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.
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving approximately 5 MPH, the vehicle stalled and failed to return to normal operation. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the rear sway bar link needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure occurred. The contact researched and became aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V907000 (Fuel System, Gasoline, Engine); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.
I was driving in fast moving traffic on a highway when my car suddenly shook and lost power. The check engine light came on. I pulled over and turned the car off for a few minutes. restarted the car, no light came on, so I continued. After a little while the car started hesitating as I would press the gas peddle then it would rev high rpm's and then take off very fast. The engine light came back on. I was able to get to a garage where they checked it. They said it was total engine failure. A spark plug broke inside the cylinder causing internal damage. I then towed it to a KIA dealership but have not heard back from them yet what their diagnosis might be. I could have been run over from behind by a semi truck or at least hit from behind when my car suddenly slowed down. I looked on line and have seen countless failures of this same engine for various reasons. It seems to me that this engine is a lemon in many ways. KIA has a settlement in place but only if the failure is caused by one certain thing. This engine as a whole is dangerous. Reports like mine are numerous, also engines catching fire. How is this engine not recalled? 1. engine failed 2. could have been hit from behind 3. automotive garage confirmed internal damage 4. still at KIA dealership with no response yet 5. engine light came
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that after the vehicle was started, the check engine warning light illuminated, with an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced due to a lack of engine oil. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact stated that the previous oil change was approximately three weeks before the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 117,990.
Was driving the vehicle down the highway going about 65mph. Vehicle went into limp mode, check engine light came on and started flashing. There was no warning signs prior to this! Had the vehicle towed home and threw a code reader on it, to find the code P1326 come up. Says it's a code for knock sensor. After reading other forums found that most likely I will need to replace the engine. I have only had this vehicle for 2 months!! It is the same 2.4L engine that has been recalled on several other Kia vehicle but not mine. I bought this vehicle to have a reliable vehicle for my family and now I will be out more money!
While driving on the parkway, the vehicle would not accelerate and would stall. After pulling over, vehicle would restart but repeated the pattern. Made it to Advanced Auto who ran codes and had the camshaft modulator changed. Vehicle made it back onto parkway. 40 miles from home, the vehicle began to shake, loose power, made loud sound and died. Towed home. Mechanic said out of oil but I had oil changed less than 1000 miles ago when vehicle purchased. New codes showed crankshaft position sensor. Changed part. Replaced starter and a new battery. Still nothing. Stating probable engine failure. I've only owned this vehicle for 2 months!
- Lexington, KY, USA
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Engine rapidly burns and leaks motor oil. Can lose more that a quart a week in an engine that holds 5 quarts and has about 60k miles. Metal fragments found in every oil change while consistently topping off between each change.
Engine failed due to apparent head gasket leak. Incident happened on [XXX] near Richmond, Kentucky. Failure of engine caused loss of speed and power. Fortunately, an exit was available to get the car off the road quickly. We had to tow the car home and replace the engine at a cost of $8,000. Kia has had to recall 4 cylinder engines for this year. They should be recalling the 6 cylinder engine as well. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The engine seized while driving. No check engine light turned on or oil pressure light illuminated prior to seizure. This happened on 5/11/2023. I had the oil changed on 4/20/2023 and regularly checked the oil levels because of previous oil consumption issues. Previously, I completed oil changed on 6/17/22, 7/27/22, and brought it to a KIA dealership on 8/1/22 for oil consumption issues. They completed a valve gasket cover replacement at that time which I paid out of pocket. The vehicle continued to have oil consumption issues after that repair and which eventually lead to the engine failure. Kia refused to replace the engine under warranty or recall and it cost me $7,494 to replace the engine at the dealership.
I change my oil regularly and driving my car started knocking and I let a mechanic checked it and he said the engine was blown and I didn't understand why that happened. it was not out of oil and I still don't know why it happened
Was driving down the street no lights on the dashboard no overheating no warnings whatsoever and I heard a click and the engine just went out and the Dashboard lit up if this had happened on the expressway, it could-??ve been very dangerous It appears the engine is seized, but it had oil. Apparently, this is become a common problem with this vehicle. Once they hit over 100,000 miles.
Engine lost power while driving at normal speed(45 mph). Car will not start after stalling after coming to stop. This is after three years of massive oil usage and dozens of spark plug failures. Dealer and manufacturer were made aware of situation. They couldn't or wouldn't replace engine unless it completely failed or caught fire. Now that it has failed, it is beyond the "warranty". Researching this model year, it is obvious they have an issue that needs to be addressed.
I was burning oil in my car. I had put oil in my sorento every 1000 miles. I had ask the service dept about when I had 92000 miles. She then informed me that was normal and if I had put more oil in there that I might have a problem. I thought I was under warranty at that time through Kia but was informed that I didn-??t have warranty unless I bought it extra. I gave over 109783 miles on it now and blown a rod. I got a tune up about 2 weeks ago and they told me I burning oil and they thought I might have a leak inside the motor possibly in one my rods. A week after I got a tune I blew a rod. I have read that sorento are known to have these problems. What they said they built the engines and never fixed the problem they had on blowing there engine. They-??d said they don-??t drill there heads properly. They don-??t allow enough oil into cylinders and the engine blows. I have put oil in the car every 1000 miles. I should not have replace that much oil all the time.
Engine overheating, no warning lights. Changed thermostat, no change, new radiator- some improvement but still getting hot. Oil and coolant levels were fine. Got it tested and they told us we needed a new engine. We just had purchased the car and we just barely missed it being covered under warranty. This leading us to search forums for others that have had this issue with Kia Sorento 3.3 engine. Turns out there are quite a a few due to the head bolts coming loose, leaking head gasket, and ultimately ruining the engine. We are paying for a vehicle that is not drivable due to faulty parts by design. We were not made aware of this issue or that it may need to be repaired otherwise we would have steered clear of KIA. Will not be buying a KIA ever again. So many issues and no accountability for their mistakes.
Shortly after purchasing the vehicle in February of this year, we started to notice that oil was burning off quickly. We took it to be looked at and was notified that there was no signs of a leak. After that incident all of the warning lights came on on the dashboard. We took it again to be seen where we were told that it was burning oil again and that the oil was low. We had the oil refilled and on our way home the car completely seats and shut down loosing all power on the highway. We lost all control of the power steering, braking system, and the power to the whole car shut off. We had the car towed to a repairman who looked over the car and said that the engine is completely seized with no notable signs of damage but that it would require an entire engine replacement. We notified Kia about the problem and that it was something that was known to happen with the engine and they refused to cover it or do any type of repair. The car is now non-functionable with a complete seizure of the engine.
The engine seized without any warning. There was no sounds no smoke no anything that would indicate a issue with the engine. After engine failure come to find out that there is a little over three quarts of oil missing with no leak and no warning light came up on the dash, which if it had it would have saved me from having this happened where they now want me to replace the engine. There are many different recalls and complaints about this same problem with the 3.3 l V6 and I don't think owners should have to take on the large cost of repairs due to a manufacturer's defect. We tried to get to a mechanic shop fast enough where they stated that the car was missing that much oil and we tried adding the oil back but it was already too late. The car is currently at a Kia dealership with a seized motor.
My engine made a loud knocking sound and started shaking I tried to start after car was cut off but noise was worse. I then called for roadside assistance from my insurance policy. My 100,00 mile warranty is not in effect. My car was towed to my home at an out of pocket cost of$269.07 on May 20, 2024 I have not driven the car since and have been carless. I have spent approximately $1200 dollars on car rentals. I had a mechanic come by my house and he said it sounded like I would need a new engine. I checked on the price and it is out of my reach. I am retired senior citizen and really don't have $2000-$3000 to purchase an engine. I have done all recalls as, my car does not have a trailer hitch. What can be done to help.
I was driving to work going about 40 and out of nowhere my 2016 Kia Sorento started slowing down. I could not accelerate and no warning lights came on. There was a sudden loss of power.The car slowed to a stop near a busy intersection. I was in the road and almost hit by multiple cars. I could not start it again. I noticed white smoke coming out from under the hood. There was an awful smell to it. It would not start back up. It was eventually towed to a dealership and they said the engine was locked up and the starter was burned. The engine is a 2.0L Turbo GDI engine.
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the vehicle lost motive power and would not properly accelerate. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed and determined that the timing chain had failed causing severe damages to the engine. The vehicle was later driven to the local dealer who confirmed the timing chain failure had occurred and advised that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired and was later towed to the residence. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact stated that the timing chain was previously replaced but the failure had reoccurred. The failure mileage was 110,000.
I was driving on the highway and the vehicle stalled would not start again had it towed to local repair shop where I was told the engine was blown due to no oil in the car
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the contact-??s place of employment. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000. The VIN was not available.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Fitchburg, MA, USA