common problem leading to engine failure/ needing replacement. Called local Kia dealership about the issue was told to come in for an oil consumption test, left today and was told oil consumption is not covered in the extended coverage for my engine. I was basically told in order for the repairs to be covered my engine would have to blow up while driving. So every day I’m putting my self and others at risk while driving for my engine to fail at any given time. After seeing other complaints on this site of very similar problems, why has there not been a recall on this engine? It is obviously a very well known problem!! Why am I like a sitting duck every time I drive praying my engine doesn’t blow? Kia dealership told me they have a $500 fix that “might” work but with no guarantee and no refund will be given if it doesn’t work.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11427921August 5, 2021
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
1ST problem a year ago the rear latch to door wouldn't lock and I had to use bungee cords to keep it shut. 2nd problem, the engine was knocking after I returned from a recent road trip. I took it to local (trustworthy) mechanic and they noticed metal shards in the oil pan. They refused to open the engine because it would void the warranty. I had it towed to KIA of Smithtown and they said it was total engine failure. I said impossible, since I have kept up with all timely oil changes and maintenance and I have the records. There was no warning light of low oil or that the engine was running hot or smoke. Dealer refused to fix and so am in dialogue with an attorney. Kia has yet to send me a bill or approximate charge for engine replacement and has held the SUV for 13 days now.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11427949August 5, 2021
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My Kia recently stopped and cut off on me and my engine started shaking and making a knocking noise I’m up to date with all my oil changes and I had just got one when I checked the oil it was barely any and I didn’t have any check engine light on I had my car towed to the Kia dealership to see what’s wrong I only had the car since 2019 February and it’s never gave me any problems til now the dealership claims they can’t help because the recall was from 2018 I didn’t have the car yet and I didn’t receive anything in the mail my engine is basically not good
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11427739August 4, 2021
VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while she was at the red light a day after purchasing the vehicle, the sunroof failed to close properly. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the sunroof had a faulty tilt lever. The contact stated the vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred a year later. The vehicle was taken to the same dealer who informed the contact that she would be responsible for the cost of repair as the vehicle was out of warranty. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that they could not cover the cost of the repair as the vehicle had been out of warranty for two days. A case was opened. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 19,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11425836July 21, 2021
ENGINE
2016 Kia Sorento-First I would like to comment on the warning lamps. I had no warnings, no lights for my oil. I checked the dip stick and it was dry. I was still good in my timeframe from my last oil change. Luckily I made it to the store to buy oil to put in it. It’s now in the shop being looked at and having its oil changed. Second, my blind spot sensor goes off at times when there’s not even a car near me.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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