I now believe I've had a lemon. Since I purchased my car in 2016 they have been trying to diagnose a smell from the exhaust and started replacing parts, this was in Miami. Then for a few years in Vegas the car spent months at the dealership trying to fix a burning oil issue which I've been told there is a known problem with the turbo still isn't fixed. From the first year I had paint peeling on my snow white pearl color which has numerous forums about KIA/Hyundai paint issues especially with my color. I had them repaint the hood which took twice after the bad job the first time. I saw little bumps in the paint which I thought was over-spray from that incident and now I have peeling from one of those spots which is how they form from what i read. My car is 2016 but only has 65k miles. The spot now is getting bigger by the week, the rain isn't helping. there are other spots around the edges and a big spot on the roof and others I've already filled in with a paint pen which looks ugly. If you see my car, inside and out it looks pretty close to new from the way I've taken care of the car. The paint started in August of 2016 but most recently 2025. The engine issues were day one but most recently 2024 they fixed a cylinder that got a hole in it after consuming all the oil and it seems to be headed down that path with the remedy they are offering at KIA. The engine and paint should be convered under a class action lawsuit or recall to hold them accountable and fix the issues.

- Raleigh, NC, USA

83,000 miles just changed oil and knock sensor and engine seized

- Hudson, MA, USA

The had the same oil leakage recall fixed two times by a dealership which it is still leaking BAD! That was said to be an oil pressure switch. My trunk also will not open.

- Fairfield , OH, USA

My son was driving on the hwy and a banging sound started- lights started flashing on dash and it lost speed. Stranded on road. Read that 2016 KIA SORENTO v6 engines have this prob but apparently ours doesn-??t"?? According to Kia these run quite a while so 160K isn-??t many miles! And all maintenance done at same location the life of vehicle. Makes no sense that it states everywhere I-??ve read 2016 V6 have this problem, why not ours?" Now we battle with putting a new motor in a vehicle I just bought less than a year ago for the same price that I bought it for! It-??s very nice interior and body but that does me no good with no engine! UNFAIR KIA!

- Moville, IA, USA

This scenerio happened and fire resulted with total loss. Fuel system, gasoline: Delivery: Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings Recall date 2018-12-18 Recall no. 18V907000 Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2011-2017 Optima, 2012-2017 Sorento and 2011-2018 Sportage vehicles that previously received an engine replacement under recall number 17V-224, warranty, or the Knock Sensor Detection System (KSDS) Product Improvement Campaign. The high pressure fuel pipe that connects to the fuel pump outlet may have been damaged, misaligned or improperly torqued during the engine replacement procedure, possibly causing a fuel leak. Hide details Recall consequence A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire. Recall action Kia has notified owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the fuel pipe, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 17, 2019. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC172.

- Surprise, AZ, USA

We have been having problems with the speed control not functioning. Sometimes we couldn't set the speed or slow it down. Now it doesn't function at all! When it was working the cancel switch would also not work and we had to use the brake pedal to shut it off. Later on while driving through town with the cruise control still on, I stopped at a traffic light and the engine began to race at a high rpms. I took my foot off the gas pedal not knowing exactly what it would do and rpms settled down. Luckily the suv didn't accelerate into the vehicle in front of me. The engine has done this a couple of times with or without the cruise control on. My wife drives this vehicle with our grand children onboard and I am highly concerned about their safety.

- Evans, GA, USA

I purchased my Kia sorento in August of 2024 in April 2025 my Kia went into limp mode p1326.? It was determined to be part of the ksds recall but all they did is replace the sensor.? Something caused that sensor to go off and I feel they just masked the problem.? ?At the same time in April I was told that there is a severe case of oil consumption that the Kia dealership requested information i do a $700 engine cleaning but actually made the oil consumption worse.? ?Also just in the last 11 months ive had excessive paint issues where overall there's random chips, then peeling on the hood, side of the windshield and top of vehicle.? I messaged Kia USA where I was informed neither situation is covered under warranty.? ?My thoughts on oil consumption is i myself and the previous owners via carfax show consistent maintenance which in turn make it seem to be a manufacturer issue.? I'm in imperial MO 63052 USA? Not sure if your company can help or refer me to someone who can.?

- Imperial, MO, USA

Paint peeling everywhere an innocent burning excessive oil.

- Conroe, TX, USA

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