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.
Fuel expired much quicker than should be, and burned on to the dip stick before oil was due to be changed. Then the engine failed while driving, causing my vehicle to lose power on a left turn on a 55 mph road, nearly causing my children and I to be hit by another vehicle. I could not accelerate, but still had power to steer and brake. After having the gas pedal fully extended, I resumed power to 30 mph (this was described as engine knock sensor decreased power). We are hearing that 14 million Kia vehicles are experiencing this. There are 46 cars ahead of mine to be repaired for the failed engine and oil problem at that dealership as of today. They are not offering loaner vehicles.
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated and the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to pull into a parking lot. The vehicle failed to restart after several attempts. The vehicle remained parked in the parking lot. The contact notified the local dealer and other unknown dealers of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 78,500.
Shortly after fuel oil and filter change at ~75,000 miles, engine light came on and car engine stopped. Oil pump failed and cracked through housing. Major damage. Repair shop indicates engine needs to be replaced.
This KIA Sorento was brand new and I was the only owner. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request" The engine, brake lights, charging ports and overhead lights. Yes, the vehicle is available for inspection. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The engine: this puts me at risk because the vehicle stop in the middle of the highway and the rear lights was not working because I burnt harness... a Truck was coming full speed. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes, several times and they failed to take responsibility. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? The manufacturer and several other opinions from other reputable mechanic shops. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear" No not at all, I was driving home from work, and once I exited the highway and came to a red light it just started violently shaking. There was no sign of this issue. I thought the light going out was just regular maintenance until it we out a few days later... then again. Then I noticed it was burnt on the wiring.
My wife was taking my son to school on April 11, 2022 around 7:45am. On the way, and without warning, the engine stopped. She coasted on an exit ramp and stopped at the light. The car's engine wouldn't turn over or even click. A police officer assisted by pushing the car into a gas station parking lot. We had the car towed to the dealer in Fort Worth. After two weeks, they contacted me and said I needed a new engine, intake manifold, and starter because the engine was sized. They said there was no oil in the vehicle. They could not offer an answer as to why.. There had been no warning...no lights had come on the dash...no indication the engine was overheating....no check engine light came on...no check oil light....no limp mode activated. Until that morning, there had been no problems with our vehicle whatsoever. I filed a complaint report with Kia Consumer Affairs. Today, 6 days later, I was told that they would offer no assistance and that all repairs would have to be paid by me. It is available to inspect st the dealer. My wife and child could have been seriously hurt had they stopped in the middle of the interstate by another car running into them. Only the dealer has inspected the vehicle. Had any warning lights come on, we would have had the vehicle serviced. There was never an indication there was a problem.
While driving the vehicle there came a knocking noise from the engine. We had driven down to the beach for a work event. We decided to turn the car around and to retrieve our other vehicle from home. As we were driving back the engine was still making the knocking noise. We went over a bridge and the engine started seizing. The engine light then came on. We were able to get it to a pepboys by home lucky but barely made it. They looked over the car and determined a whole engine repair was needed. We took it to Kia dealership and they determine the same and that the bearings had failed. Our car was under warranty but do to failure of proper oil changes our warranty was voided. I understand the need for proper maintenance of the vehicle but our car had only 24000+ miles on it. When I looked up issues regarding the specific engine our car has there were many complaints of engine failure for the theta 2.4 gdi engine. This is very underwhelming and I am grateful my children were not in the car at the time of this failure and we did not get hurt.
I was hit by another car in July 2021 which totaled the lovely suv I owned. I decided to buy my 2018 KIA Sorento (from a different state) in August 2021 because I thought KIAs were safe and reliable cars. My KIA began to oil leak right before September 2021. I had it checked for oil leak and got my oil topped off. There was no oil leak detected. In November 2021, my engine light comes on. I believed it to be an indication it was time for an oil change. The night before I could even make it to the car shop my KIA begins to make a loud knocking sound. I got my oil change and the knocking still persist. The mechanic gentlemen tell me that I needed a crankshaft position sensor replacement. I drive my KIA to the nearest KIA dealership and they keep my KIA Sorento over the weekend because of the shortage in workers. The following Monday KIA dealership calls to say I needed a full replacement engine (motor). I haven't had my KIA for even four months and it is under 100,000 miles. I have never had to receive such gut wrenching news about any car I have brought! I pick up my car to park it immediately. There has been over thousands of recalls on KIA motors I was and still am frightened my engine (motor) could catch fire anytime. I am scared to even start it to keep my battery alive. KIA dealerships will not offer me any help because I am the second ownwer of this KIA. I definitely will NEVER buy a KIA car again or even HYDAUI car.
02/06/2022 driving north bound on TX hwy 75 near McKinney, TX at the posted speed limited 70mph the engine suddenly quit running and the steering and brakes went out. There were no warning buzzers or lamps prior to the shut down. Traffic was light and with a lot of pumping of the brakes able to get onto the shoulder. Vehicle was towed to Kia of McKinney, TX. They stated engine bearing had gone bad, causing the engine to seize.
Our 2018 Kia Sorento seized, stalled, in the middle of the road, smoked, then nearly caught fire with our young daughter in the car and 19 year old son driving. We reported it to Kia. They agreed to reimburse our rental car IF we sign a settlement agreement/hush order regarding it our vehicle and to get reimbursed.
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, a loud noise was suddenly present coming from the engine before the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the residence and was examined by an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the engine rod bearing had failed. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacture was not yet notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 65,000.
I was traveling to Florida and saw sparks in the mirrors in the back. I quickly pulled over and went to the back and saw fire, the car was on fire everybody got out, we tried to put it out but it seemed like there was an accelerrent or something cause it was engulfed with fire very fast once we stopped the whole car was burning.+we were on 65 South in Kentucky just driving, no rain roads were dry.
While driving on numerous occasions the car has to be forced to go. It's always hesitating to go and I'm forced to press hard on the gas. In October 2020, the engine light came on and the car went into "limp" mode. I'm very scared while driving with my kids. The dealers have no fix-I will be taking it in for a third time within a year.
After turning into traffic on a highway, and I probably should not have, I had to "gun" it to get moving faster. After that the engine light came on and was flashing.then I would say it went into a limp home mode. This "gunning" has happened to me 3 times.
Currently, there is an engine recall on the 2015-2018 Kia Sorento, which results in premature rod wearing and potential engine fires. Within a few weeks of having the vehicle, brand new off the lot, the engine noises (tapping/knocking) were noticed by a family member. It was reported to Kia within the first 3,500 miles on the vehicle, who advised me initially that the sounds were because the engine was new and breaking in and that the sounds were normal. In January 2019, I was advised when I brought the car in for their courtesy inspection that there was a recall and they needed to perform a software update on the vehicles ECM that is supposed to turn the vehicle into limp mode to warn the driver of a potential engine fire before it happens. Kia performed the update and the engine noises still persist. The technician claimed he inspected the vehicle and reported that it was performing as intended and that he did not hear the noise. Lately the noises have been more frequent, so as a safety concern I brought the vehicle back into Kia for inspection. Now the dealership and manufacturer instead of checking and confirming the safeness of the vehicle, is blaming an aftermarket oil filter and synthetic oil as the cause of the engine issues, not their engine issues that recalled thousands of cars and resulted in engine fires. Moreover, Kia not only refuses to provide me with the diagnostic report and supposedly oil pressure test that they claim to have been performed that gave them those results, they also refuse to confirm to whether the car is safe to be on the road. This is a safety hazard; engine fires are real which can severely injure or kill the occupants of a vehicle. The manufacturer and the dealer refuse to address this hazard and it needs to be investigated, for consumer safety.
Since 2/2020 I have been back and forth to the dealership multiple times for my check engine light. The dealership has replaced multiple different parts but the light continues to come back on. The dealership has been in contact with Kia corporate mechanics and they do not seem to know what the problem is as well. I am very frustrated because I have also reached out to Kia corporate office and they have been of no assistance. I do not feel safe driving this vehicle and has voiced this concern multiple times.
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while her son was driving approximately 60 mph, the vehicle suddenly stalled and lost all power. The contact stated that son called her and informed her that the vehicle was smoking. He was able to pull to the side of the road, upon exiting the vehicle he saw flames coming from under the vehicle. The contact stated that he opened the hood and the flames immediately engulfed the whole vehicle. The fire department was called and extinguished the fire. A fire department report was made. There were no injuries or medical assistance needed. The vehicle was towed and totaled. The contact contacted the dealer suntrup Kia South (6263 S lindbergh blvd, St. Louis, mo 63123 phone: (314) 254-8955) who stated that they were not liable and to contact Kia consumer line. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure a case was opened as well as an investigation was conducted. The approximate failure mileage was unknown.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Kenockee, MI, USA