Driving in traffic at night. Engine suddenly began running erratically, lost power and died. Upon opening the hood I found oily coolant all over the engine compartment that had shorted out the engine electrical systems. I determined that it has shorted out from coolant because after sitting for about 30 minutes the coolant apparently evaporated and the engine started again. This could have been life threatening to my wife, me and others if the engine had died on the very curvy road we'd just gotten off of. I have since found out that there is a TSB (WTY035) that extends the warranty due to faulty head bolts. But this is also a safety issue.

- Douglasville, GA, USA

My Sorento burned oil excessively, without warning, and now has a damaged engine, requiring replacement. This is a serious problem and common. There are two other Kia vehicles with the 3.3L Lambda engine in Weston Kia for the same problem - low/no oil and no -??low oil-?? light. Those two vehicles and mine now require new engines. When my car experienced the problem, the car shook and the engine vibrated with a significant loss of power. This would-??ve been extremely dangerous if towing anything or driving uphill. This is a common problem among Kia forums and Kia is unwilling to assist.

- Damascus, OR, USA

Driving on the frwy when car started loosing power/acceleration, no warning lights or indicators on dashboard. Safely able to merge off the frwy. Turned off vehicle, engine would not turn back on. But all the dash lights came up as warning including engine light. Started to smell like burnt. Open the hood and it smelled like burning oil. Towed my vehicle & under the vehicle a pool of engine oil. Dealer confirmed engine seized. When repairs began water pump was damaged & engine mounts due to engine seizing.

- Inglewood , CA, USA

I-??m driving down the road my engine started knocking like head gasket lifter and rod was knocking

- Brookport , IL, USA

While driving on the highway, the vehicle engine began to shake violently. The check engine light came on. The car was driving normally prior to this moment. The car has been well maintained and is in excellent condition. I looked it up and found tons of cases that reference a judgement directive from the Theta II Engine Class Action Settlement (Case No. 8:17-cv-00838-JLS-JDE), where the warranty coverage has been extended due to known engine issues. The KSDS software update (SC260) was installed in 2023, by Kia of Orange Park. The vehicle now has approximately 127,121 miles. We towed the vehicle to Daytona Kia who diagnosed the engine as failed, but declined to initiate a warranty claim or submit the case to Kia Corporate because diagnostic trouble code P1326 was not present. I purchased this diagnostic for nearly $200 from Daytona Kia and they verified the second cylinder failed. They blamed it on a sticking fuel injector, but did not verify that this was the issue. Only stating that they believed this to be the case in their review. They did not conduct testing to rule out rod bearing failure or to verify fuel injectors were to blame for the issue. I asked for that. They checked to see if the service manager would be willing to do a BCS test on the vehicle. It was denied. I asked for definitive verification of the cause of the failure. They said I would have to pay for additional diagnostics to start that process. I contacted Kia corporate and asked them to intervene. Kia has denied my warranty claim, stating that the failure either doesn-??t qualify under their extended warranty or that the lack of formal documentation disqualifies my case. In a recent interaction with the dealership, they also cited the lack of a specific diagnostic trouble code (DTC) as a reason not to proceed with warranty repairs-??despite the fact that many vehicles with this engine fail without triggering that code, and the software update (SC260) was already applied.

- Green Cove Springs, FL, USA

While I am driving it can be jerking anytime and also the slippery light come on the dashboard.Sometimes the engine light come on too.

- Santa Ana, CA, USA

My 2016 Kia Sorento (VIN: [XXX] ) has suffered a head gasket failure due to a known manufacturing defect identified in a Kia Technical Service Bulletin (TSB WTY035). The defect causes head gasket failure, which in my case has resulted in external oil leakage. While Kia issued a TSB acknowledging this defect, they are denying warranty repair on a technicality -?" stating that the failure must involve coolant entering the combustion chamber to qualify, despite acknowledging the underlying part defect. The vehicle-??s engine is losing oil through the failed gasket, and the issue poses increasing risk of engine damage or sudden performance loss. Kia-??s denial is inconsistent with the intent of the warranty and the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. This problem affects vehicle function and reliability. It is also being experienced by other owners of the same model and engine. I am filing this complaint so NHTSA is aware of this known defect and the manufacturer's refusal to take accountability unless the failure meets arbitrarily narrow criteria. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Albany, OR, USA

he component that failed was the engine. Specifically, the engine block burst while the vehicle was traveling on the highway at over 50 miles per hour. The explosion of the engine block during driving posed a serious risk to my safety and that of other drivers. The sudden failure could have caused a loss of vehicle control, a collision, or even a fire. Fortunately, I was able to stop in the emergency lane in time without causing an accident. The issue was confirmed by an independent mechanic, who verified the structural damage to the engine block and its complete loss of functionality. At no time before the incident did any warning lights-?"oil or engine-?"come on. There were no messages on the dashboard indicating a potential imminent failure. The engine is available for inspection if necessary.

- Carolina, PR, USA

I was driving my Sorento SXL on a highway, at approximately 50 mph. With no warning, the engine began to run rough. The check engine light immediately began flashing. I was able to drive the car approximately three more miles to an auto service center. The engine ran very rough the entire time, wanting to stall when slowing down. The mechanic determined that my car-??s oil reservoir was 4 quarts low, yet no engine oil light ever illuminated on the dashboard. It holds 6.2 quarts, and had only 2.2 quarts in it. Again, there was no illuminated light whatsoever telling me my car was dangerously low on oil. Because of this low oil condition, one of my timing chains skipped, and the cam rotated approximately 62? out of center. That-??s what caused it to run rough. It appears my only options now are to have the engine apart, and hope no real damage was done, or replace it entirely. The engine for my car has been discontinued, with seemingly no suitable replacement from Kia. This could have been completely avoided if my car had alerted me to a low oil condition sometime before. This is very dangerous and it seems it is a common ailment among some Kia cars like mine. A low oil light would have informed me immediately that my car was in need of oil, a critical fluid for proper and safe operation. If I were towing a trailer when this happened, or on a winding stretch of road in snow or ice, this could have been catastrophic.

- Damascus, OR, USA

My wife was taking my granddaughter to her dance recital on 06/14/2025 she went to pass a car and the Sorento started missing out then died. She had to get to the side of the road and call for help. Once I arrived, I noticed oil on the ground under the vehicle. After I had my mechanic look at the car it was determined that it threw a rod out bottom of motor and the car was towed home. This is a 2016 kia sorento LX with the 3.3 motor. We have had no issues with this car and it has had regular maintenance perforemd since we purchased it at 27000 mikes. It now has 11000 miles warranty ran out at 100000

- Liberty, IN, USA

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle experienced a loss of automotive power. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the road. However, upon further inspection, the engine oil dipstick had an abnormal fuel odor. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired due to a lack of maintenance records and the costs. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 56,000.

- Bangor, ME, USA

Possible Head Gasket Failure, present problems Coolant leak, scent of coolant, oil leaks, overheating, hydrocarbons where found in cooling system, Engine failed Coolant pressure test. Complete engine may need to be replaced.Car presently has 74,000 miles break down reported at AllStar Kia, San Bernardino, Ca 92408 on May 29, 2025. 909-763-4740 Victor Morales & Joe West. Car running fine, took in for simple oil change, and the problems above were reported.

- Big Bear City, CA, USA

Engine failure

- Hollywood, FL, USA

1) I bought this car in October 2021, when it had ~79,000 miles on it. After ~2,000 miles, it showed a low engine oil sign, and it has been showing this issue since then, i.e., I have to change my oil/filter after every ~2000 miles. It has incurred a huge cost. I talked to the dealers, but they did nothing to solve this problem and charged me ~$1200. Funny part. Whenever I go for an oil change, they say that KIA/HYUNDAI cars have this engine problem. It's a joke to this system that the Govt still allows them to roll on the USA roads. 2) Today, this car had a flashing engine light. I will go to a mechanic tomorrow, but afraid of how much they will charge.

- Tucson, AZ, USA

As I drove on the highway, the car made a loud rattling sound and all the lights on the dashboard lit up. I pulled over immediately and turned off my car. I let it sit for a few minutes and tried to turn it back on - it would not start. I was on the side of a 4-lane highway in the early evening, with my 3 children in the car with me. I had the car towed to a mechanic - they discovered the oil tank was completely empty - I was not overdue for an oil change. They conducted an oil change - the car started and then immediately the engine seized and shut down. However they could not conclude what happened to cause the engine to fail. I took the car to the Kia dealership for an evaluation. The engine had seized due to bearing failure (bottom end). There is an open class action lawsuit and engine warranty for the same system failure, but on a different-sized engine. There were no warnings of an engine failure or a problem with the vehicle prior to the engine shut-down. It all happened within a matter of seconds as I was driving. The transmission, catalytic converter and flex hose had been replaced 8,000 miles prior to this incident.

- Berryville, VA, USA

Driving my KIA on a highway, no engine light came on and it slowed down and eventually turned off. Tried starting it and heard rattling noise. Had it towed to KIA dealer in Fargo, ND and told me it was normal wear and tear.

- New York Mills , MN, USA

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that after coming to a complete stop, the brake pedal was released, and the "check oil" warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The failure persisted, and the contact took the vehicle to the dealer. The dealer diagnosed that the spark plugs, and the piston rings had failed. The contact was informed by the dealer to add oil every 1,500 miles driven. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that since the piston rings and the engine had failed, NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V907000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE, ENGINE) would not apply. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.

- Saint Louis, MO, USA

Starting getting rid of coolant and engine oil and starting smoking really bad out of nowhere.. had to park it and haven-??t drove it since unfortunately -?? need it fixed

- Dyer, TN, USA

The car started to shake really bad and the engine light came on, pulled over called the tow truck service took it to the shop where they informed me the engine was blown

- Inman, SC, USA

Without warning vehicle stalled. Started right up and had ticking sound at low rpm which went away. Oil change and next day same thing happened. Won't start and engine has seized.

- Columbus, OH, USA