Kia Sorento Complaints

10,397 consumer complaints on file.

#11480209August 19, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The steering wheel ignition lock is easy bypassed by using only a small screwdriver or USB cord. This makes the car easily stolen and therefore violates the requirements of 571.114 which requires a "starting system which, whenever the key is removed from the starting system prevents.. the normal activation of the vehicles engine or motor". This affects all Kia / Hyundai vehicles with a normal keyed ignition and without a vehicle immobilizer produced from approximately 2009-2022. Since the technology required to comply with the regulation (i.e. a vehicle immobilizer) is readily available and available on other cars from this maker, the vehicle manufacturer knowingly violated this regulation. I request a NHTSA inquiry into this clear safety defect. We are constantly living in fear of our cars being stolen any day now, this is sad!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11480046August 18, 2022
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
My KIA has issues with the headlights -- they randomly go off as you drive down the street. I thought I was hitting something but last night I had both hands on the wheel -- and the lights went off going down a busy highway -- thankfully I was familiar with area and it was well lit. They were out 5-10 seconds and they came back on. This also happened to me travelling to Syracuse New York in the mountains which was very dark -- it was very scary and could have been very deadly. I was a bit shook up. I called KIA and they said they don't have enough complaints to do anything. Seriously -- someone could die.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11479920August 18, 2022
STRUCTURE:BODY
The paint is pealing around the front door pillars, on the hood and on top in the back of the car. The paint has started to bubble on both sides of the car just behind the back doors. In the attached pictures I try to point out several of them but not all. I have seen so many Kia's with the same peeling issues around town and online.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11479930August 18, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Paint Peeling, Chipping, and Delamination from faulty paint job using Pearl white paint. Car in danger of body rusting and continued severe peeling. My car has low mileage and I live in Northern Virginia. I generally drive kids to and from school.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11479706August 17, 2022
ENGINE
There is a continuous buildup of carbon in the intake manifold system in the 2.0 engine causing stalling whenever accelerating from a stop, such as turning either way or accelerating across a road when using the power steering which uses up power while accelerating. This carbon buildup is very expensive and difficult to clean out and is very dangerous as it causes you to stall completely for a few seconds when entering traffic lanes, if it does not restart quickly, you will crash...
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11479733August 17, 2022
ENGINE
The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. The engine was burning oil at a very high rate, with no indication of a problem. We went in for an oil change and they said the oil was extremely low and we would need to replace the engine. I've reached out to the local dealership to see if there's anything else that can be done, but the engine is making a loud clicking sound now. The fuel pedal stopped working while my son was taking the car to the shop and he had to push the car off of the road. There were no indicator lights or signs of a problem prior to this issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11479782August 17, 2022
VISIBILITY/WIPER
While driving our brand new car from dealership, a small stone must have hit. It made a 2-3 inch crack and by the time we were home it was already 12 inch crack. It had happened to me in my Audi and the only thing I could see is a small point in the windshield which I was able to fix. Googling around it seems like I am not the only one who is facing this issue and there was in fact some recall too in the past with Kia cars.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11479791August 17, 2022
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
My headlights are randomly turning off when driving at night. This is a serious safety issue and possibly a defect. Also have sensors (down hill assist) that have failed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11479839August 17, 2022
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at 65 mph, the vehicle stalled. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine seized and was not covered under the warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 138,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11479852August 17, 2022
ENGINE
Car recall repair for Knock Sensor failure has been done three times car now will not accelerate properly, is using excessive oil and, makes horrible engine noises. Dealer refused to inspect the vehicle after the last recall repair was done 10 days ago.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11479827August 17, 2022
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
The contact owns a 2022 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that their vehicle was parked in their driveway with the vehicle off and unattended, an hour later the vehicle rolled away and crashed into a neighbor’s fence. The vehicle came to a stop in the neighbor's ditch. No warning lights were illuminated. There was damage to the neighbor's fence as a result of the crash. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where they rejected to diagnose the vehicle until the cosmetic repairs were completed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact mentioned that in order to prevent another roll away when parking he utilizes rocks under the tires and activates the emergency brakes. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 15,000.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11479588August 16, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN
My 2016 Kia Sorrento is burning oil, about 1 quart every 300 miles. It only has 64,000 miles on it. We have the oil changed every 3000 miles and last time it was black and sludge like. This is not acceptable and called the dealership and they suggest paying $700 to do a carbon test. Not paying that when the car has a warranty still!!!! This issue needs to fixed!!! We have dealing with this for months!! Also the lights on dashboard flicker once in a while.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11479627August 16, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Paint on hood peeling. Warranty cover paint on roof recall. Car was painted at the same time why is the hood not covered?
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11479313August 15, 2022
ENGINE
The KIA turned off while driving in traffic going to Louisiana. It just turned off while I was slowing down. The vehicle turned back on a few minutes later and continued to Louisiana. The steering wheel locked up while in Baton Rouge, LA and the red warning light came on after that. There were no warning lights prior to the vehicle turning off while driving nor when the power steering locked up. I took it to O’Reilly’s Auto Parts to have them put some power steering fluid in it. They could not do it because apparently it has an electric power steering system. The car would not start after that. All the warning lights came on. The rep at O'Reilly's said that since it is electrical, I would need to take it to the dealership because I should not be having these issues since I only had the vehicle for almost 3 months. The codes that came on when the rep put the machine on were: battery, starter, alternator, power steering. The oil had been changed on Tuesday, 08.09.2022. I already had to buy 2 tires as the tire shop stated the inside of the tires were already going bald. Which should not be happening either. The vehicle was left in Baton Rouge, LA as it was not drivable to return to Houston, Texas. I am going to make arrangements with CARMAX to tow the vehicle to their location in Baton Rouge, LA. According to CARMAX, there were no known issues when the vehicle was purchased nor were there any recalls. If there were no known issues, why am I having these issues now?
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11479350August 15, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
SNOW WHITE PEARL PAINT PEELING FROM LEFT AND RIGHT HINGE PILLARS.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11479363August 15, 2022
ENGINE, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I purchased my 2016 KIA Sorento in October of 2018. Oil changes and everything has always been up to date along with regular maintenance. I never had any issues with it then in April 2022 I was driving to work and had complete engine failure with only 88k miles on it. The first obstacle was reaching KIA corporate. Would call several times a day just to be on hold for 30 plus minutes and sometimes over an hour. After speaking to several different people, they advised there was nothing to they could do, and I would have to pay for it out of pocket due to them saying they sent a piece of paper to the fist owner in June/July 2018 and then another one to me the end of 2019 or 2020. They were unsure of when it was sent to me and there was no proof that I received it. With my hands being tied since still owed money on it I went ahead and paid the $5700 to have my engine replaced. Fast forward I finally got my car back the end of July and two days later realized my heat no longer worked (worked before car went in to have engine replaced). Here it is over two weeks later, and I still do not have my car back. I have to call the dealership for an update and when I do call them, they have no clue who I am or why I am calling. Even though throughout this whole process with engine have only spoken to 1 service rep. KIA’s customer service across the board is very poor. I called the dealership today and they said they finally heard back from corporate again to try and run more tests and they will follow up with me by EOB I am not holding my breathe.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11479372August 15, 2022
ENGINE, FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
The contact owned a 2012 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at 65 MPH, an abnormal fuel odor began to emit from the vehicle without warning. His wife was then waved down by a fellow motorist that alerted her that the vehicle had caught fire. The contact stated that his wife had difficulty stopping the vehicle as depressed the brake pedal. Once the vehicle was stopped, an unknown color smoke filled the vehicle's front cabin as she and the other occupants exited the vehicle. No occupants were injured and no medical assistance was rendered at the scene. The vehicle was extinguished by the fire department and a fire report was filed. In the fire report, the investigator linked the cause of the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V907000(Fuel System, Gasoline; Engine); however, his vehicle was not included in the recall. The vehicle was towed to an independent tow yard where it was deemed a total loss. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and an investigator was sent to diagnose the cause of the failure; the contact had yet to hear back from the manufacturer. The dealer was also notified about the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 143,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11479422August 15, 2022
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was shaking and made an abnormally loud noise. The vehicle then lost motive power with several warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a friend's residence where an independent mechanic diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine And Engine Cooling) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 149,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11479266August 14, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Paint is delaminating from the vehicle
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11479269August 14, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Paint is delaminating on hood and roof of vehicle due to defective paint. https://www.facebook.com/DefectiveKiaPaint
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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