10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
6 / 6
Injuries / Deaths:
5 / 0
Average Mileage:
48,573 miles

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« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #27

Apr 022018

Sorento

  • 92,000 miles
When my wife and I started our family we were so happy to purchase the 2015 sorrento, 92,000 miles and 3 years later the engine locks up out of nowhere. I was going about 60 on the expressway and the engine started making a weird rattling noise less that 10 seconds later the car lost power steering the brakes were not very responsive. After a near death experience of trying to navigate to the safety of the emergency lane, I began to look up this issue. Kia had a recall on the engines from 2011-2014 for the same issue. Every post or review I read, the customers had experienced the same issue as my 2015. The people that had 2015 or newer who experienced these same issues was told that the best warranty in the business will not apply unless you have had all oil changes done at a Kia dealership or have all receipts of maintenance done to the car. If they did have all receipts they were told because the oil changes were not done by Kia the warranty will not apply. Catch 22? my 2005 Expedition has 218,000 miles and still runs great. My 93 Cadillac sedan Deville have 157,000 miles and stills runs great. But some how the non american car I purchased died in 3 years and 92,000 miles. As a high school teacher every student I come in contact with for the next 15 years will be scared away from this company. Im downtrodden because I know that the corporate entity called Kia is going to fight tooth and nail to say there engine in the 2015 in not faulty and I almost died because they have faulty engines. I made sure to always change the oil in this car before the due date because it transported my wife and child. My family has had a lot of cars from all sorts of makes, never seen this happen to a car so quickly and without warning!

- Atlanta, GA, USA

problem #26

Mar 242018

Sorento

  • 59,081 miles
Driving on highway, I stopped at a traffic light, my engine stalled, I was unable to get engine restarted. Was towed to dealer, was told they would check car on Monday.on Monday was told engine needs replacement.it is well known that Kia theta 2 engines have bad crank shafts, causing engines to fail. I want my engine replaced at no cost to me, because of their mistake.

- Dickson City, PA, USA

problem #25

Mar 232018

Sorento

  • 166,000 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while the driver was driving at approximately 60 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was able to coast to the side of the road. The driver turned off the engine. The vehicle was restarted two hours later and was able to drive. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed but no failure code was found. The failure recurred a second time. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where a second diagnostic testing was completed with results that the engine failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer and manufacturer were not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 166,000.

- Colebrook, NH, USA

problem #24

Oct 102017

Sorento

  • miles
2015 Kia Sorento. Consumer writes in regards to engine issues. The consumer stated the engine seized due to a sludge build-up inside the valve cover.

- Congers, NY, USA

problem #23

Dec 212017

Sorento

  • 63,000 miles
Todays date: 12/21/2017. Purchased vehicle 11/9/2017. Approx. 61,500 miles. I check equipment fluids regularly. While driving, the oil indication light illuminated. I pulled over, checked. Almost bone dry. No forewarning of any kind. The dealer serviced it prior to my purchase, so, I have had no reason to schedule vehicle service yet. Vehicle was manufactured March 5, 2014 ( 3/5/2014 ).

- Owasso, OK, USA

problem #22

Nov 212017

Sorento

  • 61,000 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Sorento. While driving approximately 65 mph, the check engine and check oil warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle started to slowly decelerate until it stalled. The vehicle was towed to the dealer (parkside Kia in knoxville, Tennessee) where it was diagnosed that the engine seized because of sludge, and a new engine was needed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 61,000.

- Marietta, GA, USA

problem #21

Oct 142017

Sorento

  • 42,000 miles
"takata recall" we have around 41000 miles on our 2015 Kia sorrento. My husband took a position working approximately 2.5 hours away from our home and making a daily commute of 5 hours each day to work. We have never had any trouble out of our Sorento. In Saturday, October 14, 2017 after a long day at work he was traveling home and was about 1.75 hours into his 2 hour commute when our Sorento started making a terrible knocking noise. No light indicators came on to indicate what could possible be going wrong at the time. He got over in the slow lane and dropped his speed to approximately 30mph. Before every trip he made a point to check the oil and that morning was no diffetent. All oil levels were fine. After a few minutes the oil light came on. He got off at the next exit and put in around 1 quart of oil.. still no lights but the terrible knocking noise coninured. He sat for a bit and let the new oil run through and started to make his way home at which time the engine light and the oil light came on. He then pulled over and called a tow truck and had our car towed home. Our engine is completely blown. Upon starting it makes a terrible knocking noise and after 15 to 20 seconds turns off. A mechanic checked our car over and said there was metal shavings in our oil. We have contacted Kia but they we are not willing to do anything as we did not get all services and oil changes at the dealership.

- Asheville, NC, USA

problem #20

Aug 272017

Sorento

  • 28,249 miles
I experienced a sudden engine failure on August 27, 2017 on my 2015 Kia Sorento LX with 28K miles. The engine type is a theta II 2.4L gdi. The complete engine failure happened without warning while driving 65 mph on an interstate. The car immediately lost all acceleration capabilities. There were no warning displays or unusual noise/movement beforehand. It was a very dangerous situation and fortunately I was able to get to the shoulder and avoid any severe safety issues. The car was towed for a nearby Kia dealership in New Jersey and they diagnosed the engine failure. Kia has acknowledged this engine problem and they paid for a remanufactured engine and car rental costs for a nearly two-week period. The newly installed engine is only under warranty for 10 years from the original purchase date, not the date of the remanufactured engine installation. The car's service has been up to date and I've had no previous issues with the car. Why has this engine problem not yet been recalled for 2015 Sorentos" it's likely a very similar problem to the Kia engine recalls earlier this year. The Kia dealership in New Jersey indicated that they replace dozens of new engines a month, including on many new 2017 and even 2018 models. Does someone need to be killed for action to be taken"

- Wilmington, DE, USA

problem #19

Aug 092017

Sorento

  • 104,000 miles
Vehicle engine stopped on freeway, causing me to have to lose power brake and power steering ability, was barely able to get vehicle off freeway and stop without causing major accident to several other vehicles. Engine exhibits same symptoms are previous model year recall from Kia and hyundia but dealer fails to acknowledge issue in same exact engine, but one year later model. There is a recall under SC147 for 2012-2014 Kia Sorento and like type vehicles, however mine is a 2015, and as mentioned has the same exact symptoms as previous year engines. Requesting SC147 to be extended into model year 2015 and 2016 vehicles to have cars serviced before this causes injury or death in other motorists.

- San Ramon, CA, USA

problem #18

Jul 062017

Sorento

  • 73,864 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Sorento. While driving approximately 10 mph, the vehicle shut off and the oil warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer (myrtle beach Kia in myrtle beach, SC) where it was diagnosed that the failure was due to an internal engine failure. The dealer recommended that the engine needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the warranty applied to the original owner only. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 73,864.

- Laurel, MD, USA

problem #17

Dec 012014

Sorento

  • 19,000 miles
(amendments to ODI#S: 10668775 & 10663356 - update) on 12/01/2014, I was in a 2015 Kia Sorento LX (enterprise insurance rental) traveling on crabb river road, (a city street) sugarland, Texas. I fully stopped at the traffic lights because it was red. Once lights turned green, I put the vehicle in motion by stepping on the gas pedal to accelerate but the car felt really sluggish so I gave it more gas in order to gain enough speed as I was about to go over some railroad tracks (approx. 55+ mph) which were on a road that was on an incline. Right as the car reached the tracks, the engine stalled, the steering wheel locked and I lost all control of the vehicle and it dove into a ditch; plowed directly into a steel billboard pole which was cemented into the ground because the brakes became unresponsive. There were no warning lights on the dash prior to the crash. Even though I was fully buckled, the seatbelt did not prevent my head from violently hitting the windshield and bouncing off the steering wheel since none of the 8 airbags deployed. I suffered near fatal injuries including a broken back (L2 fracture), spinal cord, head, eye, chin, jaws, neck and hip; broken teeth, permanent disfiguration (18 stitches), some vision & hearing loss from nerve damage and ptsd, mental anguish, chronic migraines, extreme stress, terrible recurring nightmares, etc. I'm a 5'2" woman and my chest was pinned to the steering wheel upon the impact with the pole and the fire dept. Had to free me and lift me up to the emts. I was transported to the er of a hospital by ambulance and later transferred to the trauma unit of memorial hermann hospital due to the severity of my injuries.

- Freeport, TX, USA

problem #16

Jun 152017

Sorento

  • 37,000 miles
37000 miles, short 120 trip, oil checked before starting, 110 into trip, loss of power, ,rod knock, engine seized, towed to closest garage. Nom at lexington ky. Kia waiting on the battle of warranty to began waiting for the

- Ashland, KY, USA

problem #15

May 152017

Sorento

  • 69,629 miles
Driving vehicle in town at approximately 40 mph. Engine lost power and shut off. Was able to coast out of traffic and off the side of the road. Would not restart. Had vehicle towed to local Kia dealer where they proceeded to tell me the engine had locked up and this only happens due to poor maintenance and sludge buildup in engine. They did an inspection and found engine to be clean and a rod bearing had failed causing the problem. They replaced engine under 100K mile power train warranty.

- Collegedale, TN, USA

problem #14

Jun 082017

Sorento

  • 72,819 miles
Engine locked up with no warning lights or other indication it was happening. Vehicle was driven to store and parked. Came back out and it wouldn't start. Towed to dealer. Dealer says excess sludge in engine even with regular oil changes. Vehicle has 72,819 miles and dealer is stating it will not be covered under 100K power train warranty. Pictures of engine do not indicate excess sludge.

- Collegedale, TN, USA

problem #13

Nov 032016

Sorento

  • 56,000 miles
V6 engine stalls randomly when accelerating into or across traffic.. Kia service dept. Unable to find cause with using electronic testing equipment. Stalling is random and unable to replicate with service dept personnel. A real safety issue.

- Southaven, MS, USA

problem #12

Apr 112017

Sorento

  • 32,300 miles
We started having problems at about 20,000 miles.the car was pulling as we tried to accelerate and smoke would blow out of the tailpipe. We took it into the dealership in which they stated we had sludge in the engine. They stated to maintain regular oil changes, but we would need a new engine. 4 months later they did an oil change and stated the oil was clear of sludge. Within 2 weeks, we heard a loud banging sound from the engine, it got louder and was barely going 5 miles/hr. We were on a major road and were able to pull into a parking lot. We had it towed to the dealership (central Kia of plano). Without even looking at it, they said it was the sludge in the engine and we needed our engine replaced ($7000). They would not even look under the hood until we paid them $400 to open it up. They stated the work would not be covered under our warranty even though we are only 2 years into it and around 30,000 miles. I called Kia Consumer Affairs (800-333-4542) and they contacted the dealership and that's when they finally opened the hood and found sludge in the engine. They took pictures and sent it to Kia "tech" in which our claim was declined due to "lack of maintenance". we provided receipts for our oil changes. They did not accept 3 of them because they did not have a "po#" and they did not accept 2 of my credit card receipts. I told Kia Consumer Affairs the 2015's are having the same issues as the recalls 2011-2014. She stated the dmv is collecting information on the 2015's. everyone call Consumer Affairs!! there is an engine problem with the 2015's and Kia is not standing by their warranty. We have not been provided a rental car. I have also escalated this issue to Kia's "escalation dept" in which they stated to get them more receipts and "tech" can review the case again! I have gathered more receipts including how often we were putting oil in between oil changes.

- Dallas, TX, USA

problem #11

Mar 162017

Sorento

  • 32,541 miles
We had just left home, and were driving at approximately 40 miles per hour, and no "warning lights or indicator lights" came on, we lost all power about a quarter mile away. Coasting to the side of the road and called for road-side assistance. Had vehicle towed to dealer, and was told it was engine failure, due to seizure of engine.

- East Canton, OH, USA

problem #10

Jan 202017

Sorento

  • 30,649 miles
The vehicle was in motion 35mph when suddenly all the lights in the panel flashed and the vehicle came to a complete stop. The dealer diagnosed the car with engine failure. They refused to cover the damage under warranty and claim that is due to lack of maintenance even though we provided them with service records. This is a faulty engine and Kia is refusing to stand by their product.

- Palm Beach Gardens, FL, USA

problem #9

Dec 112016

Sorento

  • 350,000 miles
Leased a 2015 Kia sorrento, in my third year of lease, regular oil changes every 3 months, heard a knocking sound in engine at approx. 35,000 miles on my way home from my son's hockey game on the highway which got louder and louder. Took it to the Kia dealer and immediately the sales person informed me that it was the connector rod failure without even working on the car. Showed Kia all my receipts for oil changes, waited two weeks to hear back from them, finally I called and they offered to pay for engine but I would be on the hook for 1200 on labor. Not sure why I am on the hook for labor on a faulty engine. They claimed there was sludge in the engine. Looked online and saw a recall for optima engine connecting rod for Kia in which they are extending their warranty from 100,000 miles to 120,000 miles because of the same connecting rod problem. So they know they have an issue with this part but still wants me to pay for some of the cost. I don't have 1200 to pay for the repair, its now going on 3 weeks without the vehicle while they review my claim, no rental vehicle, and I am expected to pay on a lease of a vehicle I don't have. Vehicle is still in repair shop.

- Grand Island, NY, USA

problem #8

Oct 092016

Sorento

  • 62,000 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Sorento. While driving 45 mph, the vehicle stalled without any warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced due to low oil maintenance. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 62,000.

- Canton, GA, USA

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