Kia Sorento Complaints

10,397 consumer complaints on file.

#11680637August 14, 2025
ENGINE
Engine started to knock, had it towed to KIA dealership it's been there for 6 weeks. Dealership stated needs new engine, Warranty company refuses to honor coverage and replace engine. 2019 KIA Sorento known for engine failures. Have provided oil receipts which is not needed. (Nothing stated in our contract) If we continued to drive the car the engine would have seized or caught fire. There were no lights on the dash for oil change or engine lights on. There are reports on the internet/social media of many people having the same issue with this engine. There should be a recall on this engine. And it shouldn't be this hard to get KIA or the warranty company to step up and fix a known problem. We paid for the warranty and expect it to work for us. Right now the car is still at KIA of Huntington. We have made a complaint with the BBB and with KIA Headquarters in CA hopefully this will be resolved soon.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11680737August 14, 2025
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that on several occasions, while checking the engine oil level, after driving 600 miles, the dipstick indicated that the engine oil level was extremely low. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, and the contact was informed to monitor the oil level to determine if the engine was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The contact stated that the engine was flushed twice. The contact stated that the symptoms of oil consumption were mild, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the same dealer where it was diagnosed, and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11680780August 14, 2025
ENGINE
My son was driving on the hwy and a banging sound started- lights started flashing on dash and it lost speed. Stranded on road. Read that 2016 KIA SORENTO v6 engines have this prob but apparently ours doesn’t??? According to Kia these run quite a while so 160K isn’t many miles! And all maintenance done at same location the life of vehicle. Makes no sense that it states everywhere I’ve read 2016 V6 have this problem, why not ours?? Now we battle with putting a new motor in a vehicle I just bought less than a year ago for the same price that I bought it for! It’s very nice interior and body but that does me no good with no engine! UNFAIR KIA!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11680690August 14, 2025
STRUCTURE:BODY
The trim on my vehicle will not stay snapped down.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11680646August 14, 2025
AIR BAGS
Airbag light on drivers side lit up, clock spring is defective
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11680395August 13, 2025
SEAT BELTS
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that the rear driver's side seat lap belt harness anchor pin had detached while the contact's son was attempting to wear the seat belt, rendering the seat belt inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where an unknown diagnosis was made, and the contact was informed that there was a fee for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 76,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11680518August 13, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Jenkins kia of Ocala Florida sold me this car as a certified used car on July 4 2025 without fixing or disclosing the fact this vehicle has 2 recalls! I want to file a formal complaint with you against this company. This car should never have been sold as a certified used vehicle with these 2 safety recalls not being addressed, fixed or mentioned!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11680110August 12, 2025
ENGINE
My 2017 Kia Sorento has developed intermittent safety-related engine issues that have resulted in loss of acceleration and stalling. December 2024: After a two-hour drive, the vehicle stalled and would not restart. Roadside assistance confirmed the engine oil level was low, despite no external leaks. After approximately two hours, the vehicle restarted. [XXX]: After driving about 30 minutes and parking for 10–20 minutes, the engine started with loud rumbling/knocking noises, and the accelerator was unresponsive. The problem resolved only after shutting the car off and restarting. Video is available. The Kia dealer performed a rod bearing test which passed, but the symptoms match early failure stages of the known Theta II engine defect covered under Kia’s lifetime warranty (PI1802 settlement). Kia attributes the issue to “low oil” as a maintenance problem, but the oil consumption appears to be internal and abnormal. This defect creates a serious safety risk because it causes sudden loss of power, which could lead to an accident if it occurs while driving in traffic. 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
#11680237August 12, 2025
ENGINE
The engine locked up. The engine only had 80,000 miles. The car stopped in the middle of traffic. The dealership refused to take responsibility. KIA also declined warning coverage. I had to pay to replace the engine.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11680202August 12, 2025
AIR BAGS, SEAT BELTS
The contact owned a 2021 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving 15-20 MPH and making a quick left turn to avoid a truck that did not have the right-of-way, another vehicle crashed into the driver's side door of the vehicle. The driver's side curtain air bags deployed. The front driver's seat air bag deployed but failed to inflate. The front passenger's side seat belt retracted even though the front passenger's side seat was not occupied. There was no injury sustained. No police report was filed. Both drivers were able to drive away from the scene. The vehicle was taken to an autobody repair shop, where an estimate of the damage sustained was provided. The vehicle was totaled by the insurance company. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the front driver's seat air bag and the front passenger's side seat belt operated as designed. The failure mileage was approximately 49,000.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11679849August 11, 2025
ENGINE
Bought the car last month had it put on a diagnostic machine 2 times took a trip lasted one week now it's in the shop days bad motor engine light came on @ parked it right then they told me that it ended a engine it run perfect then it wasn't it is a 2017 Kia Sorento it's only 8 yrs old is there any manufacturer warranty or coverage of any kind for that yr it ran really good for a minute then it wasn't it's still in shop being looked @ I have exstended warranty. They want me to pay 2.700 for tear down @ they can't say if they fix it then after I'm outa pocket I had to leave it in another state I seen online recalls on that make yr @ model can you give advice thanks
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11679913August 11, 2025
ENGINE
Motor uses 6 guarts of oil in 3000 miles. No leaks. The dealer has done the oil consumption test. And it failed every time. Kia denied claim to replace engine. They stated that it passed the bearing test. This is crap.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11679919August 11, 2025
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
* High pressure fuel pump quick disconnect fuel line fitting leaking fuel. * Raw fuel leaking poses a risk of fire and danger to the vehicle occupants. Raw fuel leaking in a closed in area as it did in my garage could have lead to an explosion due ignition of the fuel vapors. * My vehicle was repaired by a KIA dealership. The dealership noted that they've seen this issue several times in the past few months including one instance where the fuel line fitting actually fell off. The dealership acknowledged this failure hasn't yet become a recall issue which is why I'm filing a complaint with the NHSTA to establish a record of the issue. * The component was probably discarded by the dealership. The dealership didn't mention sending the part out for inspection or reporting the issue to the manufacturer. Galeana KIA did provide 2 pictures of the fuel leak area. I've attached these to this form. * There were no warning lamps or messages for this type of leak. The vehicle drove as normal. It wasn't until I parked the vehicle in my garage that I noticed a strong smell of raw fuel.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11679947August 11, 2025
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
My lights are set to auto but when driving they randomly switch off. The dash shows the switch from auto to off but the control is still set to auto. I have to manually switch the control off and then back on for the lights to come back on. I’ve also noticed a few times in the morning my lights are on. My switch is set to auto and my car is completely off but the lights are on. This is very unsafe as it happens at night and I can’t see the road.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11679948August 11, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Parking lights stay on, change brake light switch but the hole that the switch goes in is not aligned with the brake stopper to turn off the stop brakes, therefore it remains on. Battery needs to be unplugged to keep from draining. The mechanism to stop the lights from remaining on is somehow shifted to no longer turn off the brake lights.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11679976August 11, 2025
POWER TRAIN, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS, STEERING
Power train incident - • transmission holding gears, jerking between shifts, gear shifted into S mode on its own and stuck there, unresponsive acceleration, locked up steering/inability to turn the steering wheel and total loss of drive power. • happened while merging onto a highway in one of two split lanes for highway access. A merging semi truck in the other merging lane almost ran into me because I could not give it gas. Me and a local police officer who saw me broke down and stopped to provide additional cover, were nearly hit several (6) times from other vehicles and semi trucks due to malfunctions happening. • diagnosed by Kia dealership and was told there was a major electrical failure which caused the electrical oil pump to fail and need a new transmission. Although my VIN doesn’t list recalls, similar issue to the recall on my same year/make/model under NHTSA Campaign Number 21V519. • Warning lamps/messages shown in photos attached. __________________________________ Forward Collision warning incident - • front forward safety system light appeared on dash, then moments later a warning appeared and the vehicle braked on its own detecting a vehicle in front of me when there was not another vehicle in front of me within vision!! • happened while driving in a 55mph zone, a vehicle was driving behind me when this occurred and that vehicle almost slammed into the back end of mine causing a crash. • problem not yet inspected on vehicle due to blown transmission from above incident and inability to start/move the vehicle.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11679752August 11, 2025
ENGINE
My 2022 Kia Sorento keeps loosing power while I’m driving. Now the check engine light is o w
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11679533August 9, 2025
ENGINE, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
We have been having problems with the speed control not functioning. Sometimes we couldn't set the speed or slow it down. Now it doesn't function at all! When it was working the cancel switch would also not work and we had to use the brake pedal to shut it off. Later on while driving through town with the cruise control still on, I stopped at a traffic light and the engine began to race at a high rpms. I took my foot off the gas pedal not knowing exactly what it would do and rpms settled down. Luckily the suv didn't accelerate into the vehicle in front of me. The engine has done this a couple of times with or without the cruise control on. My wife drives this vehicle with our grand children onboard and I am highly concerned about their safety.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11679539August 9, 2025
STRUCTURE:BODY
I have the pearl white paint on this vehicle. It is peeling off the car.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11679556August 9, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
This scenerio happened and fire resulted with total loss. Fuel system, gasoline: Delivery: Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings Recall date 2018-12-18 Recall no. 18V907000 Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2011-2017 Optima, 2012-2017 Sorento and 2011-2018 Sportage vehicles that previously received an engine replacement under recall number 17V-224, warranty, or the Knock Sensor Detection System (KSDS) Product Improvement Campaign. The high pressure fuel pipe that connects to the fuel pump outlet may have been damaged, misaligned or improperly torqued during the engine replacement procedure, possibly causing a fuel leak. Hide details Recall consequence A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire. Recall action Kia has notified owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the fuel pipe, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 17, 2019. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC172.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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