10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 8
Injuries / Deaths:
4 / 0
Average Mileage:
15,211 miles

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« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #70

Feb 012024

Sorento

  • miles
Possible components/systems with issues: Engine, Suspension, Electrical, Emergency Parking Brake and Auto Hold, Back-Up Camera, Parking Collison Warning, et al Been trying to get my vehicle issues resolved. I have not been able to enjoy nor use my vehicle. I've had numerous repeat service appointments. I feel unsafe using the vehicle. Issues have almost caused accidents. It is now at the dealership and I've been in a loaner vehicle almost 3 months. 1. Suspension problems: I had to drive at reduced speeds and avoid highway usage. Poor driveability and rough handling. Felt like tires would pop off. 2. Oil consumption: Poor performance, reduced power and fuel economy. Check engine light came on. Dealership said I had no oil, history codes, and code for injector misfire. They cleared the codes, told me to come back if codes come back. Had me to do oil consumption tests every 1,000 miles which showed low oil levels. I had to restrict usage of my vehicle for the testing. They ultimately said someone did not properly do the testing and there was never an issue with oil consumption. I believe there was an issue. Check engine light keeps coming on. 3. Back-up camera was replaced for recall. New camera had issues causing inverted images, distorted views, and malfunctions with parking and blind spot sensors. Could not use camera. Took back to dealership multiple times, they checked and said they fixed it but it was not. 4. Emergency Parking Brake and Auto Hold Malfunction: Dashboard indicator for Auto hold malfunction and messages for activation/deactivation of emergency brake/Parking. Vehicle would stop abruptly while driving without notice. Almost caused several accidents. Auto hold would not function as designed so vehicle would keep moving when it was activated, however, the vehicle is not supposed to move when it is activated. Had to pull over, turn vehicle off and back on. Sometime it cleared, sometimes it didn't. Dealership could not replicate so had me record

- Greenville, SC, USA

problem #69

Apr 092024

Sorento

  • miles
I was driving home from work and the engine just shut off and seized while I was going down the road, coasted into an empty lot while there was traffic coming behind be and towards me on the opposite side of road and called dealership, no warning lights until everything shut down in that moment, towed to Kia dealership where mechanic diagnosed it as seized. No explanation for why without tear down of motor that would be at my expense, warranty deemed voided because of a gap in oil change. Oil change was up to date and car had oil in it.

- Portage, IN, USA

problem #68

Aug 182024

Sorento

  • 130,000 miles
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle suddenly lost motive power. The contact was unable to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, and the vehicle failed to restart, leaving the contact stuck in the middle of a busy intersection. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 130,000.

- Belmont, CA, USA

problem #67

Feb 272024

Sorento

  • miles
Bought car with 36k miles on it in July 2023. In Jan 2024, engine light came on and we noticed loss of power shifting between gears, had fuel injectors replaced/cleaned. In Feb 2024 at 51k miles, car made knocking noise, pulled over and shut car off, would not restart. Towed to KIA dealer, told the engine was seized and crankshaft snapped. I had regular oil changes every 5,000 miles as recommended by KIA. KIA dealer showed sludge in the bottom of the oil and accused me of adding oil after the engine failed -- false. KIA would not provide any remedy and is charging me $12,000 to replace engine. Seeing other complaints here for the same issue leads me to believe that this is a known issue for KIA on these engines but it has not yet reached critical mass.

- Canaan, NH, USA

problem #66

Jul 212024

Sorento

  • miles
Engine oil consumption with no warning that oil is low. The engine is faulty and can cause a seized engine while on the highway very dangerous. Thankfully the engine started sounding like loose change got home checked whole car to discover there was only about a quart oil in engine. No leak anywhere. Talked to Kia today was told it was an engine affected but excessive oil consumption. And there is a known problem with the engine but no recall

- Wausau, WI, USA

problem #65

May 152024

Sorento

  • miles
Oil light has come on intermittently, so we took the car into the Kia dealership in May before we hit 60k miles, the limit of our warranty. We were told they drained the oil, checked everything, and didn't find any issues. Oil light issue persisted so we took the car back to the dealership today (July 19) and the dealership has now acknowledged the crack in the engine where oil leaks into the oil pan. This is a widespread problem and should have been well known by the dealership. [XXX] ) However, dealer cannot do anything to fix the engine unless we pay - we were instructed to monitor the oil level and bring the car back regularly so they could read the computer codes to see if the engine starts to show any signs of rod bearing failure, since that code would justify Kia replacing the engine. In the meantime, they want us to keep driving it; the engine may seize, stall, fail, or simply catch fire. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Jefferson, GA, USA

problem #64

Jul 082024

Sorento

  • miles
UNKNOWN Excessive oil burning, Engine stalling, car shaking loss of power, misfiring,

- Eufaula , AL, USA

problem #63

Jul 062020

Sorento

  • miles
Vehicle would not turn off. had an earlier issue this day with loss of controls of anything electrical on steering wheel/dash/infotainment center. When vehicle was turned off and keys removed electrical compents would not turn off, Radio/AC/Fan. Attempted to turn car off and on again. Did not resolve the issue. Attempted to call dealership service department, No answer. Called family for help because I was concerned the batter would die. We were traveling and I did not want to leave vehicle in parking lot with elrectical running on a hot day. Advised by family to attempt disconnecting battery. Disconnected battery and electrical turned off. Dealership called on date with no answer. message left. Dealership informed at next in person visit and dealership said there was nothing that could be done because it was not occuring at that time. Video was obtained because of ongoing issues with electrical components with same response from dealership and lack of attempt to make any effort to diagnose @ Taylor Kia Toledo Ohio. Staff still said they could not do anything.

- Monroe, MI, USA

problem #62

Apr 022023

Sorento

  • miles
I bought this KIA used, one owner from a dealership 4 months ago. It had only 71000 miles on it. Since day one, we noticed it hesitates to get out of 1st gear into second. It also takes for ever to excel at speed on merge on a highway. We've had it inspected and even paid to have a FULL inspection done and all they said is this is a known KIA problem for this year and nothing they can do. I am now thinking the transmission is about to go out on this car I just bought, that the KIA dealership said is a known problem with no fix EXCEPT to replace the transmission. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Jacksonville, FL, USA

problem #61

Feb 262024

Sorento

  • miles
At my last oil change, I was told by Kia that the oil was extremely low, which shouldn't be the case as I was not overdue for an oil change. They told me they couldn't tell me why, and I could try an engine cleaning service for $300 or $400 dollars that would have maybe a 60% chance of working. If it didn't work, then the engine was the problem and I was basically just screwed. I decided to seek a second opinion at a different shop and per the mechanic, "Engine has no leaks/found oil around top valve cover - removed oil cap and found engine had excessive blow by crank case pressure valve cover - piston rings worn." I was told the engine needs to be replaced. I have about 94,000 miles on the vehicle, and have always done all the maintenance at the Kia dealership that Kia recommends. The mechanic told me this has to be a manufacturing defect. There were no warning lights or anything to alert me to this problem. I was shocked when I was told about it at a routine oil change. If my engine goes out, blows, stops working, etc. I feel this is a major safety concern, particularly if it occurs while driving. I also feel that the Kia dealership isn't being honest about a known engine failure.

- Blissfield, MI, USA

problem #60

May 192024

Sorento

  • miles
While driving the vehicle up a steep hill at 45mph, it began making a ticking noise, within seconds, the engine seized and the car died. There were no warning lights. The vehicle is available to be inspected, it has been towed to a Kia dealership and is currently awaiting inspection. Safety was a concern due to lack of power of the vehicle. Luckily we were going up hill and were able to stop the vehicle quickly.

- Lucasville, OH, USA

problem #59

May 062024

Sorento

  • miles
As I was driving on the road, the engine suddenly died. Tried to restart a couple of times without success. When I tried 3rd time, the engine started.

- Bolingbrook, IL, USA

problem #58

Nov 152023

Sorento

  • miles
Engine oil has been burning at a fast rate. Smoke from exhaust. About 5-6 months ago i Got a oil change and was told my engine oil was extremely low and if i had any warning lights. I said no. Got my oil change, .... started noticing a white smoke coming from exhaust pipe at all times of the day. about 3 months later got another oil change and i asked by any chance was the oil low again and they said yes. They Asked if any warning lights were on and i said no. I asked if i had a leak. They said no. Its been. About a month after this last oil change, i checked my engine oil at home because my car started feeling a bit rough and making making odd noises.. sure enough engine oil was low... so i had to buy some engine oil. Just made an appointment with kia but it will be a month before being looked at. Yes it is available for inspection. This is unsafe while driving and especially when i have children and family in my car which i always do.

- West Covina, CA, USA

problem #57

Mar 202024

Sorento

  • miles
I was driving on the highway and the engine started shaking and slowing down and wouldn-??t allow me to put power towards the vehicle. Had towed back to my house

- Dublin, OH, USA

problem #56

Mar 092024

Sorento

  • miles
I was driving on the highway with my two children when my car initially kept overheating so I pulled over to let it cool and add water to the anti coolant piece as it had been leaking. Then once my car cooled all the way down I proceeded to drive that is when it started to fluctuate and kept going hot then cool and it did that for a while before it overheated again. So I pulled over again and this time when I turned my car off it wouldn-??t start. And there was a burning smell. My brother came to get us and he-??s a mechanic so when he got there he said it smelled like oil and anti coolant were mixing. And that I would probably need a new engine. Towed ot to the dealership ran the diagnostic and they said it was a blown head gasket and I need a new engine. Not once did any of my dash lights come on, and I-??ve had the dash reset several times because every time something goes down in my car the light for it never comes on. My kids life and mine as well were put at risk because my he motor could-??ve caught fire or we could-??ve gotten hit if it would have locked in the middle of me driving.

- Columbia , SC, USA

problem #55

Mar 062024

Sorento

  • 70,000 miles
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormal sound and then lost motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over and was able to drive to the residence. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who advised the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Richmond, VA, USA

problem #54

Feb 272024

Sorento

  • miles
The Kia burns oil quickly. The oil light used to come in between oil changes. Last oil change the service station said the dip stick was dry but the oil light hadn-??t come on at all. A week after the oil change we checked the oil level and the stick came out clean(no oil)

- Greenpond, SC, USA

problem #53

Jan 302024

Sorento

  • miles
Vehicle has engine oil leak, started months ago but no warning lights - determined there was a problem due to the oil drippage on driveway. Took vehicle to dealership, known problem of oil filter housing and it has to be replaced. Part on back order. Not repairing the problem can force the engine to seize and stall while driving, hence, I haven't been driving the vehicle due to concerns about it seizing. This is a known problem subject to two class action settlement suits and the problem STILL occurs. Why isn't a recall being done to address this problem at no cost to the customers?

- Lansing, MI, USA

problem #52

Feb 182024

Sorento

  • miles
Oil pan cracked to the right side of the drain plug about an inch long

- Forrest City, AR, USA

problem #51

Feb 042024

Sorento

  • miles
I was driving and car lost power, couldn-??t drive anymore

- Federal Way, WA, USA

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