10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
4 / 29
Injuries / Deaths:
5 / 0
Average Mileage:
24,817 miles

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« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #37

Jan 112019

Sorento

  • 30,000 miles
2nd engine failure in less than 1 year. Dealership replaced 1st engine in February 2018 which then failed in January 2019. Dealership (Kia of cherry hill NJ 1803 marlton pike w, cherry hill, NJ 08002) unable to determine cause. Dealership unsure when new engine would be available. Driving loaner vehicle since January 2019.

- Moorestown, NJ, USA

problem #36

Sep 012018

Sorento

  • 36,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that the engine was consuming too much oil (two quarts every 500 miles). The contact stated that the dealer (H&H Kia, 4040 S 84th St, omaha, ne 68127, (402) 331-9100) has had the vehicle since January of 2019, attempting to determine the cause of the failure. The dealer and manufacturer stated that they were unsure when new engines would be produced. The contact has had a loaner vehicle for the past three months. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 36,000.

- Bellevue, NE, USA

problem #35

Mar 222019

Sorento

  • 83,000 miles
Takata recall 1 month ago I picked my son up from school...as I was pulling out of the parking lot I was unable to accelerate by pushing the gas pedal. I coasted home going 8 miles per hour. I turned the vehicle off and let it sit for 2 days. When I got back in it everything was working fine. 2 weeks later I went to have my oil changed and was told there were metal shavings in my oil filter, there were 2 inches of sludge and the oil was black. I keep my vehicle serviced regularly because I commute to work. They changed my oil and I left. 10 minutes later I was on the side of the road. I was driving to the store and again I couldn't push the gas pedal to accelerate and a knocking sound appeared. As I tried to pull to the side of the road I look in my rear view mirror to see a white cloud of smoke coming from my car. So thick I couldn't see behind me. I coasted into a parking lot and at this point I had no control of the steering, gas pedal, or breaks. I finally rolled to a stop outnit in park and got out of my car. Every drop of oil they had put in my car was on the pavement. I called a tow truck and we found a huge hole in the oil pan where my engine had apparently thrown a rod. There are 6 recalls on the year make and model of my car but not specifically on my VIN. Everything that has gone wrong involves those recalls and Kia isn't owning up to it. My brother works for true car and ran a report finding that there are recalls on my vehicle but Kia is saying it is inaccurate. I have the report in my possession and they wouldn't allow me to send it to them for proof.

- Brodhead, KY, USA

problem #34

Apr 012019

Sorento

  • 72,000 miles
The car was stationary with the engine running, waiting for about 2 minutes when I smelled a strong exhaust smell. I began to drive, and within 30 seconds smoke started coming from under the hood. I pulled over and stopped the engine just as flames came out from the right side of the hood. In less than 5 minutes the engine was engulfed in flames. The fire fighters arrived a minute later and took quite some time to extinguish the fire. The entire engine and front of the car was burned completely. The car is totaled. We have filed a claim with our insurance and reported it to Kia.

- Houma, LA, USA

problem #33

Jun 182018

Sorento

  • 29,621 miles
I am writing to you in regards to my 2016 Sorento engine failure back in June of 2018. The engine failed without warning on the highway and had to be towed to the nearby dealership. I was denied engine replacement under the warranty because I was unable to provide oil service records. I was billed in the amount of $3800 and in light of the onslaught of Kia engine failures, I ask that Kia refund me in full. I have requested this via letter.

- Newport, RI, USA

problem #32

May 012018

Sorento

  • 16,000 miles
Staring in January 2017 (purchased May 2016) at around 16K the car stalled several times in traffic and would not accelerate. No warning light or anything. Within a minute the car began to work as normal. Took it in to Kia in avon, in and they were not able to replicate but did a service recall. Happened again in May 2017 at 16K. This time more frequently to duplicate. Kia could duplicate and said relearned computer. Nothing again until 19K in Jan 2019 on highway. Car barely missed me as I coated to the side of the road. Kia could not duplicate and although said they would escalate for buyback, never contacted me again. Dangerous issue and worse they dont seem to care.

- Indianapolis, IN, USA

problem #31

Jan 012017

Sorento

  • 14,000 miles
Staring in January 2017 (purchased May 2016) at around 16K the car stalled several times in traffic and would not accelerate. No warning light or anything. Within a minute the car began to work as normal. Took it in to Kia in avon, in and they were not able to replicate but did a service recall. Happened again in May 2017 at 16K. This time more frequently to duplicate. Kia could duplicate and said relearned computer. Nothing again until 19K in Jan 2019 on highway. Car barely missed me as I coated to the side of the road. Kia could not duplicate and although said they would escalate for buyback, never contacted me again. Dangerous issue and worse they dont seem to care.

- Indianapolis, IN, USA

problem #30

Sep 032018

Sorento

  • 96,000 miles
On September 3, 2018, while driving our Sorento, there was a loud knocking noise that started under the hood. We pulled up the uvo information on the dash and it did not display any errors. Drove the car home and had to have the car towed the next morning to the nearest Kia dealership. After having to provide 12 months of receipts for oil changes, Kia agreed to cover the engine under their warranty. Waited months to get a new engine after being told 6 different dates that the engine would be in, we finally got our car back on January 16, 2019. After we picked up the car, we drove it home and the car hesitated and turned itself off and coasted. It turned itself back on and we drove it back to the dealer and here we are waiting for an update the next day. We have also had 5 different rental cars due to this. Our car is not part of a recall by the way.

- Glendale, AZ, USA

problem #29

Oct 102018

Sorento

  • 33,500 miles
October 10, 2018 drove car into driveway, shut car off, parked, went into house for about 2 mins, came back to car, it was smoking from under hood. I turned on faucet in garage, and sprayed water on car. Called 911. Within 2 mins, I saw first spark, left area, ran over to my sisters house, next door, on phone with 911 and within 4 mins of car smoke, burst into flames, 2 explosions. Fire dept arrived with in 10 mins of smoke detection. Flames higher than the house. Car totaled, and house siding melted away from house.

- Cedar Rapids, IA, USA

problem #28

Aug 182017

Sorento

  • miles
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. While driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle shook and failed to accelerate. In addition, the check engine indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to Carolina Kia of high point (866-824-7081, located at 2445 N main St, high point, nc 27262), but the failure could not be duplicated. The failure recurred and the vehicle was towed to battleground Kia (336-295-1542, located at 2927 battleground ave, greensboro, nc 27408) where it was diagnosed that the throttle body needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was not provided.

- Mcleansville, NC, USA

problem #27

Sep 072018

Sorento 6-cyl

  • 59,000 miles
The contact owned a 2016 Kia Sorento. While driving 75 mph, the contact heard an abnormal noise and noticed black smoke coming from the rear of the vehicle. The contact pulled over and turned off the vehicle. Approximately five minutes later, the front of the engine caught on fire. The fire was extinguished by the fire department. A police report was filed. There were no injuries. The insurance company declared the vehicle to be a total loss. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer to be diagnosed. The vehicle was towed to a location determined by the insurance company. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to NHTSA. The failure mileage was approximately 59,000.

- Blue Earth, MN, USA

problem #26

Sep 282018

Sorento

  • 50,000 miles
The contact owned a 2016 Kia Sorento. While operating the vehicle, the check engine indicator illuminated. The driver was alerted by another motorist that smoke was coming from the vehicle. The contact pulled over, exited the vehicle, and noticed flames and smoke coming from the engine compartment. The fire department was immediately called to the scene and extinguished the flames. Fire and police reports were filed. The vehicle was destroyed and towed. The local dealer (gary lang auto/Kia, 1107 il-37, mc henry, il) was notified of the failure, but the cause of the fire was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 50,000.

- Hebron, IL, USA

problem #25

Sep 072018

Sorento

  • 61,000 miles
Engine locked

- Indiana, PA, USA

problem #24

May 162018

Sorento

  • miles
When starting up car, vehicle shakes violently from engine, and then dies. This is an intermittent problem, and because Kia technicians cannot find a problem, and cannot replicate it - they are brushing the problem off. Their techline is useless. I escalated the case to the customer relations line they told me they cannot do anything unless they can replicate the problem. They even suggested that I use my phone to record each time I start up the car so I can send them the video. And then they were nice enough to tell me that I need to pick up my vehicle immediately as it had no problem. This was not acceptable, so I attempted to contact corporate where a representative called me once, left her number and I returned her calls on numerous occasions and she has never called me back.

- South San Francisco, CA, USA

problem #23

Aug 212018

Sorento

  • 30,000 miles
We bought our car from carvana June 19, 2018. On June 27th the vehicle wasn't responding to acceleration. It was stalling. It would go into reverse but as soon as I put it in drive it would stall. Upon inspection the service person heard a noise coming from the belt area. Upon further inspection they found the water pump leaking profusely covering the splash shield. The sop water pump and gasket were removed and replaced. They topped off the coolant and test drove the vehicle and it began operating as designed. On August 21, 2018, the car started hesitating when I pressed the accelerator while driving on the freeway during rush hour traffic. After it had been parked all day I backed the car out of the parking garage and once I put the car in drive it stalled. Again, I started the car, accelerated and the car stalled as I was entering the freeway. I had to pull over to a side parking lot and call roadside assistance. The car was towed to horne Kia. The service attendant called and explained the the high performance fuel pump was not moving fuel into the motor causing the stalling. I asked if this was connected to the the other stalling issue and he said, no, not at all. I feel that there is a serious safety concern and I would like this to be looked into as a possible recall issue. I'm consistently having a stalling issue. The on board car diagnostics is not detecting an issue. This is a 2016 Kia Sorento with 30K miles.

- Gilbert, AZ, USA

problem #22

Jun 212017

Sorento

  • miles
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. While stopped at a traffic light, the engine began to inadvertently rev and the vehicle stalled without warning. In addition, all the windows failed to open or close. The vehicle was taken to bev smith Kia (5655 us-1, fort pierce, fl 34982, (772) 465-8589), but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failures and offered no assistance. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Port St.Luci, FL, USA

problem #21

Jul 312018

Sorento

  • 39,000 miles
Multiple times I will be driving along, and at either a slow speed or stopped at a light, the car will just shut off. This is not safe! also 2 times the exterior lights have not come on in the dark even if you turn them on yourself nothing comes on and its been dark driving when that's happened! I'm worried for the safety of myself and children in this car, and the dealership and service dept do not find anything wrong with the car. But in looking online a lot of people have this complaint as well! if this happened to me at a high speed or driving on the interstate that could cause an accident and injur people! please help!

- Union, ME, USA

problem #20

Jun 082018

Sorento

  • 22,000 miles
Driving home late evening February 2018. Engine quit running had seized up. Had owned for only 7000 miles. Dealership( missoula billion Kia) has had the car since June 8, 2018, for repairs. They now say no replacement engine until September at the earliest.

- Alberton, MT, USA

problem #19

Jun 242018

Sorento

  • 57,000 miles
When the ignition is started with the car in park, the vehicle vibrates really hard as if it wants to cut off. This has occurred with 3/4 tank of gas and 1/4 tank of gas. With the vehicle vibrating, the car is placed in "D" drive and the foot is applied to the accelerator for acceleration but the vehicle does not move. The vehicle is then placed back into "P" park and the vehicle continues to vibrate until it shuts off. This issue has been report to dean mccrary Kia in mobile, al on several occasions and I was told if the vehicle does not have a code when it is brought into service there is nothing they can do. I did explain that when the issue occurs it only last for a few minutes then the vehicle runs ok until the issue occurs again.

- Semmes, AL, USA

problem #18

Jun 092018

Sorento

  • 40,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. While stationary, the vehicle consumed an inordinate amount of oil. The contact stated that a quart of oil was consumed every 1,000 miles. The dealer (coral springs auto mall, 9300 West atlantic blvd, coral springs, fl 33071, (954)346-1009) was made aware of the failure and performed a dipstick test. It was discovered that the oil consumption was normal. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed the dealer's findings. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

- Deerfield, FL, USA

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