10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
13,574 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

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problem #19

Jun 112024

Sorento

  • miles
Car was burning oil rapidly. While driving heard loud noises, shaking, smoke started coming through vents and car turned off. Kia is stating that there are many recalls on vehicle, but the only recall I received is for a tow hitch. I don't have a tow hitch. Very dangerous if I was going somewhere with a higher speed limit. Kia dealership is saying corporation won't offer extended warranty due to recalls not being completed. Again the only recall is for a tow hitch. Kia dealership has quoted me over $10000 to fix a vehicle that is suffering from known manufacturer failures.

- Columbus, GA, USA

problem #18

Oct 032023

Sorento

  • miles
My Kia Sorento uses roughly 2-4 quarts of oil every week or 2. The smell of oil is so strong in the car it-??s almost unbearable. Just this week the the alert about a door being open is going off and the locks are malfunctioning. It locks and unlocks at random and it keeps sayings a door is open when it isn-??t. The cruise control also stopped working.

- Carthage, TX, USA

problem #17

Dec 172023

Sorento

  • miles
I just purchased this vehicle on Saturday.And now my engine light is on.It is blinking.I did my research after getting the car and the code p1326 came up at autozone.after that it showed that code with recalls for 2011 to 2017.

- Nashville , TN, USA

problem #16

Jun 012023

Sorento

  • miles
Cruise control works erratically when turned on at times I can't set the speed, othertimes it won't cancel using the cancel button the only way to cancel it is to tap the brake pedsl or turn the cruise off, sometimes it will not turn on and at other times it works as it should.

- East Bethany, NY, USA

problem #15

Jun 142023

Sorento

  • miles
BOTH rear speed sensors have gone bad. One under warranty, one outside. This disables safety speed systems and speed control.

- Charlottesville, VA, USA

problem #14

Jan 102020

Sorento

  • 45,000 miles
I own a 2017 Kia Sorento with 45,000 miles on it. I have taken my car in several times due to the check engine light coming on and engine noises. We were sent home every time and told our car was good to go. I was driving on the freeway when my car suddenly lost power and went limp, almost causing an accident. We are now being told we need a new engine due to sludge. They are stating it was caused by lack of maintenance and refusing to honor the warranty. We get regular oil changes and the last being by the dealership themselves just weeks prior. But because we did 2 changes through my husbands company, they won't accept our proof of maintenance. My make, model and year has a current recall on their engines but because mine is a 3.3L and not 2.0 or 2.4, it's not covered. This is ludicrous.

- Layton, UT, USA

problem #13

Dec 162019

Sorento

  • 62,334 miles
1 week after purchasing my 2017 Kia Sorento fe AWD from rochester tom kadlec Kia in August 2019, I went to use my cruise control and it wouldn't set. "cruise" came on, but could not be set to my speed. Issue happened around 1-2 times a week on 45 mile commute on highway. Later on about a month later, I set my cruise control and once set, the speed began to climb. Starting at 65, and going up to 70 before I had to use my brakes to turn cruise control off as the buttons didn't work. On Dec 16th, my car showed a check engine light then stalled after putting it into drive from reverse. I turned the car off, then back on and drove "normally". took it into the shop same day for an oil change and they read the codes, "P2106, P2110, P063 limp mode and throttle actuator control range" they also noted my vehicle has a timing cover gasket and oil pan gasket leak, and my battery tested at 12.39volts and 339cca out of 640cca. Recommended battery replacement. My shop asked me to check the dealership for my warranty, and it's 5 years or 60,000 miles. I came into the shop at 62,334 miles. The Kia dealership refused to look into the issue unless I paid 160 for their own inspection, and even then, it'd be highly unlikely they would do any goodwill repair. Replaced battery 12/26/19 after multiple failures and jumps to start, and finally wouldn't take a charge or jump.

- Rochester, MN, USA

problem #12

Mar 082019

Sorento

  • 25,000 miles
As I am driving over 40 mph, the vehicle will lose all power and caution lights illuminate on the dash, radio turns off, power steering goes out, car decreases speed. The car immediately turns back on, but there is no acceleration to the vehicle. This has happened 3 times in the last 5 days and it happed 3 times today March 12, 2019. All incidents were on city streets, while going straight at speeds 40 mph or more. The last time, was while I was making a right turn getting on the freeway. After each occurrence, I would safely pull off the road, turn the vehicle off, wait a couple seconds and turn the car back on. The car would resume back to normal. I have noticed that after the first time this happened, when I do the first attempt to turn the car on, it does not turn over.

- Glendale, AZ, USA

problem #11

Jan 122019

Sorento

  • 16,500 miles
Lost power, unable to accelerate.engine labored forced to drive at slow speed to dealer shop.car at dealers shop for 7 days.unable to get a pick up date.car has 16500 miles was in shop for factory recall prior to this problem.

- Timonium, MD, USA

problem #10

Jul 152018

Sorento

  • 42,600 miles
After using cruise control for approx. 4 hours, the computer in our car suddenly shut off the cruise control on its own and the parking break light illuminated on our dash panel. Brake however was not engaged. Another amber colored warning light was illuminated but I can't recall what it said. We pulled over, turned car off and when we started it back up, the brake light was no longer on and we were able to resume using cruise control. There was a previous incident where the cruise control deactivated itself while driving but not sudden stops initiated it or warning lights came on when this happened.

- Atascadero, CA, USA

problem #9

Mar 132018

Sorento

  • 4,750 miles
The vehicle did not function when the accelerator pedal was depressed at 60 mph. The engine RPM's droppped from 4,000 to 1,000 and the accelerator and transmission was not responding. The vehicle took multiple attempts to be operated normally. The dealer could not replicate the condition upon a test drive by their tecnician. This failure recurred on several occasions. Note: According to the NHTSA, this is the exact same thing that has happened and been reported by owners of Kia optimas. The dealer ordered a hose assembly air intake part to be installed upon arrival under SA303 procedure but denies it has anything to do with the acceleration problem.

- Berkeley Hights, NJ, USA

problem #8

Oct 272017

Sorento

  • 12,000 miles
On four different ocasions this vehicle completely died each time while going different speeds. One of these times I was in high speed traffic on an expressway, almost causing a wreck. The first time it died I was on a road going about 40 miles per hour, the second time the check engine light came on and it started making a surging sound. The third time I was in high speed traffic going 65 and it completely died, the fourth time I had just started driving and was going about 15 mph when it died.

- Sapulpa, OK, USA

problem #7

Dec 132017

Sorento

  • 21,000 miles
As I was making a right hand turn on to a busy highway, my gas peddle stopped working and I was stuck in the middle of the road with on coming traffic. My car was taken to Kia and had a wire replaced that connected to the computer. A few days later as I was on the interstate my car was trying to drive itself. My car was trying to excel faster than I wanted it to go. I was behind a tracker trailer and I was scared I was going to hit it. My car is now at Kia service. They were going to replace the full throttle body but then received notice to put a halt on that because of another issue. I do not feel safe putting my children back in this vehicle.

- Philadelphia, TN, USA

problem #6

Jun 152017

Sorento

  • 1,500 miles
Cruse control set at 70 and while descending will drop to 3500rpm and then suddently drop 5000rpm. Took to the dealer and they could not find a cause or problem

- Warner Springs, CA, USA

problem #5

Dec 152016

Sorento

  • 10,220 miles
15-Dec-2016: Traveling approx. 50 mph during heavy traffic in marietta, ga, the vehicle had a complete loss of power therefore preventing the operator of said motor vehicle to have complete loss of control of the vehicle, (myself) thus, illustrating a serious safety defect. This issue could have resulted in serious injury, the loss of life of myself or other motorist, and or a catastrophic event to property and infrastructure. The engine light did come on during this incident and ever since I have been extremely fearful to operate my vehicle ever since. 2. 22-Dec-2016: Engine light, rpms accelerate, while vehicle is in park/ drive. I was parked and the rpms accelerated for no reason. I have video footage of this incident. 3. 05-Jan-2017: Engine light, rpms accelerate, while vehicle is in park/ drive. Vehicle wanted to accelerate while parked. Vehicle jerked when shifting into park or drive. Vehicle accelerated without applying any throttle. Accelerated very fast had to hold brakes with significant force to prevent from accelerating. I have video footage of this incident. 4. 16-Jan-2017: Engine light, rpms accelerate, while vehicle is in park/ drive. Vehicle seems to skip a gear when stopped and trying to accelerate. 5. front of vehicle shook and has problems accelerating coming from a complete stop or up a hill. Feels like it misses a transmission gear when trying to accelerate. 0-10 mph ok but 10-35 you have to press accelerator significantly, then over speeds. 3 different Kia dealerships including 5 incidents have taken place and and each have failed to identify the problem or make repairs. Kia corporate told the last dealership to park vehicle and not make an attempt to repair. Vehicle has been inoperable for 31 day total in Kia's custody (service repair center). Lemon law proceedings pending.

- Kennesaw, GA, USA

problem #4

Oct 032016

Sorento

  • 500 miles
This problem is identical to NHTSA id number 10917569. On three different occasions the smart cruise control/ABS/stability control warning: Basically all warning lights lit on the dashboard. Car had less than 500 miles, doing 65mph on a clear day. Stopped and restarted car, all light S cleared. Dealer found no codes stored. So far it has only happened when using the ldws. Leave it off it never occurs.

- Marianna, FL, USA

problem #3

Jan 082017

Sorento

  • 15,000 miles
1.) driving vehicle at highway speed. Noticed parking brake light on (had not explicitly engaged brake). Tried to disengage parking brake, and the light stayed on. Pulled over, put car in park. Tried to disengage again, still would not. Turned car off, on again, was able to disengage. 2.) driving city road, app 40mph, accelerator peddle became physically stuck, took foot off peddle, peddle stayed in position and car continued to accelerate. Tried to gently push peddle, but it would not disengage. Tapped peddle hard and it came loose. This has occurred twice. Car has 15K miles.

- Hampstead, MD, USA

problem #2

Sep 222016

Sorento

  • 1,099 miles
Problem: Intermittent problem with advanced smart cruise control and autonomous braking on a new 2017 Kia Sorento with less than 1100 miles. What happened: When using the advanced smart control feature, the smart cruise control will shut down randomly. On four occasions, while driving with smart cruise control, on a highway on a clear day, my Kia's dashboard lit up with "check smart cruise control system." These additional warning lights lit up on the dashboard: Anti-lock brake warning light, electronic brake force distribution system warning light, master warning light, and electronic stability control indicator light. The cruise control will not work and all lights stay on until the vehicle is turned off and then back on. After one occurrence, I took the vehicle to the dealer to diagnose the problem. As this only happens randomly they were not able to replicate the problem. The vehicle was also not storing any diagnostic codes. After the 3rd time it was in the dealer for the same issue they said a code was stored. They said it had something to do with the camera mounted on the top of the windshield. The service tech disconnected and reconnected the camera with the thought that it might be a loose connection. The same issue happened again after they adjusted the camera. They have a new camera on order but it is not in stock anywhere in the country. This is a serious safety concern. I contacted Kia motors Consumer Affairs several times, and they just send me back to the dealer. Problem is still unsolved.

- New Market, MD, USA

problem #1

Sep 152016

Sorento

  • 400 miles
Problem: Intermittent problem with advanced smart cruise control and autonomous braking on a new 2017 Kia Sorento with less than 500 miles. What happened: When using the advanced smart control feature, as explained to me by the dealer, the manual, and Kia videos, the car will stop autonomously when approaching a car at a stop light. My Kia stops autonomously most of the time, but not all of the time. On three occasions, while driving with smart cruise control, on a straight road on a clear day, my Kia slowed down but did not stop, causing me to take emergency evasive action at the last second. After two occurrences, I contacted the dealer and asked to simply have the system checked. The dealer stated that they do not handle safety concerns, and directed me to call Kia, which I did more than a month ago. The Kia rep tried to tell me that the vehicle cannot stop while using advanced smart cruise control, despite their tv ads, instructional videos, and my own experiences which says the car does indeed stop in the smart cruise control mode. The Kia rep said someone from Kia would follow-up, but that never happened. So, after waiting more than a month, I am filing this report to see if others are experiencing problems with this critical safety technology. Otherwise, the Kia operates normally and is a very nice SUV. I just want my Sorento checked out before an accident occurs.

- Bradenton, FL, USA