Kia Sorento Complaints

10,397 consumer complaints on file.

#11426709July 27, 2021
AIR BAGS, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE
Recall notices have been sent to us regarding possible airbag deployment, electrical issues, and now HECU controls and the ABS system. Each time we get a notice, we contact the Kia dealerships in our area for repairs. Every time we have tried to bring in our vehicle for safety recall repairs, the dealership has made it impossible to do so. For example, when we called to make an appointment for one recall notice, we were told that no action was needed unless we heard a loud banging noise coming from the engine. We stated that we heard weird noises but not a loud banging. We were told that the dealership cannot do repairs unless we show evidence of the banging. Also, there have been electrical problems with the car since we bought it – the buttons malfunction, the airbag light is always on, etc. This was not regarded as evidence of need for repairs. For another recall notice, we were told that the repairs could not be completed because they didn't have the parts. We received the Safety Recall Number 21V331 on Friday July 17 and have tried repeatedly to contact Kia of Cerritos in order to make an appointment for repairs. The dealership does not answer their phones in the service department. At 2:30 July 19, I got through to someone in the service department. He said he would make an appointment to complete recall repairs but instead put us on hold and transferred us to a full voicemail box. We are very worried about the safety of our Kia Sorrento. This is our family car. Given the ongoing recalls and history of Kia failing to provide safety repairs, I think this may qualify for the Lemon Law. This recall notice indicates that an engine fire may occur. The airbag light is continuously on. I am concerned for the safety of my family. We do not feel safe. I have contacted KIA Consumer Assistance Center and opened a Case #14271977 but they have failed to reply.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11426423July 26, 2021
STRUCTURE:BODY
I own a 2013 Kia Sorento with Pearl White paint. It started peeling huge chunks of paint off of the top of my car. There is no reason the paint should just be peeling off, often in huge peeling strips. I am aware of other makes and models with this paint around my production year that have had recalls to fix this defective paint. I believe Kia should be included in this recall. I have included pictures, the last picture is of three average size paint chunks that are coming off daily.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11426444July 26, 2021
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I am making a complaint due to the paint chipping above the windshield. The paint started to chip and now in growing larger. Every time it rains the paint chips more and more. I have noticed not only that my car pillars on the siding around the windshield peeled that I have repainted but now it is above the wind shield. There are alot of Kia Sorentos in my area that the top of their vehicle are peeling as well so this has to be a manufacturer problem. I have spoken with a few shops in the area and they stated to inform Kia that is an ongoing issue with all the kia's. I have pictures of the top of my vehicle.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11426469July 26, 2021
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was shaking, and a loud knocking sound was coming from the engine. The contact pulled over on the side of the road and the vehicle loss motive power. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and diagnosed that there was rod bearing wear and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The contact was relating the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The failure mileage was 123,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11426482July 26, 2021
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Upon receiving Recall NOTICE , Vehicle Is A Fire Danger and I can Not Drive it.Living in the middle of the Forrest makes having this vehicle in this HIGH FIRE DANGER TOWN for 2 months put not only my family and home in danger but my entire FIRE VULNERABLE COMMUNITY AT RISK. The company headquarters or Dealership would not loan me a safe car nor remove this FIRE HAZARD from this community.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11426495July 26, 2021
STRUCTURE:BODY
Pealing paint on roof at windshield and along passenger pillar. Reported same to Kia dealership at which they confirmed the paint pealing is an issue, but they would not repair due to vehicle being outside paint warranty period. There is currently no safety concern, however if the roof at the windshield rusts through, the structural integrity of the vehicle will be compromised.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11426547July 26, 2021
SERVICE BRAKES, ENGINE, STEERING
Motor shuts down completely disabling the car electronically. I lose my brakes and my steering. In February 2020, I almost died driving the vehicle the car engine seized while driving and was replaced by KIA. I never received an itemized bill from Dealership they stole the rental from my private driveway to and stole $5,000 and my belongings from the vehicle. One June 29.2021 I almost died again driving the car. The New Engine shuts down and I lose breaks and steering and hit an animal trying to get off the road for safety since I no longer have breaks to my vehicle. The animal ripped off my undercarriage and dented my radiator. The car was smoking and the engine would start and when driven 50 feet keep shutting down and locking no breaks no power no steering becoming a hazard to myself and others. I have had no resolve with any dealership I have been to 4 different Kia dealerships and The Hyundai Certified Pre Owned Used Car Sales Dealer I purchased the car from. Instead of helping me and not placing my life and other lives in danger. I was threatened, antagonized, slandered, Defamed, and Had the police called to remove me because I refused to commit a crime and set my car on fire like the Dealership told me to do. I need help.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
2
Deaths:
0
#11426557July 26, 2021
VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY
While driving home I heard an extremely loud pop. I was almost home so I didn't pull over to investigate. As I arrive at my house I received a text message. I parked my Sorento and checked my phone. As I sat there which was about 2-3 minutes I heard another extremely loud pop and that is when the glass of my sunroof started shattering. I immediately got out of my car and looked up and noticed my sunroof looked as if it exploded upwards. Luckily I had the sun shade closed or glass would have fallen in the car and on me. I googled sunroofs exploding and found several claims, a class action law suit (in progress) and a TV news investigation regarding Kia sunroof exploding while driving. My car is at the dealership currently and I haven't heard anything yet regarding the cause but from the conversation I had with the service advisor it doesn't seen to be an issue to KIA although there has been hundreds of reports filed. I believe it is a manufacturing defect. I have pictures and video of what appears to be the initial crack (the first loud pop) and the hole it caused (the second loud pop). There is no way an object caused the explosion and if so how can we explain the second pop while I was parked. It is ironic that others have reported the same incident occurring and the photos are very similar in all cases. Something has to be done before a child or adult is seriously injured. I guess the right person/people have yet to be affected by this. It is a serious safety concern. My video would not load but I'm happy to send it as an attachment via email.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11426327July 25, 2021
SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE
I was driving on the freeway, my car just stopped, it wouldn't start I had to have it towed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11426345July 25, 2021
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:WHEEL SPEED SENSOR/TONE RING
2014 KIA SORENTO EX was manufactured w/ poor to very low headlights. The required bulb for the standard headlights is the H7 bulb on this vehicle... It is NOT ACCEPTABLE and the driver cannot see with any distance at all and turning is a complete hazard and accident waiting to happen as the lightning is so poor you can't see anything when turning. I have studied, reviewed, read and worked to try and ensure we got the best possible light and there simply is a poor electrical wiring design for this specific vehicle. I adjusted the Headlights UP as far as I could and it still made no difference at all in my viewing field. How could the NHSTA allow KIA to get away with coming to market w/ these POOR Headlights? We have to drive around at night now w/ the High Beams On at all times in order to see properly. That is unacceptable! The Driver should not have to purchase an LED Bright Light Kit and have to Re-Wire the vehicle because of being provided a lightning system that doesn't work and is an extreme danger. KIA should have to recall every single one of these vehicles and provide " sufficient " lighting that meets SAFETY protocols for headlights and the field that is to be illuminated. How is nobody aware of this and why hasn't it been addressed? It's outrageous and I've never heard of any vehicle having to use High Beams to see driving down a straight road let alone in heavy traffic and or or on a winding road. Is anyone listening and or are Safety Standards now a thing of the past. Shame on KIA, they know of the problem and have done NOTHING to correct it. KIA Brake Speed Sensors fail routinely and should also be a RECALLED Item. We've had all of the Brake Speed Sensors fail on the vehicle and now we've had to pay out of our pocket to replace these faulty items. It's ridiculous....they were covered under warranty until 60k but that is NOT sufficient! There has been about three (3) separate recalls for this vehicle relating to brake issues.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11426366July 25, 2021
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Intermittently and unpredictably, my V6 Sorrento just loses all power when trying to accelerate. This occurs when trying to accelerate from a stop or slow roll, but not when moving along at over, say, 20 mph. Obviously, this can be a very dangerous thing when trying to cross or pull out onto a street when there’s oncoming traffic. The car will move just enough to place it in the path of oncoming traffic and then nothing more until after I’ve released and depressed the accelerator enough times for it to finally decide go. The car has been to the dealer several times for this, and they’ve had no remedy. They said that they couldn’t do anything because they couldn’t duplicate the problem, which is no surprise because it’s totally unpredictable. I’ve had the car into the dealer for this enough times that they finally opened a case with Kia corporate, who also had no answers. My private mechanic found a service bulletin (online, and not from Kia) that said a hose in the fuel system was the issue. After I took the car back to the dealer yet again and told them about the bulletin, they supposedly checked the hose and said that it was okay, but they didn’t try replacing it. After all that I’d been through dealing with this, the dangerous situations it has put me in numerous times, and the fact that they had no answers, it seems to me that they should at least have tried replacing the hose. I’ve been dealing with this for years, and it's disconcerting and dangerous to not be able to trust the car. The car is a 2015 Sorrento SX V6 that I bought in July of 2017 with 31,094 miles on it, and I paid extra to have it “certified.” There is a thread on Kia-Forums.com where others have expressed having the same issue, also with no resolution. Thank you.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11426146July 23, 2021
STRUCTURE:BODY
Paint delimitation rapidly along top of windshield allowing rust. Safety concern with water damage. No reports to dealer.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11426180July 23, 2021
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Headlights keep burning out. I've replaced the driver's side low-beam bulb seven times in the last year and the passenger side twice. Both are currently blown out again.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11426205July 23, 2021
STRUCTURE:BODY
During the spring of 2019 the paint above my passenger side window began chipping and peeling. As of 07/23/21 there are now addition spots above the windshield, frame of windshield, and hood that have began to chip and peel. The first area is now rusting and I am unable to get a carwash without having big chunks from the roof peel. I did get a quote from a Kia dealership for the paint repair since it is beginning to rust. I will upload that quote.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11426095July 23, 2021
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle, the contact noticed that the exhaust started to leak. The contact also stated that the engine was overheating. The contact stated that there was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic but was not yet diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was relating the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 21V519000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 7,911.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11425918July 22, 2021
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
Kia refused to issue a recall for a known problem & refuses to fix vehicle & reimburse for unnecessary repair costs--have contacted their consumer center many times but they will not address problem--below is initial complaint I made on 06-09-2021, the first of many & all ignored to date: 06/09/2021 06:45:06 I have unnecessarily spent about $1000 replacing original factory equipment that was not faulty/not the problem all because you knew about the problems on the 2014-15 Sorentos but chose not to issue a recall to correct (as told by Master Tech at the local dealership)! Labor & parts bought/replaced: alternator, starter, relays. A few mths ago vehicle would start up fine on 1st drive of the day but after 1st stop of the day (as little as 5 mins!)vehicle would not even attempt to start up again! This happened multiple times & I found myself stranded in an essentially still new vehicle (note low miles for a 7 yr old vehicle)! All in all I replaced the above mentioned parts but problem continued so finally took it in to dealership for diagnosis, which they found no codes or problems! A service mgr mentioned that Nissan had similar problems (but they issued recalls unlike Kia!) where the frequencies would interact/interfere with those of neon stop lights??? Cars would simply shut down on the road/busy intersections--danger!!! I noticed that this happened most when I am at my mail center which is close to a medical clinic & at the bank--both of which have high frequency medical equipment/security systems??? I am a disabled vet on a fixed income & to have spent money unnecessarily when YOU KNEW OF THE PROBLEM & REFUSED TO ISSUE A RECALL you are liable to reimburse me in full for all the money I am out & the emotional/physical distress caused by your product & decisions! FIX MY CAR!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11425961July 22, 2021
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
The headlights are so dim that it is extremely dangerous to drive at night. I went and bought the $50 bulbs and it still looked like I didn’t turn my lights on. It looks like I drive with candlelight. Also the bulbs burn out about 3-4 months.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11426037July 22, 2021
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Sorento. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 21V331000 (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 local dealer and the manufacturer were made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11426063July 22, 2021
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
Low beam head lights stop working . Bulb needs replacement every few months.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11425768July 21, 2021
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
When set in AUTO, the headlights will flicker, or turn on and off without reasonable changes in light or conditions that would cause this to occur. This happens at night or dusk, making it difficult to see the road, obstacles and other hazards, as well as making the vehicle difficult to see for other traffic. Adjusting the lighting manually on the stick switch to an ON position appears to restore functionality. This puts the driver and passenger at risk as well as other vehicles. I have not been able to have this reproduced by a dealer or service center. No inspection of the stick switch or electrical components has occurred however the lights have been confirmed to work otherwise by a service center. No warning lights or other indicators occur.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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