10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
13,981 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.

2018 Kia Sorento engine problems

engine problem

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2018 Kia Sorento Owner Comments

problem #7

Apr 022024

Sorento

  • miles

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

Vehicle seems to be stalling when you stop and then try to pull out. It takes minutes to accelerate after stopping.

- Macon, GA, USA

problem #6

Apr 012024

Sorento

  • miles
Me and my wife were traveling north on [XXX], left lane, 18 wheeler in right lane, cars directly behind us, 70 mph, when there was an abrupt thud, and slight skid, then lost all power from the engine. There were no warning indicators at the time. When the engine failed, we almost hit the tractor next to us. Looking in the mirror to try to determine what to do, as steering was hard to perform, there was a large cloud of black and blue smoke, the car behind us being covered in smoke and most likely oil too. The car behind us aggressively braked and ducked in behind the 18 wheeler just before a rear impact would have occurred. We finally got to safety on the side of the road as the traffic stacked up behind us was able to reduce speed in time. I had my car towed to the KIA dealership in Springfield, MO. One interesting point, the wrecker operator said that unfortunately a big part of his business was hauling KIAs. We almost died. Upon review of social media, I see there are literally thousands of KIAs placing families in danger. Why hasn-??t Mr. Budegedge acted on it. After experiencing this, it-??s likely there will be deaths. My car had 120,000 miles on the engine. KIA said it was my problem as they met their warranty obligation at 100,000 miles. There are so many incidents, even with 6 cyl engines. Customers need to be warned. At least they can be prepared for the failure when it happens. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Hamilton , GA, USA

problem #5

Mar 052024

Sorento

  • miles
I was driving home from work when vehicle downshifted while on the interstate. I continued to drive and tried to accelerate but again the vehicle downshifted. I was able to drive home by not going over 50 miles per hour.

- Killeen, TX, USA

problem #4

Sep 162023

Sorento

  • 95,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2018 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while accelerating, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the knock sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The mechanic completed a road test and indicated that the vehicle was working as designed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, the vehicle was shuddering, shaking, and then lost motive power and stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact used a code reader and retrieved DTC code: P1326 (Permanent go Relay Stuck On). The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who cleared the codes but informed the contact that the failure would continue and recommended an engine replacement. The contact stated that while driving at 70 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. There was a thumping noise detected from the engine. The contact reduced the speed to 40 MPH. The vehicle began to hesitate, sputtered, and failed to accelerate. The contact used a code reader and retrieved DTC code: P0302 (Cylinder Misfire). The manufacturer was contacted, and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.

- Norcross, GA, USA

problem #3

May 192023

Sorento

  • miles
My car went into Sudden Unintended Acceleration when I shifted from neutral to drive. I was in a gas station that was perpendicular to highway traffic. When I attempted to come out of the car wash tunnel to get my car dried off, the car accelerated out of control, the gas pedal was stuck and the brakes would not engage. The car flew out of the tunnel and into traffic. The car hit a curb before entering into traffic and went airborne. I in the third lane of southbound traffic. The vehicle then continued on through a grass median and across three lanes of northbound traffic, hitting another curb. At sone point during this accident, three of the tires popped and drivers side airbags did deploy. The popped tires appears to be the reason why the car finally came to a stop. It is only by the grace of God that I made it out alive. The airbag burned my torso. This accident occurred on 5/19/2023 at approximately 4:15 pm. X-rays and cat scans revealed no additional injuries. Currently, I am waiting to be seen by an orthopedic doctor for pain in ankles, lower back and stiffness at base of neck. My insurance company concluded the car as a total loss.

- Dover, DE, USA

problem #2

Aug 252019

Sorento

  • 2,214 miles
I was driving back home I had too work in rodeo California half the way everything was going great I had my 3 children with me my car didn't gave me any warning no check engine light.,no white smoke, I was passing the dodger stadium when suddenly my 2018 Sorento just shut down almost got hit I was about too enter the 710 and nooooo I didnt even got a chance to get out the I-5 South I checked the water it was full oil was ok no smoke no over heating ones the car shut down I try too stop since when passing dodger stadium in going down hill the damm breaks didnt work god was on my side I stop the car the dash board turn on and off the engine how ever never turned back on. I waited for 5 hours for Kia roadside service 60 minutes turned up too be 5 hrs its funny I got that 2018 because I didn't want to be having problems like this one I thought hey a new car would be great for the family...nope I should had never got that car love my Chevrolet Silverado nothing like Chevy

- Compton, CA, USA

problem #1

Feb 022018

Sorento

  • 650 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Sorento. While the vehicle was stationary, the smart cruise system malfunctioned. The contact stated that the smart cruise system did not detect that a vehicle was in front of it and accelerated forward independently. Stevens creek Kia in san jose, California was made aware of the failure, but the source of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 650.

- San Jose, CA, USA

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