— A Kia Sorento headlight recall may be forthcoming based on the results of a federal investigation into reports of sudden headlight failures in 2011-2013 Sorentos.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received 74 complaints about headlight failures and how owners report making multiple dealership visits just for the headlights to fail again.
Kia Sorento owners complain about losing the headlights while making turns or traveling on highways at all speeds. The Sorento headlights may stay off a while before illuminating again, while some owners say turning off the vehicles and restarting them will bring the headlights back to life.
Three model year 2013 Kia Sorento owners are good examples of the customer complaints about headlight failures.
"The front driver side headlight keeps shorting out. I have replaced the light, that worked for a while...Then it over heated and some of the wiring melted having to be replaced. Guess what it is out AGAIN...This started happening after owning the car for a couple of years and has become an ongoing problem!"
"This will be the THIRD time I have had to replace the headlight assembly on the driver's side. I cannot afford to keep paying for the dealership to fix this issue so the last time and this time I will have to order the assembly online and have someone fix it. I truly feel that this is a manufacturer issue and I should not be responsible for continuing to pay for this!"
"I have had to replace my headlight bulbs 4 times since I have had this car. I had to replace the passenger side wiring harness because the lights kept going out. Now the drivers side headlight was just replaced and it went back out."
A Kia Sorento headlight recall may not be necessary, but the investigation by federal regulators will determine if a recall is the best action or if no further action is required.
It's also possible NHTSA may find evidence of a safety defect and upgrade or expand the Sorento headlight failure investigation which currently includes about 392,000 Sorentos.
CarComplaints.com will update our website with results of the Kia investigation. Until then, check out headight complaints about the 2011 Kia Sorento, 2012 Kia Sorento and 2013 Kia Sorento.