Kia Sorento Complaints

10,397 consumer complaints on file.

#11483621September 9, 2022
ENGINE
On Friday September 2nd 2022, the oil light on my 2017 Kia Sorento came on for a brief moment then quickly went off. Once I arrived at my destination, I checked my oil & found there to be little to no oil in the vehicle. I had to add several quarts of oil to the vehicle to even get a reading on the dip stick. The vehicle has had regular oil changes & there has been no indication of an issue with the oil prior to this. Upon further inspection there is a large amount of carbon buildup on the tailpipe indicating the vehicle is burning oil. I have left several messages with the service center at the Kia dealership where the vehicle was purchased & all service was completed to advise of the issue/bring the vehicle in, but have received no call back to date. I have also reached out to Kia corporate regarding the issue with no response.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11483494September 8, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My 2014 KIA Sorento has paint peeling off in sheets. It started in 2017 when the car was only 4 years old. The dealership admitted that they knew it was a defect in the paint but refused to fix it because it was past the warranty date. I've heard that many other KIA owners are having the same issue, particularly with the Pearl White paint. I believe KIA should issue a recall and fix this known defect.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11483516September 8, 2022
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Headlight Switch is faulty when in Auto. Lights shut off randomly while driving at night and when your car is parked and turned off all the lights will come on and drain your battery. I have had the lights shut off on me a dozen times roughly and had to replace a $300 battery because of the lights turning on and draining it. I have been stuck in bad situations with the battery dead and driving down dark roads at night when headlight failure occurs. I see hundreds of complaints from others online. I cannot understand how this safety hazard has not be addressed or corrected by KIA.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11483545September 8, 2022
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made knocking sounds and a burning odor was detected. The contact pulled over before the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who advised her to tow the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to tow the vehicle to the dealer for the diagnostic test. The failure mileage was approximately 173,023.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11483585September 8, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Having to replace the headlight bulbs weekly. They go out without any warning until I cannot see while driving. Taillights need replacement about 30-60 days. Again without any warnings. Safety issue in my opinion. Definitely a defect from Kia. Unsafe and replacing bulbs weekly is not practical. [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
#11483518September 8, 2022
ENGINE
My inverter radiator was punctured by road debris while driving down a highway and caused the coolant to leak out of the radiator. I received a "Refill inverter coolant" service warning then "Service Hybrid System Immediately Stop Safely" service warning and had to pull the car onto the shoulder. I called KIA roadside assistance to have my car towed to the KIA dealership and was informed the following day (9/2/22) of the damage. Unfortunately, this damage was not covered under warranty because it was external damage. However, due to the design of the front grill, debris is easily able to pass through the grill and strike the radiator because the grill has large spaces for debris to pass through and the inverter radiator sits directly behind the grill. THIS IS A DESIGN OF MANUFACTURING ISSUE and should be recalled and covered under warranty.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11483405September 7, 2022
ENGINE
Driving through town on the way to take my daughter to school, the car suddenly lost power without warning. The engine seized and the car would no longer accelerate. There were no warning lights on the dash. The engine light came on after I was able to pull the car into a parking lot.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11482965September 6, 2022
EXTERIOR LIGHTING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Headlights go off without warning while in auto driving at night . Has occurred 2 in the month of August 2022. Can be turned back on by twisting the control nob to on. Poses a dangerous situation on the dark county roads that we drive if not quick enough to manually turn back on.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11483030September 6, 2022
SUSPENSION, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, POWER TRAIN
I purchased my Kia Sorento in 2020. It was a used 2019 with 7,000 miles. I immediately noticed that it would squeak rather loud and bounce high when driving over very small humps on the roads. Being that I'm no mechanical savvy, I assumed this was normal for SUV's because I've driven sedans all my life. Anyways, I was informed of the issue when going to a tire repair shop asking why my back tires sounds so harsh when driving. I was told that there are waves in my tires due to the shocks. and that the shocks has had to have issues for a while to now change the formation of the tires. I have now read several Kia forums and there are lots of Kia Sorento owners who have suspension issues close or the same as mine. Another issue is the automatic emergency brake. I was unaware of this feature until one day having to make a sudden stop and the vehicle stopped and shut off on its own almost causing me to be hit in the rear. This event was very traumatizing. I googled this feature and thought that I had turned it off but I realize that I can't make it go away and it is a very dangerous feature to have. My vehicle does not have as much driving experience as I do and I am capable of controlling my vehicle to avoid an accident if I need to without the assistance of a computer which has almost caused nearly fatal accidents by immediate stops or shutting off the vehicle causing me to not be able to control the vehicle myself. Another defect is the powered trunk. Whether I open it from the button near the steering wheel or the button on the rear gate, the trunk will immediately close on its own after opening; sometimes closing down on the top of the head of my children or myself. I selected to disable the "smart" feature but it does not stop it. The last defect is electrical. I have replaced the same internal light near the rear view mirror, and it continues to go out. This is an indication of an electrical issue and with my Kia only having 54,000 miles, further action is needed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11483178September 6, 2022
POWER TRAIN
while driving car dropped to 20 miles pe hour pressed gas harder and rpm stayed at 2 and car failed to accelerate, Loss of driving power. It intermittently will drop rpms and lose speed with no warning no light or indicators. This is the 2nd transmission the original failed on 09/11/21 with only 12,000 miles on the car and had to be replaced. this transmission only has 14, 00 miles on it and is a replacement from the Valley Kia dealer. This car is unsafe to drive you dont know if you press the gas pedal it will actually accelerate or stall.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11482889September 5, 2022
VISIBILITY/WIPER, EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Low beam headlights are so dim, Si don't allow my wife to drive at night. Had dealer look at them and change bulbs with a small improvement, but after a while they have gotten so dim that even I don't like driving at night.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11482903September 5, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, STRUCTURE
My 2015 KIA Sorento at around 90,000 miles started getting areas where the paint is bubbling. At 98,975 miles after a hard rain (no hail) a large spot of paint peeled off on the passenger side pillar around window. It is also starting on hood and above windshield. The color of my is Snow White Pearl. I have reported it to KIA and have a case # [XXX]. They are not responding to my emails. August 29. 2022 is the date of the major peeling. 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
#11482931September 5, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, EXTERIOR LIGHTING
The "auto" headlight function keeps malfunctioning. It will randomly shut off the headlights and not turn back on. Numerous forums have reported the issue. This is extremely dangerous when driving at night.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11482951September 5, 2022
AIR BAGS
Airbag sign came on my dashboard
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11482807September 4, 2022
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Multiple times when driving at night, all of the vehicle's exterior lights sudden turn off. We have been able to get the lights working again by turning the headlight switch on and off several times. Obviously, this is an extremely hazardous situation leaving us with no visibility in the dark and other vehicles cannot see us wither. We have not had this issue investigated by a dealership yet, but have found many accounts online of this occurring to others. There are no warning lights or any indications of a problem.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11482790September 4, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Smell something burning like electric
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11482716September 3, 2022
STRUCTURE:BODY
Snow white pearl paint has peeled after a rain storm. No evidence of issues before hand. Several other complaints on this paint color doing the exact same thing. Paint should not peel off after rain.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11482734September 3, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The paint is peeling off of my car all the way to the metal in multiple places. Causing rusting.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11482777September 3, 2022
STRUCTURE:BODY
The paint on the front hood and also on the roof above the driver side is chipping away and peeling for no reason. It started about 24 months ago as a small chip on the roof right at the windshield above the steering wheel. Thought is was perhaps from a rock. Now that small chip has grown, the metal that was under it has started to rust, there are also now multiple chips and peels on the front hood in multiple places.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11482741September 3, 2022
POWER TRAIN
I have a 2021 SX with 6000 miles sitting at the dealership with a failing transmission. yesterday September 2, 2022, my vehicle lost 100% of power and I was left at a traffic light with no power. The dashboard said, "Stop safely immediately". The engine light came on and thank God I was not on the highway. Got towing service to Kia Dealer in Houston. It is a very dangerous situation for any driver to lose all power suddenly. I went to the internet and this is a common problem with this model. It is related to the DCT transmission.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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