10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
14,278 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 #20

Mar 152024

Sorento

  • miles
The passenger side headlight has been reinstalled 8 times. The dealership has replaced it and we have replaced it several times. The light goes out constantly and is costing me a fortune to replace as well as possible traffic tickets. The headlights turn off also when in automatic mode. Please recall this vehicle and have this safety and expensive issue fixed. This issue has been going on several months now. The dealership does not provide a permanent solution. This is a defect.

- Covington , GA, USA

problem #19

Dec 282023

Sorento

  • miles
While driving down the road my headlights will flash off and on randomly. I have auto headlights and when it-??s in auto mode it will randomly flash off and on 1-2 times and keep repeating sometimes longer than others. When it-??s just my drls that are on it does the same as well as the switch being all the way on it will do the same and when it happens I hear clicking coming from somewhere in the dash. Brought it in for the -??recall-?? but Kia tells. Me it only goes to 150k miles. This is absolutely an issue that needs to be addressed and not at the consumers cost. I-??m not the only one this is happening to. Please help

- Stacy, MN, USA

problem #18

Mar 172023

Sorento

  • miles
When signaling a left turn, my right signal flashes before flashing the left signal.

- Twin Falls, ID, USA

problem #17

Nov 102023

Sorento

  • miles
I had the anti-theft update installed in August which was supposed to prevent the car from being stolen by lengthening the alarm and making it so the car would not start without the key. My car was still stolen in November.

- San Lorenzo, CA, USA

problem #16

Sep 062023

Sorento

  • miles
Lights go off unexpectedly while driving at night. The rear break light has been changed 3 times and continues to work intermittently. Lights come on after the car has parked and turned off.

- Marietta, GA, USA

problem #15

Oct 092023

Sorento

  • miles
My headlights will turn off when using the blinker. It has done this more then a dozen times it is extremely dangerous. They will stay off untill I cycle the on and of headlight switch

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #14

Aug 242023

Sorento

  • miles
While driving at night, the headlights turn off by themselves randomly. The lights need to be turned to off and back on to get them to turn back on. Driving with no lights in an area with no streetlamps obviously could result in an accident. It has not yet been inspected by anyone yet, but a check is scheduled. There were no warning lamps, messages, etc. when the lights turned off. Not a safety concern, but seems related: On another occasion, the car had been parked and locked for hours with the engine off, and the parking lights turned on and remained on until manually shut to off. They did not turn off by a remote unlock and lock.

- Round Rock, TX, USA

problem #13

Oct 042022

Sorento

  • miles
10/5/2022 Driving down Texas Interstate 20 last night, just east of Willow Park, Texas the headlights turned off. I switched the lights from the auto position to the On and the lights turned back on. Wife informed me this has happened to her previously as well. Driving down the road at 70 MPH and everything goes dark is a bit frighting. From my search, this has become a common issue with our KIA model. The issue happens randomly so difficult to pinpoint the issue.

- Benbrook, TX, USA

problem #12

Jul 072022

Sorento

  • miles
The headlights will occasionally turn off at night while driving. We have to then turn them back on by touching the light switch. The are set on AUTO always and should not go out AT NIGHT, especially while driving. They should only go out when exiting the car after engine shut off. The parking lights (front and back) occasionally do not turn off when leaving the car, after engine shut off. They are also on auto and should go off so the battery does not drain. A few times they have even come on when we were not in the care and we discovered them on after a period of time when returning to the car. The dealer could NOT find a problem and did nothing to resolve it.

- Palmetto Bay, FL, USA

problem #11

Apr 072022

Sorento

  • miles
This KIA Sorento was brand new and I was the only owner. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request" The engine, brake lights, charging ports and overhead lights. Yes, the vehicle is available for inspection. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The engine: this puts me at risk because the vehicle stop in the middle of the highway and the rear lights was not working because I burnt harness... a Truck was coming full speed. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes, several times and they failed to take responsibility. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? The manufacturer and several other opinions from other reputable mechanic shops. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear" No not at all, I was driving home from work, and once I exited the highway and came to a red light it just started violently shaking. There was no sign of this issue. I thought the light going out was just regular maintenance until it we out a few days later... then again. Then I noticed it was burnt on the wiring.

- Spring, TX, USA

problem #10

May 162022

Sorento

  • miles
Headlights, all front lights shut off while driving, repeatedly.

- Brooklyn, NY, USA

problem #9

Jan 202021

Sorento

  • 67,059 miles
The right head light just stops working and I have to open the head light casing and play with the cables to get it to work again. Also the power seats don't work.

- Miami, FL, USA

problem #8

Nov 212020

Sorento

  • 36,000 miles
I was traveling to Florida and saw sparks in the mirrors in the back. I quickly pulled over and went to the back and saw fire, the car was on fire everybody got out, we tried to put it out but it seemed like there was an accelerrent or something cause it was engulfed with fire very fast once we stopped the whole car was burning.+we were on 65 South in Kentucky just driving, no rain roads were dry.

- Allendale, MI, USA

problem #7

Sep 012020

Sorento

  • 61,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that the driver's side door latch indicated a malfunction on the instrument panel. The contact stated that the doors failed to lock while the vehicle is being driven. The contact manually locked the doors however, the warning light and door ajar message remained illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact contacted fort bend Kia (26633 southwest fwy, rosenberg, tx 77471; (877) 265-5649) and was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 61,000.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #6

Nov 262020

Sorento

  • 26,000 miles
While driving on numerous occasions the car has to be forced to go. It's always hesitating to go and I'm forced to press hard on the gas. In October 2020, the engine light came on and the car went into "limp" mode. I'm very scared while driving with my kids. The dealers have no fix-I will be taking it in for a third time within a year.

- Coral Springs, FL, USA

problem #5

Nov 012020

Sorento

  • 58,000 miles
2018 Kia sorrento - lights have shut off for approximately 3 seconds intermittently driving in various driving conditions (interstate/city street/etc.). can happen multiple times during a single trip (twice yesterday and four times last week all within one trip). Can go days without it happening which is frustrating as dealer "needs to see the issue to fix it". observing it in both night and day. Obviously more dangerous during night. I have videos from others that replaced the light stalk switch with success. Dealer refuses to do this while car is still under warranty as they have not been able to reproduce concern. They recommend that I continue driving and bring it in "if it happens again". they charge me 150 dollars each time I bring it in to tell me "they can't reproduce it". I am seeing multiple people on forums for this issue. Video from another customer (start at 56 seconds): Https://www.youtube.com/watch?V=txg9cj076ha

- Lodi, WI, USA

problem #4

Mar 072020

Sorento

  • 30,000 miles
Headlights turn off while driving on highway and city streets. Service on 3-23-20 and could duplicate problem. On 9-25-20 driving and dash board indicator switching from flashers on, headlights going from auto set, to off, to running lights, and door locks locking and unlocking. Scheduled service for 10-20-20, but was told if they can not duplicate problem may not be able to repair.

- Pittsburgh, PA, USA

problem #3

Feb 082020

Sorento

  • miles
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while her son was driving approximately 60 mph, the vehicle suddenly stalled and lost all power. The contact stated that son called her and informed her that the vehicle was smoking. He was able to pull to the side of the road, upon exiting the vehicle he saw flames coming from under the vehicle. The contact stated that he opened the hood and the flames immediately engulfed the whole vehicle. The fire department was called and extinguished the fire. A fire department report was made. There were no injuries or medical assistance needed. The vehicle was towed and totaled. The contact contacted the dealer suntrup Kia South (6263 S lindbergh blvd, St. Louis, mo 63123 phone: (314) 254-8955) who stated that they were not liable and to contact Kia consumer line. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure a case was opened as well as an investigation was conducted. The approximate failure mileage was unknown.

- St. Louis, MO, USA

problem #2

Jan 112019

Sorento

  • 7,500 miles
In January 2019 a recall was done on my vehicle. A few days later, I was traveling out of state. I was on the interstate driving 70 miles per hour when the car lost power. Luckily there was no one behind me. I was told that the recall sent the car into limp mode because the engine was bad. My car was in the shop for over 4 months in Wisconsin. I live in Iowa. Long story short, Kia came up with new diagnostic testing and after 4 months they decided I did not need an engine and it was my wiring harness that was the problem. 2 months later, I was driving on the interstate again when my vehicle did the same thing my car went from 70 mph to 50 mph within seconds. I looked in my rearview mirror and a semi was right behind. Thank goodness the driver was paying attention. He had to go onto the shoulder of the highway to avoid crashing into me. I was told the car was once again in limp mode. It was in the shop for 3 days and they said it needed a new knock sensor. Fast forward a few more months and my vehicle goes into limp mode for the 3rd time. Currently my car is still in the shop. It has been there for 6 weeks. I'm being told that it now needs a new computer, but Kia has to write one, so it could be awhile. This car is unsafe. The car going into limp mode is dangerous and unsafe. I have had this vehicle for 15 months and of that, its been in the shop for 6 and counting.

- Cedar Rapids, IA, USA

problem #1

Feb 152018

Sorento

  • miles
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that the vent control functions failed to work properly when needing to use the heater. In addition, the headlamps failed to illuminate as the contact was informed by a passerby on the roadway. The dealer (bev smith Kia, 5655 us-1, fort pierce, fl 34982, 1-(772) 465-8589) was notified of the failures and the contact was waiting for a response to schedule an appointment to service the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified. The contact would like the dealer to buy back the vehicle if there was no remedy. The failure mileage was not available.

- Port St. Lucie, FL, USA