general problems of the 2016 Kia Motor Sorento - part 2

My car got stolen and have had really bad service on kia end I got insurance to pay for most would like at least my 500. 00 debuctable back.

Saw a news report that the tow hitch harness electric may start on fire. Received a notice from kia November 1, 2022 regarding the possible fire. Parked car outside as instructed in notice called local kia dealer issue (January 16, 2023) no remedy per jake asked jake if car can be parked inside garage and if it was advisable to not drive the vehicle and he said that the fire issue is only if the hitch electric is used that there is a fire concern and it is ok to park in garage. So we started parking in garage and did not use hitch electric. I contacted. Kia and was put on hold so was unable to share my concerns with the called again 2/16/2023 still no remedy asked again if we needed to park outdoors and was there danger is we drove the car. Was told the fire concern is only if the hitch electric was being used and it's ok to park in garage. Called again 3/28/2023 still no remedy asked again if we needed to park outdoors. Was told no as the fire concern was only if hitch electric was being used and its ok to park in garage. Received another interim notice update today(5/17/2023) dated may 8, 2023 stating that there was an interim fuse fix for the fire issue. Called local kia dealer in waukesha wisconsin and was able to schedule an appointment for June 6, 2023. Again I asked if we needed to park outside and if it was safe to drive the Sorento. Did not know. . . Follow the letter instructions. My concern is that the dealer is giving different information than what is outlined in the letter from kia regarding our 2016 Sorento. I am concerned, so we again are parking outside away from our home and other vehicles and will not drive the car until the interim fuse fix is taken care of. Why does the kia service department tell us it is ok to park in the garage? why does the kia service department tell us it is ok to drive the vehicle? I am concerned that mixed messages are being given out by kia dealer service dept and information from kia.

I called kia to replace fuse per their safety recall information. They are really uninterested in fixing these recalls or allowing me to speak to a manager to fix the issue. What's the point?.

The oil pressure switch failed in our 2006 kia Sorento with 46,681 miles. We purchased this car new from same kia dealer that services it. The oil leaking from the pressure switch got onto the exhaust manifold, and lots oil had traveled through wiring harnesses and got inside electrical connectors including half filling inside the computer unit ecm/ecu? main pin wiring connection. After searching online I found that many other people have reported the same oil leaking problem with the oil pressure switch in various kia vehicles, though the kia dealership told me there is no recall for it. This was surprising to me especially when I noticed smoke coming off of manifold when I took it to the kia service center, and when their repair service man sent me a video from kia showing the amount of oil that leaked up the wires inside of harness into the electrical pin connections going to the car computer system. I do have a copy of this video. This seems very concerning to me and makes me worried.

After parking and turning the car off, when restarting the vehicle the shift lock would no longer release to shift out of park. In order to shift out of park it requires the shift lock clip to be removed, a screw driver placed down and pressure applied to release the shifter. The vehicle was taken to the dealership to be assessed and owner was told it was the bcm and the entire component would need to be replaced as it is not sensing that the brake is being applied. There are no service or warning lights. The bcm controls several other safety features including park assist, the heated seats, and other electrical components serious safety concern if the computer system within the vehicle is not able to detect that the brake is being applied. It could also lead to other electrical failures throughout the vehicle.

Most recently the engine burned up the oil prior to my next service date. After oil was added and the engine drove fine. The next day the engine ran fine and after driving through an intersection 1/2 mile from my house the car died. It lost complete power, putting myself and my family in danger. (thank god we were able to get off to the side of the busy roadway safely). At that moment, a battery light came on first, then an oil and engine light illuminated at the same time. The car wouldn’t start and had to be towed off the side of the road. The mechanic that looked at it said it needed an engine. Due to lack of maintenance records, the extended warranty company chose to deny my claim. The dealer has my car and will do a diagnostic test. About a year ago I had the transmission looked at for hard shifting into first and the dealer said it needed a flush. The problem continued not too long after they flushed it. It only happens if you release the brake and push to start too quickly and put in gear too quickly. No recalls I’m being told for that issue as well. Zero indicators on dash prior to any issues happening that would have given me the opportunity to maintenance/service my vehicle before resulting in engine failure and potentially costing my thousands I don’t have. I love my kia and want my baby back in great working order but I’m afraid I won’t be able to have her back if the repairs are more expensive than the cars worth. I’m still financing this vehicle as well. Please kia/Hyundai I need your grace and good faith to repair my vehicle under warranty.

I own a kia Sorento with a recurring electrical wiring failure that affects the passenger-side blinker and hazard lights. The issue has been “repaired” multiple times, but it returns within a day. This prevents me from safely signaling lane changes or using hazard lights in dangerous situations. The wiring becomes loose or faulty repeatedly, creating a persistent safety hazard. This defect has not been permanently resolved despite multiple service visits. I am concerned for my safety and the safety of others on the road.

While driving at highway speed, the battery light and oil light came on and the throttle became unresponsive. The driver pulled over safely. The vehicle had to be restarted before the throttle became responsive again. The vehicle was taken to maguire kia service (ithaca, NY), where the engine was subsequently replaced.

At 45mph or faster, when turning left. . The steering sticks briefly and the eps (electric power steering) over-corrects it. Makes the steering wheel jump. So the driver has to perform constant corrections. I believe it’s very serious safety issue.

Over the course of 12 months the vehicle is exhibiting worsening excessive engine oil consumption. There is no oil leak. Engine oil warning light does not come on to alert oil is low. And at times within a week the oil level is almost none on dipstick. Using 4-5 quarts a month between regular oil changes. Loud knocking noise occurs after driving and engine is turned off. The engine fan is constantly running and remains running up to 10 minutes after engine turned off even in mild temperatures and very short drives. Violently hard shifting occurs. This is intermittent and unpredictable but has worsened and become more frequent over last 1 year. This hard shifting can be so hard and severe to cause pain from seat belt and mild whiplash. Cold weather does increase the frequency and severity however it also happens in mild and warm weather at an alarming rate. At times the shifting is so hard and violent that it feels as though you just drove off a 3 foot ledge hitting front end hard. It happens at both high and low speeds. Vehicle has been taken to mechanics on several occasions. Each time they find no problems. Current mileage is 95,000 miles. I purchased 18 months ago from dealership and almost immediately problems began.

The anti lock button does not work, kia will not fix it, they stated that there recall on it was for locks that can move the car forward and backwards. I've never used my anti lock button its down beside the gear shift so the only way I can drive my SUV to put my car in drive, reverse etc to use the gear shift is by holding a screwdriver down in it the whole time and I complained to kia about that knows that but they won't do anything about it unless I pay out of pocket for something I've never even used since I had the vehicle/I'm not at fault for. I suddenly could not put my SUV back in drive after cutting my car off at my daughter school in 2022 bc of the anti lock button being stuck or something of that nature and kia done nothing about it since, they turned my down to fix n/or replace it. And my dashboard is cracking by the airbag on passenger side from the top all the way down unknowingly on its own. Also my engine light suddenly comes on and stays on for days then goes off and that happened on several occasions/ twice so far, kia was notified about it and said if its not jumping or flashing I'll have to pay to get it checked.

Headlights drop out without notice, most noticeable when it’s dark! happens often.

I was driving down the road and heard a grinding noise from engine. I pulled over to check under the hood for fluid leaks or check engine lights which everything checked out good temp gauges and everything giving normal readings. I then proceeded to keep traveling my route and about 5 minutes in I was loosing power and my car wasn't accelerating any more. I contacted the dealership I received my car from letting them know of these problems and informed them of a recall that was in affect a couple years back and also about the recent one I then asked if they fixed this problem or had any knowledge of these defects which they stated it's not on them I have to take it up with the manufacturer even though I wasn't informed of these problems before my vehicle purchase. I then contacted the manufacturer and let them know of the troubles and got them in contact with the mechanic that was in charge of my diagnostic at the time and they did an investigation and turned out the recall caused this problem but since the problem already occurred they can't help me with repairs. This shouldn't be on me when they sold me a faulty vehicle without disclosing the recalls that needed attention which in return could've cost me or someone's life that day.

Since 2019, the power steering for my kia Sorento has failed on at least 30 occasions while my vehicle is in motion, placing vehicle occupants and nearby drivers at significant risk of a serious accident. All failures have the following in common: - vehicle becomes very difficult to steer and requires significant arm strength to turn the wheel to either the left or the right - the red eps warning light illuminates, no other warning lights nor alarms - the steering wheel feels a minor shudder before fully locking - upon stopping them vehicle, placing in park, turning the engine off, and then turning the engine back on, the eps warning light is no longer illuminated and the steering is restored ("as if nothing happened") - there no known common causes, such as vehicle speed, temperature, nor any other triggers which cause this error, as a driver, there is the distinct chance that it can happen at any time documented instances8 with video include: 11/20/2021 8/2/2022 8/4/2022 8/18/2022 (highway speed, specified in additional details) 8/24/2022 3/13/2024 kia America issued an "mdps warranty extension notice" on January 7 2022 which appears to be specific to this problem sine it references eps warning light, however this is a categorically insufficient response by kia since it offers no clear remediation to address the actual acknowledgment by the manufacturer of their problem, offering coverage "if the diagnosis indicates the condition" but stating "vehicle steering will continue to be operational" after eps illuminates. This is false since a person of my size is unable to operate the steering I have taken the vehicle to a kia dealership for this problem on several occasions, including 2/7/22 after receiving the above "warranty notice," however their equipment is incapable of finding any record of the problem using any advanced obd scanners, nor able to replicate the problem through driving since the problem is random, hence kia will not repair under warranty.

My 2016 kia sorrento is burning oil, about 1 quart every 300 miles. It only has 64,000 miles on it. We have the oil changed every 3000 miles and last time it was black and sludge like. This is not acceptable and called the dealership and they suggest paying $700 to do a carbon test. Not paying that when the car has a warranty still!!!! this issue needs to fixed!!! we have dealing with this for months!! also the lights on dashboard flicker once in a while.

Ignition switch/steering column lock/anti-theft device. It is widely known key start kia-Hyundai vehicles are easy to steal due to lack of sufficient steering column/ignition switch/anti theft device which makes these high risk vehicles for theft which also puts owners and bystanders at unreasonable risk of violence. These same vehicles sold in canada and elsewhere are equipped with different parts making them much more theft resistant. Kia-Hyundai therefore made a decision to not install on us market vehicles, deliberately indifferent to safety of owners, occupants, and others of violence and of increased vehicle theft.

I have been calling kia corporate for a year now. They will put me on hold or transfer me until they think I give so they disconnect me! I finally got a supervisor on the phone to help me and he was very rude. I told him that “I knew kia did not want to have a situation where one of their vehicles caught on fire with children in it” and his answer was “MA’am that happens all the time”. They have not fixed the seven recalls that are on my 2016 kia sorrento. Not one out of seven. I asked for whatever was fair, I buy back, I trade, whatever was fair for both parties, and asked to speak to that gentleman’s (billy) supervisor so she could listen to that call. When I got a callback, she did apologize or say anything about the car and then she had billy call me back again so that he can tell me that in the state of north carolina, there was nothing they could do for me because he cannot do a buyback, and he cannot do a trade-in. I know that is incorrect. I have friends and family that work at car dealerships and one place is Chrysler Dodge. We got this car because we had a two year old and I had done research for six months and wanted it so bad and they only had it for two days. They never even had time to check it out but they still sold it to us. I still got some of the man steven brod‘s information that was the previous owner. If they looked it over so well, why did I have to drive back there twice to get head rests? why when I brought all this information up to them? did they throw me straight to kia corporate. We bought this vehicle at bob king kia in winston, salem north carolina. I don’t expect a telluride from 2023 to pull up with a bow on it. I do expect to be treated like a fair consumer, so I have something to say to drive my child in. It got to the point where my best friend let us buy her minivan. Literally having to get out to check if there’s fumes smoke my door handle broke there was a recall, there’s a recall on the hatchback it doesn’t open anymore etc.

The rear back up camera screen just went black when in reverse and hasn’t worked since.

El mes DE 01\22\2022 compre un beiculo y el primer problema que tube fue como alas dos semanas DE tenerlo con migo y fue con los frenos y lo lo llebe a que lo areglaran pero el gran problema bino con el motor que se quemo cuando iba DE camino a mi trabago y apenas tenia dos meses con el beiculo y en el lote cue la compre ni mis aseguransas que le puse al beiculo quieren alludarme.

After only six months, my 2016 kia Sorento suddenly lost power while I was driving on the freeway, after my trusted, local mechanic ran a diagnostic, he told me that my car was done for but kia would stand behind their product, they have a 100,000 mile or ten year warranty for their vehicles. It was a frightening and frustrating experience but at least I was comforted when he told me kia would take care of it. Kia is not honorable, they are not standing behind their products. Two days ago, I was told that kia is denying my claim. How disappointing. I will pursue this matter to the end. Kia knows that their engines are prone to catastrophic failures. I was told by a kia employee that I didn't maintain my vehicle adequately, I have records to the contrary. This is wrong.

A couple of months ago, we parked the kia in the garage and the next morning, went to start the vehicle and attempted to put it in gear and the shifter button would move depress. We ended up replacing the brake switch but the problem remained. We took the vehicle to our local mechanic who ran a number of tests and determined the fault to be within the bcm module. Tests performed. They measured the voltage from the brake switch and validated the proper voltage was there. They went to the interlock solenoid at the shifter and verified the solenoid is functioning properly when provided ground. They went to the bcm (body control module) connector and provided ground from the connector to the solenoid to validate there's no problems with the connectors or wire and this worked. Based on these tests, they have determined the bcm module to be at fault, either not detecting the brake is depressed or the bcm is detecting it, but it's not providing the ground needed to the solenoid. At the moment, we have resorted to pressing the shift lock release to operate the vehicle.

I was driving my vehicle up a hill. I accelerator a little. The car picked up speed then my oil light flickered and then stayed steady, along with the battery indicator. At this point my engine shut down and the car began to slow down. I came up on a side street that I turned into, because at this point the car was slowing down and loosing power and the breaks were not functioning, I would have either stalled and rolled backwards, or myself and my child would have been rear-ended. All the lights still work and everything come on, so I know its not the battery. My oil light flickered a little when I went around a turn a few times prior to this day, but never steady. No other indicator lights came on. The car is at my mechanics, who advises me the engine has seized and the vehicle has no oil. My last oil change was 3. 5 months ago and according to the counter I'm only 99 miles over, which should not have caused this. Even though I was told I had up to 4,000 miles before I needed an oil change again. All of my fluids were checked at this appointment and this is the first major issue with my vehicle.

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.

While my kia Sorento had a chattering noise. When leaving home for an appointment l took the interstate and the chatter sound got louder about 10 minutes into driving. As I increased acceleration, the check engine light began to flash quickly and immediately the SUV started losing power and the engine stalled coasting long enough for me to pull to side of road. I tried to re-start the engine but it would not turn over to start. Twice in the past my husband took the SUV to kia of dayton because car was losing oil with no warning light indicating it was low on oil. The mechanic explained there was a problem, he said that it had to be proven after a couple of oil changes and same problem occurred, which it has repeated twice. They said then they had to contact kia for further instructions on how to proceed. The danger that affected my 91 year old dad and myself is that we were stranded on a busy highway with no heat on a cold winter day. I had to find transportation to get my dad home, because he takes blood thinner which causes him to get cold very easily.

There are two major issues with my 2016 kia Sorento lx (that I’ve just bought less than a year ago). 1- there seems to be some sort of electrical problem going on as my radio and headlights randomly go off when driving. While driving at 70 mph on the interstate at night, my headlights when off and I couldn’t see anything! thankfully I was able to get them back on because I had my children in the car with me. This could have caused us to drive right off the road or worse, hit/be hit by another vehicle. Unfortunately, I have not had a chance to get this looked at due to a bigger issue at hand. Which brings me to… 2- the most expensive and frustrating issue. The engine has seized up, which has been confirmed by a local service center. I have kept up the maintenance on my vehicle since I got it at the beginning of this year. Regular oil changes with full synthetic oil. While driving, again on the interstate, rpm jumped over 4 then down to 0, oil and battery lights came on, and vehicle was disabled. Waited 3 weeks to have it looked at to find that I’m just out of luck. Vehicle is not covered under warranty and there seem to be no open recalls, which I don’t understand given this is a painfully common issue with these models. So I either get to foot the $7,000+ bill for a new engine (which I can’t afford) or continue paying for a vehicle that I can’t even drive. To say that I am dissatisfied with my kia would be a great understatement.

Unknown. The blind spots warning sometimes works and sometimes it doesn’t. The same goes for the backing warning. The car will not lock itself with the key control or manually. This problem has happened a few times already. One of the lights at the driver side isn’t working. (inside light).

Engine failed while driving. No warning lights. Have to purchase a new used engine. Fan blower resister: only blows at high or not at all. Has been fixed once and is now an issue again.

In August of 2021 I received a mailer notifying me of a recall & software update to prevent my engine from blowing up. I immediately scheduled the software update for the begining of September and that was completed. In October of 2021 I was driving the vehicle when it began to make an odd noise. No dashboard lights were triggered -so I tried to get to my next stop to evaluate, on the way the vehicle remained on but the ability to use the gas and actually increase speed ceased. It was sputtering when I was able to pull off into a parking lot and the check engine light finally appeared. We evaluated the oil and it was dry. No oil lights ever appeared. Had this occurred on a highway or busy roadway this could have had a tragic ending. The vehicle was regularly serviced per service schedule. The vehicle had a recent oil change before the software update and a multipoint inspection with the software update. The vehicle had to be towed and evaluated at the dealership which determined it was covered under the new warranty due to class action lawsuit on the faulty engines. Repairs took almost a month and the warranty coverage was denied and argued repeatedly.

Sunroof motor failed.

The contact owns a 2016 kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving 65 mph the vehicle experienced an unknown electrical failure and was taken to an unknown dealer; however, the mechanic diagnosed the vehicle and stated that no issues were found. On another occasion while driving 35 mph and depressing the brake pedal while she was approaching a stop sign, the vehicle jerked abruptly, stalled, and lost electrical power. The contact stuck her arm out of the window to notify the vehicle behind her. The contact depressed the brake pedal to stop the vehicle but it felt rigid and failed to respond. The vehicle continued to roll until coming to a complete stop. The contact stated that the vehicle restarted independently. The contact veered to the side of the road. The contact then continued to drive the vehicle; however, the vehicle was jerking while driving. The contact pulled into a local pep boys for an oil change and continued to drive. The dealer was notified of the failure and an appointment was scheduled for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

I'm not sure I've had my vehicle serviced but nobody seems to know the problem. Every since my headlight was replaced my electrical system has been wacky. All of my doors keep locking and unlocking on its own. When I try to accelerate my vehicle seems to be more stagnant as if it's no longer increasing speed and the steering wheel does not appear to be in alignment with my tires when turning. My son has never been able to open the door while in motion but since the locks have started clicking there's been some close calls.

1st problem a year ago the rear latch to door wouldn't lock and I had to use bungee cords to keep it shut. 2nd problem, the engine was knocking after I returned from a recent road trip. I took it to local (trustworthy) mechanic and they noticed metal shards in the oil pan. They refused to open the engine because it would void the warranty. I had it towed to kia of smithtown and they said it was total engine failure. I said impossible, since I have kept up with all timely oil changes and maintenance and I have the records. There was no warning light of low oil or that the engine was running hot or smoke. Dealer refused to fix and so am in dialogue with an attorney. Kia has yet to send me a bill or approximate charge for engine replacement and has held the SUV for 13 days now.

The specific issue I’ve encountered is that the vehicle intermittently becomes stuck in “park” and cannot be shifted into “drive” or any other gear using normal methods. The only workaround has been to manually engage the shift lock override by inserting a screwdriver or similar tool into the override slot near the gear shifter. This is not a normal or acceptable method of operating the vehicle and clearly indicates a failure of a system that should function reliably. Upon further investigation, I discovered that this problem is not isolated. Hundreds of kia Sorento owners from various forums and complaint boards (including reddit, kia owner groups, [xxx] , and even other reports on NHTSA. Gov) have documented the same problem with identical symptoms: the gear shifter becomes stuck in park, the brake lights do not illuminate, and in many cases, this is traced back to a faulty body control module (bcm). Many owners have noted that when they contacted kia corporate or their dealerships, the representatives either acknowledged the issue was known but not recalled, or simply claimed there was no current recall to address it. This is disappointing and raises serious questions about kia’s willingness to take accountability for systemic flaws in their vehicles. I respectfully request that NHTSA: 1. Initiate an investigation into the prevalence and root cause of bcm-related failures in the 2016 kia Sorento, particularly those that result in gear shift locking and/or brake light malfunction. 2. Evaluate whether this issue meets the criteria for a safety-related recall. 3. Require Kia Motors to issue a recall and provide cost-free repairs or replacements of the affected components to all impacted vehicle owners. 4. Monitor any further consumer complaints to determine the full extent of the issue across other model years, trims, or vehicles using the same bcm design. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Leaks oil like crazy and constantly adding oil but no obvious leak engine shaking very bad, idling very hard and not shifting properly.

There are numerous safety issues I have found with this car I just financed. First, at random many different lights just blow, then on my dash various warning lights will go on and off, on top of that my abs and traction control is off for no reason and so are my passenger air bags. My brakes scream somedays and are touchy others ive replaced the battery twice and only owned it 3 months. I have brand new tires yet the suspension is awful the fuel is going fast and my oil needs changing very often and it is under 100000 miles.