I purchased a new 2017 Kia Sorento LX AWD and have been having an issue with the steering for a few years. When attempting to keep the car traveling straight at highway speeds, there is a need to force the wheel. This results in overcompensation in steering and can be dangerous. I have seen this issue described as Notchy and Sticky steering. Initially in an effort to correct the problem I had the tires rotated and an alignment done however this did not make a difference. The issue seems to only occur if driving 50 MPH or higher and traveling in a straight direction.

- Norton, MA, USA

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel seized upon depression of the accelerator pedal without warning. The contact stated that the failure did not occur while turning the steering wheel but rather while driving straight. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer on three separate occasions and was recently informed that the failure was normal vehicle operation. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was 59,000. The VIN was not available.

- Charleston, SC, USA

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost power steering assist intermittently. The vehicle was still drivable during the failure. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer however, the mechanic was unable to retrieve a fault code. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but offered no assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000.

- Maddison Township, PA, USA

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering assist and seized without warning. The contact was able to safely guide the vehicle off the roadway. The contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that there was a mechanical defect in the steering assembly and had to be addressed by a dealer. The contact drove the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the battery and a faulty ball joint replaced. The dealer stated that the failure was not due to the steering. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

- New Lebanon, NY, USA

The electronic steering "sticks" and makes it necessary to force the steering wheel to make driving corrections. This in turns causes an oversteer situation and a safety issue. The vehicle is difficult to keep lane control. New tires, alignment, and a TSB software upgrade by Kia service did nothing to correct the problem. Kia determined (15 Feb 2022) the vehicle needed the electronic steering column replaced. The Kia service rep stated my factory and extented warranty will not cover the cost of repairs. The problem has been intermittent for over 2 years and getting worse. My research indicates many owners having the same issue with this vehicle.

- Fayetteville, NC, USA

While driving at highway speeds steering is sticky or notching when trying to direct car in a curve, lane change in a right or left direction. Takes excessive pressure to get steering to move in any direction. Brought to dealer while under warranty, dealer said they could not replicate problem. safety issue causes you to over correct to get steering wheel to move.

- Palmdale, CA, USA

The steering seems to stick or click at various speeds.

- Metairie, LA, USA

I am the owner of the 2017 KIA Sorento, which I purchased new. When I first contacted the NHTSA, I stated within the last few months that after driving the vehicle the highway or expressway for an extended period (approximately 60 mins to 90 mins), the steering wheel would bind when turning on the road to change lanes or maintain the vehicle on the road. This binding occurs in the turning position without warning. I'm concerned the steering will lock, which will result in a bad accident. I initially took the car to the dealership (Gunther KIA), where I purchased the vehicle. The service adviser told him because the steering wheel has electronic components, the problem could occur when the battery needed replacement. I agreed to have the battery replaced; however, the binding of the steering wheel re-occurred. After the second failure, I returned the car to the dealership's service dept. At the advice of their technicians, they performed a software update on the vehicle. Unfortunately, a couple of days after the second repair, the same failure recurred for the third time. Once again, I took the car back to the dealership, where a case was filed and opened; however, the dealership could not diagnose or duplicate the failure after a few days in their possession. At one point, the master adviser (Randy Rosario) at the dealership told me that he had the same experience with his own Sorrento. And he learned to deal with it and said I should learn to deal with it because the dealership would not give me a new vehicle. I replied by stating that I didn't want a new car; I wanted my car fixed because I feared for my safety and the safety of my family and grandchildren. The adviser also mentioned that a recall should happen, but the manufacturer has never issued one. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. As a result, the vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 43,490 Fortunately, during the week of January 10th, 2022, I once again called the dealers

- Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

While driving 40mph+, steering appears to "stick" and driver has to make a more forceful jerk with the steering wheel to "unstick" the steering. Driver ends up over compensating for stuck steering and is jerking the car on the road. Steering appears to not "stick" as much when going under 40mph. Steering sticks more often going around bends or small turns on the open road.

- Casper, WY, USA

The contact owns a 2017 KIA Sorento, which he purchased new. The contact stated within the last few months that after driving the vehicle the highway or expressway for an extended period (approximately 60 mins to 90 mins), the steering wheel would bind when turning on the road to change lanes or maintain the vehicle on the road. This binding occurs in the turning position without warning. The contact had initially taken the car to the dealership (Gunther KIA), where he purchased the vehicle as new. The service adviser told him because the steering wheel has electronic components, the problem could occur when the battery needed replacement. The contact agreed to have the battery replaced; however, the binding of the steering wheel re-occurred. After the second failure, the vehicle was returned to the dealership-??s service dept. They performed a software update on the car. Unfortunately, a couple of days after the second repair, the same failure recurred for the third time. The contact had taken the vehicle back to the dealership, where a case was filed and opened; however, after a few days in their possession, the dealership could not diagnose or duplicate the failure. At one point, the master adviser at the dealership told the contact that he himself had the same experience with his own Sorrento. And he learned to deal with it and said to the contact (car owner) should learn to deal with it because the dealership would not give him a new vehicle. The contact replied by stating that he didn-??t want a new car; he wanted his car fixed because he fears for his family-??s, and grandchildren-??s safety. The adviser also mentioned that a recall should happen, but the manufacturer has never issued one. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. As a result, the vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 43,490.

- Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

power steering sticks when driving causing you to constantly over correct to keep the car going in a straight line. This leads to erratic driving as you are weaving back and forth on the road to keep the car going straight. There are many complaints on the internet of this problem with most dealers saying they don't see a problem and others replacing the steering column.There should be a recall to fix this problem while under warranty, any problem with a cars steering down a road should be fixed as this is a safety issue.

- Frenchtown, NJ, USA

This is an ongoing condition of the vehicle that my mechanics were unable to address. The steering wheel sticks in the straight ahead position and requires unexpected force to make small corrections to the car's direction. This mostly happens at highway speeds or at lower speeds on long straightaways. The mechanics informed me this was not an uncommon condition and suggested that I report it to Kia and to the NHTSA.

- Davis, CA, USA

Steering is sticky and has play during highway speeds. Driver must constantly adjust to keep vehicle aligned. Power steering after sticking point over corrects vehicle. This is very dangerous.

- Des Peres, MO, USA

On some occasions the steering was not smooth, as if it stuck just a little and I would have to lightly jerk it. This was always highway. Then about a week ago my oil light flickered and I mean only a second and then again on the way home. When I checked my oil, there wasn't a drop on the dipstick and it looked to have a little burnt oil on very tip. It was also very hard to get the oil cap on to add oil. I had to add 3 quarts! why did my oil light come on before this and why did it not stay on" my car is a 2017 Kia Sorento and has only had maintenance at the dealer where it was bought. I was shocked when I looked online and saw this was an issue for years. Why isnt someone making Kia accountable" I cant afford to pay upfront for repairs and when courts decide years later maybe we'll get reimbursed, they don't wait on their payments for the vehicles.

- Conway, AR, USA

Engine burns up oil very quickly way before 3,000 miles and there are no alerts that the oil is low. Steering gets "stuck" at times for brief amounts of time and needs to be readjusted in the road. This happens on straight highways and in curve. Windshield wiper fluid function does not work.

- Appomattox, VA, USA

While the vehicle is in motion a red warning light appears in the shape of a steering wheel and the steering becomes very stiff. This happens intermittently after putting it to gear and driving forward or backing out and it has also happened while highway driving. Luckily these incidents have happened while driving straight and occurs for a short duration. It is concerning from a safety standpoint. I brought it in to a Kia dealership and it has something to do with the electronics in the steering column. They have no recall listed and it is very expensive to replace outside the 50K basic mileage warranty which ours is since we tend to put a lot of highway miles on our vehicle. It isn't too much over though and we take very good care of it. I would find it very hard to believe it that is caused from wear and tear but more likely to be a manufacturer defect.

- Sebring, FL, USA

The steering on my Sorento ex feels 'sticky' and unsafe. Whenever driving, whether in the city, on the highway, or in a neighborhood, it feels as though the steering wheel is constantly getting stuck for half of a second and needs consistent readjustment. The problem is especially evident when driving around a turn, but it is very noticeable even while driving on a straight road or highway.

- Round Rock, TX, USA

Steering is sticky, forcing driver to rotate steering wheel in an exaggerated way to correct the issue. Door handle cover on passenger rear side broke within 6 months of owning the car.

- Weaverville, NC, USA

When the vehicle is driving straight the steering will feel like it hesitates slight movements and then releases causing me to over steer. Almost like the electronic steering is intermittent. To the point where I will end up in the other lane slightly and continually have to counter steer the vehicle.

- Graham, WA, USA

Steering wheel is hard to turn left / right, it feels like its stuck and will not release free, then you have to pull it back. Its scares me on the highway. I took it to the dealer and they didn't find anything wrong. This feeling goes on and off

- Germantown, MD, USA