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 6 of 22)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #334

Dec 012020

Sorento 4-cyl

  • 0 miles

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

The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sorento. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 20V750000 (engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The vehicle was taken to jerry seiner Kia South jordan (10301 S jordan gateway, South jordan, ut 84095, (801) 506-6283) and was diagnosed with an oil leak. The dealer also confirmed that the part was not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

- West Joroan, UT, USA

problem #333

Jan 132021

Sorento

  • 97,065 miles
I was driving and the check engine light just started to flash, and the car just died on me. I costed off to the emergency lane and was towed to my garage. I tried to start the car and loud banging and rattling started, it sounds like a crank shaft is being thrown round.

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #332

Jan 282020

Sorento

  • 130,000 miles
On 1/28/2020 at 8 pm during a snow storm, I had been driving North on hwy 41 and had entered the city of marinette and was driving approximately 20 miles per hour. I made a right turn onto a city street and suddenly with no warning the engine just stopped. No check engine light no nothing. I managed to coast over to the side of the road and attempted without success to restart the vehicle. I contacted Kia and was told they would not consider assisting me with any repairs unless the vehicle was inspected by a dealer. I paid $200 to have the vehicle towed approximately 65 miles to dorsch Ford in green bay Wisconsin, the dealer where it was purchased. I was informed the engine had seized up and would have to be replaced at my expense for approximately $10,000 as the warranty had recently expired. I contacted Kia again to inquire about a safety recall (SC147) that I had learned about online where the 2012 Kia Sorento was experiencing catastrophic engine failure due to a machining issue with the engine during manufacturing that caused bearings to wear resulting in engine seizure. I was advised this recall was only for the 4 cylinder models not the 6 cylinder which is what I purchased. I could not afford to purchase a new engine for this vehicle. The dealer offered me $100 to junk it. I paid approximately $30,000 for the car and it was serviced diligently at the dealer. My local mechanic suggested replacing the engine with a used engine with more than 100,000 miles on it for $5000 from another vehicle but was advised I would only have a 90 day warranty and the same thing could happen. I did not think this was a very good idea so the vehicle is sitting in my garage.

- Marinette, WI, USA

problem #331

Dec 032020

Sorento

  • 106,406 miles

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

The engine stopped, I have to buy a used engine, which I have the documents to show.

- Brooklyn, NY, USA

problem #330

Dec 182020

Sorento

  • 124,515 miles
I had a burning oil smell coming into the cab of the car and smoke pouring out of the engine. I was driving home and noticed it when I got home from work. We took it to the Kia dealership the next day and it smelled bad, but didn't overheat. I took it in and it had multiple oil and fuel leaks. They replaced the valve cover gasket and fuel line and resealed the front cover and lower oil pan. This is very similar to another recall (recall #20V750000) they have on a different 2.4L engine. I called the customer relations at Kia and they said that no issues had been related, but I've had many other recalls on my engine already and have a warranty on it.

- Lindale, TX, USA

problem #329

May 022019

Sorento

  • 127,000 miles
Engin stopped in the highway didn't start after that. All the services done in the dealership. Nothing wrong except engine frozen. Dealer tried to start crank manually but didn't turn. I went through the dealer for nessasory help but failed. Still the car sitting in garage in my house since that. I got all the proofs of the services and the black and wite print outs of the defects which mentioned. Dealer didn't help me and I am still trying to find a lawyer to go against the company for the refusal for fixing my vehicle.

- Milwaukee, WI, USA

problem #328

Jan 102021

Sorento

  • miles

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

Leaking fuel and now car needs new engine.

- Lombard, IL, USA

problem #327

Jan 122021

Sorento

  • miles
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sorento. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 17V224000 (engine and engine cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while his wife was driving, the check engine warning light illuminated with an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was being driven to an independent mechanic however, halfway through the journey, the engine mount fractured and detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the independent mechanic where it was inspected and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. Parts distribution disconnect.

- Eldred, NY, USA

problem #326

Jan 122021

Sorento

  • 157,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sorento. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 17V224000 (engine and engine cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had experienced a failure as the vehicle was in a idle motion. The contact stated that an abnormal noise appeared without warning. No leaks were present. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the engine failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure recurred. The technician deemed the vehicle unsafe to drive. The contact did mention that the check engine warning light illuminated after the diagnosed test was ran. No dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 157,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

- Mount Prospect, IL, USA

problem #325

Jan 082021

Sorento

  • 55 miles
I was driving on a busy street and my Kia started making a rattling noise when I pressed on the gasand then my check engine light came on check battery life and the oil light and then it diedwhile I was driving

- Colorado Spring, CO, USA

problem #324

Oct 212020

Sorento

  • 83,000 miles

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

Vehicle engine died while actively driving on main road. Luckily, traffic wasn't too bad on this road, but we could have very easily been seriously injured in a car accident because of the situation. Vehicle was operating fine until this moment, never had any engine issues until this moment, and vehicle maintenance was kept up with.

- Albuquerque, NM, USA

problem #323

Dec 262020

Sorento

  • 96,000 miles
While driving my 2012 Kia Sorento on the fwy. The engine stalled with no warning. The check engine light came on...I was able to put car in neutral and restart. It ran fine, but check engine light remained on. There was no apparent sounds of engine trouble...so I continued my route. The next day it started fine, no bad noises, but check engine light was on...I was able to drive for approximately 20 miles until it stalled again while on fwy. Was able to restart, but compression was low on engine, so I pulled off and had it towed to shop. They told me the oil was down 4 qts. And had catastrophic engine failure. My complaint is the oil light never cam on. I've seen other complaints similar to this...I'm wondering if you are doing anything to rectify this problem?

- Fullerton, CA, USA

problem #322

Oct 202020

Sorento

  • 83,000 miles
Vehicle engine seized while actively driving nearly causing am accident.

- Albuquerque, NM, USA

problem #321

Nov 172017

Sorento

  • 142,000 miles
While driving the vehicle under normal operating conditions the tachometer will drop to zero and the car will start to sputter and stall. This occurs intermittently sometimes while on the highway sometimes at stop lights or stop signs. This vehicle only has 142K miles and has had the cam sensors replaced by the dealership but is still having issues that they don't want to track down.

- Clayton, OH, USA

problem #320

Jan 012021

Sorento

  • 214,000 miles
Car never has had engine issues and gets regular, routine maintenance. I had my oil changed three weeks ago as I do every few thousand miles. I was driving the other day and the engine started to sieze. The oil pressure light came on while driving. There was no oil in the car. Car was towed to mechanic and no cracks/leaks were found. There is a safety recall currently for the engine bearings being prematurely worn causing engine to malfunction and sieze. My VIN was not listed under this recall, however, the mechanic suggested it is an internal/engine problem, thus quite likely due to these worn bearings in the engine.

- Santa Fe, NM, USA

problem #319

Dec 162020

Sorento

  • 158,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Kia sorrento. The contact stated that his wife was driving through a snow storm and the vehicle stalled several times. The wife pulled the vehicle over and called for a tow and a new battery was bought and the old one was replaced. The failure recurred on the same day. The vehicle was taken to an independnent mechanic who observed the vehicle shutting on and off and referred the contact to danbury Kia (100A federal road, danbury, ct 06810, (203) 730-5737). The dealer recommended the starter be replaced. The repairs were completed but the vehicle loss acceleration the same day after it was picked up and shut off when it was pulled over. The vehicle was towed back to the dealer and diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been contacted. The failure mileage was 158,000.

- Bridgeport, CT, USA

problem #318

Apr 122020

Sorento

  • miles
Hi I am writing you on behalf of my Kia sorrento 2012 I've been having problems the last past nine months after my car wouldn't start I supposedly assumed it was the battery so I had the battery changed in the lock at the battery is about 78 years old so I changed it after change that still drain after every month my car would just turn off in the middle of me driving or stopping at a stop sign when I put my ac or my heater on it drops idle and it makes the car really heavy to the point where it feels like it's holding back my car has been doing this occasionally often on where I'll be driving a long distance or a short distance with the ac on and as I'm parking turn off the ac in the car while I go up and down and will drop idol and just turn off the vehicle without any spiders I do not know what's going on with the vehicle I've had it checked out every month for the last past nine months and paid for the diagnosis which they always keep on telling me there's nothing wrong with the vehicle I have looked up my vehicle VIN number and have put in the nhtse number and I have a form you recalls and they look like engine cesar an engine fire

- Princeville, HI, USA

problem #317

Dec 102020

Sorento

  • 138,693 miles
I was driving and suddenly heard a knocking noise under the hood and then all of the lights came on and it broke down and I had to pull over on the side of the road then it started smoking and then it caught fire. This all happened within 20 minutes on 12/10/2020. It was in cobb county ga off of ew connector and in between fontaine rd and floyd rd.

- Dallas, GA, USA

problem #316

Dec 022020

Sorento

  • 150,000 miles
The contact own a 2012 Kia Sorento sx. While driving at 65 mph, the vehicle began to decrease in speed. The contact pulled over to the side the road. As the vehicle stalled she notice black smoke coming from underneath the hood. The check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the contacts residence. The vehicle was not towed to independent mechanic or dealer for diagnostic or repairs. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage 150,000.

- Miland, GA, USA

problem #315

Apr 052019

Sorento

  • 120,000 miles
At approximately 120K miles, we randomly checked the oil prior to taking a road trip and noted the dip stick was dry. The car was down several quarts of oil. No oil light ever came on. Since then the car has been evaluated by more than one mechanic with no leaks found. The car has had routine maintenance as recommended since it was purchased. It requires a quart of oil about every 500-700 miles.

- Durham, NC, USA

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