10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
6 / 31
Injuries / Deaths:
4 / 0
Average Mileage:
71,737 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2013 Kia Sorento:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #247

Jul 022019

Sorento

  • 116,217 miles
Driving highway engine make loud knocking sound and car stop running. After cool down, I was able to start but making loud knocking sound.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #246

Jun 012019

Sorento

  • 86,000 miles
I've had my oil changes on time. Theyre free at my dealership so im there like clockwork. I drove to work just fine but when it was time to go home I noticed my engine was making a ticking noise. I turned the car off and back on to make sure and it was ticking. Now my check engine light comes on. As im driving out the parking garage I noticed a load knocking sound. I checked my car and it read a P0014 code which is an advanced camshaft. After dropping it off at the dealer they told me I may need a new engine. I spoke to someone at Kia who said that there was a recall on 2013 Kia sorrentos but mine wasnt under the recall because it was made at a different location. Although my car had similar issues Kia would not help! since I just bought the car and im not the primary owner im stuck with either a high repair bill or carrying over a bunch of negative equity into a new car deal. Kia is known for their faulty engines and I just wish I knew this before buying one!

- Chesapeake, VA, USA

problem #245

Jun 262019

Sorento

  • 99,000 miles
I was driving home from work on a county highway when all of sudden the engine started making a loud knocking noise and was losing power. I was thankfully able to pull over to a gas station where the car stalled out. My husband met me and we had the car towed to a mechanic who has told us that the engine needs to be replaced. I have called Kia and got the "run around" saying that it's out of warranty and nothing can be done. Research online has shown that this has been a known issue with this particular engine for years. Luckily I was able to pull over safely but if this had happened on the interstate traveling 70mph who knows what could have happened.

- Land O Lakes, FL, USA

problem #244

Jun 172019

Sorento

  • 110,475 miles
Excessive oil consumption. The engine uses 1 quart of oil every 500 miles. Unable to maintain full oil, engine makes knocking noises when not at full level. Vehicle contains the theta engine included in previous recalls but has not failed yet. Dealer resistant to replace engine due to mileage over 100,000, out of warranty.

- Canonsburg, PA, USA

problem #243

Jun 212019

Sorento

  • 96,000 miles
Driving down the road and all of a sudden our Kia started making a knocking sound in the engine. We slowed down and started to pull over when we hear pieces of our car breaking off and saw a huge cloud of white smoke. When we pulled over and got out of the car, the whole underneath of the engine was on fire. The engine was seizing and caused the bearing to punch a hole into the engine. The parts we hear flying off were actually pieces of the engine exterior, which caused sparks and ignited the fire when the engine oil started pouring out. This happened without warning and we have kept up on maintenance. Less than 100K miles. VIN is not part of engine recall, however it is clear upon little research that Kia knows about this problem, they don't care, and they are doing little to fix it. It's obviously a huge safety issue, these are people's lives we're putting at stake and these cars need off the road. They are not safe. Please help the public do something about this.

- El Mirage, AZ, USA

problem #242

Jun 122019

Sorento

  • 130,000 miles
My Sorento was making a noise in Aug 2018. I took my Sorento to Kia. Kia stated the noise was a low engine bearing noise on start and recommended engine replacement at my cost. The car at this time had 117,090 miles, which just put it out of warranty. Fast forward to June 2019. We were driving my Sorento on a highway going a speed of 55-60 mph, when my engine stopped running and 3 children and myself barely made it off the road (this could have been much worse if I was pulling out into fast moving traffic). The car sat for 30 mins and restarted, but made a funny noise. It took us 2 hours to get tow truck to come on the side of the busy highway to get our car and us moved to safety. They finally arrived and the car was towed on a wed night to the same Kia that worked on it in 2017 and a note was left with my keys about what happened including the noise. The next morning (thurs) I called and spoke to the service manager at Kia and repeated the noise and issues that brought my car into them. He called me back stated he let the car run for 1.5 hours, checked the electrical system, and all the fluids. The car didn't sputter or stall out. On fri they ran diagnostics on the car. Then they test drove the vehicle to see if they could replicate the noise. The car did not make it far from Kia before the connecting rod blew 2 holes through the engine and landed on the radiator. All fluids were lost per service manager at Kia. He stated that they did not hear the knocking of the rod prior to hit happening when the technician took it on a test drive. No paperwork has been shared regarding the current state of my car.

- Carroll, OH, USA

problem #241

Jun 012019

Sorento

  • 60,600 miles
While driving on the interstate we accelerated to approximately 65 mph after entering the interstate on an on-ramp. Within about 1 mile, the vehicle stalled with no warning/ticking/knocking, and gauge/warning lights came on. We coasted to an exit ramp and after coming to a stop realized the engine was stopped at 0 RPM. I tried to start the vehicle multiple times in order to move out of the way of traffic coming from behind, for safety reasons, but the engine was seized and would not turn over. The attempts to start the vehicle additionally cause the starter to fail. During the attempts to start the vehicle, smoke came fromt he engine area as well as the smell of burning metal. I am unsure if the smoke came from the engine or starter. After this two other drivers stopped, I was able to shift the vehicle into neutral, and we pushed the vehicle to a safer location. We are working with Kia to replace the engine. Kia is stating the repair is not covered by their recall SC147 and that recall inspection was already completed on our vehicle, even though the failure is symptomatic of the recall defect/issue. Kia has stated that the engine will be replaced under warranty as part of a product improvement campaign but I am waiting for more clarification from Kia. As part of the SC147 recall and related Kia notices to Kia dealers, Kia dealers are to provide a loaner or alternate means of transportation (rental car to customers). It has been 2.5 weeks since the incident and Kia has failed to provide a loaner or rental vehicle.

- Claremore, OK, USA

problem #240

Jun 122019

Sorento

  • miles
Vehicle stops / cuts off while driving. Very dangerous. Have nearly been ran over by other vehicles on highway. Also sometimes while at a red light or idling while in park the car while just cut off.

- Shreveport, LA, USA

problem #239

Jun 082019

Sorento

  • 106,000 miles
Daughter was driving car on city street, and engine stalled coasted to S stop. Recall for faulty machining on 2.4 L 4cyl Kia motors. Recall # SC147. Kia states that this VIN does not fall under the recall, but same issue as other 2013 Kia's. internet stated that all 2.4 L 4cyl engines were covered by the recall for engine seizing up from bad machining.

- Oshkosh, WI, USA

problem #238

Jun 072019

Sorento

  • 140,000 miles
Initial issue-vehicle was driving perfectly and we had just gotten back from the store. No indication of issues. We were going to go somewhere and noticed key fob not working. We unlock the door manually and when we went to start it horn started going off and car would not start. We read into issues and we decided to take battery in to get checked and it was full charged. We cleaned battery cables and got car started but this time radio not working and key fob not working. Car driving good for about 2 days and coming home last night, while on highway, all lights turned on -on dashboard, vehicle lost power, it sputtered all the way home. Windshield wipers weak and it was raining. Power windows barely works and could not push on gas! we barely made it back home and parked vehicle but gear shift would only go up to neutral gear. Won't let us put into park and car is dead. Vehicle is just sitting there now

- Corpus Christi, TX, USA

problem #237

Mar 012019

Sorento

  • 135,000 miles
Engine is knocking while in use. Dealer says the engine is failing and needs replaced. Issue with the engine is similar to other recalls. Engine manufactured same time at same plant as other engine recalls. Engine at risk for fire.

- Fishers, IN, USA

problem #236

Nov 272018

Sorento

  • 72,000 miles
Our family was driving on the interstate and the vehicle started making a low clicking noise. We got off on the next exit and the car just turned off. No signals or lights turned on. After inspection from the dealership it was discovered that the engine rod bearing had blown out and made a hole on the engine. The vehicle only had approximately 72K miles on it. How does this happen. Recalls for other Kia Sorento have been issued but not my 2013 Kia. For this reason the engine and parts was not covered by warranty. Engine was backordered from November and came in at the end of March.

- Virginia Beach, VA, USA

problem #235

Aug 072018

Sorento

  • 70,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 40 mph, there was evidence of smoke coming from the front of the vehicle. The contact visually inspected the engine compartment of the vehicle but was unsure as to where the smoke originated from. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed, which was still pending. The vehicle was not repaired. Kia of cerritos located at 18201 studebaker rd, cerritos, ca 90703, (562) 860-2424, was contacted and notified of the failure. The vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA campaign number: 17V224000 (engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer was also contacted and notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.

- Mission Viejo, CA, USA

problem #234

Sep 012018

Sorento

  • miles
Our vehicle is consuming an entire tank of oil under 1,000 miles of driving. The engine must have something wrong with it, but the dealership insists the engine is normal. They agree the problem is bad but take no responsibility for the engine. The SUV runs weaker than normal with less power than when we bought it 2 years ago now. It is driven less than 40 miles a day for work commute and consumes oil at an astounding rate. While I know there is some type of engine recall for this model and year I am confused as to why our vehicle is not being taken care of as it should be.

- O Fallon, MO, USA

problem #233

May 012019

Sorento

  • 56,000 miles
This car has at least 8 recalls on it now, not including past recalls. This vehicle has stopped on me without any warnings in the middle of the street while traveling with my family. The reason ot stopped was due to a malfuctioned engine that was on recall. My turning signals lights go out without warning, this has happened while on the highway. This is also due to light wiring thats on recall. Kia had me take my car to a dealership to get the malfunctioning engine fixed. The car is still doing the same thing and has list it speed while I was on the highway. I feel like it will cut off on me at any giving time. I just got another recall leter that states that there is an issue with the replacement part they put on my engine. I am a working mom with kids and depend onmy transportation to live. I am scared thattbis vehicle will stop on me and my kids on the highway or street.

- Indianapolis, IN, USA

problem #232

May 192019

Sorento

  • 66,000 miles
I was driving down rt 121 at about 45/50 miles per hour, on a straight section of road, when the automobile just died. I managed to coast into a safe area. The power steering and brakes were not working. Attempted to get a battery boost and the tow truck operator said it sounded like it was turning over dry but would not start. Then the car was towed to mechanic falls garage.

- Mechanic Falls, ME, USA

problem #231

May 012019

Sorento

  • 60,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sorento. While driving various speeds, the vehicle stalled, there was an oil leak, and a loud abnormal noise was heard. All the warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the engine needed to be repaired. The vehicle had not been repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 60,000.

- St. Petersburg, FL, USA

problem #230

May 062019

Sorento

  • 92,000 miles
Takata recall. I was driving in the freeway when it started to make a noise immediately I pulled out to park but it got stuck.and power off. I tried to turned on but didn't work. I had to called.the tow to bring it at home

- Huntington Park, CA, USA

problem #229

Apr 292019

Sorento

  • 57,000 miles
My son was driving our 2013 Kia Sorento with 57,000 miles on it when it started making a strange noise. He pulled over to check under the hood. He didn't see anything obvious and preceded to drive home. As he pulled out onto the city street the Kia stalled. We then had to call a tow truck, get it towed to the Kia in amarillo, tx. The dealership said that the engine had locked and it needs to be replaced. They also said that our Kia was not covered by the recall! even though it is stalling just like all the other models included in the recall.

- Amarillo, TX, USA

problem #228

Aug 012018

Sorento

  • 6,500 miles
I was driving in a highway to work, when the car started to slow down, puttered a bit quickly shut off and on- and then the engine picked up and started making a noise. I pushed on the gas and the engine churned up smoke and the car started slowing down as cars were coming up behind me on the highway! one car stopped quickly behind me, as the car came to a slow pace. The engine didn't turn off but then it clinked for the rest of the 400ft as I pulled in and parked it. I could only go 10miles per hour or slower the rest of the highway.

- Montclair, NJ, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »