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

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2012 Kia Sorento:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2012 Kia Sorento Owner Comments (Page 8 of 22)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #294

Jun 242019

Sorento

  • 74,349 miles

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

Vehicle shut down while stopped at a red light and the engine began smoking. Towed to the dealership (Kia country if savannah) where they had 14 other 2012 Kia Sorento waiting for new engines. Major catastrophic engine failure. Slug in the engine even though there has been routine oil changes. Claimed the engine wasn't getting oil but oil had been changed the day before with no reported issues.

- Savannah, GA, USA

problem #293

Mar 092020

Sorento

  • 153,000 miles
I have a 2012 Kia Sorento. I had issues with a recall when the dealer used a probe to look for metal shavings in my motor. Car started burning oil. After 4 months of arguing with the dealer, Kia finally replaced the motor in January 2018. Now on 3/9/2020 I am 4 hours away from home. I smell gas and then my car burst into flames. Kia has a recall on "certain" 2012 Kia Sorento's however my VIN is not one. If that is the case then why did mine catch fire.

- Felton, DE, USA

problem #292

Apr 232018

Sorento

  • 107,888 miles
Vehicle I burning oil(not leaking) and Kia dealer and Kia headquarters in California have diagnosed the problem and acknowledged this problem. However, their policy is not to replace the engine until the engine blows (must show the proper fault code). It is smoking and the burning smell has been there for 3+ months. Returned to dealer 3 wks ago and was told the same. I'm told the engine has a lifetime warranty, but that won't matter if the car catches fire and then my insurance has to pay, not Kia. This is unacceptable. Multiple R.O.'s on problem with rick case Kia at gwinnett place in duluth, ga. 770-476-2800

- Lilburn, GA, USA

problem #291

Dec 152019

Sorento

  • 123,000 miles

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

The vehicle died while driving and would not start. Vehicle towed to a local mechanic where it was discovered the engine had seized. Vehicle maintenance was up to date and the last oil change in the vehicle took place just 15 days before the engine seized. There were no warnings, no sounds, no dash board warning lights before the breakdown. Car simply died.

- Huntington, WV, USA

problem #290

Sep 042019

Sorento

  • 77,000 miles
My car has been having strange intermittent engine troubles & symptoms. (the first symptoms appeared in September 2019) it started with the accelerater going out on the highway over about 50 mph once or twice randomly. About a month later it did it again. And then this time it also stalled at a stop sign. Other times it feels like the car engine hiccups. It will lose power and come back on within a half second. And then continue as if nothing happened for another month. Recently the symptoms are happening more often. It is terrifying. I can't drive on the highway because I am so scared. At this point, these symptoms have now taken place numerous times and it doesn't matter what speed - when in motion up to 60-70 mph, around 30 mph, at a stop sign, when I was trying to turn left, etc. I have taken it to a mechanic several times since the first symptom. And I have taken it to a Kia service location. All have said the car seems to be running great and there are no codes showing up or engine lights coming on. They cannot see anything wrong with the car unless the symptoms appear. I have seen some articles online about a recall for Kia's of my year with the same symptoms, but this recall is not on my VIN" I am honestly so upset because I loved this car. I have been looking for a new car, but I really just wanted to get this fixed. I do believe my car is affected by the other recall, but why isnt it showing up? what do I do? this car is putting my life and other peoples lives in danger. I have a lot of travel coming up and I don't know what to do. I need a safe car and I am terrified to drive right now. Can you please help me"

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #289

Jul 102018

Sorento

  • 132,000 miles
My car is starting to rattle on cold starts only. It now has 142000 and still has the issue. I took my car to summit place Kia and they said my car doesn't fall under technical bulletin 140 even though it falls under the engine type and manufacture date. I do routine maintenance with records and they said I missed the replacement window because I bought the car used. After reading multiple other complaints they have had the same issue then complete engine failure. When will Kia take responsibility and replace the engines that they manufactured incorrectly? I have been dealing with Kia since June of 2018 to help resolve this issue because 140 describes the issue to the exact problem and the sound provided matches the same issue I have. Bulletin 140 describes what needs to be fixed and how it needs to be fixed but Kia wont replace the defective problem and wont take responsibility for

- Macomb, MI, USA

problem #288

Dec 242019

Sorento

  • 106,000 miles

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

Driving to work this past Tuesday 12/24/2019, while driving my car did this jerk move and then all the electrical signs popped up I couldn't brake or steer my stirring wheel.its as if my car locked up on me. Luckily I was able to turn off a side road avoiding on coming traffic. And but the car in park. I was stuck for 2 hours. My check engine light was the only light that stayed on. I couldn't start the car at all. Luckily I called my cousin to see if she could try and give me a jump too see if it worked. In which it did I then took my vehicle up to auto zone where they out it on the diagnostic machine. Where my battery and alternator were fine. It was very scary for this vehicle to have shut off on me like this I am just glad I was not on the highway or it could have been a really bad outcome for me. The upload option isn't allowing me to upload the video or my picture from the say it occured.

- Chester, VA, USA

problem #287

Nov 302019

Sorento

  • 150,000 miles
While driving the engine seized up leaving the vehicle without power. Had to coast car to the shoulder of road and was later removed by a tow truck. Was traveling North on state highway 83 in monroe county ga.

- Monticello, GA, USA

problem #286

Dec 012019

Sorento

  • 110,000 miles
The car had emissions issues, attempted to repair, after installing all new parts ourselves still was showing emission code, looked up if there was a recall, and there was a safety recall on the engine due to poor machining can cause the engine to seize and cause operator to loose control. Contacted Kia and they towed the vehicle to a local dealership in kingston NY. Originally claimed they would replace the engine and two other recalls. Two days later received a call from the Kia dealer stating that they would not change the engine due to the fact the emissions light was on and that we had worked on the car. The emissions code is unrelated to the issue of the recall. The car is still with the original owner. Do they still have to do the engine replacement regardless of us attempting the emission issue? her 16 year old daughter was going be the one driving the vehicle- we are concerned that the car is unsafe due to the recall they are refusing to repair

- Delhi, NY, USA

problem #285

Nov 272019

Sorento

  • 103,000 miles
Complete engine failure of the Kia Sorento. Took the vehicle in for normal oil change and investigation of a noise coming from the front of the vehicle. When technician drove the car on a city street, the engine completely died on the road. Technician pulled off to side of the road and had it taken back to shop. When investigating, found that there was no oil in the engine. No low engine oil pressure or check engine light was present.

- Strongsville, OH, USA

problem #284

Nov 252019

Sorento

  • 167,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sorento. While driving 65 mph, the contact heard an abnormal noise and the vehicle began to decelerate on its own. The contact parked on the side of the road and turned off the ignition. When the vehicle was restarted, multiple unknown warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who stated that the bearing was fractured and the engine needed to be replaced. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA campaign number: 17V224000 (engine and engine cooling). The vehicle was not repaired. The contact called ron bouchard's Kia (located at 488 old union turnpike, lancaster, MA 01523, (978) 345-1800) and informed them of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 167,000.

- Littleton, MA, USA

problem #283

Nov 162019

Sorento

  • 117,000 miles
I drive Kia sorrento 2012, its at 117,000 miles. For the last 6000 miles my car has started burning through abnormally high amounts of oil. It doesn't give any warning signs and the low oil warning light never comes on. For my last 3 services which were in June, August and November, all well before I was due for oil change, I was told that there was next to none oil left in my car. On Nov 16th, while I was driving on a freeway my car without giving me any warning or indication that oil was running low, decelerated from 60mph to 30mph and the check engine sign started flashing. I pulled aside and got it towed to a nearby car auto repair shop. I was told that there was next to none oil in my car and because it had been running without any oil my engine was all damaged. I was told that my Kia needed engine replacement. I was also told that the mechanic didn't find any leaks or other reasons why oil might be getting consumed so quickly. I searched online about why I might be having this problem and found that many other Kia owners across America are experiencing same problems with abnormally high amount of oil consumption. Since then I have been trying to get in touch with Kia corporate to see if they might be able to help me figure out what has been happening but I have been unsuccessful.

- Renton, WA, USA

problem #282

Nov 192019

Sorento

  • 100,000 miles
My car stopped running when I was driving it. It just stop moving. I have to push it off the road. I hear some noise in the engine when I start it.

- Hinesville, GA, USA

problem #281

Nov 072019

Sorento

  • 103,100 miles
While driving the vehicle in normal highway traffic the engine completely seized and the vehicle turned off in the middle of the highway. The car was in motion in normal traffic. The steering wheel became extremely tough to turn and maneuver. Hazard lights were turned on while streering with much dificulty toward the side of the highway. The car would not turn on. The car was towed to a Kia dealer in san juan, puerto rico. They have denied the recall under Kia recall SC147. This seems to be a dangerous accountability error on the dealer.

- San Juan, PR, USA

problem #280

Nov 012019

Sorento

  • 124 miles
Had two motors replaced. The catalytic converter crumbled when mechanics replaced motor now want to charge me 3000 why would this crumble and should be replaced as engine probabaly damaged it may have even caught fire and didn't know

- Hampton, NJ, USA

problem #279

Nov 062019

Sorento

  • 140,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that the engine stalled and the check engine warning indicator illuminated. The contact was able to coast to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence and later towed to an independent mechanic. It was diagnosed that oil was in the engine, which caused it to seize. The mechanic stated that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer and was not repaired. The VIN was included in NHTSA campaign number: 17V224000 (engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

- Philadelphia, PA, USA

problem #278

Sep 032019

Sorento

  • 150,295 miles
Sometime when you start the car the RPM's will not move. The car will go for a little while then you give it gas and it will not go. You have to stop..turn the car off and restart. It has done this a number of time lately.

- Camden, SC, USA

problem #277

Oct 052019

Sorento

  • 144,566 miles
My 2012 Kia Sorento LX has 144,566 miles on it and has been maintained regularly since I purchased it in July 2018. In October 2019, my vehicle was in motion going roughly 40 mph when the vehicle suddenly lost power. The engine began knocking and the steering wheel locked up. Upon coasting the vehicle into a nearby parking lot and attempting to start it, the vehicle began making an intense knocking noise coming from the engine. The vehicle had trouble maintaining power and continuously cut off, even after putting in a new battery and alternator. Upon checking the vehicle to see if it would throw any codes, it threw a "misfire in cylinder 2" code. Upon having the car inspected, I was told that it will need a new rod in the engine. This car has under 150,000 miles and has been maintained meticulously, but randomly threw a rod as I was driving down the road. After doing further research, it became apparent that 2012-2018 Kia Sorentos have been recalled for this exact problem; my 2012 Sorento, however, is not covered under the recall according to a VIN check.

- Winder, GA, USA

problem #276

Oct 232019

Sorento

  • 129,000 miles
I brought my 2012 Kia Sorento to dorschel for the SC147 recall a couple month ago. They said my engine was not being replaced because Kia is only replacing engines for this recall if they stop working. They did not tell me I had any other issue with my engine, although Kia's recall tells them to inspect to the engine for issue. I was directed to keep driving it until the engine stops working. Now my engine has major issues. While driving it was having tought time picking up speed when I enter a 55mph road and I could not accelerate fast. The car kept sputtering and shuttering, causing a car to almost hit me from behind. This is only a 2 months after they inspected it and found no issues. Dorschel Kia says it is a timing chain failure and compression problem, bent valves and such, oil sludge and that this has nothing to do with the SC147. I also had really excessive oil consumption (1qt every 300 miles) since the SC147 inspection was performed. Why" now Kia company is saying this is not theirfault. I believe either dorschel was negligent in their engine inspection performed the SC147 recall, or the engine sludge was caused by the root caused of the SC147 problem, which caused the other issues. Or something during the inspection of the engine for the SC147 problem caused others issues that lead to my current situation. I had no engine problems before I brought my vehicle into dorschel Kia 2 months ago and then I had all of this happen. What did dorschel Kia really do to my car to make it fail so quick" this seems very suspicious to me.

- Marion, NY, USA

problem #275

Oct 162019

Sorento

  • 136,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sorento. While driving 60 mph, the vehicle seized in the middle of the road, and the low oil level, battery, and check engine warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA campaign number: 17V224000 (engine and engine cooling). The vehicle was then towed to scott harvey Kia (located at 1710 N olden ave, ewing township, NJ 08638, (866) 548-4303) where it was diagnosed that the long or short blocks needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 136,000.

- Hamilton Township, NJ, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »

Not what you are looking for?