10.0

really awful
Typical Repair Cost:
No data
Average Mileage:
600 miles
Total Complaints:
2 complaints

Most common solutions:

  1. not sure (1 reports)
  2. still no fix to erratic cruise control (1 reports)
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problem #2

Jun 252016

Sorento LX 3.2L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 1,100 miles

Purchased my 2016 Kia Sorento 2.4L AWD on June 2016. Today is 11/30/2016. This is our First Kia Sorento. Wife and I both love our Kia. My 2016 Kia within 200 to 300 miles has a cruise control problem on my first trip to Wilmington NC for the weekend with wife. Car going for dealer diagnosis today..

Here is the issue: with cruise control for example set at 62 MPH engine RPM is like 1975 RPM and coasting down a hill -- all of a sudden you notice the car picking up speed because it's going down a decline or a hill -- the engine RPM becomes erratic with the needle hitting 1000 RPM and then to 3000 RPM and then back down to 2500 RPM and as your coasting down the hill you can feel the auto controls slowing the car down trying to keep the speed at 62 miles per hour but as you look at the RPM again you are now descending at a steady 5000 RPM and you still notice the system trying to do the braking as your traveling down the hill.

Something wrong here -- This is so not normal and I don't want to blow the engine. This doesn't even happy on both my Fords (Escape and F150).. On a flat surface or going up a hill the cruise control seems to be performing just fine. I now have around 5600 miles on the vehicle and wanted to do a couple more tests. The two other tests going down a hill produced the same results when using modes "ECO, Normal and or Sport and then engine light comes on and the oil light came on and I checked the oil and still full but the oil light came on every time I came to a stop and the engine sounded like it wanted to quit then engine started knocking. We both love our Kia Sorento and rides great, hopefully today's diagnosis will be good results.

- 4evermad, Raleigh, NC, US

problem #1

May 162015

Sorento LX 2.4L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 100 miles

Purchased my 2016 Kia Sorento 2.4L AWD on 05/16/2015. Today is 05/18/2015. This is our second Kia Sorento since October 2014. Wife has one and now I have one. We both love our Kia's. My 2016 Kia with 100 miles has a cruise control problem. Car going for dealer diagnosis this Saturday May 23, 2015.

Here is the issue: with cruise control for example set at 62 MPH engine RPM is like 1975 RPM and coasting down a hill -- all of a sudden you notice the car picking up speed because it's going down a decline or a hill -- the engine RPM becomes erratic with the needle hitting 1000 RPM and then to 3000 RPM and then back down to 2500 RPM and as your coasting down the hill you can feel the auto controls slowing the car down trying to keep the speed at 62 miles per hour but as you look at the RPM again you are now descending at a steady 5000 RPM and you still notice the system trying to do the braking as your traveling down the hill.

Something wrong here -- I don't want to blow the engine. On a flat surface or going up a hill the cruise control seems to be performing just fine. I now have around 400 miles on the vehicle and wanted to do a couple more tests. The two other tests going down a hill produced the same results. I was informed by dealer to refrain from using the cruise control today and hopefully the car will be fixed this Saturday on 05/23/2015. We both love our new cars and I'm confidant this minor glitch will get fixed under warranty.

Update from Jul 7, 2015: After taking the 2016 Kia Sorento back to the service department we went out on a trip with a Kia certified specialist technician . We proceeded up Chesterfield hill Route 9 from Keene NH towards Brattleboro VT. With cruise control on, we started the uphill climb with the engine speed around 3500 RPM and up from 1650 RPM. I can see why the RPM is elevated -- we are climbing about 60 miles per hour in a lower gear -- down from 6th speed gear. Upon reaching the summit and the car finally leveling off we start another decent downwards and the grade couldn't of been more than 4 or 5 percent and the engine RPM hits 5000 RPM for the entire downward decent for about 45 seconds. Red line is 6500 RPM and the car isn't even broken in. The Special trained factory Kia Sorento technician said this isn't right but he understands the problem. He says that Kia switched the on-board ECM computer logic software to enable the engine to do all the breaking rather than the transmission to hold back this 3500 pound Kia Sorento. So my thought is now blow the engine and not the transmission. So in the nutshell Kia is letting the engine do the breaking rather than the transmission just like in the trucking industry. We then headed back to the dealership and I demanded they get a hold of corporate Kia service department to give me a letter in writing of some explanation. The answer back from Kia was under no circumstances are you to use cruise control upon approaching or descending an incline or decline greater than 6 degrees. The interstates are full of ups and downs so they basically don't want us to use cruise control here in the Green Mountains of Vermont or the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The tech also said that one of the major reasons for this switch is to save on fuel. I must not understand something or am just ignorant. How can one save on fuel when the engine RPM speed is racing out of control at 5000 RPM and I assume you must be in 1st or 2nd gear to cause the RPM's to spike. The Kia tech finally admitted that Kia will most likely change the ECM computer logic board programming. This was just his thought and or opinion. The tech said he would reprogram the 2016 Kia Sorento back to original factory specifications and let the vehicle start my driving habits again. So as of that last dealer visit I just don't use my cruise control very much. I want this vehicle to last since I'm now retired and don't want to blow the engine or transmission.

Update from May 31, 2016: To the individual, Chris M. who sent me an email asking if I am still having the same problem as to erratic cruise control. I now have around 22,000 miles on my Kia Sorento and the problem was never fixed and I am still having the same problem. So here is my answer. I still use cruise control all the time and when I am ready to approach a decline I turn cruise control off traveling down or up a hill and then resuming cruise control.

Update from Oct 31, 2017: My 2016 Kia Sorento now has 49,000 miles and my cruise control still does not work correctly. When going down a hill the engine will drop from around 2000 RPM doing 60 miles per hour to like 1200 RPM and then races to 5500 RPM. I don't want to see a blown engine so I immediately turn off the control. My car just lost it's heater control so it's back at the dealership. I demanded a loner car and the service Mgr said they don't have any so I then asked for the General Manager. They found a loner 2016 Kia Sorento fast for me. I drove that vehicle on the same I91 interstate highway and it behaved like my wifes 2015 Kia Sorento. Isn't this odd? My 2016 doe's not work correctly when the cruise control is on and the loaner Kia works like it's supposed to like the 2015 of my wife's which never had a cruise control issue. Two 2016 and one works and the other doesn't and the dealer refused to fix it and says nothing wrong with my vehicle. The ECM or computer was re-adjusted a couple of times to no avail with the same problem. Maybe I should complain and demand another car under the lemon law but I'm not that type of person. Can anyone help me like Kia Corporate or US Gov't or someone.

- Edward K., Walpole, NH, US