Kia Sorento Complaints

10,397 consumer complaints on file.

#11684968September 4, 2025
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving 25-29 MPH uphill and approaching a stop sign, the vehicle began sputtering and struggling to accelerate. While at the stop sign, the vehicle started idling roughly with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and was diagnosed and determined that the cylinders were filling with oil due to a gasket failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The failure caused the catalytic converter to be corrupted and needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that there was a Class Action Lawsuit for the issue, and there was an Extended Warranty coverage for the failure; however, because a specific fault code was not retrieved, the vehicle would not qualify for the repair, unless the engine seized. The contact was advised not to add oil to the engine to prevent the engine from seizing and to get the repair covered. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 95,500.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11684988September 4, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:HORN
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, the contact attempted to use the horn, but the horn failed to operate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who replaced the horn. Approximately a week later, while attempting to use the horn, the failure recurred. The dealer was informed of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 71,188.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11685068September 4, 2025
POWER TRAIN, ENGINE
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond as intended. The contact pulled over to the right side of the road and waited for several minutes before the vehicle started working as intended. The check engine warning light was illuminated. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced, and that the transmission fluid was burnt. The contact had experienced the failure on several occasions. The transmission was replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified on the failure and opened a case. The approximate failure mileage was 71,682.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11685118September 4, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I have a pearl white painted Kia (2016) and the paint has severely flaked off where no damage has caused this. I believe the paint is defective, exposing the car to rust.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11685127September 4, 2025
ENGINE
Engine consumes oil. Have to add oil all the time. No leaks
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11685136September 4, 2025
ENGINE
Excessively burn oil, have to put in a quart or more every 1,000 miles. Recently started sputtering like there was a miss in the engine when idling or barely pushing at acceleration pedal. Bad oil consumption started around 70k miles Engine sputtering started around 100k miles
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11684942September 4, 2025
POWER TRAIN
See attached document for complaint.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11684849September 3, 2025
ENGINE
Engine seized with zero warning lights, cautions, check engine lights, or low/high indicators. It started knocking and was driven 3 miles to our mechanic who said it was a failed engine. I called the Kia dealer who recommended I tow or drive it to the dealer. ~3 miles from our house, less than a mile from the dealer the car lost all power. We had it towed. The service manager chastised me for not towing but also told me irregardless of how it arrived that the engine was no longer functional. It is out of warranty w/ 143,000 miles but without any indication of a problem how was I supposed to mitigate any risk. From the start of the knocking until the engine failed it was less than 6 miles. The mechanic had to put 3 quarts of oil in the car and it still failed on the way to the dealer. I get regular oil changes and have never been told it’s running low on oil. I’m asking that somebody please look into this issue. Thank you. R/ Aaron
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11684524September 2, 2025
ENGINE
Was on my way back from picking up my child father from work. My 2 kids were also in the car [XXX] & [XXX] old. My car started smoking and another motorist pulled down his window to let me know that my car was on fire from underneath. I immediately got all of us out of the car and my child father went to go pop the hood and noticed that fire was coming near the engine !! Made an insurance claim and they deemed the car as a total loss. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11684548September 2, 2025
ENGINE
This 2017 Kia Sorento with the 3.3L V6 Lambda II engine appears to have had possible rod bearing failure or connecting rod failure. This vehicle has 107,987 miles on it when the incident happened. 2 hours into a drive on the highway, the car began to sound like it had a possible exhaust leak, however this was followed shorty by knocking which prompted us to pull over and just as we made the shoulder as the engine quit and began to smoke heavily. Went to quickly open the hood and the smoke died down in about a minute. Most likely due to the oil hitting the exhaust from the hole the rod left in the block. There were no oil lights or other indications that anything was going to happen prior to this. The vehicle has been maintained meticulously with all maintenance items. This vehicle is available for inspection. Let me know if this needs to happen prior to KIA getting ahold of it. Our entire family was in the car (5 people including our dog) and we were at highway speeds when this happened. Fortunately we were able to get over just before the engine blew. Also fortunate enough to open the hood fast enough to get it cool before it started a fire. We are going to take it to the dealer for inspection, however both the dealership and Kia Customer Care said this is not currently under any warranty for engine failure. I have yet to inspect myself to take pictures from under the car, so no inspection has been thoroughly performed. As previously stated, there was no warning lights, the car did sound like it started to have an exhaust leak no more than a minute or two before the knocking started.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11684632September 2, 2025
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
The vehicle will sometimes, after shifting from park to drive, roll backwards if on an incline, even while gassing. If not an incline when this occurs, the vehicle will not move forwards. This typically lasts for a few seconds before the transmission engages. This happens intermittently; the first time it happened to my family member, it almost caused an accident. Kia has attempted to repair this defect three times but has been unsuccessful. During the last repair attempt, the Kia tech told me that they’ve seen multiple vehicles with this issue, and that it is “normal” for Kia.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11684273September 1, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My pearl white paint is chipping and peeling off my car
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11684064August 30, 2025
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, ENGINE, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The Vehicle emits a strong fuel odor: seems to be around the rear of vehicle & front engine compartment of vehicle. Seems the fuel system, both low & high pressure fuel pumps and their pipes channels are leaking to emit a strong fuel odor. Extreme high volatile combustion & fire risk! Remedy: the fuel system including both low & high pressure fuel pumps & their pipes channels need replaced with strong, better engineered components! A newer vehicle like this should not be having fuel system failures.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11684069August 30, 2025
ENGINE
There is almost no engine oil in the engine room. This phenomenon does not happen once, but continuously.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11684101August 30, 2025
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
My car started to act crazy not wanting to move when in traffic.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11683950August 29, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Car rolled after it was put in park. Car would not start after that and gear shift locked. Engaged emergency brake and put bricks behind wheels. Vehicle now in driveway.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11683814August 29, 2025
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
Kia Sorento has a well documented engine failure. The issue starts with the vehicle consuming engine oil. Subsequently the connecting rod bearings fail resulting in severe engine failure. This happens even with regular oil change maintenance. I experienced that with this vehicle. Kia was contacted but said this vehicle's vin did not fall under the list of affected vehicles in their class action lawsuit
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11684003August 29, 2025
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving 25 MPH, there was an abnormal clunk coming from the transmission while depressing the accelerator pedal, and the vehicle failed to respond as intended. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road, turned off, and restarted the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The transmission was replaced; however, the failure reoccurred and became worse. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V760000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 66,658.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11683599August 28, 2025
ENGINE
Driving on highway and suddenly heard loud tapping/rattling sound from engine and then engine died resulting in total loss of power steering and acceleration. Was able to coast through an exit and into a parking lot. My entire family was in the vehicle and if we had not been able to coast to a safe spot we could have been involved in a high speed accident. Vehicle was towed to Kia dealership and they diagnosed it as connecting rod failure. No other inspections have been done. No warning lamps displayed before the incident occurred.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11683784August 28, 2025
ENGINE
On 8/16/2025 my 2017 Kia Sorento experienced major engine failure which resulted in loss of power and severe engine misfiring. I submitted a warranty claim with full maintenance documentation to Kia cooperation but was denied coverage on 8/27/2025. This denial is improper because 1.The engine type is covered under recalls and/or the Kia Engine Class Action Settlement, which extends coverage to 15 years / 150,000 miles and my vehicle currently has 94423. 2.I complied with all maintenance requirements and have already provided numerous records. 3.Engine failure presents a serious safety hazard and has been widely reported.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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