10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 5 / 9
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 3 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 37,499 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.
« Read the previous 20 complaints
Left 2014 Sorento sxl at airport parking and flew to another city for one week. Came back to find vehicle will not start. Battery was dead. I sprained my back trying to open the SUV trunk from inside as there was no power available to release the trunk lock. Five (5) similar events have happened to me, one of them at the Kia dealership and they have not been able to find the cause of the problem. In researching the web, it seems to be a common problem that Kia has not resolved and many people are affected with battery drain within 3 to 5 days of leaving the car in the garage.
- Katy, TX, USA
Speedometer needle is impossible to see during sunny days. The needle is too narrow and a poor color choice for the background. This is dangerous not knowing your speed and having to take your eyes off the road too long to try to read it.
- Holly Springs, NC, USA
I bought a 2014 Kia Sorento in Nov. 2013. 2months I started having issues with the door locks not working properly and the blue tooth. I took it to the dealer for service and told them about it after 3-4 trips and being told each time that there was nothing wrong they found that the radio system was bad. Still nothing wrong with the door locks not unlocking. Then a few weeks later I started having problems with it starting, again 3-4 trips of being told nothing was wrong they said you have a bad battery! I started getting a warning from the uvo system in November 2014 that I had a transmission issue took it to the dealer and even though a technician saw the warning on the screen and that the engine light was on they said the gas cap must have been on wrong causing the warning and the transmission to stall and be sluggish, along with causing the bluetooth not to respond, automatic door locks not to release, backup camera beeps when there is nothing behind me, the automatic window on the drivers side to not roll up. It was found that the transmission was going out and was repaired at the nicholasville store, however it has not taken care of the issues, the doors will not unlock and the uvo system continues to send emails to the dealer that there is an issue. I have also had to replace a head light bulb, brakes are rubbing. I have spoken with the Kia Corp analysts spencer with no results at this point. I have spoken with the general manager of the nicholasville ky dealer during our conversation he said to me to bring my car to the dealer they would be glad to check it. I ask if there was any way we could work something out so that they could come to me and get the car. I explained to him that I do not fill safe in the vehicle and that I am afraid for my kids safety, on 1/20/15 I was in an accident with it.
- Whiltey City, KY, USA
Approximately 5 seconds after the vehicle is initially placed into reverse gear, and while the vehicle is likely already in reverse motion, the backup camera goes black for 2-3 seconds (and consequently, the driver is blind) while the camera is apparently switching on the guide line overlays.
- Clarksville, MD, USA
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Sorento. Upon starting the vehicle, the gear was shifted into reverse and the engine revved when the contact lightly depressed the accelerator pedal. As a result, the vehicle backed into a steel post. The front passenger had to help the contact shift the gear into neutral in order to stop the vehicle from accelerating. Suddenly, the vehicle accelerated forward into a field at a high rate of speed while the brake pedal was depressed. The contact had to press the ignition start button in order to stop the vehicle. The contact sustained minor ankle injuries, which did not require medical attention. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who stated that there was a manufactured electrical cord that was connected to the accelerator, which may have caused the failure. The failure codes did not illustrate that this was the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified. The speed was unknown. The approximate failure mileage was 12,900. Updated 12/01/14
- Gray, TN, USA
Cannot read or extremely difficult to read the speedometer in daylight most of the time. Worse on brighter days. Must take eyes off road for several seconds to find needle to determine speed. Illumination is fine at night or in very shaded areas (ie garage). Seems as if instrument illumination reduces based on amount of interior light, even with illumination dial on max. Not wearing sun glasses and have tried multiple combinations of headlight/dtrl in an effort to find a workable solution. Dealer service says "working as designed". this is a major safety flaw as one cannot readily determine their speed without taking their eyes off road for too long a period of time. In its current state this car is unsafe to drive. Can not see the speedo when driving in daylight or brightly lite areas.
- Celina, TX, USA
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that the speedometer needle became inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection where they stated that there was nothing wrong with the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 3,000.
- Owasso, OK, USA
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that the numbers on the speedometer were to small to read. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technician stated that the vehicle was working up to standards and they were unable to alter the design of the vehicle. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 0. the current mileage was 3,000.
- Independence, MO, USA
Cannot read or extremely difficult to read the speedometer in daylight most of the time. Worse on brighter days. Must take eyes off road for several seconds to find needle to determine speed. Illumination is fine at night or in very shaded areas (ie garage). Seems as if instrument illumination reduces based on amount of interior light, even with illumination dial on max. Not wearing sun glasses and have tried multiple combinations of headlight/dtrl in an effort to find a workable solution. Dealer service says "working as designed". this is a major safety flaw as one cannot readily determine their speed without taking their eyes off road for too long a period of time. In its current state this car is unsafe to drive.
- Newark,, DE, USA
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while at a complete stop, a strong burning odor emitted inside of the vehicle. The vehicle was maneuvered to the side of the road where the driver exited the vehicle. In addition, small flames ignited from the rear trailer hitch wiring harness and driver's side tail light. The fire department extinguished the fire and disconnected the battery. The contact stated that the failure occurred twenty days after the new trailer hitch was installed. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer and had not been repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 32,000.
- Imlay City, MI, USA
Can not see speedometer in daylight, indicator too dim.
- Durango, CO, USA
Since buying the 2014 Kia fwd 4-cyl vehicle, I have had about 5 instances where the car would not start after I pressed the brake pedal and then the ignition switch. Kia and Hyundai had brake switch issues in models circa 2011 and earlier, but I could not find anything about whether Kia fixed the problem in subsequent model years. During my incidents I have repeated the above steps trying to start the non-responsive vehicle until it inexplicably started up; took over 10 re-tries each time this problem occurred. I am taking the vehicle into the dealer on Monday 11/4/13 asking them to fix the problem.
- Arlington, VA, USA
The contact owns a 2014 Kia sorrento. The contact stated that he could see the speedometer needle. The contact stated that the needle was the wrong color and it made it difficult to determine the speed being traveled. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection where they stated that the vehicle was performing as designed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 180.
- North For Myers, FL, USA
- Round Lake, IL, USA