general problems of the 2016 Kia Motor Sorento - part 1

The vehicle is a 2016 kia Sorento equipped with a 2. 0l turbo theta ii engine subject to the ksds (knock sensor detection system) safety recall. The original engine was replaced at approximately 70,000 miles under kia’s engine service program. The replacement engine currently has approximately 32,000 miles. The vehicle developed internal engine damage diagnosed by a kia dealership as a burnt exhaust valve. A burnt exhaust valve indicates abnormal combustion conditions such as lean operation, pre-ignition, detonation, timing deviation, injector malfunction, or lubrication failure. These are conditions the ksds recall was intended to detect and mitigate. Kia consumer affairs denied warranty coverage, stating that the extended warranty applies only to rod bearing failure and that no further escalation would be pursued. Kia consumer affairs declined to escalate the matter for district parts & service manager review and directed the owner back to the dealership. During the prior engine replacement, the dipstick was observed to be glued in place, raising concerns regarding oil level accuracy and lubrication integrity on the replacement engine. This complaint is submitted due to concern that a ksds safety recall-related engine failure involving abnormal combustion was not properly reviewed or escalated, and that recall procedures were not administered in accordance with their intent.

Vehicle: 2016 kia Sorento, VIN [xxx] incident date: November 13, 2025 incident location: durham, nc (3828 guess rd) cause of loss: engine fire, confirmed by durham fire department report (incident #253663) as "originated from under the hood. " technical narrative & symptoms (critical for liability): I am filing this complaint to report a catastrophic vehicle fire that I believe is directly linked to multiple acknowledged manufacturing defects that create a fire risk in kia vehicles. Abs/traction control light warning (direct fire risk symptom): immediately prior to the loss, the abs and traction control warning lights were constantly illuminated. This is a known precursor symptom for the defective hydraulic electronic control unit (hecu) or abs module short-circuit, which has been cited in numerous kia fire recalls (e. G. , NHTSA 20v019, 20v519). The fire's origin under the hood is consistent with this component failure. Prior engine failures (systemic defect history): this vehicle has a history of catastrophic manufacturing defects: the engine assembly was replaced in 2023 due to the known theta ii rod bearing failure. The knock sensor was replaced in September 2025 as part of the ksds product improvement campaign, demonstrating the vehicle was still under active service for critical engine monitoring defects just weeks before the fire. Potential tow hitch wiring fire risk: the vehicle was fully engulfed, but the fire may also be linked to the defect cited in NHTSA recall 22v703 (tow hitch wiring harness short circuit, which also poses a fire risk). I require a full investigation into this defect leading to compensation for the total loss of the vehicle and consequential damages. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The safety hazard began with a pattern of ignored warnings by the authorized dealer network. On Aug 15, 2025, I brought the vehicle to luther kia of bloomington for a check engine light. The dealer simply cleared the code without diagnosis, failing to catch early signs of engine trouble. On sept 22, 2025, the engine failed again. I drove the vehicle in unsafe "limp mode" to luther Nissan kia [xxx] ). They found the engine was "4 quarts low on oil" (severe starvation just 37 days after a dealer oil change). Despite this catastrophic finding, they failed to diagnose the root cause and released the unsafe vehicle to me after selling only a spark plug replacement. On sept 26, when I attempted to pick up the vehicle, the check engine light was flashing immediately at handover. I refused to take the unsafe vehicle. The dealer then replaced an oil control valve (ocv) and released the vehicle to me again later that day. After this second "repair," I drove the vehicle for only a few miles before the engine failed again with a check engine light. The dealer has since admitted in writing (bbb complaint #xxx) that the engine was "deprived of lubrication" due to the initial low oil condition. By ignoring early warnings and releasing a vehicle with a dying engine twice, the dealer put me and other motorists at risk of a sudden loss of power at highway speeds. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Fuel pump leaking gas from a crack around electrical connections on top of it. Fire hazard.

Fuel pump is leaking, unsafe to drive vehicle, no check engine light just really bad smell of gas.

1) I bought this car in October 2021, when it had ~79,000 miles on it. After ~2,000 miles, it showed a low engine oil sign, and it has been showing this issue since then, I. E. , I have to change my oil/filter after every ~2000 miles. It has incurred a huge cost. I talked to the dealers, but they did nothing to solve this problem and charged me ~$1200. Funny part. Whenever I go for an oil change, they say that kia/Hyundai cars have this engine problem. It's a joke to this system that the govt still allows them to roll on the USA roads. 2) today, this car had a flashing engine light. I will go to a mechanic tomorrow, but afraid of how much they will charge.

This scenerio happened and fire resulted with total loss. Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings recall date 2018-12-18 recall no. 18v907000 Kia Motors America (kia) is recalling certain 2011-2017 optima, 2012-2017 Sorento and 2011-2018 sportage vehicles that previously received an engine replacement under recall number 17v-224, warranty, or the knock sensor detection system (ksds) product improvement campaign. The high pressure fuel pipe that connects to the fuel pump outlet may have been damaged, misaligned or improperly torqued during the engine replacement procedure, possibly causing a fuel leak. Hide details recall consequence a fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire. Recall action kia has notified owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the fuel pipe, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 17, 2019. Owners may contact kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is sc172.

Engine failed. Took car to johnson city kia dealership as advised by kia of north America. The dealership said the engine failed due to carbon build up which is a problem with the engines, that it was not covered under warranty. I paid over $6,400 to have the engine replaced. When I was driving the car home the engine light came on and I lost power on the interstate causing me to almost get hit by a semi-truck. I took the car back to kia of johnson city TN. The next day. Kia stated that the high-pressure fuel pump had went bad from the time I left the dealership and got home. I paid over $1,350 to replace a high-pressure fuel pump. On the way home engine light and loss of power. I returned to kia. They stated that gas had gotten into my oil. They changed the oil and I headed home, same issue engine light and loss of power. I told kia of johnson city I wanted a refund, and they could put the old part back on. Kia of johnson city told me to take the car to another dealership that I was not getting a refund, and they would not fix my car. The engine codes and problems were the same as when I picked the car up from kia. I have tried twice to have kia of north America buy the car back due to it not being fixed and I do not feel safe in the car. I have taken the car to a Hyundai dealership in johnson city TN. And asked them to check the engine code and loss of power. Another $223. 05. They stated the high-pressure fuel pump was defective. Fixing same issue multiple times.

Check engine light came on again after recall for engine bearing failure and engine block was determined to qualify for replacement by home kia dealer , est July / August 2024 in north hampton nh . After motor block changes the engine light came on and off while in florida vacationing . Today’s date is February 17 , 2025 and my vehicle is presently in the hands of a local independent service center here in florida . Other indicators recently noticeable were rough idle starting in the morning . The service center initially suggested problem might be injectors , and gasoline was noticeably in the oil pan . I’m presently waiting for a further / complete diagnosis from the service center . Relative to myself and my spouses safety further research on my own fire could be a potential with injectors causing a garage to be ignited and life threatening to us .

Unknown.

Unknown component or system failed. My car suddenly stalled while on the highway, not allowing me to increase speed (over 40 mpg) and then stopped. I was scared to death when that happened on the highway as we could have been hit by other vehicles. I was able to restart it but it kept doing it, gradually reducing my speed to 20mpg then a lamp warning sign appeared. The car only has 50,000 miles on it and no warning light or prior failure before this happened on 11/29/2024. I took it to kia for inspection and they told me if the engine will have to be replaced, it will take 3 months. They took my car in for inspection and I am now 10 days without a car and I have not yet heard from kia.

While driving on the parkway, the vehicle would not accelerate and would stall. After pulling over, vehicle would restart but repeated the pattern. Made it to advanced auto who ran codes and had the camshaft modulator changed. Vehicle made it back onto parkway. 40 miles from home, the vehicle began to shake, loose power, made loud sound and died. Towed home. Mechanic said out of oil but I had oil changed less than 1000 miles ago when vehicle purchased. New codes showed crankshaft position sensor. Changed part. Replaced starter and a new battery. Still nothing. Stating probable engine failure. I've only owned this vehicle for 2 months!.

Knock sensor goes bad. Car does not receive fuel to engine. Cuts off while driving and will not accelerate over 20 mph.

Car when into a low power mode,could not keep it running ,took 5 times to go thru a very busy intersection and motor was making a knocking noise,smells like burnt oil-motor ,misses out. . The car was towed into a kia dealership,3 weeks later they said it was fixed,drove off and didn’t even make it a mile until it started knocking and having the same smell like burnt motor,went into a reduce power. Now it’s been 3 more weeks or more and still nothing is getting resolved. Yes the dealership knows about this issue. Yes warning messages came on when it went into low power mode. This is motor number two as the motor was replaced less than 12 months ago.

This vehicle is a match box waiting to kill someone. I've been reporting these problems an nobody has follow up. On 08/20/2023 fuel pump had to be replaced after fumes coming into vents report one on 06/03/2023 issue happened again, 0n 09/04/2023 engine went out. After getting vehicle back catalytic converter and manifold was burnt out do to engine . Had it inspected by a muffler shop. Kia will not replace anything even if they are told it was caused on behalf of there produce.

3. 3 liter engine - no warning not part of recall or knock sensor per kia - driving slow ( thank god ) just died . Towed to the dealer - hearing 3 different story’s ? diagnosis ? manifold or rod bearing issue - whole engine needs replaced over 15k cost . Doing research on this issue snd see many complaints on all makes and models / expect a recall on this vehicle in time as well - it’s only a matter of time till someone is hurt or killed due to kias repeated negligence in regards to engine failure - the dealer and corporate are ignoring this and that is not acceptable .

Car ran fine until we stopped for gas, went to get back on the highway when the car wouldn't accelerate >25mphs,almost got hit from this. The car was then towed to the near by kia dealership and they found that it was a compression issue with a known issue in the engine and now we need a new engine or scrap the car. Kia is not willing to fix their horrible product and has told us to just suffer.

Fire from fuel pump engine failure catalytic converter issues from engine.

Recently, while driving on a busy multi-lane highway my 2016 kia Sorento suddenly lost power, started shaking and slowed down causing traffic safety hazard. The engine stalled after slowing down. The car needed to be towed at my expense. My check engine light came on for my ksds, the engine went limp mode and unable to accelerate over 50 miles and hour on the highway. My engine is blown. Gasoline smell fumes came through vent causing me to have an attack car started to catch fire.

Automatic transmission shift lever assembly components, fuel pipe exhaust causing fumes to come through the vent area causing fire and smoke. Accelerator assembly issues when driving.

Was driving at 11mph and car would not accelerate almost causing and accident issues with engine sparking flames fuel system problems, transmission issues when putting the vehicle into park. Engine problems check engine light keeps blinking on an off system says park vehicle do to diagnosed problems. Suspension issues afraid to drive vehicle do to so many safety problems.

This is the second very similar incident with the engine of this vehicle. On Monday, may 29, 2023, the engine failed at a stop light in fort wayne indiana. A few miles before it failed, it suddenly got very noisy and wouldn’t go over about 15 mph. It wouldn’t really react to the accelerator pedal. At the stop light it just quit at a major intersection leaving me stranded in the middle of the road. It has been towed to the kia dealer in fort wayne. They have not diagnosed the problem yet but I have read many reports on line and my experience was similar: vehicular just quit, engine lost oil, accelerator pedal not responsive, and loud ticking sound. I’m afraid the repair will be thousands of dollars and I’m a senior citizen on social security. This is a second incident. On October 20, 2022, my daughter in law drove my car to iu health hospital in indianapolis to visit me in the hospital (major surgery). In an hour and a half she used a full tank of gas and 3 quarts of oil — the car slowed to 40 mph, accelerator pedal didn’t work and she was on route 69 a 4 lane major highway and was very scared. She pulled off at the next exit. The car had to be towed from indianapolis to fort wayne. My mechanic worked on it, got it running ok but it had a major oil leak. I was recovering from my surgery so drove it little. I now find out that the engine in my car has major problems just like what I have experienced and that kia is refusing to fix them unless people pay in excess of $6000. This is a safety issue!!!! having the car fail and just quit while on local or interstate roads leads to accidents and injuries. This engine needs to be recalled. Kia knows it and has settled claims out of court so they don’t have to admit responsibility. This is a serious safety hazard. The recent date of may 29, 2023 is provided but the previous date this happened is October 20, 2022. So there were two incidents.

Did oil change on vehicle about a week ago. A week later checked oil noticed it was a quart low and put more oil in. Next day heard a knocking sound come from engine compartment. Checked oil noticed no oil. No warning lights came on to show I had low oil. Put more oil in took to kia. Kia told me that engine rods are gone and engine is fried. Need new engine and its going to cost me $11,000. No lights or warning system was in place when I bought the car and no one informed me of any update or issue needed to prevent this. Car only has 67000 miles on it so I should still be covered under manufacturing warranty but they are blaming me for the no oil when no idiot lights came to tell me low oil. This is kias fault.

Twice now my 2016 kia gdi has had the same problem as many others. I had my oil changes made and they said there was no oil in the car. The oil light never came on. I am afraid to drive my car. Has there been a recall on this. Or for a engine recall. My car is under warranty. Is.

I was driving the car at approximately 40 mph. The engine light flashed on briefly. I immediately lost power and had no acceleration. The light went off but the car stopped. The incident put myself and others at risk as I lost power and was in an area where I shouldn't have stopped and it became a traffic hazard. The car is currently at the kia dealership. There were not prior lights, messages or symptoms prior to the failure. I am the first and only owner with approx 55 k miles. Never had an issue before. Dealership conducted all oil changes and maintenance.

There is a continuous buildup of carbon in the intake manifold system in the 2. 0 engine causing stalling whenever accelerating from a stop, such as turning either way or accelerating across a road when using the power steering which uses up power while accelerating. This carbon buildup is very expensive and difficult to clean out and is very dangerous as it causes you to stall completely for a few seconds when entering traffic lanes, if it does not restart quickly, you will crash. . .

Warning engine light keeps activating saying major fuel leak. Supposed recall SC 172 but according to kia, not associated with my VIN and needed to be reported.

The car engine was using excessive amounts of oil at 80,000 miles. The dealer in an attempt to save the engine did a major flush. Several components failed within 10,000 miles of that service. Spark plugs, fuel pump and catalytic converter. The car would lurch forward. It stalled at 65 mph! we were scared it would start on fire or stall again. The first time it happened there were no warning lights. After the spark plugs and fuel pump were replaced there was an engine warning light on. The dealer did check it out and the latest test revealed a hole in the catalytic converter. They could not guarantee that that was the only issue. We chose not to have any additional repairs and sold the car at a loss because we were scared to have our grandkids in the car.

The engine was going through over 5 quarts of oil about once a month. There were no visible leaks. For months, there was no check engine light illuminated so the dealership couldn't help determine and fix the problem without charging over $10,000 to open the engine, which I couldn't afford. A service advisor, in their words, told me to, "run it until it dies," so that they can start using the warranty. This to me was very unsafe, especially for my infant who was there when she said this. Months later, the car started shaking intensely and the check engine light finally came on. The car stopped working in the middle of the freeway but I was able to exit and take it to the nearest dealership. They were able to run a diagnosis and said it was an engine misfire and they replaced it (I was able to use my warranty for some of the repairs but still had to pay about $4000). It didn't take long for the car to stop working again. They then said there was a problem with the fuel pump so I had them replace it. I had barely just left the dealership when the car stopped working again. They replaced the catalytic converter, which was a part of a voluntary recall. For months after, they've been trying to figure out the issue with no success. It has been sitting at their service center since November 2022 with no solution.

While driving out of state, my 2016 Sorento, the steering wheel totally stopped working . Terrifying experience! when we returned from trip I took it to a mechanic who told me the electric steering column was bad and had to be replaced. That was over 2,000. 00. Then thought I had oil leak but was told this gdi engine burns oil fast & I have to add a quart every wk so it won’t run out. Kia needs to recall! not fair to put our lives in jeopardy.

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.

I just purchased my kia Sorento in March of 2021. It doesn’t notify you when oil is low or out. Even with proper oil changes. Also the engine randomly started to overheat regardless that it’s barley got 107 miles on it. Of course there’s several recalls for this particular vehicle for the same issues but not for mine specifically. Insurance won’t cover wear and tear so now my cars in the shop for who knows how long with an extremely high bill expected.

My kia recently stopped and cut off on me and my engine started shaking and making a knocking noise I’m up to date with all my oil changes and I had just got one when I checked the oil it was barely any and I didn’t have any check engine light on I had my car towed to the kia dealership to see what’s wrong I only had the car since 2019 February and it’s never gave me any problems til now the dealership claims they can’t help because the recall was from 2018 I didn’t have the car yet and I didn’t receive anything in the mail my engine is basically not good.

2016 kia Sorento has had problems with fuel pump and probably that fuel line so I had to have it replaced and then now see a recall for those so is this newer recall or what and also what could I do if I had private ase certified mechanic fix this and the kia has a little over 84k miles on it. Does kia have to reimburse me for this and for the labor work done to or can you please tell me what I can do. Thankyou kc.

I get my car serviced every month or so because I commute quite a ways from my home to my job recently after my car engine check light came on I got my fuel injection system flushed spark plugs changed and brake pads done at the same time also wheel alignment and my first day back to work once getting my car serviced I don’t feel the same I feel like my car struggling and then getting on the freeway my complete engine shut off but then turned back on and continue to drive I didn’t even have to stop it I almost crashed but luckily I was on the far right lane I also received a recall a year and a half ago for my car but now they’re stating on the nhts that there isn’t one I filled out the forms never heard back but I also took it into a kia dealership in perris CA and had my car checked for a recall the guy said there was no recall but I had the forms from kia myself showing him that my car had a recall but because he said I didn’t have one and I didn’t think or hear back from kia I figured it was ok I’ve never followed up but I should have follow up which I should have done because I didn’t think it was serious but now my life being flash before my eyes it’s serious and I don’t know what to do because when I take it back to the mechanic there’s no diagnostic code that’s coming up but my car is messing up and I’m really afraid I have attached copies of my recent recent receipts and luckily I made a plank copy and my copy of my original that I mailed back off for the original recall on my car that I received.