Driving all of a sudden engine light starts blinking and then car stops working and was told engine seized. I also had to make a insurance claim because mice got into my engine and chewed wires up. Nothing but issues in the last year. Passed to say the least and come to find out this is not uncommon with these cars. I just am disappointed and pissed now stuck without a vehicle. I've always kept up on oil changes and just spent over $900 on new tires!! This is BS
1st my car started dying while I was turning out into intersections, then while I was driving. It was inspected by Kia they claimed they had no idea why it would be happening. Then a month later it started to over heat & now the engine needs replaced for a quoted price of $12,000 & I only owe less than $9k on the vehicle. The warranty I received with the vehicle was only good for less than 10,000 miles.
Engine began knocking and failed with no warning lights before or after the failure. Had it towed to Kia dealer in Peterborough, Ontario. Kia wanted over $12,000 to rebuild the engine even though I paid for 200,000km bumper to bumper warranty. 200,000km or 10 years.. Failed at 166,000km and 6 years. I asked Kia why there were no warning lights that showed on the instrument cluster of any kind. (low oil, knock position sensor warning, check engine light etc) I was told that happens sometimes. I told them they were full of Sh*t. Then they said because I changed my own oil and filter and not a licensed mechanic they wouldn’t cover it.
Then told me if I paid for a rebuild and it was an engine defect they would cover the cost. Had it towed to an engine rebuilder in Cocord Ontario at an additional cost of $500.00 plus their charge of $154.25 to diagnose the engine only to tell me it was seized. Rebuilder clearly stated that it was the fault of the engine as there was faulty/oversized bearing caps and plugged oil chambers from metal deposits caused the failure. Took the bill back to Kia with the receipt and rebuilders notes on the bill stating that it failed due to engine manufacturer defect and not owners fault.
Kia went back on their vow and still refused to cover the cost, just received a recall notice for a faulty knock position sensor resulting in no engine codes/warning lights not working and resulting in engine failure. I hope every customer with the same issue take Kia for every dime, right into chapter 11 and bankruptcy.. I still have the vehicle in my driveway with only a few thousand km since the rebuild and still within the 10yr 200,000km warranty waiting for sweet victory and getting my money back hopefully!!! Never buy a Kia or Hyundai cause they are a dishonorable and worthless company building a sh*tty line of vehicles and will throw their customers under the bus before owning up to their mistakes building a faulty engine.
Purchased this vehicle used, so warranty for some reason is useless after it is sold, why? HUH who knows? Maybe bc its a POS. but either way, when your desperate for a vehicle you don't do what I did. Buy something that you have not researched intensely. I guess my obvious health issues made me an obvious target.
At 59,000 the engine started knocking, but of course the service techs could not hear it. " And you know the engine isn't brand new so its going to make sounds"...BS. So I had all the fluids checked and the oil changed immediately, even though it wasn't due.
Then at 77,000, there it went. Towed it to Bulldog Kia in Athens, Ga. where they diagnosed it as a blown motor. Quoted $7000 for a new engine, or $6300 for an engine with 55000 miles on it, WTF? The following Sat. got the notice from KIA CONSUMER AFFAIRS stating it needed a software update due to the engine rod, my how convenient that was......Bulldog Kia reported that they fixed it to corporate KIA. HUH, KINDA MAKES YA THINK DOES IT NOT? BWAHAHA, BUT NOT FUNNY
I would like to go into the issues that they had me do with KIA Consumer Affairs, but that has nothing to do with the motor still not being replaced at KIA's expense. Its been 2 wks of me faxing and calling 2x a day to get nothing. Have had it towed 3x now back and forth to get nothing out of the deal and rental expenses up the a##.
- Sarah T.,
Nicholson, GA, US
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In the market for a new or used vehicle? Having a hard time deciding between brands?
Avoid Hyundai/Genesis/Kia.
This is a very small list of links regarding the engine failures and fires.
Hyundai/Genesis/Kia engine failures and fires! Over a decade-worth of affected vehicles and still occurring with new vehicles.
More models are continuing to be added to their list of engine-failure recalls
The knock sensor update is snake oil meant only to benefit the manufacturer.
It gives them the opportunity to more easily deny liability if you hadn't received the update.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgfcvBfi5os
After my 2015 Sorento had this engine failure, Plaza Kia of Richmond Hill, Ontario Canada told me that because of the age of the vehicle (5 years), I should just buy a new one. Even though I received the update from the safety recall in 2020 that was to extend my warranty to 10 years or 200,000km.
Yes, every manufacturer has recalls. But I don't know of any other company that has swept the defect under the rug for more than 10 years without resolving the issue that destroys engines, often with a fire and not even having been in a collision. Sometimes while off and parked.
I'm guessing, Hyundai had invested a lot of money into the engineering and manufacturing of these engines and doesn't want to scrap them. Instead, putting the lives of every single customer, the customer's families and friends as well as all other individuals in other vehicles, on our roads, at-risk
Current owner? You may have had an issue with your vehicle not starting if you pressed the lock button on your key-fob twice (to make it honk).
If you didn't press it twice, it would start fine. Perhaps you didn't take notice of this little tip and you were stuck with a vehicle that wouldn't start.
This is a defect in their anti-theft vehicle immobilizer and should have been a recall for a free repair. Instead, they likely made you buy a new battery saying their diagnostic computer is reporting a fault in the battery.
A battery jumper or a boost from somebody else would get it going, no problem, and as long as you didn't press the lock button twice, you would have had no problem turning the ignition over.
There was likely nothing wrong with your battery. They updated the computer and fixed their defect and still reached into your wallet, taking more of your hard-earned money.
Even their electric vehicle is a fiery killing-machine.
Bought the Kia Sorento SX with 3.3L V-6 and AWD with 111k. Liked the vehicle pretty well at first, but I did notice a rattle at start up that went away within a couple of seconds. I read a little about the rattle at start up and read that Kia stated it was the oil being pumped through the engine. After that the plastic holding the seat controls broke. Later after that I started using the overhead light controls and they were not working properly. Then after a few months the sun roof would not close properly and figured it needed to be greased or such. I closed it by assisting it pulling forward on the glass, and quit using it after that until I could figure that out.
The next thing I noticed was a little white smoke coming from the tail pipe, and a little less power as well when it was about time for an oil change. After the oil change didn't notice either much anymore until it was about time for the next oil change. The next thing I noticed was the controls on the steering wheel would not work properly from time to time. After that I noticed the rear hatch start to squeak when going up or down, and it would not close or open all the way sometimes. I sprayed some lube on the metal rods that opened and closed the hatch. That worked for a while till I had to do it again pretty soon, and it would still stop in the open / close process from time to time.
Next thing I know at 130k+ I drove to my son's house about 20 miles or so, and when I was in his neighborhood I heard this knocking sound. Started checking what could cause knocking sounds, and read that it could be the serpentine belt / timing chain tensioner getting weak. I also noticed the oil wasn't completely full. I had some oil because I knew it was burning a little oil before an oil change was due. I drove it home because it was late at night thinking to myself I would be headed to a doctor's appointment the next day, and I would stop by the auto mechanic that is right by the doctors office.
Well, the next day I was on my 12 mile trip, and as I accelerated I heard a rattling sound. Like you hear from bad gas or timing off, and I had made it to about 50 mph on a 55 mph highway when it just lost power and died. Luckily I didn't get hit when this crazy person come flying around me while I was trying to coast to a driveway because there was a ditch along my side of the road. After I did make it to the driveway I tried to start it and it would turn over but wouldn't start. After I tried it a couple times it just stopped turning over.
I thought, well, the battery shouldn't be dead. I had a booster pack in the car so I got out hooked it up, and the battery showed good voltage on the pack. I left it hooked up anyway and was going to get back in the car while looking I noticed two vehicles coming. One behind the other came flying around, and when he came back over into our lane he came real close to hitting my car on the shoulder of the hwy / driveway. I made it back in the car to try to start it again and it still would not turn over. So I called the insurance and in return they got me processed for a tow truck to come get it.
I was in / outside the SUV talking to someone who stopped to check if I needed help while waiting on the tow, and hoping I wouldn't get hit for about 2 hours before tow truck showed and took me to the auto mechanic. After days the auto shop called to tell me it was locked up. After checking on prices of used motors costing about $4500 - $6500 with about 80k - 130k miles I decided to go pick it up till I could figure out what to do. I started more research to find there was a recall for my VIN but not for the motor. You can see the recall at;
https://www.vindecoderz.com/EN/check-lookup/5XYKWDA72FG568019?cfchltk=ODnoQ81msAKOxCk3H5dq3_c2e5IK73HKHj3B3YGY6rU-1642803325-0-gaNycGzNGZE.
When I picked the vehicle up the battery was dead, and don't you know even with the clip pulled out I could not get it into neutral without charging the battery, because it had to recognize the key fob also. That's not all imagination, either, because after getting it home I trickle charged the battery, and after checking it for a complete charge I thought let me check one more time to see if it will start. The weather had turned cold thus metal swells or shrinks a little if it's hot or cold, and last I tried it the engine was warm. Guess what - it turned over and started. I'm thinking it could have jumped a link on the timing chain and still started but it could be a rod bearing also. Called Kia told them the story, and they're saying take it to a Kia dealer so they can find out if it's there problem or mine. I have a problem with that seeing the dealer and Kia both have ownership in Kia. So how would I get an unbiased opinion?
Note: Anyone having a problem with any vehicle that puts you in harms way make sure to report it to the (NHTSA) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. See link 👇
https://www.nhtsa.gov
You can put in your VIN to check recalls and complaints.
Also I will be updating and I will provide a video on YouTube.
In October 2021, out of a sudden, the vehicle started making a loud noise. I took it to the dealership. It took them three months to diagnose the problem because of lack of labor, while I rented a car. I do understand that due to Covid, things took longer, but this was unacceptable. Okay, what next? A women in labor will cry due to the pains, but after delivery, she will smile because of the bouncing baby. This was not the case.
After wasting all the time, I was called to come and pay a diagnostic fee and pick up my vehicle because they can not repair the engine. I was told the knocked engine is not covered. It is a depressing experience. I still owe a car loan. I need Kia to intervene and repair this vehicle. I took good care of this vehicle. I serviced it on time and it was well maintained but now, I am in this mess of renting a car and acquiring huge monthly rental expense. I need help with suggestions of what to do. I have not picked it up yet.
This is a 22015 Kia Sorento, so it is not that old, and out of the blue I have a blown head gasket and need to have a new engine. I only have 86,000 miles on this car. I do not have any warranty on this vehicle as it was purchased from a private dealership. I still believe Kia should stand by their products and take care of this issue. As of now, this car is junk. Even if I had the engine replaced, it is thousands of dollars and what's to say there will not be further problems down the road?
Purchased this 2015 Sorento new from dealership. This was a retirement gift to myself, my dream car. Well, my dream car turned into a nightmare. I am a 68 year old retired great grandmother and walk with a cane.
While driving to North Dakota for a doctors visit, this car's engine lost power and died. No warning lights, no bells, no whistles, no indication of the hell I would find myself in. I called the dealership where I purchased the car and the available appointment would be in August. Engine failure.
I will not spend thousands on a new engine just so an engine failure can happen again. I will not allow Kia to receive another $ of my limited funds, the Kia company are crooks. A recall is needed ASAP. Does someone have to die first?
So, I was simply driving my Blue Kia Sorento 2015 GDI. I’m driving on I-78. I pulled over to the shoulder of the highway to see what exit to get off at looking at my gps. I am about to go back to the high way. I floor it with its 289 horsepower. As I’m flooring it trying to get to 68 mph, I hear a weird cling clang sound. I didn’t see an engine light on so I assumed it was probably a rock, nothing major. But it was a tad loud. I had a suspicious feeling that something was wrong or something bad is about to happen. I dry further down prob going 70 on a 65. I don’t let it get pass 70 cause cops. As I drive a few miles after that weird sound, I suddenly feel the car slow down as I’m pressing the gas. And I’m in the middle lane of a busy highway. So getting to the shoulder of the highway is an obstacle. I hear so many sounds from my engine, I thought it was about to blow up! And I now See the engine light on which is basically a money symbol. I finally get a chance to get over and ofc there was a dead deer in my way so I swerved around it and put my flashers on. I turn the engine off but leave the battery on. I get out and open my hood of the car and I couldn’t make out what was wrong with it. I’m no mechanic so I only know soo much cause I have a strong interest in cars. I had gotten a airbag and software recall in the past. I got this car from a used car dealership and only had those two problems but Kia covered it. Now, it’s this. I call my grandma and mom and they were able to track where I am with my phone. There was a family mechanic shop a few miles away. The car could drive just not past 50. So we drive it on the shoulder until we get to the shop.
The next day, mechanic said it just needed a new knock sensor. He fixed it but then said, there’s a lot of problems with this engine and even I can’t do it. So we had it towed to the Kia dealership. They said “it’s an engine recall, we’ll take care of it. It should take a couple months, not even†and I was given a courtesy 2015 Kia Optima car which was stained and dirty inside. Later that day, the first mechanic I took it to said when he looked at the recall papers, turns out THEY MADE YOUR ENGINE WORSE WHEN THEY WERE SO CALL FIXING THE SOFTWARE 2 MONTHS BEFORE HAND!! I was pissed af! Glad Kia agreed to cover it. When I got it back in 4 weeks later, I pick it up right before they close and the guy said “ah the engine recall, yea we get quite a few of these engine fire recalls. My heart stopped! YOU MEANING TO TELL ME THAT THIS WAS A FIRE ENGINE RECALL!!! I YOUTUBE IT AND ANYONE WHO HAS A KIA FROM 2011-2015 HAS A RISK OF ENGINE FIRE!! OVER 200 CASES!! The mainlanders guys said my oil was black, pieces off the engine were falling off. I only use my car for work and school which is all less than 20 miles away. I mainly use city miles. Highways occasionally. But still! Crazy! KIA WHAT ARE YALL DOING?!?! I replaced the battery a few months before hand. Recently this month, I found out my starter is now starting to go out, and so are my brake rods. The only thing I really love abt this Kia is the gas mileage. The body style is decent and the inside is pretty comfortable. I just how Kia learns from these stories
2015 kia sorento 3 quarts low on oil no engine lights or warnings. 124,000 miles Just happened yesterday 12/11/2021 noticed knocking coming from engine. Checked oil 3 quarts low, no leaks. Added oil thinking that may resolve the issue but not so lucky. After driving about 100 miles the engine got worse and haven't took to shop yet but bottom end is shot. Needs at least new crank, rod and main bearings. If not a complete new engine. Will see if KIA will have any help come Monday. Will not be buying another KIA.
I bought a Kia Sorento because they were supposed to be a reliable vehicles, well made, made in America, etc., and they would stand the test of time. In the past, I always seemed to start having major problems w/ my vehicle around the 50 to 60 thousand mile mark, and I wanted a vehicle that I was dependable. Thus, why I bought the Sorento. The first 4 years of ownership were great, no problems at all. In July of 2020 I went on vacation to Colorado. I'm from Central Texas. I was a long way from home, to say the least. While driving down into a very deep canyon, when we reached the bottom, my pistons started knocking. We tried to drive back out of the canyon, but the vehicle had no power. We had the gas pedal pushed to the floor, and the vehicle was barely moving. We pulled over to the road and the vehicle died and wouldn't start.
After getting my Sorento towed out of the canyon and to a repair shop, it wasn't until the next morning that I was able to talk to the repair shop. With help from the owner of the repair shop, he called a Kia dealership, and I found out that my engine was under an extended recall on the engine due to the lower rod bearings going out. After paying $380 to have my Sorento towed to the Kia dealership, they confirmed that that was indeed the problem. It took approximately 2 weeks to get a new engine installed in my Sorento. Now it's at the Kia dealership and I'm waiting on Kia to call me back to discuss how to get my vehicle back to me.
I've been told by the Kia dealership that I should be reimbursed on my rental car, towing fee and the cost to reunify my vehicle w/me. I am afraid I'm going to have to fight Kia tooth and nail to get reimbursed. I am so frustrated and mad that none of this is my fault and I'm at Kia's mercy. I had no prior notice from Kia, written or oral, that there was a recall on my engine. I always took my Sorento to the Kia dealership for repairs or maintenance, and they never told me about a recall on the engine. After returning home, I went to my Kia dealership and told them what happened. They told me that, yes, there is a recall on my engine but that they can't fix it until it breaks down.
I am floored that Kia would do business like this, to put its customers in danger. Thankfully I wasn't driving down an interstate when my vehicle engine failed. By the grace of God, I broke down while not driving fast and was in a national park where I received help from good samaritans and the park rangers. After reading some of the other complaints regarding the Kia Sorento, I feel very fortunate. It could have been so much worse. I hope and pray that when I get my vehicle back, that I won't have any problems with it, but I plan to get rid of it asap. I will never buy a Kia again.
Seems that KIA engine issues extend to the 3.3L. 2015 Sorento with 3.3L has same issue as recalled engines. Vehicle has 124,000 miles. Oil changed every 5,000 miles. Engine power, checked and oil was 3 quarts low. Removed filter and found metal shavings. Had vehicle towed to closest dealer (80 miles). Dealer said engine shot, $10,000 to replace. Still owe $7500, don't have $10,000 to fix.
As with others ABSOLUTELY NO WARNING LIGHTS. No low oil light came on, nor did a check engine light. Called KIA and after them hemming and hawing, basically they said don't care not our problem, get an attorney. This is clearly the same issue as the class action on the smaller engines. Report filed with NHSTA. I am curious why no warning lights.
After some knocking under the hood, the engine stopped. I was able to pull over to the side of the road. Had car towed to mechanic, who said the engine was seized. Plenty of oil in the engine.
After spending $4100 last summer (July 2020) on a new timing belt and other repairs, the engine started knocking this summer. I took it in to have it looked at and the technician told me the engine had failed and it would cost $11,000 - $15,000 to repair. I had never heard of a repair being so expensive!!! This is outrageous for several reasons:
1) There was a known issue with a cold start in 2015 Sorentos that needed to be corrected (TB185). This was never mentioned to us, so that we could have it corrected.
2) Many, many 2015 Sorento and other engines were recalled due to a manufacturing issue, however the V6 engines were not included. The technician said "these engines also fail but not nearly as often as the 4 cylinder engines". Who cares?? If they were manufactured with issues they should be repaired.
3) I contacted service and Kia America but they were unwilling to correct the issue and didn't even respond to several of my emails (which conveyed frustration, of course).
4) A 2015 car with 147,000 miles should not be a junk car.
I have had the maintenance done on the car as it should be. Oil and filters changed every 3000 to 4000 miles since I bought the car new. No warning lights came on, and that night it failed. The vehicle shut off and then started again making a knocking sound. Vehicle was taken to Kia dealer in Cumberland MD and they said the bottom end was shot.
They informed me the could get a used motor with 80,000 miles and put it in for $5,500,00. I spoke with the dealer to see if they would assist in the cost of the replacement with no luck. I called Kia corporate to see if we could resolve the issue with no luck. I explained to Kia that there had to be an issue with the engine. I had just paid vehicle off in 2019 when this happened and could not go without a vehicle for a day. So I ended up buying a new vehicle and it definitely wasn't a Kia.
We purchased our 2015 new and have serviced it as required, at 118,927 miles the car smelled of coolant, so we had it checked. We were told that there was a leak at the head, caused by the failure of the head bolt. Now they want $7,767.62 to replace the engine. We own a 2004 Silverado 300k + miles and the bolts on the head are fine, so why can't Kia make a product that last for the value of their customers investment?
All the complaints I'm reading about are due to the POOR design of their product and the use of inferior materials. Along with the engine problem, we have had the seat trim on our power seats break in the same manner more than once. SHAME ON YOU!!!!!!!!!!! You are being WATCHED and what COMES AROUND GOES AROUND. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ DO THE RIGHT THING:-{
I have had my Sorento for 5 years now. For some time there has been a tick, but it was always called a "GDI" valve tick. About a week ago I started hearing a loud knock. No CEL, no oil light, no warning at all but when I looked I was about a quart low. I added the oil and the knock smoothed out a bit, but as the week went on the knocking got worse. Checked the oil again there was plenty and it was changed not too long ago, well within the recommend schedule.
When I was driving home from work the there was a noticeable lack of power and hesitation. I get home park get out and the knock is loud once again look there is oil. At this point I’m pretty sure I’m dealing with a wore out, or spun, bearing. I planned to take it to the dealership the following morning. I go start to I can pull it to a place a tow truck and get to it and “KNOCK KNOCK SCRETCH DEAD†engine is completely seized at this point.
I’m currently waiting for a response from KIA, but I will go ahead and assume since I’m the second owner and while not at 100k yet this will be another case of “not maintainedâ€. I’m not sure how many bearing failures you have to have before the recall is extend to the V6.
Update from May 10, 2021: Same as the 4 cyl, there was an oiling issue that caused a spun bearing and in turn, seized the engine. After months of working with the local dealership and a Kia case manager, we agreed to share the cost. I would pay for labor they would pay for the parts. Delay after delay the dealership got a new short block mid April and had it installed in a few days. I picked the Sorento up on a Thursday knock was gone, of course, power reported and it drove smooth. The next day I'm driving to work and CEL for the all too common P0018.
Recall this is what started my contact with a dealer years ago. I take it back to the dealership and was told that the sensor, Valve Timing Control, was not part of the repair. I pointed out that this is a sign on bad oil pressure and can lead to another failure. Kia and the dealership both handwaved me away. I have since sold the Sorento and cut my loss. I'm hoping there will be a long term recall as they did with the GDI 4cyl from the era and I can be compensated for the 4,000 I paid in repairs.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
Driving all of a sudden engine light starts blinking and then car stops working and was told engine seized. I also had to make a insurance claim because mice got into my engine and chewed wires up. Nothing but issues in the last year. Passed to say the least and come to find out this is not uncommon with these cars. I just am disappointed and pissed now stuck without a vehicle. I've always kept up on oil changes and just spent over $900 on new tires!! This is BS
- kellyrob119kr, Howell, US