10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 3
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
18,863 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.

2017 Kia Sorento electrical problems

electrical problem

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2017 Kia Sorento Owner Comments (Page 2 of 4)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #53

Jan 012023

Sorento

  • miles

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

Lights will just turn off while driving and and the blinkers will not work. The horn will not work either. It happens all the time it doesn-??t matter if it-??s day time or night time.

- Huntington, TX, USA

problem #52

Apr 202023

Sorento

  • miles
Headlights shout off at night while vehicle is in motion. I have reported this issue to the manufacturer/dealership and was advised that vehicle needed to be brought in when issue is happening. Dealership is closed at night when issue occurs. No warning messages when lights shut off and first occurred 8/2021.

- Concord, NC, USA

problem #51

Apr 072023

Sorento

  • miles
First issue: Computer fails to throw codes for issues like low oil or engine overheating because of a cracked radiator that was bone dry when the mechanic looked at it. At the time of the incident with the cracked radiator, mechanic checked fuses and system but could not find any issues. However, they agreed that check engine light should have come on. But it did not. Second issue: Oil some how magically disappears out of the engine, and because of this, I'm now stuck, with a worthless car that I'm going to have to abandon about 900 miles from my home because it'll cost too much to replace an engine. Even the mechanic that looked at it said it wasn't worth spending the money on replacing the engine. Think about the level of absurdity because that's a big amount of labor for them and they recommended against spending money on the Sorento.. I'm now car less and f*cked because of Kia's sh*tty defects.. I'm sorry for the profanity but I'm lost.. I'm lost.

- Horton, KS, USA

problem #50

Jan 272023

Sorento

  • miles

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

I was driving at approximately 35mph when my vehicle loss power and the steering wheel locked and gas pedal did not work almost causing me to be rear ended. I put my hazard lights on and started my vehicle back up and tried to continue driving but my vehicle delayed in acceleration and has now continued to delay ever since that incident. I have parked my vehicle and have not moved it due to the danger.

- Los Angeles , CA, USA

problem #49

Jan 012021

Sorento

  • miles
The steering wheel seems to get stuck with prolonged straightforward driving such as highway trips. When attempting to make slight correction in steering the steering wheel seems to stick requiring increased force to move the steering wheel which results in over correction. Power steering malfunction, it is available for inspection upon request. Potential steering problem resulting in crash. No. Problem described to dealer service center, no problems found upon routine service screening. No.

- Littleton, CO, USA

problem #48

Nov 012022

Sorento

  • 42,600 miles
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated upon activating the high beam headlights, both the internal and external lights failed to operate as needed. The contact stated that the lights had to be manually turned off before returning to normal operation. The contact also mentioned that his wife had driven into a ditch and scratched the passenger-??s side of the vehicle due to the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where he was given an estimate for a diagnostic test and repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 42,600. The VIN was not available.

- Easton, PA, USA

problem #47

Mar 222021

Sorento

  • miles

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

Intermittently, while driving, day or night, the headlights will turn on or off for about 30 seconds despite the called for sensor setting. For example, if it is dark outside, the sensors will trigger to turn on the headlight and running lights and vise a versa, when the sensors detect sufficient light, the running and headlights will turn off. I have only noticed this happens when the headlights are in the "auto" mode position as I don't keep them any other way. I have only noticed it a couple times when the headlights and/or running lights will turn on during the day (bright enough not to trigger the sensor). HOWEVER, it has happened A LOT at night where the lights will turn OFF WHILE DRIVING which causes panic because I'm driving a death machine blindly (nothing bright to mistakenly trigger sensor/no overhead lighting or approaching vehicles, i.e. pitch black). I have not been able to recreate it on demand and it has an unknown, unbiased pattern. I would say that it occurs weekly, up to 2 times per week. I feel that it has happened more often a few seconds after straightening from a turn using the turning signal (but I always use my turning signal). The direction of turn doesn't factor, it'll do it turning left or right. There has been a couple times where I almost have driven off the road and/or hit unseen objects because of having no lights. This has happened enough at night when the lights unwantedly turn off, that I have learned to quickly switch the lights from "auto" to "on" and the lights react/will work and stay on when switched back to "auto". Mechanic unable to recreate issue. No warning lights, messages, or notice of problematic signals (other than the standard "lights on" notification. The attached picture was taken at 4:06 pm on July 29, 2022. It was a hot, sunny day and I was doing 53 on the highway (straight/no curves). My running lights turned on long enough for me to pull out my phone and take a picture.

- Schertz, TX, USA

problem #46

Sep 242022

Sorento

  • miles
My car has repeatedly completely run out of oil after going 2500 of 5000 miles and the oil leaked into different parts of the car. The car is not drivable and shakes and the engine rattles. None of the dashboard indicators illuminated to indicate an issue, until after the car shut off as I placed it in drive and was trying to accelerate, on 9/24/22. I have only owned the car since 10/2021. This car-??s repairs should be covered under NHTSA Recall #20V750.

- Parkville , MD, USA

problem #45

Oct 152022

Sorento

  • miles
While I was driving on the interstate my head lights and dashboard lights went out. My lights were in auto mode. The next morning my park lights were on with the light switch in auto mode.

- Calhoun, GA, USA

problem #44

Sep 212022

Sorento

  • miles
There is an electrical problem with the Kia Sorento. I had the battery and Alternator replaced when the vehicle shut down and locked up on me. This is the second time in a few months it just shut down while I was driving.

- Philadelphia, PA, USA

problem #43

Sep 092022

Sorento

  • miles

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

While in Auto Lights mode, the headlights will randomly turn off while driving. Also, while in auto mode, while the car is parked the lights will randomly turn on- causing the battery to die within a few days of the car not being used. It appears to be the Auto lights mode that causes the problem. This is extremely dangerous to this car and other cars on the road, for obvious reasons. Issue has been noted to Kia dealer 2-3 times over the last 2 years. They are not able to replicate the issue. No errors in the computer.

- Seymour, CT, USA

problem #42

Aug 112022

Sorento

  • miles
Headlights go off without warning while in auto driving at night. Has occurred 2 in the month of August 2022. Can be turned back on by twisting the control nob to on. Poses a dangerous situation on the dark county roads that we drive if not quick enough to manually turn back on.

- Seymour, TN, USA

problem #41

Sep 052022

Sorento

  • miles
The "auto" headlight function keeps malfunctioning. It will randomly shut off the headlights and not turn back on. Numerous forums have reported the issue. This is extremely dangerous when driving at night.

- Suffield, CT, USA

problem #40

Jul 152022

Sorento

  • miles
My headlights are randomly turning on and off while I drive. Also when the car is parked and off for hours, the headlights turn on by themselves.

- Fort Washington, MD, USA

problem #39

Jul 192022

Sorento

  • miles
When driving down the the interstate at night, my headlights just turn off while driving. They are on Auto. This has happened multiple times while driving. I have not took it to be looked at yet. There is no warning light or anything else that lets you know that there is a malfunction. The lights just go off. For them to come back on, I have to manually turn it off and back on again, and they will come back on.

- Asheboro, NC, USA

problem #38

Jul 112022

Sorento

  • miles
My car started running badly with a knocking noise at the start. The knocking noise got worse, I so pulled over and checked the oil and there was virtually no oil in the engine. I filled it with oil and the knocking continued and got worse as I drove it to the dealer for service. The engine failed before I could make it to the dealer. It now needs a new engine. The Car was serviced regularly. NO LOW OIL ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON TO NOTIFY ME OF LOW OIL. NO LEAK WAS DETECTED.

- Hoover, AL, USA

problem #37

Jun 182022

Sorento

  • miles
When -??auto-?? for headlights the lights won-??t turn on at night time unless I manually switch it or the lifts will be on and then go off on their own during the night.

- Lebanon, PA, USA

problem #36

Jun 302022

Sorento

  • miles
Passenger seat belt not on warning no longer works when car is running or not running. Passenger can forget to put on seatbelt and no reminder chime. Problem is continuous. No warning lamps. Has been inspected but not repaired. Headlights come on and go off intermittently. Headlights come on when vehicle is off and not running Draining the battery down. Hard to duplicate. Has not been duplicated or repaired as it's intermittent without warning.

- Steger, IL, USA

problem #35

May 062022

Sorento

  • miles
Car lights come on when the car is not in use. Car sporadically does not start. New battery installed in February and car wont start in May.

- Pittsburgh, PA, USA

problem #34

Apr 182022

Sorento

  • miles
4/18/22 While making a right turn in a residential neighborhood, the car abruptly stopped and engine shut down. The stop was so abrupt that it threw my body forward and now have shoulder and neck pains. No warning lights were illuminated prior to this incident, however, after the engine shut down, the airbag light was lit. I drove it home slowly, called the Kia dealership in Manteca, CA. Making arrangements to have the vehicle towed and have it examined. Two days prior, the ! light came on. I noticed that the passenger side headlight was out. That same evening when I started the vehicle up, the ! light was gone and the headlight worked. I addition, when having the light control kept on Auto, the headlights remain on all the time. If this had happened in traffic or on the freeway, it may have had a different outcome.

- Modesto, CA, USA

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