10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 6
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
25,020 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 fuel system problems

fuel system problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2016 Kia Sorento:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2016 Kia Sorento Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #38

Jul 072024

Sorento

  • miles

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

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

problem #37

Nov 062023

Sorento

  • miles
Car when into a low power mode, could not keep it running, took 5 times to go thru a very busy intersection and motor was making a knocking noise, smells like burnt oil-motor, misses out..The car was towed into a KIA dealership,3 weeks later they said it was fixed, drove off and didn-??t even make it a mile until it started knocking and having the same smell like burnt motor, went into a reduce power.now it-??s been 3 more weeks or more and still nothing is getting resolved. Yes the dealership knows about this issue. Yes warning messages came on when it went into low power mode. This is motor number two as the motor was replaced less than 12 months ago.

- Moore, OK, USA

problem #36

Nov 222023

Sorento

  • miles
Knock sensor goes bad. Car does not receive fuel to engine. Cuts off while driving and will not accelerate over 20 mph

- Rochester , NY, USA

problem #35

Aug 122023

Sorento

  • miles

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

Car ran fine until we stopped for gas, went to get back on the highway when the car wouldn't accelerate >25mphs, almost got hit from this. The car was then towed to the near by Kia dealership and they found that it was a compression issue with a known issue in the engine and now we need a new engine or scrap the car. Kia is not willing to fix their horrible product and has told us to just suffer.

- Corinth, NY, USA

problem #34

Sep 202023

Sorento

  • miles
this vehicle is a match box waiting to kill someone. I've been reporting these problems an nobody has follow up. on 08/20/2023 fuel pump had to be replaced after fumes coming into vents report one on 06/03/2023 issue happened again, 0n 09/04/2023 engine went out. after getting vehicle back catalytic converter and manifold was burnt out do to engine.had it inspected by a muffler shop. kia will not replace anything even if they are told it was caused on behalf of there produce

- Jacksonville , FL, USA

Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...

problem #33

Aug 142023

Sorento

  • miles
3.3 liter engine - no warning not part of recall or knock sensor per Kia - driving slow ( thank God ) just died. Towed to the dealer - hearing 3 different story-??s " Diagnosis " Manifold or Rod Bearing issue - whole engine needs replaced over 15k cost. Doing research on this issue snd see many complaints on all makes and models / expect a recall on this vehicle in time as well - it-??s only a matter of time till someone is hurt or killed due to Kias repeated negligence in regards to engine failure - the dealer and corporate are ignoring this and that is not acceptable.

- North Fort Myers , FL, USA

problem #32

Jun 072023

Sorento

  • miles

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

Fire from fuel pump engine failure catalytic converter issues from engine

- Jacksonville, FL, USA

problem #31

Jun 032023

Sorento

  • miles
was driving at 11mph and car would not Accelerate almost causing and accident issues with engine sparking flames fuel system problems, transmission issues when putting the vehicle into park. Engine problems check engine light keeps blinking on an off system says park vehicle do to diagnosed problems. suspension issues afraid to drive vehicle do to so many safety problems.

- Jacksonville, FL, USA

problem #30

Jun 042023

Sorento

  • miles
automatic transmission shift lever assembly components, fuel pipe exhaust causing fumes to come through the vent area causing fire and smoke. accelerator assembly issues when driving

- Jacksonville , FL, USA

problem #29

Jun 052023

Sorento

  • miles
Recently, while driving on a busy multi-lane highway my 2016 Kia Sorento suddenly lost power, started shaking and slowed down causing traffic safety hazard. The engine stalled after slowing down. The car needed to be towed at my expense.my check engine light came on for my KSDS, the engine went limp mode and unable to accelerate over 50 miles and hour on the highway. My engine is blown. gasoline smell fumes came through vent causing me to have an attack car started to catch fire.

- Jacksonville, FL, USA

problem #28

May 292023

Sorento

  • miles

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

This is the second very similar incident with the engine of this vehicle. On Monday, May 29, 2023, the engine failed at a stop light in Fort Wayne Indiana. A few miles before it failed, it suddenly got very noisy and wouldn-??t go over about 15 mph. It wouldn-??t really react to the accelerator pedal. At the stop light it just quit at a major intersection leaving me stranded in the middle of the road. It has been towed to the Kia dealer in Fort Wayne. They have not diagnosed the problem yet but I have read many reports on line and my experience was similar: vehicular just quit, engine lost oil, accelerator pedal not responsive, and loud ticking sound. I-??m afraid the repair will be thousands of dollars and I-??m a senior citizen on Social Security. This is a second incident. On October 20, 2022, my daughter in law drove my car to IU Health Hospital in Indianapolis to visit me in the hospital (major surgery). In an hour and a half she used a full tank of gas and 3 quarts of oil -?" the car slowed to 40 mph, accelerator pedal didn-??t work and she was on Route 69 a 4 lane major highway and was very scared. She pulled off at the next exit. The car had to be towed from Indianapolis to Fort Wayne. My mechanic worked on it, got it running ok but it had a major oil leak. I was recovering from my surgery so drove it little. I now find out that the engine in my car has major problems just like what I have experienced and that Kia is refusing to fix them unless people pay in excess of $6000. This is a safety issue!!!! Having the car fail and just quit while on local or interstate roads leads to accidents and injuries. This engine needs to be recalled. Kia knows it and has settled claims out of court so they don-??t have to admit responsibility. This is a serious safety hazard. The recent date of May 29, 2023 is provided but the previous date this happened is October 20, 2022. So there were two incidents.

- Fort Wayne, IN, USA

problem #27

Apr 012022

Sorento

  • miles
The engine was going through over 5 quarts of oil about once a month. There were no visible leaks. For months, there was no check engine light illuminated so the dealership couldn't help determine and fix the problem without charging over $10,000 to open the engine, which I couldn't afford. A Service Advisor, in their words, told me to, "Run it until it dies, " so that they can start using the warranty. This to me was very unsafe, especially for my infant who was there when she said this. Months later, the car started shaking intensely and the check engine light finally came on. The car stopped working in the middle of the freeway but I was able to exit and take it to the nearest dealership. They were able to run a diagnosis and said it was an engine misfire and they replaced it (I was able to use my warranty for some of the repairs but still had to pay about $4000). It didn't take long for the car to stop working again. They then said there was a problem with the fuel pump so I had them replace it. I had barely just left the dealership when the car stopped working again. They replaced the catalytic converter, which was a part of a voluntary recall. For months after, they've been trying to figure out the issue with no success. It has been sitting at their service center since November 2022 with no solution.

- Oceanside, CA, USA

problem #26

Jan 042023

Sorento

  • miles
Twice now my 2016 Kia GDI has had the same problem as many others. I had my oil changes made and they said there was no oil in the car. the oil light never came on. I am afraid to drive my car. Has there been a recall on this. or for a engine recall. My car is under warranty.

- Gardner, KS, USA

problem #25

Mar 312022

Sorento

  • miles
While driving out of state, my 2016 Sorento, the steering wheel totally stopped working.Terrifying experience! When we returned from trip I took it to a mechanic who told me the electric steering column was bad and had to be replaced. That was over $2,000. Then thought I had oil leak but was told this GDI engine burns oil fast & I have to add a quart every wk so it won-??t run out. Kia needs to recall! Not fair to put our lives in jeopardy

- Taylorsville , NC, USA

problem #24

Sep 222022

Sorento

  • miles
I was driving the car at approximately 40 mph. The engine light flashed on briefly. I immediately lost power and had no acceleration. The light went off but the car stopped. The incident put myself and others at risk as I lost power and was in an area where I shouldn't have stopped and it became a traffic hazard. The car is currently at the KIA dealership. There were not prior lights, messages or symptoms prior to the failure. I am the first and only owner with approx 55 k miles. Never had an issue before. Dealership conducted all oil changes and maintenance.

- Golden, CO, USA

problem #23

Jul 272022

Sorento

  • miles
Warning engine light keeps activating saying major fuel leak. Supposed recall sc 172 but according to kia, not associated with my vin and needed to be reported

- Newnan, GA, USA

problem #22

Apr 302022

Sorento

  • miles
The car engine was using excessive amounts of oil at 80,000 miles. The dealer in an attempt to save the engine did a major flush. Several components failed within 10,000 miles of that service. Spark plugs, fuel pump and catalytic converter. The car would lurch forward. It stalled at 65 mph! We were scared it would start on fire or stall again. The first time it happened there were no warning lights. After the spark plugs and fuel pump were replaced there was an engine warning light on. The dealer did check it out and the latest test revealed a hole in the catalytic converter. They could not guarantee that that was the only issue. We chose not to have any additional repairs and sold the car at a loss because we were scared to have our grandkids in the car.

- Naperville, IL, USA

problem #21

Dec 122021

Sorento

  • miles
The engine is failing with the light on. It is not getting enough power and is a safety risk. I only have had the car for a year and a half and the dealership I have gotten it from won't do anything. It has had a air compression test, new spark plugs, and has been reviewed by multiply parties saying it is not deem road safety. I called the Kia dealership and it says all the recalls were done but it doesn't seem like it. They are saying i pretty much need a new engine, I have not even had the car that long.

- Niagara Falls, NY, USA

problem #20

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 #19

Jul 302021

Sorento

  • miles
My Kia recently stopped and cut off on me and my engine started shaking and making a knocking noise I-??m up to date with all my oil changes and I had just got one when I checked the oil it was barely any and I didn-??t have any check engine light on I had my car towed to the Kia dealership to see what-??s wrong I only had the car since 2019 February and it-??s never gave me any problems til now the dealership claims they can-??t help because the recall was from 2018 I didn-??t have the car yet and I didn-??t receive anything in the mail my engine is basically not good

- San Pablo , CA, USA

Read the next 18 complaints »

Not what you are looking for?