Kia Sorento Complaints

10,397 consumer complaints on file.

#11429789August 19, 2021
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, STEERING
I'm not sure I've had my vehicle serviced but nobody seems to know the problem. Every since my headlight was replaced my electrical system has been wacky. All of my doors keep locking and unlocking on its own. When I try to accelerate my vehicle seems to be more stagnant as if it's no longer increasing speed and the steering wheel does not appear to be in alignment with my tires when turning. My son has never been able to open the door while in motion but since the locks have started clicking there's been some close calls.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11429539August 18, 2021
ENGINE
Engine locked up while driving on expressway. Car would not accelerate and became very difficult to control. One of the recalls stated that "bearings could slip and cause engine to seize up." Driver was able to safely get the car back, but car is disabled. Airport Kia, in Naples, FL where the car was purchased, was notified of the problem and the recall for this specific problem, but have been unwilling to help. If she was unable to control the car, could have killed herself or other drivers. Car has not been inspected because Kia dealership said she must have the car towed to dealership. On a recall problem, dealership should be responsible for the tow, but I feel they are bullying her because she is a 16 year old girl. This happened with no warning.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11429561August 18, 2021
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Sorento. The contact stated from the time the vehicle was purchased, it would make an abnormal popping sound when started and while driving. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who informed the contact that they could not duplicate the failure. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring and the check engine warning light illuminated while driving. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer several times and the dealer diagnosed that the oil and the transmission needed to be replaced, and advised the contact that he would be responsible for the cost of the repair since the warranty had expired. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was then taken to Kia of Streetsboro (835 Classic Dr, Streetsboro, OH 44241) who diagnosed that the transmission and the steering wheel had failed. The contact stated that the vehicle was not repaired. The contact received a recall notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V331000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the dealer informed the contact that they were not aware of the recall. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised that the VIN did not exist. A case was opened and closed. The approximate failure mileage was 300. Parts distribution disconnect.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11429589August 18, 2021
STRUCTURE:BODY
I have a 2013 Kia Sorento SX Snow White Pearl. This vehicle has been garage kept its entire life. In spite of this, the paint has begun delaminating above the windshield (just yesterday 08/17/21). Many spots are down to the bare metal. I have never heard of paint doing this on a car....my 20-year-old truck paint is in great condition. I now must get this vehicle painted to avoid rust.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11429604August 18, 2021
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle lost all motive and electrical functionality. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact pulled over and the vehicle was towed to a local mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was towed to a dealer but was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and suggested that the vehicle be taken to the dealer for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11429660August 18, 2021
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
2015 Sorento has paint peeling and chipping due to air and weather. The peeling paint started December 2019. The condition has gotten worse. The chipping started this year.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11429389August 17, 2021
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
I have submitted multiple complaints with NHTSA on this vehicle, as well as the dealership. 0n 4/14/2014 I complained that the key won't turn in ignition at intermittent times. Just today (8/17/2021) is the latest time in which pulling into my garage and turning off the vehicle the ignition key would not fully turn off and come out of the ignition. Had to restart the car, put in drive, back up and pull forward, turn steering wheel, place in park and turn vehicle off, then I was finally able to turn ignition and remove key. I've made multiple attempts with the dealership to investigate this problem and the service on Jan. 25, 2021 they verbally recommended replacing the ignition at my expense because it's probably a tooth broken off in the ignition tumbler; however, they could duplicate and are not sure if that would fix problem. My concern is that I'll get stranded somewhere and won't be able to get the key removed from the vehicle or get the vehicle started.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11429401August 17, 2021
POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY:LINKAGE:CLUTCH CABLE/ROD/ARM
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving at an unknown speed, there was an abnormal knocking noise detected. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that there was plenty of fluids in the vehicle however, the rod bearings needed to be replaced. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 81,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11429414August 17, 2021
AIR BAGS
The air bag light on the driver side dashboard will not turn off and the concern is that the airbags will not deploy if in an accident, or may randomly deploy. The vehicle has been in no type of collision affecting the front of the vehicle. At this time, the vehicle has not been taken to the dealership or a mechanic, but it seems that the dealer should repair at no cost given the issue is related to a safety concern.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11429415August 17, 2021
POWER TRAIN
Shifter cannot be moved out of PARK without pushing down on the SHIFT LOCK RELEASE. I must do this every time I want to go forward or backward. A reliable service center informed me this is a frequent problem with the 2016 Kia Sorento and he suggested a recall may be forthcoming. Owners manual states that when using the RELEASE, depress the brake pedal so vehicles does not lurch forward or back. The additional step to move the car may be hazardous when attempting to get out of the way. Service center isolated the problem to Body Control Module which is expensive and OEM only. This happened without warning when I parked briefly in the road adjacent to a friend's driveway. I blocked the road until I discovered how to use the RELEASE button.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11429503August 17, 2021
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:OIL/LUBRICATION
In the past year my vehicle has exhibited a high consumption of oil. At present it has 92000 miles. At last check it consumed 1.7 quarts of oil in 750 miles. I have done as request by Kia. They request I do an oil change at the dealer followed up by checks at 1000 miles ( 2 quarts low). At the check at 2000 miles it was again 2 quarts low. They performed what they called a combustion chamber cleaning that was again followed by a check at 1000 miles (1.1 quarts low). After the next check it was at the 1.7 quarts used in 750 miles. Although Kia advertises a 10 year 100000 mile warranty they are excluding me from repair because I am the second owner. I did purchase an extended warranty for 4 years and up to 100000 total miles but I didn’t find the problem until March / April of this year. Kia admits this was caused by soft, improperly heated rings but will not offer any assistance to alleviate the problem. Do I have any recourse with Kia on this and can you help?
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11429332August 16, 2021
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
daytime driving lights turn on after vehicle completely off, hours later and can drain the battery if not caught in time. also while driving at night, lights go completely off by themselves and have to manually try to turn on, very dangerous and someone is going to die if not recalled.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11429351August 16, 2021
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I was driving along the road on a light traffic day, I approaching an intersection when the traffic light turned red, I tried engaging brakes and they would not engage. As I approached the intersection I became fearful of colliding with multiple vehicles and due to brakes failing I encroached the intersection when I was T-boned by another driver. I see various complaints of brakes and the lack of stopping power for this particular vehicle. I advise anyone else to avoid purchasing this vehicle if you value yours and your families safety.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
4
Deaths:
0
#11429094August 14, 2021
STRUCTURE:BODY
Can not open the liftgate either from the liftgate button or the emergency release lever in the liftgate. Emergency escape from rear is not possible. Broken at present. Problem started July 2021. Problem verbally confirmed with independent service manager. No prior indicator of issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11428961August 13, 2021
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while his wife was approaching at slow speeding into a carport when she depressed the brake pedal but the vehicle accelerated independently and crashed into the back wall of the carport. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The air bags did not deploy. The contact stated not one sustained any injuries or seek medical attention. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was still at the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 15,322.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11428989August 13, 2021
STEERING
This is an ongoing condition of the vehicle that my mechanics were unable to address. The steering wheel sticks in the straight ahead position and requires unexpected force to make small corrections to the car's direction. This mostly happens at highway speeds or at lower speeds on long straightaways. The mechanics informed me this was not an uncommon condition and suggested that I report it to Kia and to the NHTSA.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11428862August 12, 2021
ENGINE
Unknown. I have been having oil loss since 2018 and have extensively reported the issue to my local kia dealership where I receive certain. I was instructed to do an oil consumption test that the service department later had no idea what that would have done. Twice the engine has nearly ran out of oil with no warning and I have to regularly monitor the oil level between service. At times it is very low. If I accelerate too quickly it smokes white smoke and smells of burning oil. This is a safety issue if I am merging into traffic and I am unable to accelerate fast enough to not cause an accident. This has been an ongoing issue with this vehicle.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11428659August 11, 2021
STRUCTURE:BODY, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The paint is blowing off.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11428711August 11, 2021
STRUCTURE:BODY
Pearl white paint chipping and delaminating on the roof of the cars body
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11428531August 10, 2021
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that on the startup of the vehicle, the engine would begin to knock and blue smoke would emit from the muffler. The contact stated no warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was diagnosed by the dealer with needing gaskets replaced but the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 94,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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