10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 3
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
8,824 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 #17

Aug 162023

Sorento

  • miles
. In October 2023 (see KIA service ticket) my KIA was brought into Jackson KIA Cocoa, FL, for something not operating correctly. The vehicle periodically would hesitate when pressing the accelerator and other times when you had pressed the accelerator to go faster and removed your foot from the accelerator, the vehicle would not slow down, rather continue to speed up even if you tapped the brakes. The service technician had the vehicle for two days and confirmed during several of his test drives that the vehicle would hesitate and speed up with your foot off the accelerator. The service technician said the fuel pump was the issue; however, to cover it under our vehicle warranty, the vehicle would need to generate either a service code error or the indicator light would have to turn on. Neither of these happened during the service technician-??s test drives. The service technician wanting to confirm his assessment that the fuel pump was faulty, replaced the fuel pump with a new one and test drove the vehicle. The issues of hesitation and acceleration didn-??t happen as they did with old fuel pump. The service technician put the old fuel pump back in because I refused to accept a charge for replacing the fuel pump when it was under warranty. I made an appointment with Jackson Kia in August 2024, explaining that the vehicle had not improved and no error codes and no indication lights but the vehicle was accelerating and hesitating even more than it was almost a year ago when their service technician confirmed the issue with the fuel pump. I left the vehicle with Jackson KIA again for three days for them to diagnose the problem and confirm that the fuel pump was faulty. The service technician confirmed that the other service technician from a year ago diagnosed the problem correctly. It was in fact the fuel pump and is exhibiting the conditions as outlined in the KIA Motors Fuel Pump notice, except the vehicle did not have any diagnostic error codes nor any lights

- Orlando, FL, USA

problem #16

Nov 132024

Sorento

  • miles
Fuel pump malfunction. It is available for inspection. My safety was put at risk and others because the car stalled abruptly while driving and would not accelerate. Yes the dealer was able to recognize fuel pump issue. No other symptoms.

- Atlanta, GA, USA

problem #15

Nov 172024

Sorento

  • miles
My engine was replaced and the fuel line was reported "mangled" by Kia of Coatesville where I took my car in after an engine replacement. One in which emissions codes were still going off. The car still smelled like fuel and it was then found that the fuel pump was leaking. To further this when we got the car back, the csr still smelled like fuel. The car was yet again taken in and found to have a crack in the fuel rail.

- Philadelphia, PA, USA

problem #14

Oct 212024

Sorento

  • miles
I have a 2019 Kia Sorento EX V6 with 65,000 miles. Recently started smelling fuel and had someone look at it. I was told there is a fuel leak above the left side of the tank in the evaporative line. No accidents. This should never happen on a vehicle for no reason. ? NO system Failure. No malfunction. Yes, it is available upon request. NO inspections by insurance or police. No warning lights. Safety could potentially be at risk since fuel is exposed!!!!!

- Scottsdale, AZ, USA

problem #13

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 #12

Dec 182023

Sorento

  • miles
There's something SERIOUSLY wrong with the Lambda Ii GDI engine similar to the theta ii. Like the SAME oil problems. I have a perfect service record at 89,600 miles and no accident and the oil light came on with solid oil, and even after the new oil, the new transmission flush and full injection service the oil light came on. They took it in numerous times and turned off the oil light and said nothing wrong but the ENGINE light went on once and I took it in 1 mile away and they cleared the light saying "no errors" and "no service problems they could see" and stated it might be the engine itself. It's acting JUST like the theta engine problems with kia sorentos. Like exactly the same. The blogs on the net are freaking out because a SLEW of people with 2019 sorentos were having the same problems. Not low on oil at ALL and the oil light keeps going off. They are helpless to fix it at Kia and said to trade in the car. There were six kia sorentos of the same make and in for repair recently and while I was in the lobby I was hearing customer ls call in complaining about oil lights going off. The blogs I'm reading have a slew of people this is happening to and I just read the California judges ruling and on the theta ii and I contacted the same lawfirm TODAY about the Lambda ii engine. I guess the feds are looking into it but it should be tied RIGHT away to the Lambda engines as well. There's something MAJOR wrong with the lambda.

- Penfield, NY, USA

problem #11

Oct 052019

Sorento

  • 149,904 miles
KIA and HYUNDAI - all of their cars are unsafe. I have attached a letter to the NJ State Attorney General to explain some of the issues. These cars are absolutely unsafe and we have no peace of mind. They are killing us, literally. Please do all you can to immediately stop them. I cannot explain how upsetting this is. Please may you help our families. Our children drive these cars. Our brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, neighbors, parents and all of us are in jeopardy of losing our lives. Thank you.

- Hammonton , NJ, USA

problem #10

Sep 022023

Sorento

  • miles
Vehicle has a strong fuel smell when driving and when park kia found leak coming from fuel pump seen fuel coming from up on top of tank kia replace fuel pump and there were no cheek eng light

- Lathrop, CA, USA

problem #9

Jun 302023

Sorento

  • miles
Kia America sent me a letter on June 30, 2023, which alerted owners of 2018-2019 Kia vehicles of a possible low-pressure fuel pump leak and explaining a warranty extension. I am distressed and disgruntled, frankly, by this strategy to wait until there is a fuel leak before repairing the problem. My wife and I are in our 70s and travel in the car often on overnight and even two-month trips. We now have to worry that we-??ll start to smell fumes while far away from home. This is unacceptable. Why is Kia waiting until owners experience problems before fixing it? I asked our Kia dealer how much it would cost me out of pocket to get the fuel pump replaced now before we are stranded on the road. The dealer would not give an estimate. In addition, I wrote to Kia America and their Customer Care Center about this problem and after a month they have not responded. Finally, I called the Care Center hotline and waited for an hour and finally someone answered, but the connection was lost or the person hung up on me before I could even explain the problem.

- Ithaca, NY, USA

problem #8

Jul 132023

Sorento

  • miles
Letter date 6/30/2023= Low pressure fuel pump leak. this should be a recall to fix the problem this saftey problem. Not a extension of the warranty

- Oakwood, GA, USA

problem #7

Apr 052023

Sorento

  • miles
4/5/2023 954PM-Neville Island bridge, Pittsburgh, PA While traveling on the interstate, the vehicle caught fire with no warning. We were heading out on vacation, so we had lots of things packed in the car. The fire started in the rear of the vehicle, and was extinguished by a passer by with a fire extinguisher, but re-ignited. it burned VERY fast. Unknown at this time what caused the fire. It is currently in the hands of my car insurance company, so it may be available for inspection. There were NO indications of a problem prior to large flames erupting form the read of the vehicle. In the car was myself, my two adult daughters and 6 year old grandson. He was seated in the 3rd row seat. One daughter in the second row, and myself and daughter up front. Once we realized we were on fire, we attempted to get the back doors open, but child locks were engaged. The key fob would NOT work, and my daughter and grandson were trapped in the burning car. we attempted to break the windows to get them out, but that was not successful. My daughter climbed back in the burning car and somehow got a back door open and they were able to get out and run. Within a few seconds, the windows blew and the flames shot even higher. We will NEVER EVER use child locks again. The problem had not been confirmed or reproduced to my knowledge. I believe my insurance company may be looking into it. I had to have a fuel system regulator and sensor replaced on this vehicle approx 1 month before this event. I had an oil change the day before. Police and fire department were present at the scene. There were NO warnings, lights, messages etc prior to eruption of flames. I have lots of photos, but have not been able to upload them to this site.

- Erie, Pa, PA, USA

problem #6

Nov 302022

Sorento

  • miles
To whom it may concern: I am sending this email as an owner of a 2019 Kia Sorento for just 15 months, yet I am already experiencing significant mechanical issues. 3 weeks ago my car stopped accelerating while driving across a bridge, began shaking a making a weird noise once idle, and as expected my engine light came on. After calling endless Kia dealers I was able to get it towed 2 weeks later to my local Kia. To my surprise it was a high pressure fuel pump issue which seems to be a common issue amongst Kia Sorento-??s. After only having this car for 15 months it should not be costing me $1,700 in repairs. I am requesting that this issue be looked into further and that Kia provides me with assistance.

- Richmond, CA, USA

problem #5

Dec 082022

Sorento

  • miles
2019 Kia sorento caught on fire while driving. Drivers behind my wife saw flames coming from under motor. They signaled her to pull over and she got out just in time before entire car went up in flames. We believe the fuel pump was faulty as entire motor was on fire.

- Nashville , TN, USA

problem #4

Aug 262022

Sorento

  • miles
The fuel system is faulty in that the cabin of my vehicle now smells like gas. The fumes gradually became stronger in smell. This is a huge safety concern in that it's impairing my way of driving. This put not just myself and my passengers but those on the road with me. Not to mention a fire hazard. I have gradually become I'll, major headaches, nasal/sinus pain, irritated throat and difficulty breathing, dizzy and nauseated. I'm on my way to 2nd ER visit in a span of 3weeks. Prior to smell I had notice a pull back in power. Feeling like the engine was lacking what it needed to run.

- Cathedral City, CA, USA

problem #3

Jul 102022

Sorento

  • miles
Engine stutters and jerks upon acceleration. Happens in every driving mode (Comfort / Eco / Smart / Sport). This has been a persistent safety issue, and judging by the number of similar complaints, a speedy resolution is needed.

- Indian Trail , NC, USA

problem #2

Apr 052022

Sorento 6-cyl

  • miles
What component failed-High pressure fuel pump. It would have to be towed from place of inspected. They cannot put the part back inside the car; the part went "poof" into big chunks after it was taken apart. Mine and my children's saftey; our lives were put at risk on April 5th, 2022. We were driving home from school in a 40 mph zone. At the stop light when the light had turned green when the gas pedal was pressed down the car drove at less then 5mph and then stalled out. There was zero power to the gas pedal. We had to pull over and restart car and hope there was power. We were only down the street from our home. I had to baby the gas pedal and could not get to pass 10 mph in a 40mph zone and then a 25mph zone. The car then sat on our driveway until we could take it to our auto shop on April 19th, 2022. The KIA then turned on and had the check engine light on now. The car would drive up to 38mph in Eco mode only before it would start to spurter and slow down itself on its own. There was hardly any power to the gas pump again. When I entered the auto parking lot there was a very faint squeal sound coming from the engine area. When the auto place called they told us when the part was taken out "the internal parts disintegratend" and the part cannot be placed back in the KIA. The high pressure fuel pump did not handle the "fuel pressure". This has been a concern for many KIA's that have come through the auto place. They had said they have seen KIA's of all styles as far back to 2017 having this issue and that the part is on a national back order with zero ETA of being back in stock. How can a car part not be on a recall and be on a national back order. I had called PEAK KIA in Littleton, CO. I was told that the high pressure fuel pump went bad on my account.

- Morrison, CO, USA

problem #1

Jan 152019

Sorento

  • 100 miles
Purchased car in Jan 2019. Car studders on acceleration of car under all conditions.acceleration is always rough. Two time and several calls to dealer has been of no help. I keep getting told by dealer that Kia is working on software fix for the problem and that all Kia Sorento's have same problem.

- Georgetown, TX, USA