Check engine light on vehicle illuminated. While driving vehicle, the vehicle engine suddenly stopped and vehicle turned off while in motion. Driver pulled vehicle to side of road and had towed to auto shop. Auto shop said the engine seized but could not identify cause of seizure. Shop said oil was full and recently changed. Owner had vehicle towed to Kia dealer who also cited engine seizure. Kia dealer said owner would need to pay for diagnostic to determine exact cause. Engine seizure matched engine seizure issue in recalled 2012-2014 Sorento vehicles. Owner asked dealer about repairs under similar recall/issue and was told there was nothing dealer could do.

- Queensbury, NY, USA

Vehicle was running fine, no noises, no unusual issues. Went to start in the morning and ran fine. Went to my destination. When I came out 2-hours later, vehicle would not start. Had it towed to a mechanic who said the engine needed to be replaced. 108,000 miles

- Porter Corners, NY, USA

I have a 2011 Kia sorrento and have been having trouble with it stalling when I stop at red lights. I start to take off and it didn't want to go I push on the gas and it jumps and finally goes. Updated 10/16/2017

- Washington, DC, USA

When driving at stable speed the vehicle often "feels" as if the gas is not getting to the motor. The speed of the car varies, regardless of the amount of pressure on the gas pedal. The car also shows low tire light, along with all lights on the dashboard at random times. The lights will appear when you start the vehicle and the tire pressure light remains on at all times.

- Jessieville, AR, USA

The contact owns a 2011 Kia Sorento. While driving 45 mph, the vehicle lost power and the check engine indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to Kia of alliance (located at 2010 w state St alliance, oh 44601), but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified and opened case number: K3452308. No further assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 82,000.

- Louisville, OH, USA

Beginning March of 2016, loud banging and clanking when starting engine. I took it to dealership where they diagnosed it with bearing problem which could potentially cause engine failure. Vehicle out of warranty so no coverage for an estimated $6,000 repair. When mention of recall came out I was relieved as I am still driving the vehicle. However, it seems that the recall only covers 2012 or newer models. The 2011's have major engine issues as well and need to be included in the recall

- Meadville, PA, USA

The contact owns a 2011 Kia Sorento. While driving 60 mph, the engine stalled and the check engine indicator illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an unknown location. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 166,045.

- Clover, SC, USA

While driving anywhere above 35 mph upon slowing down and the car downshifting the car jolts a loud bang/pop is heard the car lunges you forward it's quite violent I've taken to the dealer over 10 times and they just say they notice the popping but nothing is wrong they also said they took it for a test drive to test the unbelievably hard down shift. I watched them their test drive was from the front of the parking lot to the rear. They never went above 25 mph so they never tested the down shift it's happened for a very long time now and they just keep denying it I also had the top end of the motor go out at 5000 miles and feel like they are just avoiding it being a lemon.

- Puyallup, WA, USA

After driving 8 miles to my destination I parked the car and turned off the engine. I immediately saw and smelled smoke coming from under the hood. I got out, called 911, and began to see flames. The police arrived in less than 5 minutes but by then the hood of the car was on fire and by the time the firefighters arrived the car was completely in flames. There was never a warning light on the dashboard to indicate anything was wrong. We always take it in for all its routine maintenance and checkups with the Kia dealer. It was just into the dealer 2 weeks ago.

- Chanhassen, MN, USA

The contact owns a 2011 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that a metal banging noise was heard underneath the hood of the vehicle. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the motor failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer opened case number: K3454763. The approximate failure mileage was 63,000.

- Perry, OH, USA

The contact owns a 2011 Kia Sorento. While driving 55 mph, the engine stalled and the warning indicator illuminated. The contact pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road. The vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 96,752. Consumer stated new engine installed 4/18/17, also, the air conditioning does not work because of engine replacement. Updated 9/27/18

- Hughesville, PA, USA

The engine began to be hard to start leaving work for home. Then the next morning it was hard to start and would almost stall at idle. After parking at work I attempted to start it and drive to the Kia dealership for diagnosis, it would not keep running more than a few seconds. The engine has suffered a catastrophic failure. The dealer says that it is likely that the crank shaft bearings failed, or possibly the connecting rod bearings. The engine needs to be replaced.

- Hubbardston, MA, USA

The contact owns a 2011 Kia Sorento. The contact noticed smoke coming from the vehicle and discovered that it was low on oil. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the bearing was faulty and caused an oil leak. There was sludge in the motor, which needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA campiagn number: 17V224000 (engine and engine cooling) as a possible solution to the failure; however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 55,000.

- Weslaco, TX, USA

On February 27, 2017, my 2011 Kia Sorento's engine died. I had only one warning that there was a problem and that was a lack of power. I was going up a slight hill and I had to floor the gas pedal to maintain 20mph up it. I went out at 830pm that night to take it to my mechanic and my Sorento would not start. I had it towed to gorring automotive at 1030pm. On March 1, 2017, Mr. Gorring called and told me I would need a new engine. I contacted century 3 Kia and spoke to the service manager dan. He stated that I needed to bring it back to the dealership to have it looked at. I also contacted Kia consumer number and spoke to eric. Eric told me the same information and I stated I did not want to pay for the diagnosis again. I had my Sorento towed to century 3 Kia on March 1, 2017. Dan stated that he was surprised that my VIN was not on the extended warranty list. On March 3, 2017, dan from century 3 Kia called me and said that I did need a new engine. Charles from Kia's consumer number and dan from century 3 Kia both stated that if I was the original owner they would replace the engine at no cost to me but since I am the second owner of the Sorento, it would be my responsibility. I inquired at the cost of labor and was told 15 hours at $108 an hour. I have looked around and found that most engines with roughly the same mileage as mine are around $2,500. The total cost will roughly be between $4,500 and $6,500 total with all the fluids and other parts needed to return my Sorento to a functional state. I purchased the Sorento with 53,857 miles on it and had it for one year. I put 12,000 mile on it roughly. My Sorento had roughly 65,500 miles on it when this happened. I have done some research and found this to be a common problem with the 2.4L engines. If this is true, why has Kia not done anything about it.

- Mckeesport, PA, USA

The car was not always responding to me when I wanted to accelerate, I would hear the rpms going up but the car would not go faster, then a puff of white smoke would come out the tail pipe. Then one day, I was driving the car and it started making a clanking noise when I would push the gas pedal. It sounded like the noise a roller coaster makes when you are clanking up the hill at the beginning. Took the car to the dealership and they took the engine apart to find the problem. The car has an engine defect that was diagnosed by a Kia dealer as a manufacturers defect. Now the car is not drivable and Kia is refusing to pay for a new engine. Kia needs to recall all vehicles with these engines. They are built by Hyundai and they recalled their vehicles with the same engines.

- Colorado Springs, CO, USA

The contact owns a 2011 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that an unknown warning indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the intake manifold failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000. The VIN was not available.

- Coraopolis, PA, USA

2011 Sorento shift really hard, sometimes I have to force it to shift by lowering speed, sometimes it does not want to shift at all and then my engine light comes on, then shifts really hard and wants to stop on me as I am driving. Sometimes at a light it does die, but then start back up. One time it would not go even with pushing the gas all the way down.

- Kansas City, KS, USA

Engine was making a cyclical clicking/knocking noise. We took the vehicle to Kia dealership and they said they could not find any issues with the car. About a week later the car broke down while driving at highway speeds. After having it towed to an independent garage, we were informed the engine had a connecting rod failure. This is the exact same problem the Hyundai sonata has with the exact same theta 2.4 liter engine. Hyundai has issues a recall but Kia fails to acknowledge the issue.

- Mooresville, NC, USA

The contact owns a 2011 Kia Sorento. While driving various speeds, the check engine light illuminated. The vehicle failed to accelerate when depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact coasted the vehicle over to the side of the road, restarted the vehicle, and resumed driving. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed, but the failure could not be found. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000.

- Lake Worth, FL, USA

The contact owns a 2011 Kia Sorento. While driving approximately 40 mph, an abnormal vibration emitted from the vehicle. In addition, the RPM's went to zero. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The failure recurred several times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the failure could not be duplicated. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 58,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- San Antonio, TX, USA