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:
0 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
116,862 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 fuel system problems

fuel system problem

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2012 Kia Sorento Owner Comments

problem #6

May 202024

Sorento

  • 190,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, he smelled an abnormally strong gasoline odor. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact exited the vehicle and unlatched the hood, only to discover gasoline flowing on top of the engine. The contact stated that he had made it home safely and ran water through the engine to clean the gasoline off. The contact researched the failure online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V907000 (Fuel System, Gasoline, Engine). The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the vehicle was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 190,000.

- Amite City, LA, USA

problem #5

Apr 132024

Sorento

  • 139,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sorento. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) 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 while driving at an undisclosed speed, the cruise control failed to operate as needed. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that later that day, the fuel door failed to open automatically. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 139,000. The VIN was not available.

- Joplin, MO, USA

problem #4

Sep 292023

Sorento

  • 210,875 miles
The contact owns a 201 Kia Sorento. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the contact became aware of fuel burning which caused her legs to sting and itch. The lights on the instrument panel then went dark. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to the residence. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The local dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 210,875. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

- Gainesville, GA, USA

problem #3

Jul 062022

Sorento

  • 143,000 miles

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

The contact owned a 2012 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at 65 MPH, an abnormal fuel odor began to emit from the vehicle without warning. His wife was then waved down by a fellow motorist that alerted her that the vehicle had caught fire. The contact stated that his wife had difficulty stopping the vehicle as depressed the brake pedal. Once the vehicle was stopped, an unknown color smoke filled the vehicle's front cabin as she and the other occupants exited the vehicle. No occupants were injured and no medical assistance was rendered at the scene. The vehicle was extinguished by the fire department and a fire report was filed. In the fire report, the investigator linked the cause of the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V907000(Fuel System, Gasoline; Engine); however, his vehicle was not included in the recall. The vehicle was towed to an independent tow yard where it was deemed a total loss. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and an investigator was sent to diagnose the cause of the failure; the contact had yet to hear back from the manufacturer. The dealer was also notified about the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 143,000.

- Rancho Cordova, CA, USA

problem #2

Jun 022013

Sorento 6-cyl

  • 18,300 miles
While coming to a stop at a traffic light the engine light came on, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to accelerate, the RPM gauge did not move, but the vehicle would move forward at engine idle speed (reaching about 20mph on a level surface). The vehicle was towed to the dealership where it was diagnosed that the throttle body needed to be replaced.

- Haslet, TX, USA

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problem #1

Dec 172011

Sorento

  • miles
I purchased a new Kia Sorento on December 14, 2011. After driving it for couple days, I noticed my airbag light. It had continued to stay on so I had notified the dealer I had purchased it from. They told me that it's probably because a passenger was not sitting there and once someone sits there and buckles their seat belt, the light will go off. It was not true at all because I have had passengers sitting there and the light was still on. So after finding some time, I took my car in to a dealership near my house and found out that the airbag cushion was missing in the passenger seat. The worker was very worried and did not want me driving the car around until they had installed the airbag cushion. I also started to have some problems with my fuel system. The first time it ever happened, the tank overfilled and started leaking from the bottom of my car. I did not know that my tank was full because the gas pump never clicked off and kept on going. Then the next few times I went to put gas in, the pump kept stopping as if the tank was full. Several times I had to manually stop the pump, or hold it so the pump would keep going. After finding some time (again), I took my car in. The service did not know what was wrong with the system so I had to take them to a gas station and show them what was happening. After seeing the problem, he was able to figure out what was exactly wrong with it and was able to fix it. Unfortunately, the problem is back and I have to hold the pump when I am putting in gas. I need to take my car in for the third time; not to mention the first couple of times I took my car in, it was not fixed in one day, and I even had to rent a car. I had notified the Kia customer service about my problems, but they were not informative and told me to contact the service at my dealership, and not contact them.

- Walnut, CA, USA

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