10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
4 / 28
Injuries / Deaths:
5 / 0
Average Mileage:
25,743 miles

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« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #349

Feb 062023

Sorento

  • miles
Car uses more oil than it is supposed to. Oil consumption problem. The engine can use more oil that it is supposed to and cause disruption to the engine running. It can also cause problems with the catalytic converter and cause the check engine light to come on.

- Jonesborough, TN, USA

problem #348

Jan 012023

Sorento

  • miles
Over the course of 12 months the vehicle is exhibiting worsening excessive engine oil consumption. There is no oil leak. Engine Oil Warning Light does not come on to alert oil is low. And at times within a week the oil level is almost none on dipstick. Using 4-5 quarts a month between regular oil changes. Loud knocking noise occurs after driving and engine is turned off. The engine fan is constantly running and remains running up to 10 minutes after engine turned off even in mild temperatures and very short drives. Violently Hard Shifting occurs. This is intermittent and unpredictable but has worsened and become more frequent over last 1 year. This hard shifting can be so hard and severe to cause pain from seat belt and mild whiplash. Cold weather does increase the frequency and severity however it also happens in mild and warm weather at an alarming rate. At times the shifting is so hard and violent that it feels as though you just drove off a 3 foot ledge hitting front end hard. It happens at both high and low speeds. Vehicle has been taken to mechanics on several occasions. Each time they find no problems. Current Mileage is 95,000 miles. I purchased 18 months ago from dealership and almost immediately problems began.

- Heber City , UT, USA

problem #347

Nov 012022

Sorento

  • miles
The vehicle started severely overheating and making weird noises out of no where one day and is now not drivable due to overheating.

- Fayetteville , NC, USA

problem #346

Feb 212023

Sorento

  • miles
Driving home from dinner with a friend, we proceed on to intersection. We hear a loud sound, we find out once car has stopped we notice that there no longer any oil in engine. Call for a tow, and find out that our engine had blown a rod. Noticed that are other owners with same issue. Car is in the process of being towed from my mechanic to the Kia dealership.

- Jeffersonville, IN, USA

problem #345

Feb 242023

Sorento

  • miles
My car has $65,000. I keep the oil and filter maintained every 7,500 miles. I was driving the other day and went to exhilarate and my car starting shacking and made a loud bang, smoke came out everywhere. I was able to make it to the side of the road before it died. No check engine light, no oil heat indicator came on. I looked under the hood and there was oil everywhere. I have now been told by a Kia dealership where I had the car towed that I had a catastrophic engine failure.

- Morganton, GA, USA

problem #344

Feb 192023

Sorento 4-cyl

  • 80,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, there was an abnormally loud sound and then a knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that the vehicle was stalling with the oil warning light illuminated. The contact then saw smoke coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was inoperable. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle remained with the independent mechanic awaiting the repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

- Rancho Cucamonga, CA, USA

problem #343

Jan 052023

Sorento 4-cyl

  • 124,000 miles
I have maintained my 2016 Kia Sorento EX with oil changes, spark plugs and fluid changes regularly. Within the past year or so I have noticed that shortly after oil changes my oil levels would drop significantly. There were no signs of leaks (no oil on the ground and inspected to see where it could be possibly going.) Nothing was found as to where the oil was going. This has happened more frequently than not. Recently after an oil change, my family and I took the car on a small road trip (Mass to Rhode Island.) The engine failed without warning. Took the SUV to a mechanic. My SUV was diagnosed as having no compression and now I need a new engine. After research of my hefty bill I have found that this is a very dangerous and frequent issue that a lot of consumers have faced with the same make and model of my SUV. I have read numerous of threads, news articles and reviews of the 2016 KIA Sorento EX and all have exact issue. Excessive oil consumption, no warnings and same/similar repair costs. I have looked into recalls and surprisingly this is not one of them. This is clearly a defective part(s) on Kia and should not be a cost to the consumer. This is not something that is normal wear and tear. This is a huge concern. I got my car second hand at 61k in 2018. Now I have 124k on the engine and its completely failed. Please look into this. With inflation, still making monthly payments on this vehicle, pandemic who can really afford throwing $6,500 towards a new engine. Now I face losing my job because of an unreliable car.

- Springfield, MA, USA

problem #342

Feb 172023

Sorento

  • miles
P1336, limp mode suddenly lost power while driving on the freeway. They need to taker of this issue, I-??m not the only one with this problem! I-??d almost crash!!

- Conroe, TX, USA

problem #341

Nov 162022

Sorento 6-cyl

  • miles
This is an update to a report/complaint #115-6142 that I filed on 2/7/2023 regarding my 2016 KIA Sorento needing a new engine. I have since spoken with a dealer, a family-owned auto repair shop, who subsequently spoke with a parts store in Denver and another dealer. It was reported to me that KIA has discontinued the sale and/or manufacture of engines for 2015-2017 KIA Sorentos because of many many complaints from owners who had the same problems I had with mine...needing a new engine for a non-very-old car. KIA obviously knows of the problems but have yet to initiate a recall. I'm about to start proceedings for a Class Action Suit. Stay tuned.

- Peyton, CO, USA

problem #340

Dec 202022

Sorento

  • miles
For several months I drove the vehicle and kept smelling like something was burning. I took the vehicle to my mechanic they said they didn't find anything. This smell continued and I began to notice my oil was low so I added a quart. Well it then became routine for me to check my oil in between changes. Everytime I would check it was low so I'd add a quart. Eventually while driving home from the store my vehicle began making a noise, the next day it was brought to the mechanic who told me pretty much the engine was going. (This was an engine knock due to over consumption of oil causing) at no point did my oil light come on and stay on nor did the engine light appear for the knock sensor system. I contacted the local Kia dealership ego told me to let it run in my driveway until the engine blew. I did not feel comfortable doing this so I let the vehicle sit. The day I went to trade the Kia in I was driving in congested traffic and without warning the engine light flashed and I immediately lost all power leaving me stuck in congested traffic.

- Sauquoit , NY, USA

problem #339

Feb 152023

Sorento 6-cyl

  • 120,957 miles
1. Local neighborhood mechanic (s) after many checks determined head gasket blown and unable to repair. Requires complete NEW engine. Car has 120k. Good condition no other major mechanical issues. Shop estimate is $10,000 to repair. 2. Gear shift won-??t budge - must use a flat head screw driver to shift gears 3. Passenger front door sticks and has trouble opening door. Was shown this video about issues and thought I was only one having but I have several of the issues listed here.never even tried to fix #2 & 3 bc with kids and all didn-??t have extra money. Bought car brand new. Only owner. I am looking for guidance on how to proceed cause this is like a punch in face 10k to fix! https://youtu.be/Suv945jAcfo

- Dallas, TX, USA

problem #338

Jan 292023

Sorento

  • miles
Engine lost power over night. No warning lights or other signs prior to it happening prior. One day it was running, the next it wasn't. The starter, battery and all oil etc was changed. After everything has been changed out, the car starts but is not in running condition. A continuous knocking in the engine is heard. Had it professionally diagnosed and was told the engine is bad. There is only 69k miles and no problems prior whatsoever! I am the 2nd owner and am upset that this has happened.

- Hilo, HI, USA

problem #337

Dec 212022

Sorento

  • 122,000 miles
2016 Kia Sorento LX which was regularly serviced and well taken care of completely shut off while I was commuting to school on a notoriously dangerous stretch of road. I was in disbelief when the mechanic diagnosed our vehicle as a complete engine failure with 122,000 miles. I thought things couldn-??t be any worse until I had the trauma of interacting with Kia -??customer service-?? and I use that term very lightly. I had never owned a Kia before and I naively thought this well known manufacturer would back their product. HA. Instead, I was insensitively told I was -??out of luck-?? and worse yet incriminated to an extent when I didn-??t have oil change receipts from the past going on 4 years of financing the vehicle during a hysterical phone ordeal (on hold for 45 minutes- I was in the shower when he finally picked up, didn-??t rinse my hyaluronic acid exfoliator off and burned my face). I explained to him that the mechanic described the issue as -??the bolts are walking off of the engine block, it-??s a known KIA issue-?? - to which he ironically vehemently denied any knowledge of. So not only was I lied to but patronized days before Christmas. I tearfully pleaded with him to help me in some way because this is my only vehicle and I-??m counting on it to commute to school everyday, I graduate in the Spring. Kia did not care. Where is my sorento now? The garage. We had GAP coverage so they required the engine be completely tore apart and sent out - our mechanic stated the bolts were so badly warped and wore a machinist would be unable to work with them and fire was clearly on the horizon based on the dangerous conditions. FIRE. I have a 14, 5, 4 and 3 year old who are almost always with me. My children could have been killed. So worse than this inconvenience is the blatant lack of regard for human life. To add insult to injury I guess insurance companies are tired of taking the brunt of Kia-??s incompetent craftsmanship so they are only covering half of the cost, I must pay $5,000.

- Frackville, PA, USA

problem #336

Feb 142023

Sorento

  • miles
My wife was driving the vehicle and the engine locked up because it had burned through all the oil in the vehicle. There was no warning lights to let us know it had low oil. The vehicle is available for inspection. My son was also in the car as well. I had the vehicle towed to my local machanical shop. The owner of the shop was the person that notified me of the engine default.

- Westville, OK, USA

problem #335

Dec 242022

Sorento

  • 128,166 miles
Traveling from Cheyenne, WY to Houston, TX my SUV overheated without warning and bubbling coolant sprayed everywhere. I was 200 miles south of Pueblo, CO in the middle of nowhere in New Mexico. I then had my SUV towed to the Kia dealership in Pueblo, CO and was informed I needed a total engine replacement. I decided to have my car towed to the Kia dealership here in Cheyenne, WY. I was told 2 bolts were stripped which caused engine failure and overheating "Kia used a bolt thread that fails to grip the block with enough force and overheating is a common scenario. This is a known Kia manufacture defect". I have always maintained my SUV and had regular service performed because I never wanted to be stranded on the side of the road. I am requesting KIA step up and help cover some or all of these expenses due to it being a known manufacture defect. I have not heard from Kia since my case was opened six weeks ago. The Kia dealership here in Cheyenne, WY indicated there have been over 20 cars at their service department alone with this issue.

- Cheyenne, WY, USA

problem #334

Feb 032023

Sorento

  • miles
I was driving down the interstate going 80mph when all of the sudden the vehicle lost power. I had to dodge traffic and cross over into another lane to get to the side of the road I-??m lucky I made it and nobody was hurt.

- Billings , MT, USA

problem #333

Feb 092023

Sorento

  • miles
Smelled something burning. Pulled over and noticed smoke coming from under hood. Called the fire department. It was fully engulfed by the time they got there. Pictures of it burning are available. The vehicle is a total loss. Police report taken today 2-9-2023. Insurance company being notified. No warning lamps. No check engine light. No inspections made yet.

- Andersonville, TN, USA

problem #332

Oct 152021

Sorento

  • 79,896 miles
My engine needed to be replaced after they said it overheated and was beyond repair.

- Greensboro , NC, USA

problem #331

Nov 162022

Sorento

  • 165,000 miles
We were driving home from a road trip in November 2022 - and the heater was failing, not working. There were no warning lights showing. There was a rattling-type sound when we got nearer to home and since there were still no warning lights coming on, we got the car home. Checked the coolant and oil levels - topped them off (not too low). The next morning, I was going to drive to work - started the car and it sounded rough. Took daughter's car to work. My husband took the car to shop near the house - they said they got air pocket out of coolant line and suspected head gasket was blown. Took it to KIA dealer and they confirmed head was blown and would need a new engine - $12,000. Never had any indication of overheating until just before we took it to the dealer - the temp gauge indicator would be in the middle then would rise to high and go right back down to middle. Did that a couple of times on ride to the dealer. It's now sitting in my garage while I figure out what to do with it.

- Peyton, CO, USA

problem #330

Feb 032023

Sorento

  • miles
I have had my car less than a month as I-??m driving my car starts to rattle loudly and loses power I go to a nearby auto zone and they run a test which says I have a recall on my engine

- Homewood , AL, USA

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