general problems of the 2016 Kia Motor Sorento - part 1

Gear shifter gets stuck. Car jerks back when trying to speed up.

My car totally stopped on me due to one of the 8 recalls I have undone related to my car. My insurance company verified that the recalls were open related to my car. I verified it to make sure by VIN number at NHTSA. Gov. Up until today 2/13/2026 as I spoked with a representative at NHTSA my 8 recalls went from 8 to 0 recalls all of a sudden. I'm pretty sure the young lady went updated they website to read just that. I still have some proof that the 8 recalls pertain to my car and needs to be repaired. The dealership had me to bring my car in due to the recalls but because it had a motor failure now they're saying it's my fault for going over the approximate mileage of getting an oil change which is not true. The recalls were due way before my time and should have been taken care of before the car was sold to me. I purchased the car in March of 2025 and the car just failed on me in November of 2025. Within that time frame of me purchasing the car, I took good care of the car getting and oil change as well. Providing all oils where needed replacing tires that were needed, keeping gas tank clean. Changing air filters, and just keeping up with the maintenance. The car had no accidents no losses perfectly good car other than the recalls that were pointed out. When I brought the car in they told me everything was fine and that they would take care of those for me. My car has been there for like three weeks now and now they're telling me that the car is showing that the car was driven 11 thousand miles before it had an oil change. I have no idea of who drove the car before I purchased it and that I can only provide them with documents of what I took care of within the time frame I drove it up until the day it just stopped on me while I was driving. I really need my car and they is holding my car doing nothing to it all this time just to tell me that it's up to the manufacturer and sending him my documents for them to decide wether they will approve the repairs or not.

Our 2016 kia Sorento had 86k miles on it, loud knocking began and days later catastrophic engine failure. Rods and bearings are busted on my 3. 3 liter, v6 gdi engine. It died while my wife was driving it to the dealership. Estimated repair is 19k, metal shavings in the oil. It is available for inspection. My wife was driving it on the highway when the engine failed. Dealer confirmed the rods and bearings were broken.

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.

My 2016 kia Sorento sx awd shows a noticeable delay in the powertrain when shifting from park into first gear. The car hesitates before moving, which affects drivability and feels like a transmission lag. I consider this a safety issue because the delay could cause the car to stall unexpectedly. I’m especially worried about driving with my children or merging onto highways, where a stall or hesitation could lead to loss of control and increase the risk of an accident.

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).

The contact owns a 2016 kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at 15 mph, she attempted to park the vehicle in her driveway. As the contact tapped on the brake pedal, the vehicle independently accelerated as the contact slammed on the brake pedal and steered the vehicle out of the way of her home. The contact ran over a gutter and a bird feeder before applying the emergency brake, which stopped the vehicle. The contact was uncertain if any warning lights had appeared on the instrument panel prior to the failure. The contact was not injured, the air bags did not deploy, and a police report was not filed. The next day, the contact had the vehicle towed to a dealer. The contact was informed that rust was discovered on the vehicle's brake rotors; however, they had yet to determine the cause of the failure. The contact stated that the engine had been replaced almost a month prior to the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired and remained in the possession of the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000.

Put vehicle in park while waiting at a gas station. It won't come out of park. Managed to get it to the pump, and used a screwdriver to bypass the shift lock control, and was able to drive home. With the bypass enabled, it puts my family at risk while driving. The car can shift without the brake being applied. I looked this problem up and it is extremely common with kia Sorento (the bcm fails, and it's not an affordable fix).

We experienced a large oil leak from the vehicle. Towing it to the dealer, we are told the oil feed pipe to the turbo charger part number 282402gta1 has failed spewing oil out of the turbo area. There are many recalls for similar parts on other kia / Hyundai models with 2. 0t and 3. 3 engine models. The dealer is telling me this is not covered by kia. This is a safety concern of oil spewing from the engine which can get on hot exhaust components as well as burning from the engine compartment. My vehicle is currently at the dealership waiting to escalate the concern.

The contact owns a 2016 kia Sorento. The contact stated that after shifting the vehicle into park(p), the gear shifter would fail to shift out of the park(p) position. The contact would be forced to use a screwdriver to open the shift lock release button in an effort to shift gears. The contact also mentioned that the check engine had appeared on the instrument panel. The contact used a code reader that determined that the transmission range sensor circuit was defective and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 162,747.

I am financing a 2016 kia sorrento from the burns Ford of york by here pay here of south carolina I had the car for less than two weeks and the car would not go in park and sometimes it would not come out of park . I am trying to find all recalls that have been fixed on the car before VIN# [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

While sitting in park the parking shift level assembly was bumped by a hand bag by someone getting in the vehicle car shifted out of park into reverse and began to roll backwards while the person was still getting in the car. At the time the driver did not have any foot on the brake or accelerator. Further discovery show that the car could be shifted out of any gear including park at any time without applying the brake.

My 2016 kia Sorento (VIN: [xxx] ) has suffered a head gasket failure due to a known manufacturing defect identified in a kia technical service bulletin (TSB wty035). The defect causes head gasket failure, which in my case has resulted in external oil leakage. While kia issued a TSB acknowledging this defect, they are denying warranty repair on a technicality — stating that the failure must involve coolant entering the combustion chamber to qualify, despite acknowledging the underlying part defect. The vehicle’s engine is losing oil through the failed gasket, and the issue poses increasing risk of engine damage or sudden performance loss. Kia’s denial is inconsistent with the intent of the warranty and the federal magnuson-moss warranty act. This problem affects vehicle function and reliability. It is also being experienced by other owners of the same model and engine. I am filing this complaint so NHTSA is aware of this known defect and the manufacturer's refusal to take accountability unless the failure meets arbitrarily narrow criteria. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

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.

The contact owns a 2016 kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the transmission was slipping, the engine was consuming an excessive amount of oil, the vehicle lost motive power before the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The contact stated that the engine had recently been replaced due to the failure. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 108,000.

I had a catastrophic engine failure on the interstate right before rush hour traffic without any warning. I was driving on 294 w and heard a noise (sounded like something fell). Steering was a little wobbly then seemed ok for about 1min. Went to accelerate and could hear engine trying but could not accelerate. Shortly after the check engine light was flashing, oil light and battery light was on. I lost power. Thankfully I had started to move over to the farthest right lane and was able to get over to side of road before car stopped. This was around 2:50pm on a tues right before chicago rush hour traffic. Had to tow car to my mechanic who said a rod blew through engine and there is a piston in the oil pan. My mechanic recommended I have it towed to dealership for engine warranty. It's currently at castle kia in mchenry IL. They agreed a rod went through engine and there is a piston in the oil pan. Now dealership wants me to pay $1500 for diagnostics and to tear down the engine to see if it qualifies for an engine replacement. (said I wouldn't have to pay if under warranty, but they claim they can't determine unless engine is broken down). It was at my mechanic 1 week prior for an oil change.

The shift interlock system stopped allowing the car to come out of park however the vehicle would still roll when in park, have to do a manual override to take it out of park but it will hesitate on the highway. I have had too many near miss accidents with this vehicle. Especially due to my break lights working intermittently although they've been replaced. I'm not sure if it's electrical (my locks would randomly lock and unlock) or due to the shifting gear.

I was pulled over by the state police. He said I had a few lights out including a brake light out. I got out to check. This was correct. I had just had my vehicle inspected so I was surprised. I went to leave I couldn't put it in gear at all. I had to over ride the shifter and use a pen to push in the tow button everytime I want to use my vehicle. I have to check my lights and make sure no bulbs are blown out again. This is a $1200 fix. It's recalled on certain 2016 kia Sorentos but not on all of them when it is happening to all of us. Also I went to open my rear hatch and that to is now not opening at all. So that is also not a recall. I have a back hatch that won't open and I have to climb through my back seats and open it from the lever in the door frame and the shifter doesn't work. Please help us!! we need these recalls! if there is an accident it would be nice to open the back up from the key to grab things and run. Or to shift fast and hurry to get away from a robber. Or to just have my vehicle back again and stop doing this when there are recalls for vehicles south different VIN numbers but not mine so I have to pay so some one else can get it for free that's not fair kia corporate.

The engine failed while driving. The dealer noted in case details they observed excessive scoring on the cylinder wall and damage to the piston ring, as well as a significant reduction in compression. Despite these findings the dealer and manufacturer said the repair "would not be covered under the pi campaign for engine failure" and "was not related to an engine rod bearing failure. " note that the dealer did not inspect the rod bearings. Worn or damaged connecting rod bearings can significantly reduce compression by allowing excessive piston movement and causing a leak in the combustion chamber. Moreover, excessive scoring on the cylinder wall indicates that the metal from failing connecting rod bearings has been scraping against the cylinder wall, leaving deep scratches and grooves, likely due to excessive wear on the bearings, causing significant damage to the piston and cylinder assembly. This model vehicle should have been included in the recall concerning connecting rod bearings that affected other kia model vehicles.

Shifts hard at first crank up.

Driving @ nite on[xxx] [xxx] doing 70mph on cruise control all of a sudden my 2016 kia Sorento loss power! then the instrument cluster lit up like a x-mas tree. Check oil, check engine, and everything else in between was blinking on and off. Very lucky there was an exit ramp up ahead and no vehicles on the right lane. Safely got off the freeway and parked on the side of the road. Very fortunate it was late nite because the area is usually busy during the day and vehicles usually be going 10 to 20+ above the 70 speed limit and my whole family was with. We waited about 10 min. To see if the vehicle would start back- up but no luck. Called for a tow truck and a family friend came and pick up the wife and kids. Kia service guy @ the dealership says the engine ceased and is waiting to here from kia hq. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The contact owns a 2016 kia Sorento. The contact stated while attempting to leave the residence, the vehicle hesitated and shifted out of gear independently. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 22v612000 (power train). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 15,000.

My SUV is having all of the problems associated with a bad engine. This started a week ago and on Thursday, [xxx] my SUV completely stopped running and I had to get it towed to my residence. I had an ase certified mechanic to check it out and he said your engine is bad. I have had all of my required oil changes as well as servicing as recommended. I got this SUV in 2020. It has a little over 100,000 miles. I cannot afford a engine repair at this time. Please advice. Thank you [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The contact owns a 2016 kia Sorento. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 22v612000 (power train); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that the shift lever was easily moved without the brake pedal being depressed. The dealer was contacted, and an appointment was rescheduled several times. The contact stated that once the parts were available, the dealer informed the contact that there would be a charge to replace the shifter assembly, even though the VIN was included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and assisted the contact with scheduling an appointment with another dealer. The failure mileage was 134,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

The contact owns a 2016 kia Sorento. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the vehicle failed to shift into an intended gear, and was stuck in park(p). The contact placed a screwdriver in the shifter to manually shift into the intended gear to drive the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 81,000.

The button on the gear shift will not push in to move the shifter out of park.

Car will not shift, I have to manually release it. It just started happening very randomly. I constantly have to release it with a screw driver.

I purchased a used 2016 kia Sorento during the used vehicle rise in pricing back in 2021. I owned a 2012 Hyundai sonata (which also required an engine replacement), but I my grandmother's car died, and I needed a better vehicle for a new job. June 16th I was driving with my daughter at around 9am and suddenly the vehicle started to shake and loss of power with the radio system beeping all dash lights flashing "engine system component" and check engine light remained on. (very similar to how my sonata died before engine replacement). I pulled over got the vehicle towed to my house due to it being a weekend and unable to reach a shop. I have a code reader, which I read the codes. Upon getting it to the dealer they said it was the cam shaft phaser and new spark plugs, costing about $4800. As a single mother and one income I need a vehicle to survive (and still owing over $6,000) and pay my bills. Now here I am September 15, and I get an "engine system component" and check engine light back on. Now I have read so many similar issues on kia blogs and nothing is being done to fix these issue and I am stuck with a vehicle that I still owe money on and overpaid because of covid, and continues to break down. I'm disgusted with kia as they could care less.

The transmission shift lever locked up. The car could not be started. It is available for inspection. This caused the owner not to be able to start the vehicle and be stranded in a parking lot, unable to drive home. A tow truck was called and the vehicle is currently at a service station, where it was inspected and the problem was diagnosed. As a result, the owner has rented a car, due to a three business day wait period for the replacement part. There were no warning lights or indications prior to the problem! this event has caused the owner much undo stress, and over $1200 in expenses. Also, because the owners live out of state, and needed to head back home (NY), they now have to travel back again to the state of mass in order to pick up their vehicle. This constituted a minimum of a one week car rental. The closest dealership is over an hour away from where the vehicle broke down and is very costly to have it towed there.

The contact owns a 2016 kia Sorento. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start, prompting her to contact aaa for roadside assistance. Later, the aaa technician made the contact aware that the shifter had failed to engage. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 22v612000 (power train), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was unknown.

Gear shift will not shift into park and car will roll where parked depending on the incline. It also will not start unless I use the shifter bypass with a small screwdriver to shift it into neutral to start and then shift into reverse or drive.

We were driving on the NJ turnpike on 2/8/24 with a speed of around 70 miles per hour. We started to see a small amount of white smoke coming from under the hood and at the same time the truck started to slow down by itself unexpectedly and then started to jerk back and forth. No indicators showed up on the dashboard. The speed reduced quickly and hitting the gas pedal did nothing to accelerate our speed. The white smoke started to increase and it became difficult to see. We then saw the temperature gauge go all the way up to hot out of nowhere. There were vehicles all around us and the passengers in the car started to yell to try to get to the shoulder. We had to maneuver very quickly through traffic with the car continuing to jerk at a very slow speed, which was very scary and dangerous. We were finally able to slowly get over to the shoulder. We turned off the truck. When we opened the hood, white smoke was everywhere coming from the engine and the coolant in the plastic receptacle was bubbling. The coolant looked like it was about to explode and the driver got burned trying to remove the cap. There was significant heat coming from the engine. The coolant then drained out of the receptacle. When we tried to start the truck again it would not start. We spend hours trying to get a tow to a shop in NJ miles from where we live in NY. Several days later, the mechanic in NJ took a look at the car and he reported this week that the head gasket is blown and that we need a new engine. We plan to tow the truck back to NY to kia where we have the car serviced normally to have it looked at.

My car was driving fine and then on Saturday we went to our daughters birthday party and the car started making noises and you could see white smoke coming out the back of the car. We were getting off the highway and thankfully we pulled over. We saw engine oil just spilling out. There were no warning lights beforehand. We took it to a shop and they said the oil burned a hole through the engine. I am very upset as I am still paying on the car and my only option would be to pay 5000 to have it repaired or they repossess my vehicle.

The 2016 kia Sorento engine apparently has excessive oil usage leading to engine failure while driving on highway. Dealers are aware of the problem but kia is not addressing the issue. Took the car in 3 times for diagnostic check with no indication of any fault codes to address issue specifically. Now engine has failed despite our efforts to get ahead of the problem, and provide regular maintenance to our vehicle. Apparently dealers are well aware of the issue and aren't owning to it because kia isn't supporting it.

My vehicle has 111k miles on it and is burning so much oil I have to spend 8 thousand dollars to replace the motor. This doesn’t seem like it should be burning this much oil. Now the motor has a horrible knock on the inside of the motor. Garage says the whole motor has to be replaced.