10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
31,744 miles

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problem #25

Apr 192021

Sorento

  • miles
Since I purchased my 2013 KIA SORENTO I have had at least 3 recalls. My vehicle AIR BAG LIGHT is still ON. I have been waiting since last year (2023)to get this recall item repaired and the local dealership has informed me that the part is on ORDER but never received( I have the work order from dealership stating that).. My Anti- thief system won't allow my vehicle to start upon demand I have to wait and turn the key over and let panel lights come on before it starts I have to do this 3x always. I've tried different approach's to rectify this issue, still dealing with it today( March 1, 2024). My speed control sensors had too be replaced. ABS lights would come on and stay illuminated. A lot is going on with my KIA SORENTO. I really enjoy my vehicle until all these recalls started. Now, I'm afraid to drive it as much, due too this FIRE RECALL!!!!!! I have documentation of these recalls.

- Orange, TX, USA

problem #24

Oct 192022

Sorento

  • miles
Car shuts down in the middle of driving and cannot idle. Had transmission 1x lat year and battery replaced 2x. Even after repairs car randomly does this. I have taken it to shops several times but no one knows what the problem is.... When it randomly chooses to do it, I cannot accelerate, and the car power will go out in the middle of driving decreasing the speed dramatically. Right after it does it the car will stop and turn off like it has a dead battery, except it turns right back on. All of the check engine lights on the inside start to going on.... check engine, battery, oil, tire traction etc....

- Belleville, IL, USA

problem #23

May 072020

Sorento 6-cyl

  • 60,000 miles
I was driving down the road when I noticed that all my warning lights on the dashboard were coming on. All of them were lit up red and not going off. The navigation and radio screen went completely black. I noticed I was losing speed and tried to accelerate and I had no power to accelerate the car. I was on the inside lane of the four lane road and coasted to the middle median on the four lane road to safely get my truck out of oncoming traffic. With no capability to accelerate my truck to get it out of traffic this option deemed to be the safest maneuver to do. When the truck finally stopped I had to use the emergency brake to keep truck from rolling. At this time I could not take the truck out of drive mode and put into park mode. With assistance my truck battery was temporarily charged so I could have the ability to place the truck in park mode. When battery charger was disconnected the truck would not start. My 2013 Kia Sorento sx was towed to joey griffin Kia in rocky mount nc. Talking with [xxx] in service department he advised that the alternator, battery and 1 belt needed to be replaced. This will be a $1000 repair. I was wondering if the recall listed in the NHTSA 17V224000 could be associated with this. The truck is at the Kia dealership now so I have no records at this time. My 84 yr mother was with me at this time and I am grateful that we were not on the interstate at the time this happened. The outcome of this could have been a lot more tragic with multiple traffic fatalities or injuries. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Wilson, NC, USA

problem #22

Dec 192019

Sorento

  • 97,000 miles
I have taken my 2013 Kia Sorento to my local dealership after the latest engine recall. They upgraded software but gave no further explanation. Everytime I get my oil change its almost empty. The past 2 oil changes there has been almost no oil. Yesterday, I was driving, on the highway and check engine, oil, battery, light came on flashing and the car stalled in the middle lane of the highway. I was able to pull over and call a tow truck. I turned the vehicle off and 15 min later while waiting for tow truck I tried to turn it on and it came one. I canceled the tow and I am at the dealership today. My car is not leaking oil anywhere and I know there has been a engine recall on my make, model and year. I am afraid of the cost of the repair and the safety of a vehicle that stops in the middle of the highway.

- Atlanta, GA, USA

problem #21

Nov 192019

Sorento

  • 120,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sorento. While driving approximately 65-70 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact stated that the vehicle lost power, including power steering, braking, and acceleration. The contact was able to coast the vehicle off the road to a stop. The vehicle restarted on the first attempt. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the failure recurred once. The dealer and manufacturer were not informed of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.

- Altamonte Springs, FL, USA

problem #20

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 #19

Apr 102017

Sorento

  • 48,899 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sorento. While driving unknown speeds, the check engine warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer (sunset Kia of venice, 1179 us highway 41 byp S, venice, fl 34285) where it was diagnosed that the throttle body needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The check engine indicator illuminated again. The vehicle was towed to the same dealer where it was diagnosed that the throttle body part was installed incorrectly. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The check engine indicator illuminated again. The vehicle was taken to Kia of venice (1179 us highway 41 byp S, venice, fl 34285) where it was diagnosed that the power control module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, the failure recurred, and the check engine indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to sunset Kia of venice where it was diagnosed that the O2 sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred and the check engine indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to sunset Kia of venice where it was diagnosed that the throttle body needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, the failure recurred, and the check engine indicator flashed. The vehicle was taken to sunset Kia of venice where it was diagnosed that there were metal shavings in the engine and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified and opened case number: 13658651. The failure mileage was 48,899.

- North Port, FL, USA

problem #18

Jun 202016

Sorento

  • 65,000 miles
Bought my Kia on 6/17/2016 and today 3 days later I am driving the car and it starts powering down while I am at 70mph. Scary to say the least. There is also a jerking forward movement that I get, but today was the scariest, the car actually stopped with no power while driving. I had to pull aside and restart the car. What the hell is this. M daughter could have been in the car. This is crazy a 2013 car shutting down in the middle on the road. Totally unacceptable.

- Mattapan, MA, USA

problem #17

Jul 152014

Sorento

  • 39,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sorento. While driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was able to restart. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the power train control module needed to be repaired. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the throttle body needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred six times. The vehicle was taken back to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the throttle body needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 39,000.

- Reliance, TN, USA

problem #16

Feb 212016

Sorento

  • 42,800 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sorento. While driving approximately 60 mph, the vehicle lost acceleration. The contact maneuver to the side of the road and waited approximately ten minutes. The vehicle was turned off and the contact waited approximately thirty more minutes. The vehicle restarted normally, but could not exceed 40 mph. The contact drove the vehicle to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the throttle actuator control failed and needed replacement. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 42,800.

- Granger, IN, USA

problem #15

Dec 192015

Sorento

  • 40,000 miles
Hit my brakes going roughly 30mpg (I was in heavy traffic on the tollway with lots of braking and going for several minutes already), the ABS was triggered as the car was making the jerking/thumping (however you describe feel of ABS), I should have had enough space to stop, but my car was accelerating it seemed at the same time, I hit a car in front of me, and it continued, lurched forward and hit the car a second time all while the brake (only) was being depressed. That finally stopped the car. The other driver thought I was hit from behind too since there were two hits...but I felt the lurching and also there is no damage to the back of my car, proving it was my car. This is dangerous!!! after reading online I see many complaints of Kia's lurching and accelerating when the brakes are applied. Many accidents reported while parking and the car accelerates so quickly it jumps a curb, hits a tree, or another car or other such incidents. It is clear after searching "Kia Sorento 2013 accelerating while braking at the same time", there are lots of reports on car gurus.com of this dangerous defect.

- Mckinney, TX, USA

problem #14

May 102015

Sorento

  • 30,000 miles
The contact owned a 2013 Kia Sorento. While driving at 35 mph, the instrument panel lighting illuminated and the vehicle stalled. While depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle accelerated, crashed into a concrete wall, and flipped over. As a result, the contact sustained lacerations and contusions that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 30,000.

- Yonkers, NY, USA

problem #13

Aug 082014

Sorento 6-cyl

  • 20,000 miles
On two occasions one month a part, while driving my 2013 Kia Sorento LX3 the engine light went on and the car was unable to shift RPM's and could not accelerate over 15/20 mph. The car went into "limp home" or safety mode when trying to accelerate and merge onto a 40mph and 50 mph highway. The car could not speed up to flow of traffic and was nearly rear ended by rush hour commuter bus with two small children in the back seat in Chicago, il. Kia service said car "fixed" twice. Concerned about repeat problems and potential fatal accidents as result of some malfunction.

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #12

Oct 012013

Sorento 6-cyl

  • 19,000 miles
We have owned our Kia for 9 months, it has been in the shop at least 4 times and now its in the shop again. The vehicle will come to a complete stop when going full speed, we were going 45mph for the last incident and the Kia came to a complete stop out of no where and the engine shut was still on but idle high and would not go anywhere until you turned the Kia off, waited for 15-20mins for it to "reprogram" and then it had enough power to move slowly out of the road. After getting it home my husband called the dealership the first time and they had no idea what was wrong so they sent us to another dealership who said they couldn't find anything wrong at the time but if it happens again to bring it back, well 9 months later we are still having issues and are not able to drive it without fear that it will just randomly shut down in the roadway. The one time it did it we were on the interstate, as a parent my kids can not ride in a vehicle that keeps doing this and Kia will not fix the issue.

- Strasburg, VA, USA

problem #11

May 292014

Sorento

  • 25,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph, the vehicle became resistant to acceleration. The contact indicated that after turning the vehicle off and restarting the engine, the vehicle operated normally. The failure was recurring and on one occasion, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 25,000.

- Finleyville, PA, USA

problem #10

May 062014

Sorento

  • 41,100 miles
As I was driving at about 15-20mph the car shut off completely as I was making a left hand turn without warning. This is the third time at different speeds since we purchased the vehicle in January 2014. We have taken it to Kia dealership for repair, regular oil changes and maintenance. They were unable to find anything wrong, read any codes with computer or duplicate the problem. I am very concerned as this is our family car and it is a driving hazard not knowing when it will shut off with no warning, next time it could be in the middle of the intersection or freeway! we plan on taking back today to dealership.

- Albuquerque , NM, USA

problem #9

Mar 292014

Sorento 6-cyl

  • 38,141 miles
While driving on the freeway in light traffic at speeds around 40mph the vehicle shut off completely. I had to coast to the shoulder, put the vehicle in park and restart. The vehicle restarted completely fine. This incident has happened 3 times in the last 6 months. The vehicle is currently at a Kia dealership and they are not finding anything wrong with the vehicle.

- Simi Valley, CA, USA

problem #8

Jan 072013

Sorento 6-cyl

  • 13,412 miles
While decelerating to a stop, the vehicle suddenly stalled. The contact restarted the engine and the vehicle operated normally. The failure was recurring. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but the defect could not be duplicated. They replaced the throttle body, but the problems till happening so many times, they also did a update on the computer and again the problem still there....I am so scared to drive this car.I know am not the only one with the same issue and seems that Kia doesn't care since they keep saying we need duplicated..this happen in different situations witch I could be involved ina serious accident with my kids...

- Marlborough, MA, USA

problem #7

Feb 152014

Sorento 6-cyl

  • 29,530 miles
While driving on the freeway at about 70 mph the car's accelerator stopped working and the engine light came on. I was in the lane next to the fast lane in los angeles. I quickly turned on my hazard lights and pulled over about 5 lanes to the shoulder. Thank goodness it was late at night and I was able to pull over safely. I had four kids in the car driving home from magic mountain! I turned off the car and turned it back on and it worked fine the rest of the way home although I did stay in the slow lanes in case it happened again. This happened on a Saturday. On Sunday my husband drove the car a few miles to have lunch. The engine light was on when he left but then turned off when he was on his way home. Took the car to the dealership on Monday and they said I needed a computer update and that would fix the problem. They let me know this has happened to other cars and the computer update has worked. Very disappointed in Kia knowing this has happened and not sending a letter or letting us know about the problem to have us come in and get the update done. We could have been in a serious accident resulting in death. I hope this fixes the problem. This is the first Kia I have owned and have loved the car up until this point.

- Lakeside, CA, USA

problem #6

Jan 162014

Sorento

  • 22,171 miles
Driving through neighborhood approximately 25 to 30 mph, vehicle suddenly screeched to halt (I did not depress the brakes), engine light came on. All parts of vehicle were disabled (unable to steer, start, etc.) I was thrown forward despite seat belt on due to sudden and complete stop. Thankfully, I was the only vehicle in the roadway at the moment. After several minutes of no response from vehicle with ignition issues, I was finally able to restart and continue my drive, as well as contact dealer for appointment to 'repair' this rampantly unsafe 2013 Kia sorrento engine issue. I purchased this vehicle new in February 2013 with the notion that Kia has a 5 star safety rating. After this incident and after reviewing other eerily similar complaints, I vehemently disagree with the rating. This is an extreme safety hazard. I drive to and from patient's homes for a living, often traveling freeways and in remote areas. I did not notice any issues with motor prior to 'computer upgrade' requested at last visit to dealer. I am hoping that Kia resolves this obviously rampant issue before serious injury or death results from this problem. I will no longer Transport my children in this vehicle until Kia can remedy this situation. I am taking in to the same dealer who did 'upgrade' today to 'repair' if possible. I will also be contacting Kia via phone and email contact as well as the dealer from whom I purchased my vehicle. All need to know that this engine failure issue is serious and could be fatal if not dealt with soon.

- Salem, OR, USA

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