10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
4 / 28
Injuries / Deaths:
5 / 0
Average Mileage:
26,223 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.

2016 Kia Sorento engine problems

engine problem

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2016 Kia Sorento Owner Comments (Page 23 of 31)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #161

Nov 222021

Sorento

  • miles

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

There are two major issues with my 2016 Kia Sorento LX (that I-??ve just bought less than a year ago). 1- There seems to be some sort of electrical problem going on as my radio and headlights randomly go off when driving. While driving at 70 mph on the interstate AT NIGHT, my headlights when off and I couldn-??t see anything! Thankfully I was able to get them back on because I had my children in the car with me. This could have caused us to drive right off the road or worse, hit/be hit by another vehicle. Unfortunately, I have not had a chance to get this looked at due to a bigger issue at hand. Which brings me to-?? 2- The most expensive and frustrating issue. The engine has seized up, which has been confirmed by a local service center. I have kept up the maintenance on my vehicle since I got it at the beginning of this year. Regular oil changes with full synthetic oil. While driving, again on the interstate, RPM jumped over 4 then down to 0, oil and battery lights came on, and vehicle was disabled. Waited 3 weeks to have it looked at to find that I-??m just out of luck. Vehicle is not covered under warranty and there seem to be no open recalls, which I don-??t understand given this is a painfully common issue with these models. So I either get to foot the $7,000+ bill for a new engine (which I can-??t afford) or continue paying for a vehicle that I can-??t even drive. To say that I am dissatisfied with my KIA would be a GREAT understatement.

- Poplar Bluff, MO, USA

problem #160

Dec 102021

Sorento

  • 78,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while reversing out of the garage, she noticed there was a puddle of oil on the ground. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed with an engine oil pressure switch leak. The oil pressure switch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The manufacturer informed the contact that they would contact her back in 3 - 5 days. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Action Number: DP21002 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling). The failure mileage was approximately 78,000.

- Timmonsville, SC, USA

problem #159

Sep 112021

Sorento

  • miles
The engine is burning oil per the dealership. This is a known problem with the vehicle, but the dealership claims it is not covered by warranty, nor has a recall been issued. I have to constantly add oil every 500-1000 miles. Other Kia engines have been recalled for this exact issue.

- North Billerica, MA, USA

problem #158

Nov 272021

Sorento

  • miles

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

While my Kia Sorento had a chattering noise. When leaving home for an appointment l took the interstate and the chatter sound got louder about 10 minutes into driving. As I increased acceleration, the check engine light began to flash quickly and immediately The SUV started losing power and the engine stalled coasting long enough for me to pull to side of road. I tried to re-start the engine but it would not turn over to start. Twice in the past my husband took the SUV to Kia of Dayton Because car was losing oil with no warning light indicating it was low on oil. The mechanic explained there was a problem, he said that it had to be proven after a couple of oil changes and same problem occurred, which it has repeated twice. They said then they had to contact Kia for further instructions on how to proceed. The danger that affected my 91 year old Dad and myself is that we were stranded on a busy highway with no heat on a cold winter day. I had to find transportation to get my Dad home, because he takes blood thinner which causes him to get cold very easily.

- Dayton, OH, USA

problem #157

Nov 182021

Sorento

  • miles
have a 2016 kia Sorento, 4 cylinder, 2.4 L engine with 74.5k miles. The ecu upgrade was performed in 2019. This month while driving, the engine lost power and the car would shudder. The oil dipstick showed no oil and the oil light and check engine lights were illuminated. The car was towed to the local dealership. The dealership mechanic found that cylinder #2 had only 30psi of pressure and 90% leakage and a possible burnt exhaust valve. Error code P030200 was also present. Their recommendation was to replace the engine. HOWEVER, they say these repairs are NOT covered by my extended warranty OR the lifetime warranty coverage resulting from the Kia Theta II class action lawsuit. I feel this engine failure is covered by the Kia engine class action lawsuit and the dealership and warranty company are not honoring the class action settlement.

- Bruceton Mills, WV, USA

problem #156

Dec 032021

Sorento

  • miles
Oil burns fast into catalytic converter. Dealer and corporation know of problem bit won't recall. Many people are complaining about the same thing. It's a safety fire Hazzard ??"?

- Pleasant Hill, CA, USA

problem #155

Dec 022021

Sorento 4-cyl

  • 57,000 miles

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

My wife was driving to work when the engine lost power and started making a rattling noise. I took the vehicle to my trusted mechanic who informed me that the engine needs to be replaced due to excessive oil consumption. Not once did I receive any type of oil warning light on my dash informing me of an oil issue. My vehicle has almost 1,000 miles left before the next scheduled oil change. My engine is destroyed and it is going to cost 4,500 dollars to replace with a [XXX] engine from a SALVAGE YARD. But I have no other option because I cannot afford anything more. In December, three weeks before Christmas. This is unreal that this vehicle consumes that much oil. My car has 57,000 miles on it. It's basically new. Now I have to depreciate its value and probably reliability with an engine from a totaled car. Despicable. There NEEDS to be a recall on this and reimbursement to those who had to buy a new engine. Safety concerns: My wife drives my children to school every day in that car. Luckily it failed when they weren't inside. My wife had to drive the car miles home at an unsafe slow speed causing a road hazard. Components have not been inspected by the manufacturer yet but will be sent to Kia by my mechanic. NO WARNING LAMPS UNTIL MY ENGINE WAS TAKING ITS LAST BREATH ON THE WAY TO THE MECHANIC. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Warminster, PA, USA

problem #154

Nov 172021

Sorento

  • miles
The 2016 Kia Sorrento we drove for 6 months, odometer reading under 82 000 mi had complete engine failure with no warning. It started to rattle when shifting to a new gear and completely broke down on the way to the dealership the next day. The Kia Dealer has confirmed the engine failed. We had no warning of engine issues.

- Wichita, KS, USA

problem #153

Nov 262021

Sorento

  • miles
My children and I were on the freeway, and when I pushed the accelerator, nothing happened. No rpm increase, no engine change-??nothing. I have had my car looked at and diagnosed, and nothing alerts to being wrong. The screen said Engine Control System, the engine light came on, and I had to pull all the way over across 4 lanes of traffic on the freeway, without being able to accelerate. I pulled over, put the car in park, and waited about 10 minutes. I turned the car back on and everything was fine. I do not understand. This is a safety hazard!

- San Jose, CA, USA

problem #152

Nov 072021

Sorento

  • miles
My vehicle without any warning whatsoever, completely shut down while driving in interstate traffic. This was a very dangerous thing to happen while driving on a busy interstate. I was able to get to the side of the road but the vehicle would not start. I had my vehicle towed to my mechanics shop where he determined that the motor had failed due to cylinder/piston damage. I was denied coverage by KIA so my only choice was to pay my mechanic to replace the motor with a remanufactured motor at a cost of $9000.

- Hudson, FL, USA

problem #151

Nov 102021

Sorento

  • miles

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

I just bought my car in March of this year. It started overheating so I brought it to the mechanic where I was quoted $9,000 for a new motor. I still owe $17,000 on it. Was completely disrespected at the dealership by the service department. So now I-??m stuck with a car that doesn-??t drive and a huge loan I have to pay out. I was told that the oil level in my car was extremely low. I just recently had it changed and wasn-??t due for over a month for another. No light sensor or anything went off.

- Colrain, MA, USA

problem #150

Oct 092021

Sorento

  • miles
I was driving 85 MPH on the interstate and my engine lights started flashing (no engine light or oil light prior to this) and started slowing down. I got to the shoulder of the interstate and my car was making a terrible knocking noise. I have owned this car for 3 months. There is a little over 87K on my car. I had the car towed to the nearest Kia dealership where I was told my engine was totaled. After paying $140 for a diagnostics report and being without a car for a whole month (keep in mind this is just for the report). I was quoted a total of 6,800 for them to fix my car. After further research I have found other people with the same issues with the engine. My engine is a 3.3L V6. In the previous lawsuit for Kia it only covers 2.4L engines where my engine is having the SAME issues. I should not have to pay for a new engine when this is a big issue with other consumers with the same car and engine type. Now im stuck paying on a car I CANT DRIVE until the 6800 is paid. I owe to much on my car for me to pay it off in full. This put me as well as everyone else on the interstate at risk and would have also put my children at risk if they were in the car. I am beyond irritated. As well as a given a whistleblower just coming out to state that these engines are not safe and kia and hyundai's neglect in keep their consumers safe. SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE!

- Cartersville, GA, USA

problem #149

Nov 102021

Sorento

  • miles
I just purchased my Kia Sorento in March of 2021. It doesn-??t notify you when oil is LOW or OUT. Even with proper oil changes. Also the engine randomly started to overheat regardless that it-??s barley got 107 miles on it. Of course there-??s several recalls for this particular vehicle for the same issues but not for mine specifically. Insurance won-??t cover wear and tear so now my cars in the shop for who knows how long with an extremely high bill expected.

- Colrain, MA, USA

problem #148

Nov 072021

Sorento

  • 103,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the contact was notified about a knocking in the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 103,000.

- Fargo, ND, USA

problem #147

Oct 302021

Sorento

  • miles
Engine failed while driving. No warning lights. Have to purchase a new used engine. Fan blower resister: only blows at high or not at all. Has been fixed once and is now an issue again.

- Grand Rapids, MI, USA

problem #146

Nov 062021

Sorento

  • miles
Car failed while driving and now has a rod know and low oil

- Eudora, KS, USA

problem #145

Sep 052021

Sorento 4-cyl

  • 128,459 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and an independent mechanic on separate occasions. The dealer and an independent mechanic diagnosed the vehicle with engine failure. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 128,459.

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #144

Jul 072021

Sorento

  • miles
On Saturday 10/23/2021, I picked up my car at Kia Ron Bouchard Lancaster MA. They explained to me that warranty coverage is only extended if the problem was presented in PI1802. That wasn't my problem. I contacted another Dan O'Brien Kia dealership in Norwood MA, and found that one of the problems that might have caused my car to malfunction was a safe recall that was not made and therefore I lost my warranty. But I went to Kia several times and they always said they didn't have the parts to recall. In the document it says that my car would have the rod bearing warranty if it were failing. Asking another dealership he explained to me if when I presented the oil consumption problem on 07/23/2021 the part could already have problems. What are the symptoms of a bad rod bearing: Low Oil Pressure - Many times when a bearing is beginning to fail (or has failed), you will noticed signs of decreased oil pressure. This is usually more evident upon first starting the vehicle. In many cases, a bad rod bearing will lead to a "check engine oil" light being displayed on the dash. (Problems that were happening in my car when I was at Kia on 07/23/2021). Another explanation that the dealership gave me is that my car was showing excessive oil consumption and burning of oil and a problem that may have been caused by the defect of the part of the safe recall (E-CVVT COVER AND MOTOR PLUG REPLACEMENT) that was not made, which as a result occurred the Misfire and the cylinder lost compression. E-CVVT Cover defect could cause Late valve timing will keep the intake valve closed too long after the intake stroke has started, and will increase the vacuum in the cylinder. The high vacuum will have a tendency to suck oil up past the piston and rings into the upper part of the cylinder where it will be burned.

- Clinton , MA, USA

problem #143

Sep 072021

Sorento

  • miles
Basically my car stalled on me while driving on the feeder of the freeway. I had all three of my children inside the car so luckily nothing bad happened when my car died. I had to tow my car to a mechanic who later informed me that my engine had pieces of metal inside it. He then explained that the dealership should replace our engine since there has been recalls for this same issue on Kia Sorento. At this point, I called the dealership and they refused to replace our engine and stated that I should of done a previous recall (an upgrade). I advised them that I never received any information in regards to a previous recall and I actually had went online a few months ago and checked for any recalls. My Mom had ran across a website and we all checked all of our vehicles for recalls. My Kia Sorento had no recalls. What is my next step to get the Kia Dealership to fix my vehicle? Ive already called the main number to Kia and they were no help either. Thank you for your help!!!

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #142

Aug 152021

Sorento

  • miles
After accelerating from a stop, the engine started making a loud clunking noise and was losing power. The vehicle was towed to a certified Kia dealership where it was determined to be a rod bearing failure in the engine. The engine needs to be replaced and is not covered under any warranties due to a sensor not being updated. I was never notified of any recalls which the sensor update was. I have owned this vehicle for two years and was never notified of any recalls.

- Phenix City, AL, USA

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