CarComplaints.com Notes: As long as catastrophic engine failure at under 60,000 miles is the top owner complaint, it'll be pretty hard to recommend the 2012 Sorento.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 47
Injuries / Deaths:
7 / 0
Average Mileage:
71,884 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2012 Kia Sorento engine problems

engine problem

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2012 Kia Sorento Owner Comments (Page 15 of 22)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #154

Jul 032018

Sorento

  • 117,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I started experiencing stalling issues in April 2018, had the dealership that I bought it from inspect it and I was advised to change the crankshaft position sensor and the battery. I changed both and the the motor ran fine for around 3000 miles. I was drivong down the highway at 60mph when the vehicle shut off with no warning, oil lamp or check engine light. The vehicle wouldn't start up after stalling. Towed the vehicle to my brother's house, tried to start it a few days later, when it cranked over there was a horrible screaching sound followed by knocking from the engine. Towed the car into Kia in waco and they have denied repairs because my vehicle isn't covered under the recall. I recieved the run around regarding what exactly is broken. The only answer I get is "we know its got broken parts onsode, but we don't know what." I believe that they didn't even perform an inspection, just denied based on not recalled under VIN. Kia sent me an interim notice as well as another notice stating my engine will be covered for 10 years and 120K miles die to the engine bearing clearance issue. Kia doesn't have a record of notified vehicle owners amd is telling me I'm lying by saying I recieved any notification because they have no record. Its already been proven that Kia has hid the defective internal engine parts. I was quoted $7300 for an engine without labor.

- Grandview, TX, USA

problem #153

Jun 232018

Sorento

  • 105,000 miles
June 23 driving on the freeway popping noisecoming from what sounded like under the car red engine symbol comes on in the lower left hand corner of dash immediately begin getting over second popping occurs within 10-15 seconds red oil lamp light comes on right hand side of dashboard smoking from vehicle happens immediately get to side of freeway attempt to turn off car restarts attempt again turns off immediately get out of car and run towards good samaritan who witnesses entire thing stops and stays with me entire time 911 called another vehicle pulls over as front of vehicle is fully engulfed in flames and attempts to extinguish fire but to no avail fire trucks and freeway roadside assistance come within 10 minutes of incident extinguish front of my vehicle vehicle towed in motion at beginning on freeway pulled over and got out on side of freeway NHTSA recall number17V224 may and October 2017 just had 105,000 mile maintenance done at rally Kia on June 11 could not upload pictures said file must be one of the types specified above. Am I able to send them via another way?

- Lancaster, CA, USA

problem #152

Jun 132018

Sorento

  • 81,598 miles
We were driving on the 10 East from California heading home to phoenix, AZ on June 14th. At approx. 12:30pm pst at a cruising speed of 75 mph we approached the long step hill and half way up the hill the engine ceased. We were driving in the left lane and the right lane had many semi- trailer trucks passing us. Luckily we were able to drift the Sorento with no engine power to the right side of the safety shoulder- this could have been a situation with my wife, me and my 11 year daughter as fatalities since losing power up fill as semi-trailer trucks pass you by is extremely dangerous and perilous. We had to get a tow truck to tow the Kia to an independent mechanic in bermuda dunes. His analysis was the engine would not crank over/no signs of over heating, batter levels in good condition, and engine completely seized. We had to tow the Sorento on June 15th to palm springs Kia dealership where the car has been up to this report's writing July 15th -- one full month. Kia palm springs ran their test and said the engine did cease up but no "sludge" in the oil hence no oil issues. When I asked for the technician's report- monica at palm springs Kia said there was no report available for me to review.. monica entered a " good will service case" for me. I had to contact Kia Consumer Affairs a total of 10 times before finally an escalated affair manager lyle clark said Kia motors Inc. Will not be offering any assistance in replacing the engine or any help and that basically I have to take up my case with palm springs Kia-- who by the way advised I contact Kia Consumer Affairs in the first place. No ownership, accountability or compassion by Kia. Many Kia engines are ceasing and one day fatalities will happen. Now I have a broken Kia in palm springs and the terrible feeling of being dismissed by Kia and they only want me to fix it so they can get paid for this indignity.

- Scottsdale, AZ, USA

problem #151

Jul 022018

Sorento

  • 94,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

2012 Kia Sorento -similar to others, oil pressure light and check engine light came on. Rattling noise heard during acceleration. My mechanic informed me main rear seal blown. Called Kia and learned my engine is not included in the current recall. After reading other reports, seems like Kia may need to expand the recall to include other engines in the same time frame.

- Pittston, ME, USA

problem #150

Mar 052018

Sorento

  • 85,000 miles
I had a few problems with my car, one of them is that my car made a big rattle noise while driving at about 45mph in the street, I call Kia made an appointment took the car and when they got back to me they said it was the throttle need it to be replace ($500) then the started ($600) I have replace this 2 times already, then the drive belt idler pulley and the brake lights go off very often, and so on. Make story short my car was in the safety recall, my car as showed all the signs, rattle noise, the oil light goes on and off the dashboard I have spend a lot of money in this car but they refuse to replace the engine. I received a second safety recall number 17V224 on October 17, 2017. And then another notice from Kia saying they extended the warranty on my car to 120,000 miles. On my point of view that doesn't fix the problem.

- Downey, CA, USA

problem #149

Mar 102018

Sorento 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 104,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sorento. The contact heard an abnormal knocking noise coming from the vehicle and then the motor failed to function. The dealer (crain Kia of sherwood, 5830 warden rd, sherwood, ar 72120, (501) 542-6042) diagnosed that the engine assembly needed to be replaced. The dealer further stated that the vehicle was not included in a recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but refused to provide goodwill assistance due to the vehicle's high mileage. The manufacturer stated that the vehicle would need to be repaired by the dealer. The approximate failure mileage was 104,000.

- Mcgehee, AR, USA

problem #148

Apr 202018

Sorento

  • 105,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My son was driving our 2012 Kia Sorento and as he exited the freeway to the service road and approached the intersection which was on an uphill grade, the engine suddenly stalled. He lost braking and steering control on the car. The car rolled backwards into the car behind him and collided with the car resulting in $1,820 damage to the other car. The engine had seized and threw a rod into the vehicle starter.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #147

May 092018

Sorento

  • 112,000 miles
Vehicle stalls while in motion and when stopped. When it stalls in motion, there is no steering or brakes. AWD kicks in for no reason and will not go off. I had the vehicle checked and both the map sensor and vcma actuator were both replaced as recommended by the diagnostic computer. I did have a tune up on the vehicle one day prior so I had hoped the spark plugs were the problem. Problem resumed one day after bringing home from shop. I called Kia after seeing there was a recall in may of 2017 that covered certain Sorento models that were stalling, however I was told mine was not a part of this recall. I don't know what to do now other than to take it to Kia and spend enormous amounts in repairs.

- Spruce Pine, NC, USA

problem #146

May 162018

Sorento

  • 150,000 miles
My car stalled out in the middle of the road while driving on a city street. I took it to the Kia dealership certain it had to be the engine safety recall. They said it was not, blamed the issue on something else and charged me over $1,000 to fix it. I took the car home again. The next morning, it stalled again while driving in the middle of a main city road. I heard a knocking sound from the engine and then it died. Kia is putting my family's lives at risk.

- Arlington, VA, USA

problem #145

May 122018

Sorento

  • 108,500 miles
Existed the freeway, stopped at 2 stop lights with other cars with no indication of trouble. Started forward from light 100+ yards and maybe 20 mph when fire erupted from under the engine compartment with large flames. I pulled to side of the road and fire burned from motor compartment into dash and ceiling of passenger area. Vehicle is totaled! the engine had been replaced by Kia on a recall just 5 months ago. Only about 9000 miles on the new engine!

- Lehi, UT, USA

problem #144

May 102018

Sorento

  • 116,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

116,000 miles. I have been changing the oil every 2K miles since I found out about an engine problem with my make/model. No matter how many engine flushes and engine cleaners I use it burns oil like crazy. Yesterday I drove 1 block from my house before realizing the car was not accelerating beyond 20 miles per hour. No matter how hard you step on the gas it won't reach more than 2 on the RPM dial.

- Lake Oswego, OR, USA

problem #143

Apr 302018

Sorento

  • 104,000 miles
My mechanic said my engine seized on me. I was driving on a highway which turns into a city street and the car stopped on me and when I turned the steering wheel right to get off of the busy street it was difficult to turn. I then tried to start the engine, all the lights came on but there was no noise when I turned the key. Smoke started coming out of the engine on the passenger side. I had to get the car towed and the mechanic said the engine seized on me. There were no warning signs. I called Kia but they said my car does not qualify for a recall because it is not a gdi model, even though it falls into the same year for the engine recall. I called Kia to see how much it would cost to get the engine replaced and was told they discontinued my engine model. So they told me my best bet would be to search for a used engine in a junk yard.

- Calexico, CA, USA

problem #142

Apr 122018

Sorento

  • miles
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that there was an extremely loud and abnormal noise coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that the brake and engine indicators illuminated, and the vehicle drove roughly. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing or repairs. The vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign numbers: 17V224000 (engine and engine cooling) and 15V626000 (power train), but the contact had not received the recall notices. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was not available. Parts distribution disconnect.

- Jacksonville, FL, USA

problem #141

Feb 272018

Sorento

  • 60,000 miles
My Kia Sorento died by the side of the road ' stalling repeatedly while I was driving and, of course, steering wheel locks up ' and was told eventually that the engine seized up. They had to replace engine (at my cost, of course) as warranty not considered valid by lack of enough maintenance records.

- Lewis Run, PA, USA

problem #140

Mar 162018

Sorento

  • miles
After just having a faulty starter replaced on this car (which they charged us over $800 to do, and they refuse to pay for it, even though it is their issue), we started to notice the oil light would go on and off while stopping. We then noticed oil leaking, contacted Kia, after we looked up the issue we see this was a known issue with the oil pressure sensor leaking, which a recall was issued for Canada but not U.S. (even though they come from the same plant). They charged us over $300 to do, they will not pay for it. They refuse to assist us with any issue.

- Van Buren, IN, USA

problem #139

Feb 052018

Sorento

  • 100,000 miles
Driving down the road when all of a sudden all the lights on my dash board came on and the car shut off. Luckily I was able to get off road and into a driveway. Had vehicle towed. The dealership told me my engine locked.

- Victoria, TX, USA

problem #138

Mar 092018

Sorento

  • 133,000 miles
This is the second time I have had this problem with this SUV. While driving down the road oil pressure light comes on. I pull off the road right away and shut off. Then I noticed trail of oil on road behind me. I get out and look under front of car and see oil running out on to the ground. Cost $700 last time when repaired. Replaced main seal on motor and replaced oil sending unit. Watched you tube video they said looks like main seal leak but is actually oil pressure sensor. Located under intake manifold and oil runs out end of motor. By transmission and looks like main seal leak. But it's just a $18 oil sending unit. That's leaking.

- Houghton, MI, USA

problem #137

Jan 312018

Sorento

  • 81,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sorento. While driving 65 mph, the engine failed without warning. The contact heard a loud bang and observed a huge cloud of black smoke emerging from the vehicle. The check engine and other instrument panel warning indicators illuminated. The contact pulled the vehicle over to the shoulder of the road where it caught fire from underneath near the transmission. A police report was filed. The fire department extinguished the fire. Kia of lancaster (1608, 5250 main St, East petersburg, pa 17520) was made aware of the fire and stated that the exhaust hanger had melted. It was determined that rod #4 blew into the transmission, which caused the engine to fail. There were no injuries. The failure mileage was 81,000. The VIN was not available.

- Arlington, VA, USA

problem #136

Feb 142018

Sorento

  • 65,500 miles
Depressed push to start button, the car made a high-pitched squeeling and grinding sound from under the hood, but was not running. Could not get the sound to stop. Eventually stopped after 3-5 minutes. Restarted the car this time it started, drove the car with no issues for 3 days. Depressed push to start button loud sound came from under engine sounded like the starter was engaged but not turning over the motor. Could not get it to stop, started smelling a strong electrical smell, after about 5 minutes it stopped sounding as if the starter burnt up. Had car towed to Kia dealership in muncie, in. They diagnosed it as a bad starter due to the high cost of starter through the dealership, had the vehicle towed to the local repair shop, he installed new starter, once new starter was installed engine will not turn over, mechanic advised engine was locked up.

- Van Buren, IN, USA

problem #135

Feb 012017

Sorento

  • miles
2012 Kia Sorento. Consumer writes seeking reimbursement for vehicle repairs. The consumer was advised there was sludge in the oil pan due to not taking care of the vehicle causing the motor starvation of oil. The consumer is in possession of all oil change records.

- Louisville, KY, USA

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