10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
6 / 6
Injuries / Deaths:
5 / 0
Average Mileage:
48,573 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.

2015 Kia Sorento engine problems

engine problem

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2015 Kia Sorento Owner Comments (Page 2 of 17)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #307

Jul 262024

Sorento

  • miles

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

The engine cut off while driving. The mechanic said the motor seized and needs $8k in repairs. Kia said I missed a software update that is needed in order to be eligible for an extended warranty and they denied the repairs. I never received notice that a software update was needed.

- Lincolnville, SC, USA

problem #306

Jun 012024

Sorento

  • 106,000 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the brakes locked up, the steering seized, and the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that there were several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact was barely able to pull off the highway. The contact was not able to restart the vehicle. The contact had the vehicle towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine had seized and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.

- Clewiston, FL, USA

problem #305

Sep 092023

Sorento

  • miles
I previously reported an engine complained submitted on 9/14/2023, ID 11544548. My engine started knocking while I was driving on a major highway without any warning lights or indications. a claim to Kia was made as I was told by the Kia dealership I would need engine replacement however Kia offered no explanation as to why the engine failed nor any explanation or seemed to care one bit that I was on a major highway and this occurred without any warnings whatsoever. I understand there is current recall for some v4 engines of the sorento model I had and I firmly believe the 3.3L v6 engines should be investigated.

- Philadelphia, PA, USA

problem #304

Jul 302022

Sorento

  • miles

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

The engine started to sound weird and stopped in the middle of the road that couldve created an accident should there have been other vehicle iw as pregnant at that time We contacted kia and they wouldnt change the engine since we didnt replace the knock sensor but we never received the mail and they confirmed thag mail was not sent to us.

- Saint Louis, MO, USA

problem #303

Feb 192024

Sorento

  • miles
There is oil leaking into my coolant. I had it flushed, hoping it was just a fluke. Then noticed there was more oil getting into my coolant. I had the vehicle inspected again and they stated it was probably a blown head gasket, or a cracked head.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

problem #302

Nov 012023

Sorento

  • miles
Ongoing issue with coolant mixing in the oil causing overheating in the engine. I believe this a safety risk as driving the vehicle for longer than 30 minutes causes the engine temperature to rise dramatically and risks complete engine failure, potentially when driving at speed. Vehicle has not been examined by a dealer. We've just become aware this is apparently due to Kia's known soft block issue.

- Saranac , MI, USA

problem #301

Mar 012024

Sorento

  • miles

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

My car has been giving me problems for about three months now and we-??ve changed about four or five parts on the engine/transmission and it-??s still acting up. We-??ve called the Kia dealership several times to alleviate the problem but they are giving us the runaround about the three recalls that pulled up for the 2015 Kia Sorrento and they saying that we have to pay $150 for diagnostic per recall, which I don-??t understand that if it-??s not our fault then they should cover the diagnostic and the recall. We-??ve contacted them on several occasions about the situation with my brake lights being on after I turn my car off and they stay on until my battery is almost dead. They don-??t want to fix the HECU I believe the electric short that Kia have been experiencing. This car is the worst car I-??ve ever had. I-??ve never had to experience anything close to what I-??m experiencing with Kia. They are an absolute disgrace it-??s almost like they-??re trying to pocket diagnostic money for themselves because there-??s no way I have to pay almost $500 for three recalls, that-??s no fault of our own. If I had the money to get another car, I would. They told us that we can trade it in if we come with a higher down payment, but I-??m not able to do that right now so I-??m just trying to get my car fixed until I-??m able to do so. Please help us get our car fixed and the recalls serviced because Andrew at Kia Country of Savannah sounds like he-??s irritated because we-??re trying to get down to the bottom of them getting the recalls done. It-??s like he-??s just telling us anything to try to avoid doing the recalls. They also stated that when the car was dropped off, they didn-??t find anything pertaining to the recalls whether y-??all find anything or not you know that there are recalls for that particular car just fix it. Please help. We are not gonna stop until the car is fixed. I-??m gonna keep reaching out. I-??m gonna keep calling up there to see when it can be done because it-??s costing us money that we don-??t have.

- Savannah, GA, USA

problem #300

Apr 242024

Sorento

  • miles
The car started shaking, it slowed down and stopped and all the lights on the dashboard came on and there was a loud sound and I turned the car off. I called towing, got my car back and took it back to the dealership. At the dealership they checked the car and called the warranty company who sent an inspector... The Ethos group told me that there were some errors in the report and that they still couldn't give me information, after two weeks the dealership called me and told me the warranty denied the claim. The denial claim said it was the coolant hoses that caused the engine problem and overheating, but I bought the car from the dealership when it had 85,063 miles on it and it hadn't even passed the year when the engine blown off and the car had 100,381 miles and has regular maintenance at the dealer. Before any lights came on on the dashboard it started shaking and slowing down and all the lights were on... how can they said the car overheated but no light of warning?

- Gresham, OR, USA

problem #299

May 132024

Sorento

  • miles
We were driving our car and it all of a sudden just stopped working. We luckily were able to pull over before it stopped completely, no noise, jerk motion or anything the engine just stopped. We had it towed to a mechanic who said our engine blew. It only had 140,000 miles on it but the repair/replacement we were quoted would have cost us more than the vehicle was even worth so we ended up having the car junked.

- Winona, MN, USA

problem #298

Feb 142024

Sorento

  • miles
2015 kia sorento 3.3 GDI engine out of know where the car stalled on a hwy engine now knocks loudly was told it has to be completley replaced no warning or anything kia is saying its going to be 11k to fix

- Monmouth, OR, USA

problem #297

Apr 182024

Sorento

  • miles

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

My car died when I stopped. No warning lights, no warning whatsoever. I had to push my car out of traffic. I was able to start it again after a couple minutes but immediately a knocking sound started. I was encouraged to get an oil analysis by my mechanic friend in which it states my oil is fine and describes the metal found in the oil and where it likely came from.

- Idaho Falls , ID, USA

problem #296

Sep 012023

Sorento

  • miles
See attached document for complaint

- North Sioux City, SD, USA

problem #295

Oct 062023

Sorento

  • miles
1. The engine seized and lost total power at 74,795 miles due to faulty rod bearings manufactured by KIA and due to metal shavings left within the engine compartments. Yes, I have the vehicle in my possession. It is stored at my apartment garage and it is available for inspection. 2. I was driving my vehicle on the highway prior to sudden engine seizure and loss of power. The check engine light appeared for the first time on [XXX]. I immediately took my vehicle to my mechanic (same day on [XXX]) where it seized and lost complete power on the road. It had to be pushed into the mechanic's garage by hand. Total loss of power of my vehicle could have resulted in a catastrophic accident and injuries to myself and others. I could have lost control of the vehicle and I could have been rear-ended or side-swiped at a high speed on the highway or the street. Additionally, my vehicle was recalled due to a faulty HECU/ABS Module, which could have resulted in engine fire and it was recalled due to increased theft risk because my vehicle was manufactured without an engine immobilizer. KIA did not notify me of any recalls nor did they notify me of their self-proclaimed and self-manufactured KSDS and "Product Improvement Campaign - P11802". KIA Corp (Irvine, CA) only provided a SAMPLE letter on 11.13.23. 3. Yes, the defect was confirmed by my mechanic, KIA Corp, and by the Grand KIA dealership in Thornton, Colorado. 4. Yes, the vehicle was inspected by the Grand KIA dealership in Thornton, Colorado. Grand KIA confirmed that there was no rotation of the crankshaft and no power or codes detected upon scanning the engine. Grand KIA confirmed that the engine failure was due to their faulty rod bearings, but denied engine replacement because I did not upgrade my engine with their KSDS/"Product Improvement Campaign", although they upgraded my car with the KSDS upon diagnosis to cover up. Grand KIA stated that engine seizure is not a safety issue. 5. Yes, check engine light. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF

- Denver, CO, USA

problem #294

Apr 172024

Sorento

  • miles
Coolant leak, due to stripped head bolts.

- Willis, TX, USA

problem #293

Apr 182024

Sorento

  • miles
You forced kia into an extended warranty for an engine defect. They warranty 2016/17 models under WTY035 but it also happens to 2015 models. I'm hoping this can be extended.

- Taylorsville, UT, USA

problem #292

Mar 092024

Sorento

  • miles
Head gasket blowing

- Willoughby , OH, USA

problem #291

Jan 192024

Sorento

  • miles
Weak head bolt threads that are easily stripped and causes excessive leaks

- Burien, WA, USA

problem #290

Mar 112024

Sorento

  • miles
Engine has seized. Mechanic at local automotive shop stated that the engine seizure is due to engine burning oil internally. Told me to call KIA because they were aware of this problem due to safety recall. I reported problem to KIA dealership but was told there was no safety recalls relating to my vehicle. Check engine light has been coming on sporadically since 2018 along with my vehicle randomly stalling while idling in traffic. KIA was made aware of these problems and did a diagnostic, stating that the light wasn't on during inspection. And there was no reason for stalling. Also reported smell of chemical and fumes several times but nothing was found. When my vehicle reached 100k miles I was told by KIA dealer that it is normal for the check engine light to stay on due to wear and tear/high mileage. Engine seized while driving.

- Summerville , SC, USA

problem #289

Mar 052024

Sorento

  • miles
While driving home from picking my children up, engine started making a knocking noise. No warning lights or indicators were illuminated. Engine stalled while pulling down my driveway. Took it in for a Diagnosis. Metal flakes have been found in the oil. 3.3L Lambda two engine reliability is already being questioned.

- Tyler, TX, USA

problem #288

Jan 272024

Sorento

  • miles
-??The engine of my 2015 Kia Sorento experienced a catastrophic failure, leading to a loss of power and abnormal sounds while driving. It is available for inspection upon request. -??The sudden failure of the engine posed a significant safety risk to both me and others on the road. Without any warning lamps or messages, this malfunction could have led to a complete loss of control over the vehicle, endangering lives, particularly if I had been driving at high speeds on the highway. -??Yes, the issue has been confirmed by the Courtesy Kia service center in Messa, where the vehicle was inspected and diagnosed with a crashed engine requiring replacement. -??While the vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, it has undergone evaluation by the authorized dealer service center, Courtesy Kia in Messa. They told me that they have contacted manufacturer and that they declined any support because I am second owner and therefore their engine warranty only covers 60000 miles. -??No warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms were present prior to the engine failure. Despite diligently maintaining the vehicle and conducting regular services, there were no indications of any issues until the sudden loss of power and abnormal sounds occurred while driving. Even upon towing my car home and parking the vehicle at garage, no warning lights were illuminated, further highlighting the unexpected nature of the malfunction.

- Florence, Az, Usa, AZ, USA

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