Kia Sorento Complaints
654 consumer complaints on file.
- #11490422October 22, 2022POWER TRAIN, ENGINE
On Oct 5th, 2022, I was driving home from work on Interstate 75, when I heard a chime from my dashboard. When I looked at the dashboard there was a message to “stop safely immediately,” and the check engine light came on. I happened to be at my exit and took the next exit off the highway. Whiling getting to the off ramp the vehicle randomly shut off. I stopped the suv with the brake with no incident. Thankfully no one was behind me. However, the car wouldn't turn on. After several tries the car turned on again. I immediately drove it to kia which was about 2 miles away for immediate service. They did a multi-point inspection, checked fluids. The tech came back saying the vehicle need a software update. They did a software update and returned the suv. I was told everything should be fine. Within a day of the update the check engine light came back on. This time when I accelerate the RPMs are going up but the speed is not increasing. The Sorento hesitates to accelerate from a stop. The vehicle has issues shifting in the lower gears until it JOLTS forward. I returned the Suv to Kia where now I am told it needs a new transmission. I was given no indication as to when this fix would happen. I ask for a rental car they have none. Tech at Kia says its okay to keep driving this suv. Did I miss something? As of Oct 22, they want to recheck transmission fluid which they have already checked. I have been given the run around with no fix for the problem insight.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11489981October 19, 2022POWER TRAIN
I purchased a new 2022 Kia Sorento in March of 2022. By the end of April, at 1626 miles, the vehicle started giving me a warning on the dash stating "Transmission System Error! Check transmission oil immediately." The problem was intermittent and the dealer was not able to reproduce it. The difficulty is that the transmission does not have a method to check the transmission oil level. I have returned this vehicle to the dealer three times for this same problem. When the message is displayed, the transmission only provides power to the wheels in the odd numbered gears (1, 3, 5, 7) and slips badly in the even numbered gears. During slippage, the engine revs to 4,000 RPM. Unknown damage has most likely been done to my transmission at this point and Kia refuses to take care of their customers.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11489893October 18, 2022AIR BAGS, VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM
Drivers Side Airbag Illuminates intermittently, A/C smells like dried urine, has stuttered while driving on 2-3 occasions phone charging pad does not actually charge phone instead just maintains whatever battery life is already in phone before placed on pad.,these are all issues within the first 30 days of purchasing certified pre owned Kia Sorento on 8/15/22
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11489882October 18, 2022ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN
As I was taking off from stop sign car dropped into lower gear jerking car and lowered speed. Did this twice almost causing an accident. Knowing something was very wrong we proceed to Dealership. SUV stalled out 3 times on the way. Third time it stalled out was in front of service writer in front of dealership.This car has been very dangerous to drive from the delivery to now. It hesitates when you give it gas at stop and vibrates as you pic k up speed. This car is very dangerous to drive. Has been in shop for a week tring to figure out the problem. I have complained to service department about this ever since I have owned the car. Thanks for any help. I know I,m not the only one with this problem. Pat McGrath.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11489638October 17, 2022SEAT BELTS
I have tried to work with the dealer who sold me the car and they are either unresponsive or don't have the parts to fix the concern.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11489181October 13, 2022POWER TRAIN
Kia has been chasing transmission problems on this vehicle for several Months and now the transmission has completely failed.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11488441October 7, 2022UNKNOWN OR OTHER, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Refill inverter coolant notice comes up after routine oil change and downhill control turns on without me turning it on I have to shit my vehicle off in order for the brake control to turn off, available for inspection upon request. This notice interferes with me seeing the digital speedometer. Coolant was checked by dealer no leaks found, was told to wait patiently until a fix is available. No prior issues until I took it in for an oil change with the dealership.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11487776October 3, 2022VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, ENGINE
As my vehicle was in drive and I was actively driving, an error displayed on the dash stating to "stop safely immediately." The vehicle would neither accelerate nor decelerate and would not generate any RPMs. The check engine light came on, went off hours lately and the vehicle appeared to perform normally thereafter. Nonetheless I had the vehicle towed to the dealership and was told they were unable to duplicate the error although. I was told that although they could download the code for the error, it was unlikely that Kia would replace the faulty sensor that needed replacing as it was located on the side of the transmission. I was told to video the issue if it ever happened again. 7 days later, the exact same thing happened while I was in the middle of an intersection with my children. I leased this vehicle in May of 2021 and this issue occurred in July 2022 with 7800 miles on the odometer. There were zero issues with this vehicle prior to this and I have all service records and video footage of the incident.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11487524October 2, 2022UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My vehicle was in my garage and I noticed a crack in my windshield. Nothing hit my windshield and there are no knicks in the glass. The crack starts all the way at the top of the windshield and the crack is spreading very quickly. I bought this vehicle used on 7/12/22 and I only put 789 miles on it since purchasing it.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11486087September 23, 2022SERVICE BRAKES
Intermittent brake issues without error code or visual indication. On or about July 27, 2022 my wife was driving away from our house in our neighborhood when she noticed the brakes weren't responding normally & she was able to press the brake pedal all the way to the floor. This happened again the following day & she recognized that something was wrong. She called roadside assistance to assess towing but the first available service appointment in our area was August 17, 2022 at Lee Johnson Kia in Kirkland, WA. The vehicle wasn't driven due to safety concerns & was towed to Lee Johnson Kia on August 16, 2022. The service department has been unable to fix the car as of September 23, 2022. The brake master cylinder has been replaced twice & evidently has a leak issue. Kia America Customer Case #15006678.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11485423September 20, 2022VISIBILITY/WIPER
We have a new 2022 kia Sorento. the windshield without any impacts at all cracked overnight in our garage. from lower driver corner up across to passenger side right in line of sight of driver. Kia refuses to answer there phones to remedy this problem. there are several complaints and a possibly class action suit.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11484695September 15, 2022POWER TRAIN
The transmission failed; it is at the dealership awaiting a replacement transmission, and, if needed and if possible, I would authorize for it to be inspected. While in a parking garage, the instrument cluster displayed a "Safely Stop Immediately" message and a check engine light, and the vehicle began to lose momentum and roll to a stop, regardless of accelerator input. The problem was was replicated and confirmed by a Kia dealership. The vehicle has not been inspected beyond the service department at the dealership.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11483518September 8, 2022ENGINE
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
- #11483178September 6, 2022POWER 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
- #11482790September 4, 2022ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Smell something burning like electric
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11482741September 3, 2022POWER 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
- #11481714August 29, 2022ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
Vehicle is not shifting properly. The vehicle is hesitating on shifting up and have a very hard down shift. When vehicle was brand new this was mentioned to the dealer and they said it was "normal" for these "new" transmissions. This issue has now since gotten way worse. When sitting at a stop sign and needing to accelerate to get out onto the roadway and wheel is slightly turned on "dry" roads the traction control light will come on and vehicle will not accelerate. This is a very BIG safety concern as myself and my kids use this car daily! This problem has been made aware to dealer but only to be told its "NORMAL" this is not normal its a big risk of possibly getting myself or others into an accident. The vehicle is going to be relooked at with another dealer 8/30/22 as it has gotten worse and im concerned of the safety of myself that this vehicle may malfunction causing as accident. I have also looked at other reports of these 2021 Sorentos and seeing a pattern with the transmission issues of them.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11481611August 28, 2022VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD
I purchased my 2022 Sorento brand new in Dec 2021 and by end of January 2022 a small crack appeared near the top left corner (driver side) of the windshield near the edge; note the windshield is frameless/no cover or border on the glass. There is no indication that anything caused the crack; there is no indention as if anything hit it. I park in a private temperature controlled garage at my home. The crack has grown diagonally across the front of my entire windshield at this point since the dealership refused to help and I was quoted 1,300 to replace which is unfair. I am driving a 2022 which is visibly unsafe and who has an extra $1,000 to fix a defective windshield on top of paying a car note. This is a inconvenience and a safety issue because of my increased risk of crash or injury. I have seen numerous posts about this problem which indicates this is not just a me problem. I believe my windshield cracking is a defect caused by the manufacturer and I should not be responsible for the repair.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11481294August 25, 2022POWER TRAIN
While driving on the highway, a warning message came on the screen that read "Stop Car Immediately". After getting off the highway, the car suddenly slowed down on the major road. Fortunately, I was in the right lane and able to turn off the road into a nearby parking lot. I had to get the car towed to the dealership overnight. In the morning, a representative of the dealership drove it around their building and said he didn't notice anything wrong. However, when I went to pick up the vehicle and tried to drive it off the lot, the same message appeared again, and the car wouldn't move. I went into the dealership and got the service tech. I showed him what was going on, and he confirmed the problem. They kept the vehicle to run more tests to determine the problem.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11480894August 23, 2022ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Last Tuesday, August 16, I parked in the driveway at around 8 PM. After about 2 hours I heard car alarm. I looked out window and saw flames engulfing rear of vehicle. Called 911. Firefighters extinguished flames. Fire crew stated fire was likely electrical and started near tow hitch receptacle. Tow hitch was installed by Kia dealer weeks after I bought car; they told me it was an OEM hitch. I'd never used the hitch until the day of the fire. That afternoon I bought a Kuuat bicycle rack with lights. Bike store installed the rack and plugged it into the hitch receptacle. I did errands for several hours with nothing appearing amiss. Then parked, and fire started hours later. No injuries and no other damage. Looks like total loss, but State Farm hasn't confirmed yet.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- Yes
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0