Kia Sorento Complaints

10,397 consumer complaints on file.

#11650558March 25, 2025
ENGINE
I was driving normally in the Garden State Parkway when suddenly The “Check Engine Light”, The “Check Engine Oil”, and Battery light lighted up causing me to almost losing control and the car shutting down.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11650575March 25, 2025
EXTERIOR LIGHTING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2025 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that upon purchasing the vehicle brand new from the dealer and driving the vehicle to the residence, the contact became aware that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V006000 (Electrical System, Exterior Lighting) after conducting a VIN search the same day. The dealer and the manufacturer were not contacted. The mileage on the vehicle was 10. The actual mileage was 530.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11650460March 25, 2025
ENGINE
I received a rock hit that punctured the radiator. The front of this vehicle has large holes in the grill that do not prevent rocks from hitting the radiator. This has required me to replace my radiator at my own cost. Many owners are installing metal mesh behind the front facia to protect the radiator. This vehicle needs to be recalled to install a similar protection and KIA need to reimburse owners for related repairs. A punctured radiator caused loss of coolant to the environment and can lead to catastrophic engine failure if it overheats.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11650413March 25, 2025
ENGINE
On three separate occasions, after starting the vehicle, the car cannot be accelerated above 30 mph. The Idle Stop and Go (ISG or Auto Start Stop feature) light flashes orange, but no other warning symbols are illuminated. After safely moving the vehicle off the road, I have to turn off the engine, wait for 2-4 seconds, and restart the engine. Once the vehicle is restarted, the vehicle accelerates normally. This issue has happened twice in the past month. I plan to take my car to a Kia dealership for an inspection, but since this problem happens randomly, the Kia technicians may not be able to reproduce the problem. I purchased this vehicle used with about 77k miles in December 2023. I first noticed this issue in April 2024. The vehicle now has a little under 98k miles recorded.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11650105March 24, 2025
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that the gear shifter was stuck in park(P). The contact stated that once the vehicle was parked, the gear shifter remained stuck in park(P). The contact manually depressed the button under the gear shifter to move the gear shifter. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that after the first failure, the vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that an unknown part in the gear shifter had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The failure mileage was approximately 94,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11650262March 24, 2025
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine made an abnormal clicking sound. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who discovered that there was no engine oil in the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 55,145.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11650279March 24, 2025
ENGINE
Oil consumption
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11650217March 24, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The USB ports disconnect intermittently cause maps and phone calls to disconnect temporarily. Sometimes not connecting again until I turn off and on the car.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11650125March 24, 2025
POWER TRAIN, ENGINE
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that intermittently, the transmission was slipping. Additionally, the vehicle failed to go into Standard Mode. While driving, the vehicle lost motive power while driving at 15 MPH. The check engine warning light was illuminated. There was an “S” symbol displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the system needed to be reset. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the sensor or wheel speed sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11650111March 24, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while at a red light, the vehicle stalled. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle and the vehicle returned to normal operation. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and was diagnosed, and it was determined that the battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer to be diagnosed; however, the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 43,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11649653March 21, 2025
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN
Was driving and car lost all power then violently shifted to the next gear and almost caused an accident
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11649435March 20, 2025
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
In the last year I have had to replace my headlight bulbs at least 3 times on each side. My yearly mileage is only around 9,000-10,500. The body shop has tried different brands of bulbs, tried not having the automatic light setting on and only turning on when needed, etc. Nothing seems to correct the issue and once I had them both go out within the same week. They go out so frequently that the shop has an extra set on hand now for when I call. I'm worried if I don't notice one out because I don't drive at night every day that I'll be without either headlight until I can get into the body shop yet again to have changed out.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11649574March 20, 2025
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle made abnormal knocking sounds. The contact stated that the failure occurred increasingly. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle and attempting to drive later in the evening, the engine seized. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to Peacock Auto, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine had seized and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was towed back to the residence. There was no warning light illuminated. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a related recall, and that a diagnostic test was needed. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related to the failure to Kia Campaign Number: WTY039. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 124,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11649576March 20, 2025
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
The problem started when our car died while driving it. After a few different replacements, Kia decided to replace the entire engine under a recall. After driving the car for a short period of time, the check engine light came on. I went to check the oil and it smelled overwhelmingly like gasoline. I took it to my mechanic who said the check engine light was coming on because of the catalytic converter needing replaced. And the high pressure fuel pump was leaking gas into the oil tank. He said that both of these reasons were because the engine was replaced and they should have all been replaced simultaneously under the recall. I did look it up and there was a second recall for 2015 Kia Sorentos who had there engine replaced, that the high pressure fuel pump should be replaced because it was leaking gas into the oil tank. However, Kia told us we do not qualify for the recall because it was a different type of engine. But this is the exact same car and exact same issue, therefore I feel this should be included under the recall 17V-224.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11649598March 20, 2025
AIR BAGS
For some reason, KIA has halted production of the Air Bag Clock Spring mechanism for 2003 Kia Sorento's EX with cruise control. In my opinion, this was a vital component of the Air Bag safety system for any vehicle. So why the halt in the production of this vital part. Kia part #93490-3E160. Maybe the NHTSA can get an answer to this. I'm sure I not the only one driving a 2003 with the Air Bag light illuminated.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11649301March 19, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My oil level in my car keeps going low. Service department at Kia states they cannot find another problem. I’ve had regular oil changes. I met someone at the dealership experiencing the same problem.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11649041March 18, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC, ENGINE
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sorento. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine, and the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, no cause for the failure was found. An unknown repair was performed. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, no cause for the failure was found. An unknown repair was performed. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11649080March 18, 2025
ENGINE
I started burning oil faster than my oil changes were due. One of the techs told me he had seen far too many Kias with this known issue. My Checked engine light came on a couple months after. When I took it in the shop they ran a compression test and advised that the engine was on its way out and stated they would recommend replacing the engine due to oil consumption and low engine compression. I am the 2nd owner to this vehicle and have maintained all the maintenance on it. Its crazy that I still have 3 more years paying for it at 148,000. As many complaints as there are online for this vehicle Kia should definitely be looking into it. At least up the warranty mileage. I drive my kids with this vehicle and feel at any minute its just going to give out on the highway.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11649128March 18, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, STEERING
We have received the security update for the ignition system over a year ago for the recall. Even with this recall fix our vehicle was still stolen, so this solution clearly didn't work.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11648838March 17, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE
1.Component/System Failure: The issue involves a recurring failure of the oil pressure switch, which is part of the engine’s lubrication monitoring system. This malfunction has resulted in an oil leak that subsequently damaged a major wiring control harness and the associated control module. The affected components are available for inspection by an authorized service center. 2.Safety Risk: The oil leak poses a safety risk by potentially compromising the vehicle’s engine performance and electrical system integrity. While there has been no direct incident of injury, the malfunction increases the risk of unexpected vehicle failure, which could endanger the driver and others on the road. 3.Confirmation of the Problem: The recurring issue was initially diagnosed by an authorized dealer. After the first repair under warranty, the same problem reappeared, and an independent service center later confirmed that the oil pressure switch was leaking excessively. This repeated diagnosis supports the conclusion that the component is defective. 4.Inspections Conducted: The vehicle has been inspected by both the authorized dealer and an independent service center. Additionally, the previous repair under warranty was conducted with oversight from manufacturer representatives. There has been no involvement of the police or insurance representatives regarding this incident. 5.Warning Lamps or Symptoms: There were no specific warning lamps or error messages that appeared before the failure. The primary symptoms noted were poor acceleration and unusual engine noise, which first appeared shortly before the issue was identified as an oil leak.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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