Kia Sorento Complaints

10,397 consumer complaints on file.

#11611361August 28, 2024
WHEELS
We were driving on highway at 120 kmh. The road was smooth and we had no error/service dash lights illuminated. Suddenly we heard a loud bang and we lost total control of the vehicle. We (hit) slid onlong the concrete highway which prevented the car from flipping and entering oncoming traffic. Our terrifying experience lasted about 8 seconds until we came to a stop. We were fortunate that we were not crashed into by nearby traffic. The original manufacturer alloy rear left wheel shattered. I have pictures of the wheel. The wheel totally separated from the hub. The tire was in good condition and we didn't hit any bumps or pothole. I notified KIA about this issue with reference # [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11611411August 28, 2024
ENGINE
I was driving on the highway about 60mph, I go to accelerate and merge to the exit lane since that lane funnels another previous merge lane. I press the gas and the gauge stayed frozen at 60mph then a violent loud clunk came from the floor like as if the transmission gear got stuck and then slipped in. After parking at the store the hybrid inverter coolant refill warning came on the dash. I drove back home to get fluid 2 miles from home the vehicle lost all power. The issue is search through the internet I’m seeing many many kia sorentos hybrid or gas with the same inverter issue. And every person posting online says the dealer has the same excuse a rock hit and punctured the small radiator. But the car also had a check engine light on and the dealer never brought that up. I’m a mechanic for 12yrs. Something fishy is going on, thank you.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11611422August 28, 2024
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle suddenly lost motive power. The contact was unable to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, and the vehicle failed to restart, leaving the contact stuck in the middle of a busy intersection. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 130,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11611298August 28, 2024
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
On August 23rd 2024, I drove this vehicle all day. But, upon reaching our final destination (ER department entrance) smoke began rolling out from under the hood. Once getting out to inspection the vehicle someone hollered for a extinguisher. I turned to look at the vehicle and I could see underneath of the 2012 kia sorento had flames. My son was still in the car so my mother and I ran to get him out of his rear facing carseat and ran away from the vehicle. At this time the vehicle still had a fire that went out with extinguisher but quickly light back up. After this the whole are and car filled with smoke. Fire department was called and this took them awhile to fully extinguish the fire. This could have hurt myself, my child, and my mother. I lost alot of valuable things including my son's new carseat, my children's double stroller, a tablet, clothing, etc. I have called Kia as I found out there was a recall that kia has none about and started sending notices out November 14th 2023. My vehicle sat at a kia dealership from January to March 6th and if this recall was so drastic such as a car fire why was this not taken car of when my vehicle sat for 2 months. I have a call into Kia as of Monday August 26th 2024. I am still waiting for a rep to be assigned my claim and to speak to them. As of Today August 28th 2024 Noone has reached out to me.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11611059August 27, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Driving on the interstate @ 65mph the car cut off then caught on fire. Smoke came in the car we pulled over to emergency lane exited the car and then flames came up through the console. The car became completely engulfed in flames and totally destroyed. There were no injuries. I have a video of the event. I do not know the cause. All of the gauges were working properly and read normal.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11611134August 27, 2024
ENGINE
On August 26, 2024, my Kia Sorento failed to start. While driving it, the vehicle started to make a noise so we pulled off the road and shut it off. When we tried to restart it, it made only clicking noises but would not start. There were no warning lights indicating any issues; no oil light, no check engine light, nothing. It ran fine the day before, the last oil change was May 1st and the vehicle was running fine. When the vehicle arrived at my house we checked the oil, and there was barely any oil in the car - we put oil in it and tried to restart it, but it failed to start - only clicking noises. I recently put a brand new battery in it. If the indicator warning light would have been working as it should have been, I would have known the oil was low. I saw no leakage anywhere that would have indicated a problem - now I have no running vehicle. The Kia is our only means of transportation for me and my family. After much research, I have found other Kia Sorento owners with the same engine and indicator light issues. I am seeking resolution to this problem as soon as possible. I am the original owner of this vehicle and I've never had any issues until now. Please provide assistance as soon as possible.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11611155August 27, 2024
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
I have a 2018 Kia Sorento that I absolutely love. As of late, I have noticed that 1,000 to 1,200 miles after my oil changes- I am getting my engine oil light on, on the dash. Upon checking, again after only 1,200 miles after an oil change- my engine oil was completely gone. The dipstick was almost bone dry. I took my vehicle in to have an oil leak test, because I instantly thought I had a leak due to that being an excessive amount of oil missing. However, there is no leak. It passed the leak test, and there is also no oil in my driveway. Upon talking to the Kia dealership this is apparently a very known, and prominent issue with this vehicle. I am "out of warranty" with Kia- so I am unable to file a claim with them to have this repaired. This is unacceptable for them to know that this is an ongoing issue, and they are not standing behind their products. I have thankfully purchased an extended warranty with an outside agency, that I am filing a claim for. However they will only cover the issue at Kia if the "engine oil consumption test identifies the failure" From what the service man said to me, from Kia- the two "failures" that they have, are either needing to have a combustion chamber cleaning done, or an entire new engine dropped in. Both of which leave me without a vehicle for WEEKS. As a mother with young children, and also a mother that works and has a one vehicle home- this leaves me needing to rent a car for however long that may take. Looking into this further I have seen that Kia Sorentos with the GDI motor (like mine) from NEWER years, have a recall on their engines for a very similar case and very similar situations with them burning excessive oil in their vehicles. I strongly think that the lower year makes and models need to be investigated, as well. I absolutely think that my vehicle needs to be included in this recall as I have gotten and maintained every single oil change, and service needed to my vehicle since I have purchased it in 2020.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11611286August 27, 2024
STEERING, LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
When attempting to start the car, the engine will not start and every alert system and dashboard light turns on. The car is undriveable when it does this. It takes 5-10 minutes of turning the car on and off before it stops and is drivable again. It does not happen every time and seems to be random. This has happened 5 times. An additional 6th time this same issue happened while I was driving - all of the dashboard lights went on, and every alert / warning turned on (forward collision, lane warning, etc). The steering wheel also became stiff and extremely difficult to turn. I have been attempting to work with 2 different Kia service departments and their corporate escalations department without luck. They are unable to replicate the issue and are planning to give the car back to us. After seeing so many similar or same issues reported on various forums I am filing a NHTSA claim. (One forum example here: [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
#11611212August 27, 2024
POWER TRAIN, ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
My 2021 Kia Sorento has been losing drive power, shuddering when we accelerate, hesitate when starting from a stop or parked position, and having issues accelerating at different and random speed intervals. This is a safety concern because it can cause an accident or for us and others or cause us to lose the ability to control the vehicle Everyone is also at risk if my car stops responding to me pushing the gas and it will not let me continue, increase, decrease or become entirely unresponsive could cause my entire family to die. It has been reproduced by a local service center. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives. No warning lamps, messages have appeared at any time. The first symptoms started with short shuddering for a quick second or two every now and then. It has become progressively worse and is becoming unsafe for us to operate.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11610792August 26, 2024
INTERIOR LIGHTING, EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the interior lights and headlights turned off and turned back on without driver's input. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 104,082.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11611026August 26, 2024
ENGINE
In 2020, we started noticing the smell of engine coolant and the continuous running of the engine fan after shutting the engine off. The temperature gage never indicated any issue. We took the vehicle to the dealer to address the issue. Upon inspecting the vehicle, it was determined that there was a failure of one of the engine block bolts, which cause the coolant to seep in to the engine block. The dealer stated the engine needed to be rebuilt, because the bock was not salvageable. We then contacted Kia to question the failure and were told that the repair was not covered, because of the milage on the vehicle. In 2024 we received a recall notice, which stated they were now taking responsibility for the repairs and all we needed to do was submit documents showing the repairs were made. We did so, two months ago, however after submitting the documents Kia has not given us a reimbursement or provided updates on the status of our claim.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11611030August 26, 2024
ENGINE, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Whilst driving on the interstate,the vehicles engine shut off with no warning. Rpm and everything was as normal and the vehicle shut off with no gas power, nothing. Engine and oil lights started flashing heavily, engine started rattling. Upon checking battery all was normal, car started smelling of burning under the hood
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11610973August 26, 2024
ENGINE
When driving in traffic at a stop, or even just slowing down when needing to make a turn, the accelerator does not respond to the pressure being applied and the vehicle barely moves, even with pedal nearly to the floor. This is a serious problem and can be a very dangerous thing when trying to cross or pull out onto a street when there’s oncoming traffic, so I'm nervous now to pull out when any cars are coming. I took the car into the dealership, who said that "Their technician could not replicate the problem" and nothing was done. I found many others with this same problem on a Kia forum online. I am going to also report this to Kia.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11610947August 26, 2024
POWER TRAIN, ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
The vehicle began misfiring while driving on the highway. The check engine light turned on. The vehicle shook violently when the gas pedal was pressed. The vehicle was unable to accelerate and required the driver to pull over on the side of the highway. This issue has presented itself several times since the original incident. After multiple visits to the dealer, the issue has NOT been resolved. The check engine light has been caused by code P0301 (misfire cylinder 1) as well as P0304 (misfire cylinder 4). Spark plugs and ignition coils have been replaced by the dealer, but the issue still persists. Forcing the vehicle to pull over and being unable to accelerate on the highway is risk to the driver's safety as well as the safety of other vehicles on the road. The vehicle also now struggles to start and begins misfiring when left off overnight and started cold.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11610714August 25, 2024
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
My SUV is having all of the problems associated with a bad engine. This started a week ago and on Thursday, [XXX] my SUV completely stopped running and I had to get it towed to my residence. I had an ASE certified mechanic to check it out and he said your engine is BAD. I have had all of my required oil changes as well as servicing as recommended. I got this SUV in 2020. It has a little over 100,000 miles. I cannot afford a engine repair at this time. Please advice. Thank you [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
#11610601August 24, 2024
STEERING
The power steering system has randomly gone out. This occurs at random times when I’m driving. Once I was backing out of somewhere and the power steering light came in, while I was in the middle of the street blocking both sides. I had to turn my car off and restart it. I am put at risk because of my inability to turn at random times. This puts others at risk too when I can’t turn/ move my steering wheel properly. I’ve been desperately trying to get my car looked at but I keep getting the run around that they can’t check what the codes are on the car because the lights on the dash turn on and off. There were no warning signs. The car is managed well and kept up with. This started randomly when driving and turning into a parking lot, causing me to almost hit cars and large rocks. The car has been fine until now.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11610364August 23, 2024
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of oil. While approaching a stop, the vehicle shut off. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the engine oil was backing up through the muffler and the vehicle was losing motive power. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the failure was due to the battery, alternator, and starter, and that an oil consumption test was needed. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact removed the battery. The contact noticed that rodents had been chewing on parts in the vehicle. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 152,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11610451August 23, 2024
STRUCTURE:BODY
Non working door handles which is a KNOWN issue with Kia! Extremely dangerous obstruction in an event of an emergency where occupants need to get in and out of the vehicle. The ineffective door handles also makes the car less secure because someone who is not authorized can access the safety measures that the vehicle has. This is not right that Kia customers have to spend hundreds for an ongoing issue! This is two out of the four doors now. I replaced one door handle already for well over $300.00! Now will need to spend ANOTHER three hundred plus dollars for the same issue! Again, this is a KNOWN Kia issue! I was originally told there was a recall but only for the back handles and not the front handles in 2020. Now, I am being told it was a warranty and it expired in 2021/2022. A warranty was never relayed to me in any way. No email or mailed letter explaining this. If under "warranty" and again, a known Kia issue why were the backs covered but not the front if they are the same handles? Why not replace all four handles under the said "warranty"? This is a major issues for Kia owners like myself. Also having an issue where when it rains, water will come in from the passenger side panel and back trunk panels. Kia said it was the drains. Kia cleared the drains for well over $200.00. Next rain fall and the SAME issue still remained. Kia then said it was the moonroof assembly and would NOT get back to me with a remedy to solve the issue. I reached out again and I spoke to the general Manager who said he would call me back and NEVER did. I took it to another company who handles moonroofs/sunroofs and has said it is due to the paint separating in the grooves where the assembly sits and is a manufactural issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11610508August 23, 2024
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal gasoline odor permeating through the interior of the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who observed a crack in the low-pressure fuel pump. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Technical Service Bulletin: 064. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 85,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11610374August 23, 2024
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving at various speeds the vehicle suddenly lost motive power and the vehicle decelerated and would not accelerate above 30 MPH. During the failure, the Idle Stop light continued to flash off and on. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The transmission was replaced but the failure reoccurred within a month of the repair being performed. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced a second time. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 20,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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