10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
6 / 6
Injuries / Deaths:
5 / 0
Average Mileage:
54,218 miles

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problem #288

Jan 272024

Sorento

  • miles
-??The engine of my 2015 Kia Sorento experienced a catastrophic failure, leading to a loss of power and abnormal sounds while driving. It is available for inspection upon request. -??The sudden failure of the engine posed a significant safety risk to both me and others on the road. Without any warning lamps or messages, this malfunction could have led to a complete loss of control over the vehicle, endangering lives, particularly if I had been driving at high speeds on the highway. -??Yes, the issue has been confirmed by the Courtesy Kia service center in Messa, where the vehicle was inspected and diagnosed with a crashed engine requiring replacement. -??While the vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, it has undergone evaluation by the authorized dealer service center, Courtesy Kia in Messa. They told me that they have contacted manufacturer and that they declined any support because I am second owner and therefore their engine warranty only covers 60000 miles. -??No warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms were present prior to the engine failure. Despite diligently maintaining the vehicle and conducting regular services, there were no indications of any issues until the sudden loss of power and abnormal sounds occurred while driving. Even upon towing my car home and parking the vehicle at garage, no warning lights were illuminated, further highlighting the unexpected nature of the malfunction.

- Florence, Az, Usa, AZ, USA

problem #287

Feb 042024

Sorento

  • miles
On Sunday 2-4-2024, at ~2-3am, my daughter & her boyfriend were driving her 2015 Kia Sorento on I69 near Fishers IN (67 miles from their home) when the engine rod bearings failed. Driving at interstate speeds, they immediately pulled over to the shoulder. If traffic had been bad, this could have caused a deadly accident. This created an emergency roadside service issue. Fortunately, my daughter's boyfriend was with her to help her through this anxious & traumatic event. It took a couple hours (in freezing cold weather) for them to figure out what to do. They called us (her parents) at 5am for assistance. They eventually got a tow truck to tow the car back to our hometown's Kia dealer for service. On the next business day, the Kia Dealer diagnosed the problem as a blown rod bearing; the engine was locked up. Cost to repair will be ~$5900 plus a $589 towing charge. Quotes are included with this complaint. After some research, I discovered that faulty rod bearings is a HUGE problem on mid-2010's Sorento 2.4L engines. The internet is full of customer complaints on this. In addition, there is even a Theta II Class Action Lawsuit on this. The problem is THAT pervasive. I have contacted Kia Customer Service (Irvine, CA) and the Kia Theta II Customer Service group. They explained that because they obliged by conditions of the Theta II lawsuit, which, for them was two mailings to DMV registered owners in summer 2018 & summer 2019 requesting owners to install an ECU software upgrade (followed by a 3rd mailing by the lawsuit handling firm: Epiq), that their liability on this matter is covered. The previous owner did not open or see these letters. So this upgrade was not done on this car. To me, Kia/Hyundai acted in BAD FAITH not to continue with mailings (once every 6 months) to all DMV registered owners UNTIL all registered cars had dwindled to very low numbers (<10% of initial sales). Therefore, I think they are STILL liable for this safety & traumatic issue.

- Lafayette, IN, USA

problem #286

Jan 292024

Sorento

  • miles
Car shut down driving down the road and spun a bearing.

- Clymer, PA, USA

problem #285

Jan 212024

Sorento

  • miles
Manufacturer failed to honor repair of seriously damaged engine due to a faulty distribution in oil causing a major engine failure. KIA USA Manufacturer is currently under massive lawsuits due to this issue and which involved the model we purchased. Vehicle has very low mileage of 85085 and should be covered under the manufacturer's warranty of 100,000 miles. Manufacturer claims they declined our claim because we failed to attend to a massive genetic form mailed to all owners in 2018. As a consumer we are simply asking they honor the warranty and replace and/or fully repair the damaged engine in our family SUV.

- Downey, CA, USA

problem #284

Oct 202023

Sorento

  • miles
Check engine light started coming on at about 39,000. miles took to local mechanic who preformed lots of repairs and called Kia for information concerning engine issue. Received notice of recall from Kia on the HECU -instructing me to park truck away from home due to fire. Check engine light back on again at 41,000 miles, took to dealership where they replaced the HECU and fuel pump and fuel lines. Picked up truck and noticed when braking the truck shook all over and seem to almost stall when taking off. Check engine was back on and the alert of the system telling me I had an engine failure. Took truck back next day, again repairs of the PVB valve was done. Someone drove the truck of 180 miles on a check engine light and unplugged the battery. Got truck back and within 10 minutes the check engine light was back on and the system telling me engine failure and truck was unsafe to drive. Truck now at another Kia dealership, after many conversation with Kia the representative instructed me to tell the dealership where the truck was that the truck had a recall (supposedly) fixed. Called the dealership now tells me there is no fix for the HECU issue and they can not tell me the truck is safe to drive. I have not had the truck for now 4 months and Kia doesn't know how to fix it. I have filed 4 cases against Kia, they have not offered me a rental car or loaner and they do not have any expected date for me to get the truck back. I have files but it won't let me upload them for the receipts/ information from Kia

- Stafford, VA, USA

problem #283

Nov 222023

Sorento

  • miles
Car suddenly had a knocking sound, check engine light came on and as I was driving, the car loss power suddenly died and woudn't start back up. Mechanic diagnosed that head bolts came loose and damaged engine. Has been at mechanic since 11/27 with the engine being rebuilt. Aprox cost at $7,600.

- Laguna Niguel, CA, USA

problem #282

May 282023

Sorento

  • miles
While on the freeway, the engine started making a loud knocking sound and the car was losing power. No check engine light or other warning lights were illuminated. I exited, parked and later towed the car back to the Kia dealership and they said I needed a block (engine) replacement at a cost of over $10,000. I have performed all routine maintenance on this car at the dealership, so this is unacceptable. Luckily I was able to exit the freeway and was not in an accident because of this failure. My car had approximately 109,000 miles on it.

- Bothell, WA, USA

problem #281

Dec 052023

Sorento

  • miles
Sudden engine failure. Upon inspecting the vehicle Kia mechanic concluded engine failure is due to rod bearing wear, which isn't part of the engine failure recall. Thus customer is responsible for all expense in full.

- Alpharetta Georgia United Stat, GA, USA

problem #280

Nov 222023

Sorento

  • 96,000 miles
The contact's mother owns a 2015 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing an abnormal oil consumption. The contact stated that the vehicle consumed three quarts of oil after driving 367 miles. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact that the vehicle could be experiencing an internal oil leak. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, where an oil consumption test was performed. The dealer informed the contact to come back after 300 miles. Additionally, the contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated, and the front passenger's side seat belt pretensioner failed to operate as intended. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 96,000.

- San Marcos, CA, USA

problem #279

Nov 212023

Sorento

  • miles
The car has 106,000 miles, engine suddenly have knocking sound when started the engine then it will go away with no indicator of any issues. A week later, my wife was driving it and the knocking sound turns very loud and the car went into the limp mode and almost cause her to get into a car accident. We took the car to the Kia dealership and it was determined that the engine has a lower end rod knock due to bearing failure, the long block engine assembly needs to be replaced. I researched it and this is a commonly known issue for Kia's engine that already affected many other Kia owners.

- Tampa, FL, USA

problem #278

Oct 062023

Sorento

  • miles
Car temp gauge would go up high and go back down. No check engine light when this would happen. Took to mechanic and found out the radiator and the engine head gasket needed to be replaced.

- Rio Rancho, NM, USA

problem #277

Nov 092023

Sorento

  • miles
We just got my wife-??s Sorento SXL back from our Kia dealership in Kennesaw Georgia Yesterday.we took it in because of a clicking sound in the engine.they kept the car for a diagnostic They said the car had low or no oil, My wife informed the service Rep.that we have all the oil changes and we-??ve never, ever drove the car without oil ! They kept the car another week We found out yesterday what it is.Metal debris in engine, rod bearing wore, oil leaking In engine ! We were told to buy a New Engine! The car has 105,000 miles on it the price on the engine was to be 14,000 dollars we can-??t even trade it in because of this a get what the car actually worth ! 3.3 L V-6 Kia engines Also check CarComplaints web.Starting in Jan.2023

- Smyrna, GA, USA

problem #276

May 302019

Sorento

  • miles
The engine quit/shut down while traveling at 65mph on freeway. We replace engine, now 50,000 miles later we are replacing the connector rod bearings.

- Hood River, OR, USA

problem #275

Oct 312023

Sorento

  • miles
Paint started peeling off

- Orange , CA, USA

problem #274

Aug 192023

Sorento

  • miles
On 8/19/23 driving cross country moving from MN to AZ. Heard a clunk and my engine went into limp mode. Called nearest Kia Dealership and advised not to drive. 8/21/23 had to have car towed 100 miles to Kia Dealership in Cheyenne, WY. Rented car from Avis to get to AZ in time for closing on new home. Car inspected at dealership and confirmed a new engine was necessary. To date, car is still in WY.

- Sun City, AZ, USA

problem #273

Oct 042023

Sorento

  • miles
engine is smoking, but is not showing over heating on gauge. just had oil changed on Thursday 9-28-23 by NTB, It has happened 3 times before oil change and once since(today),

- Rosedale 21237, MD, USA

problem #272

Sep 092023

Sorento

  • miles
Without vehicle warning lights, I was driving on a highway and my engine began making loud noises. My safety was put at risk as my car did not indicate any warning there were any vehicle issues and I was on a major highway which could have potentially not only affected my safety but the safety of others.

- Philadelphia, PA, USA

problem #271

Aug 292023

Sorento

  • miles
Engine failed and started knocking on 8/29/2023. Had it towed to dealership where it has been sitting ever since. I am being told that its taking 8+ weeks to get approval on a new engine from KIA due to the defects of their engines. They will not supply a loaner or rental car until (IF) the engine replacement is approved.

- Littleton, CO, USA

problem #270

Mar 012023

Sorento

  • miles
Without warning, engine stalled while in motion. Electrical system was still functioning and on. Loss of power steering and power brakes. This continued to happen at random times during driving, putting all passengers at risk. Kia dealership looked in to the problem and diagnosed it as a faulty PCM/ECM module and replaced. Rolling engine stall continued and continues to happen at intermittent times. We are now 6 months in to the process of trying to determine the issue. The car has been taken back to Kia dealership for inspection. The problem has been reproduced by another auto repair shop but they are unwilling to work on it since there is no check engine light or corresponding code to work from.

- Hollister, MO, USA

problem #269

Aug 222023

Sorento

  • miles
Unknow

- Jonesboro , AR, USA

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