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 / 3
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
51,051 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.
One headlight went out. I replaced both bulbs. It appears, when standing in front of my car, that the lights are on, but they are very dim. When I am driving, it is not lighting my path. My passengers have noticed, and oncoming traffic often flashes their lights at me. I need it fixed immediately, bc I drive uber/lyft for employment. I was driving in a dimly lit area, when I first noticed that I couldn't see well in front of me. Later, that hour, an uber customer, informed me my lights were out. After the bulbs were replaced, I was driving when I still noticed the road was dark. The next day friends were in the car with me & spontaneously inquired about why my headlights weren't working. My research shows a recall re headlight connectors which corroded, but it does not include my car's year yet.
Issue with headlights and wiring ect. This has been an ongoing problem for owners with these vehicles for years. Not only is it expensive for the owners but could cause serious accidents. I don't understand when it is documented. Look at all the complaints why Kia has not been made to correct the problem. Instead of letting them continue manufacturing vehicles with the same headlights. My low beam passenger side headlight went out about 2 weeks ago. I purchased a new bulb but when my husband inserted the new bulb it wouldn't work. My husband does electrical work and said this has to be a short or something in the wiring. Why does the owners have to continue dealing with this issue and subjected to the possibility of a serious accident due to no working lights or possible fatalities. If we have serious injuries or fatalities then will you recognize huston we have a problem. Look at the complaints. These go back for years. And still occurring on newer vehicles. Owners are being forced to pay out hundreds of dollars frequently for repairs that do not fixed the problem it is only a band aide until the next time
We are changing the 3rd head light on the drivers side in a month. We had a storm knocking out all street lights and it was hard to see..ansmd I keep getting pulled over. I feel like I need to carry a back up. Plus my plastic pos door panels detach and trap my kids in the car..we have to beat them down so so we can open doors. Oh and we had to cut the gas cover off cause it wouldnt open...and the seats wont go down anymore, hatch wont stay up..and my blutooth system only works about 20 percent of time! never again Kia!
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that the front head light failed without warning. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, cooper Kia 5056 commercial drive, yorkville NY, 13495, where it was diagnosed that the lighting housing unit melted and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that the vehicle was not under warranty and there were no recalls under the VIN. The failure mileage was approximately 89,000. The VIN was not available.
Can not move shifter out of park when car is started. Can not shift car out of selected gear when motor is running. ESC lite is illuminated on dashboard and brake lites do not function when these defects occur. Symptons experienced are the same as described in NHTSA campaign 13V114000. Kia dealer replaced brake lite switch-says SUV does not fall within population of vehicles identified under Kia SC098 recall. I am of the opinion my SUV should have been covered under this Kia recall and I should have not been charged for the repairs. My 2012 SUV should be included in NHTSA campaign 13V114000 / Kia SC098.
- Dracut, MA, USA
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Have a 2012 Sorento that constantly needs low beam headlights replaced because of a short that the service department can't figure out. I have found that shortly after replacing one bulb the other burns out within a week or less. I have replaced both at the same time and they will only last one month before burning out. I have a similar issue with the brake lights burning out as well. This is a huge safety issue and Kia has said that replacement with oem bulbs should fix it. This is not the case for me, as I have tried oem and aftermarket both with same issue. This is an issue that many owners have had issues with via forums online.
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sorento. While driving approximately 60 mph, the passenger side low beam headlight failed. The contact had to switch to the high beams in order to get home. The same failure occurred three other times on the same side of the vehicle. The contact drove the vehicle to the dealer where it was determined that the manufacturer utilized the wrong size wire. The vehicle has been at the dealer three times for the same failure this month and the harness had to be replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 56,500.
Purchased new 2012 Kia Sorento sx 3.5 in May 2012. It now has 54K miles. I have had to replace headlight bulbs both sides on 3 occasions and high intensity driving lights (oem) 2 times each side. The last time 12/23/15 the dealer (langdale Kia, valdosta ga) stated that the socket on the passenger side driving light was defective, causing the bulb to explode, and the intense heat and debris caused damage to the reflector and interior of the lens housing, making it not repairable. The replacement cost including 1.5 hr. Labor is over $300, and the service writer stated it was not covered under warranty be cause of age, mileage, and the bulb that caused the damage was not covered under any warranty?? I have also had to replace interior courtesy light bulbs and also tag light bulbs. I have spent approx. $200 since purchasing the vehicle! this is ridiculous for a $38000 vehicle.
Low beam drivers side headlight has been replaced three times within a six month period with sylvania brand bulbs and the passenger side also has been replaced three times and is currently out again I noticed when I started my car to drive home from work. When I arrived home the light was working and went out again the next evening. This is a never ending issue.
On Monday, March 23 at 8 pm, I arrived home and parked my car in our driveway close to our house. I loved up and went inside. At 4:30 am Wednesday morning, my son came into our bedroom saying be thought sunshine was trying to break into my car because the car alarm was going off. I went to the window to look out, and immediately see that the car was on fire. The flames appeared to be coming from the left driver's side tail light. We called 911. By the time the fire department arrived the whole back half of the car was on fire. The fire was roaring. The car was totaled. An arson investigator rolled out arson. It was the craziest thing I have ever witnessed and it was terrifyingly close to our house. The fire was already in our yard when the fire department arrived. I shutter to think what would have happened if my son had not woolen up when he had. The fire was so close to the gas tank, we are lucky there want a full on explosion. The weather was mild and dry when it happened and there was no deferred maintenance on the car. I simply can't imagine what could have caused the fire. My best guess is that something set of the car alarm which on turn shorted and sparked the fire in the flashing rear lights. It was a certified used vehicle and in perfect condition that I purchased in September 2014.
I bought this used 2012 Kia Sorento March 14th 2015 and 8 days later the lights in the cup holder and floor board wouldn't turn off. I took back to dealership and they told me that they could run a diagnostic or just unplug. I was going to cost me money even though I only had the Sorento for 8 days. Is there a recall on the color lighting?
While driving at highway speeds all dashboard instrumentation, A/C and headlights were lost. It was later determined that a short in the driver's seat wiring harness had blown the fuse for control module #2 resulting in the aforementioned instrumentation and safety equipment.
I have a 2012 Sorento that has been nothing but a constant headache. Just some minor issues have been a headlight that continuously has to be replaced because of a short that they service department can't get to the bottom of. I medium issue that is becoming a health hazard is that the car is leaking water into the floorboard and causing mold to grow. An even bigger issue is that when with speeding up fast like when entering an interstate or slowing down the vehicle will completely stall and I have to make my way off the road to restart the vehicle. This is extremely dangerous for myself and my kids. I live in a city and I have been lucky to have not have been in a serious accident yet. I have had several close calls. I have contacted Consumer Affairs and been told to go to a dealership. I go to a dealership and they basically tell me I'm crazy and nothing is wrong. I guess it will take someone getting killed by being in a accident before some action is taken. Hate to be so blunt bit being nice about the issue has yet to work!!!!
My 6 year old child got into the vehicle to get a drink. She hit the gear shift and it went from park to gear and rolled down the hill until coming to a stop by hitting a tree. My neighbor tried to stop the car from rolling but he could not get the door open because it locked. My child was in the passenger side of the car and the keys were not in the ignition. Kia service manager told me that the car should not go out of park unless the keys are in the ignition and the brake is pushed.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- West Sacramento, CA, USA