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.
Due to the engine block and heads being aluminum, the head bolt threads are stripping and pulling out of the block and creating a loose seal around the head gaskets. This does not allow the engine to cool properly resulting in overheating and damage to the engine and the radiator. This has been inspected by a dealer who confirmed this issue and inspected by an independent mechanic who has recommended resurfacing the heads and a fix for the threads of the bolts. There is significant cost to put a temporary fix on an engine that is failing significantly for many other owners as well. Most with the same issue. This is a known issue of the 3.3L V6 engines and Kia is not addressing the fix.
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed and lost motive power. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the engine was blown. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 144,000. The VIN was unavailable.
My Kia had a code for the crankshaft sensor. I took the car to a mechanic that checked the sensor, crank case and reset the code. A few weeks later, the same code came back on. Took to the same mechanic and said that the code had to be cleared by the dealership. No issues found. A week later, the check engine light came on (blinking) and when I tried to put it into gear, began to misfire. I turned the car off and had it towed to a different mechanic. This mechanic asked me "where did your oil go?". I said, I just had the oil changed about a month or so ago. He said "yeah, I can see that. But your car is low 4 quarts of oil. I had to flush the engine due to metal shavings being in your oil. I changed the crankshaft oil as well. The code will not clear and it is still misfiring. You need a new engine". I notified Kia and there response was "You're the second owner and since the car has 108,000 miles, is out of warranty". This is very frustrating and to think that I could have had my engine seize while driving makes me sick. I have ordered a remanufactured engine and am waiting for it to be shipped and installed. This is just negligent of Kia not to correct this issue.
Excessive oil consumption. Chronic problem. I don-??t know how this isn-??t a recall yet. Hundreds of people are having this EXACT same issue! Please make this a recall so Kia is responsible for resolving this issue!!!
- Sioux City, IA, USA
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The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the engine started shaking uncontrollably and the vehicle lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road and restart the vehicle. After restarting the vehicle, the contact noticed that the vehicle is not able to exceed 65 MPH. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.
Oil consumption. My car is always empty after 3000 miles. I am always having to put oil in my car. Now having engine issues-?? No warning lights came on to let me know of issues or low oil.
The engine malfunctioned, it is available for inspection upon request. My family of four was traveling in the vehicle at 80 mph down I-65 when the malfunction occurred. No warning lights came on, the vehicle began to slow to 60mph and would not accelerate when pressing the gas. When the gas was pressed the entire vehicle began to shake, still no warning lights. Thankfully we were 1 mile from exit 71. I pressed the gas one last time, at this point we are coasting off the exit at 25 mph, that is when all the lights came on in the dash. We were able to safely park on the side of the road and the car died and would not restart. This all happened in less than a minute. Mine and my family's safety were 100% at risk. When my mechanic looked at the vehicle, he said it was lucky that the car did not catch fire. The entire base of the engine was melted, and all the oil was gone from the engine. My mechanic advised me to take the vehicle back to where I bought it, Car Town KIA in Nicholasville KY. They had in place an extended warranty on the engine due to a rod failure but have now told me that the engine will not be covered to be replaced.
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made an abnormal sound. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who informed the contact that the vehicle needed four new rotors and brake pads. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact that there was a leak in the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that the brake light bulbs had to be replaced every three months. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 28,000.
My Kia engine started consuming oil internally, with no external trace of a problem. First reported to Dealer at Service Appt on 5/16/23 (at mileage 58,370) and another on 9/25/23 (at mileage 61,789). I've had the car serviced regularly by this dealer. Only 3400 miles driven between those two appointments, but my engine consumed 4.5 quarts of oil during those 4.5 months. Copies of my service receipts are attached, with dealer's notations on the issue. The dealer service rep advised me that said there is nothing more they can do until the engine Fails. Then they'll contact Kia Corporate requesting total engine replacement, at no charge to me. They gave me Kia's Corporate phone number to call & report this problem to them, asking what they can do about resolving it for me. My car is still under Factory Warranty, and dealer said I have lifetime warranty on the engine. I found the following article reporting this problem, with comments from other owners experiencing the same issue: [XXX] Can NHTSA force Kia to take proper action, as a safety recall on this? - [XXX] [XXX] C: [XXX] E: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
It is burning through 2 quarts of oil every 3000 miles and it is sitting at a Kia dealership whom doesn-??t want to fix it. I have seen class action lawsuits in regards to this issue
I took my Kia SORENTO 2017 into my local Kia Dealership. June of 2021 my oil light came on when you turned hard left. They did oil comp. had me come in very 1,000 miles. By the third time they kept it and did deep clean and found the issue and fixed it. Once again my car is burning oil back in march and the dealership did nothing for me but a oil change. Waited until the next oil change and my oil light came on again than they said yes your burning oil again. Come back in 1,000 and we see how much it-??s burning did it twice and suggested another deep clean. But the Manger of the service department step in and said we did that 2yrs go for her. Let-??s do a quick clean at her next oil change. Since July have been going in to have the dealership top me car off.
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while having an alignment performed at an independent mechanic, the contact was informed there was no oil in the engine. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The contact was checking the oil level daily. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that her husband checked the oil and added approximately one quart of oil per week. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where an oil consumption test was performed. The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle was losing oil. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact about a loyalty program. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while the dealer was servicing the vehicle, she was informed that the vehicle was experiencing a minor engine oil leak due to the engine oil being overfilled. The dealer cleaned the engine compartment. The contact stated that the engine was running rough, and the vehicle was vibrating while idling. The contact stated that while driving with the Adaptive Cruise Control set to 73 MPH, the vehicle made abnormal popping sounds and jerked. The contact noticed a significant amount of smoke coming from underneath the hood. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road, where the vehicle lost motive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a piston slap caused by faulty crankshaft and rod bearing. The dealer determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact there would be no assistance since the vehicle was out of warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
My Sorento had been running just fine. I only did maintenance projects such as new brakes, new tires, oil changes and then one day out of no where my car starts making a knocking noise that got progressively louder. No check engine or oil light appeared. I took it to a mechanic the next day and they said that I needed a new engine and that there was no oil in the car. I know that I had placed oil in car with in the year when I got my brakes replaced. Also there was no leaking of oil anywhere underneath my car. I still own on my Kia and the price of a new engine was quoted over $10,000.
The car stalled and when restarted had a hard knocking. Bad engines in kias are a known issues. Why are they not replacing engines in all the vehicles!
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the check engine and the check oil warning lights illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The contact pulled over and stopped the vehicle. The contact placed the vehicle in park (P) and was able to restart the vehicle. The contact stated that she drove the vehicle to a local dealer who added oil and changed the spark plugs. The contact had a recent oil change performed less than two weeks prior to the engine failure. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that over the next several years the vehicle stalled intermittently. The contact took the vehicle back to the dealer and had the vehicle diagnosed and was advised that the catalytic converter had been damaged and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling). The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.
Excessive oil consumption. I get oild changes every 3 months at the dealership. I must add 6-10 quarts of oil inbetween these changes. I notified the dealer, but they are unwilling to replace my engine. I was told it needs to "blow up" before issue will be addressed. My 2017 Kia Sorento has 63,000 miles this issue started at 60,000 miles. It is outside my warranty as I am the second owner. This is not a safe approach from Kia, as i feel waiting for my car to "blow up" could cause injury to myself and others. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
I have KIA 2017 Sorento, the engine has oil consumption with no leak and I have to add oil almost every 3 days. I take it to KIA dealer and after checking he oil level for 1000mile, the dealer informed me that they can change the engine only when it fails and not before that. I found this solution is risky because I drive it in highway and it could cause a serious cars accident if it suddenly stopped in the middle of the highway. I can't find any reason why they don't want to do engine change and It is clear that KIA knows about the engine problem but they want to save money not save people life.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Mapleton, MN, USA