general problems of the 2016 Kia Motor Sorento - part 1

My 2016 kia Sorento was stolen because it wasn’t updated and also the engine caught fire because it wasn’t updated.

3 to 4 months ago my truck steering wheel light with an exclamation point will appear and my steering wheel will lock up and it is hard to steer unless I cut the truck off and back on, it is so dangerous that it went out when I was in the middle of a turn that I almost ran into a truck. I cannot get this issue fixed because my warranty ran out. So what am I to do. It's terribly scary. I haven't had it checked put I had a paper from kia headquarters for it to be fixed free of charge within the warranty date but it has expired and I can't get it done. Something to do with the electric power steering.

The red steering wheel with an exclamation point pops up on the dashboard and instantly I lose power steering the wheel gets really hard, it went out as I was making a turn and I almost hit the truck . I had to yank the wheel really hard to control the steering, then had to pull over turn the truck off then back on to reset the problem. This have been going on mildly for a few years now has gotten to its worst.

Driving on the freeway going 75-80 mph and my steering wheel locked up. When this happens I am unable to turn my steering wheel. Have to let my foot of the gas and try with all my muscle to get the car to go to the side of the road to put the car in park. Turn it off and turn it back on. This exact incident has happened to me 3 times in a row on the freeway on [xxx]. Once while the road had a curve. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Steering wheel has a "sticky" feeling when driving at high speeds. You have to keep the steering wheel moving back and forth or else it sticks while driving high speeds. I have reported to dealership multiple times, but I have been told there is no issue.

This is an ongoing issue, from the day I purchased the car used. The steering sticks and binds when turning to the left; not on an ordinary sharp turn at an intersection, but at highway speeds. Sometimes the steering sticks and must be corrected to avoid going into the opposite lane. Several diagnostic attempts have been made including alignment, recalibration, and replacement of the 4wd coupling. Car still wavers and sticks at speed when turning left. Unknown cause. No codes show. However, at one time, on the display (not the dashboard symbol display, the camera/radio display) a message appeared saying: mechanism failure.

My front driver seat slips out of recline position to another position on its own had engine replaced, got car back, made humming noise, took back to dealer, could not find noise, car still makes noise and now there’s seems to be louder noise coming from steering or front suspension while car is driven, dealer claims with no extension of warranty and over 60,000 miles, any work for this issue with steering/suspension is not covered, this was not an issue before engine was replaced under the engine recall.

Shortly after purchasing the vehicle in February of this year, we started to notice that oil was burning off quickly. We took it to be looked at and was notified that there was no signs of a leak. After that incident all of the warning lights came on on the dashboard. We took it again to be seen where we were told that it was burning oil again and that the oil was low. We had the oil refilled and on our way home the car completely seats and shut down loosing all power on the highway. We lost all control of the power steering, braking system, and the power to the whole car shut off. We had the car towed to a repairman who looked over the car and said that the engine is completely seized with no notable signs of damage but that it would require an entire engine replacement. We notified kia about the problem and that it was something that was known to happen with the engine and they refused to cover it or do any type of repair. The car is now non-functionable with a complete seizure of the engine.

My gear shift has been stuck in park almost 2 months now. I've been using a screwdriver in order to move the gear from park to reverse.

Steering on car felt sticky or as if power steering was not working. It seems to be an intermittent problem occurring mostly at highway speeds of approximately 60 mph. It seems to be a safety issue because steering feels unresponsive to feel of steering wheel. Dealer says that I will have to bring it in where they can diagnose to confirm. If problem continues I will take it in to be checked. Vehicle has not given any warnings or indications of problems/service needed. The problem was first noticed on 02/12/2024 and then again on 02/23/2024.

On January 17 2024 as I am making my usual drive to work on a very busy interstate highway my 2016 kia Sorento ex v6 fwd auto 3. 3 liter engine completely seizes up and so begins my nightmare. The same nightmare I am seeing time and time and time again reported on this site, and every site you do a simple search on 2016 kia Sorento's for. As a result of the catastrophic engine failure, I (a female, original owner of the kia,) was left in a very dangerous position to try and maneuver through and not be killed by oncoming cars and further not get jumped in a very bad part of the metro. (this is not my personal assessment, this is the highest crime area in our city) car was towed to dealership where I originally purchased it and today I received the diagnosis report indicating alternator replacement $1,283. 94, head gasket $4,276. 92, body control module/ ecu $1,030. 35 (an issue that I raised when the car was under the manufacturer warranty, and was ignored by the service team and results in me using a screw driver to even get the car out of park) I want answers as do all of the other impacted customers as to what more is needed to prove that kia engines are dangerous and need to be taken off the street!.

When in motion and at higher rates of speed, the vehicle’s steering wheel gets stuck and requires additional force to turn which causes an over correction. This is a consistent problem that happens.

When driving down the road at any speed in a striaght line steering sticks requiring constant over correction. This is becoming a big problem at highway speeds as vehcile will jerk and on an icy road im affaid I my lose control.

At driving speeds steering catches with no control for a few seconds during slight turns. Has happened multiple times. Took to mechanic and was told there was an overheat code showing that could only be resolved through kia software. Took to kia dealership in st. Cloud, minnesota, and was told it would resolve by putting in an actual kia battery, $500+. Had no issues for 2 months then happened twice. Took back to the same dealership and was told needed new steering column $1,000+. As of today, my sorrento is at the dealership in st. Cloud, minnesota waiting for part. 6/24/2024.

Steering sticking,.

Aug. 5, 2023: CA steering wheel locked when trying to change lanes. Managed to turn left but went over the curb. It drove well when going straight but could not turn steering wheel. Glad I didn't go on the freeway. Managed to stop but didn't turn off car due to too hot outside. Called towing, then a family member told me to turn car off, hesitant due to weather, too hot. It worked. Towtrk driver checked under hood and saw no problem. I then drove to dealership and left it there to diagnose. It is till in shop 6wks. It is the steering wheel wiring I am told. Now waiting for a part. Maybe this week. Love the kia but it did me wrong. Cannot trust it anymore. That is too bad it is an awesome vehicle to me except for the problem. Warning came on as incident happened. Manufacturer personnel inspected. Happy no accident just fear of not being able to manage steering easily. I drive a curvy and high altitude road. That really scares me n for any passangers.

Steering doesn't aways respond to turning immediately while driving the vehicle. Steering has become difficult this is the second time for this repair to be needed service done in 2020 now service is needed again in 2023 same area the mdps motor repair and other dealer stuff. I believe kia is aware of the problems I believe there is a recall or some kind of help for me and my family to travel safely in this vehicle please help me get the needed repairs covered ASAP I took the vehicle to the dealer on 7-21-2023.

I was backing up a residential driveway. My backup camera showed my wheels were in line. My steering wheel turned and my car had a sudden unintended acceleration. My car destroyed a double steel garage door. Pushed a parked vehicle forward approximately 10-12”. The vehicle crushed a riding lawn mower, pushing the mower through a sheet rock wall. If anyone had been in this area of the garage, they could have possibly suffered serious injury or even fatality. I am trying to arrange to have my vehicle taken to local kia dealership for diagnostic testing. At this time, the vehicle has not been inspected. There were no warning signs that appeared and I did not hear my backup camera alert.

My 2016 kia Sorento was parked in my garage. When I went out in the morning to start the car, I turned on the ignition and the red warning light indicating a power steering failure went on and the power steering wasn't functioning. It was much harder to turn the wheel in either direction than it had been previously. I backed out of my driveway and with some difficulty drove another 2-3 blocks. At that point the power steering started functioning again and I was able to continue driving it to a nearby automotive repair place. When I dropped the kia off they suggested that I leave it there overnight to give them as much time as possible to see if they could replicate the problem I just had. The problem didn't repeat while the car was in the shop, but I was told the power steering could go out again at any time. This is a major safety concern since I don't know if I'd be able to maintain control of the vehicle if this happened unexpectedly - particularly if I was traveling at a high rate of speed. Since then I've read reports of similar incidents with other 2016 kia Sorentos. I've also learned that kia has extended the warranty for the steering mechanism on my vehicle to 150,000 miles, but that is of no help if the problem doesn't present itself when it's in for repair at the dealership because if it doesn't service will be denied. To the best of my knowledge there is currently no recall for this issue. I've tried contacting the kia consumer assistance center about this, but finally gave up after being put on hold for over an hour. My vehicle is available for inspection at any time.

Sticky steering it can be felt at any speed but especially on the highway when turning left. I can feel the steering sticks briefly then the wheel jumps. So I have to make constant unnecessary corrections.

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.

My steering becomes "sticky" at highway speeds. It causes you to constantly correct your steering. This started as a subtle thing. Gradually I noticed it is more and more difficult to keep my vehicle between the lines and it feels dangerous. Now, the problem is also occurring at lower speeds. In February 2022, I took it to the kia dealer and had them check it out. They said everything was normal and the alignment checked out ok. I think there should be a recall for this issue. 2016 Sorento ex awd, current mileage is 61,000. Problem first noticed at 40,000 miles.

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.

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.

Steering column resistance measure at 5. 3 nm indication an internal issue of the column which needed to be replaced. Power steering sticking and stiff while driving causing clear and present danger to driver passengers and possibly other property. Kia dealer was apologetic that this was not covered by warranty or recall. However there were other reports of this issue in the kia system.

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 motor driven power steering (mdps) has failed on our 2016 kia Sorento on three separate occasions, with the most recent on March 25th, 2022. Each time we have taken the vehicle to our local kia dealership, the 1st time they confirmed the issue and provided us an estimate of near $5,000. 00. We differed the repair, which appeared to be wise as we received a letter from kia extending the vehicle warranty for this exact issue to 5 yrs/150,000 miles. However after a 2nd incident of steering failure the dealer said "could not validate the issue" and to "bring it back if it happens again. Well it happened again, this time we recorded a video which we will retain if there is another denial of service from our local kia dealer. However they denied the repair again. At this point we are extremely frustrated and do not feel confident to return to the local kia dealer we have contacted kia America, inc. Although they are not standing behind their product. It is our desire and expectation that we can obtain remedy of this documented and dangerous warranty failure.

I have knocking, clunking noise coming from steering column. Which leads me to believe that it is the flexible coupler. Also, when driving anywhere at speeds of 45mph or higher, the steering wheel sticks and I have to give force to correct the steering wheel. It is worse when turning on ramps on the highway because I am constantly adjusting the sticking steering wheel throughout the turn.

Steering sticks causing over correction. The car has 76000 miles on the odometer. The steering column has to be replaced at a significant cost. This is not a new problem to kia… they should issue a recall and pay for the cost of repair.

The steering wheel sticking while you turn left or right. In hwy it's hard to drive because you don't know how much pressure you have to put to adjust your vehicle on the road. If feel like you are losing your control of the vehicle.

Twice, the electronic power steering has stopped working at speed. Almost impossible to steer the vehicle. Kia has two service bulletins on this issue but dealer claims it cannot find the problem and will not attempt to fix it.

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.

Progressing problem with power steering failure since 05/2020. This month was more frequent occurrences. When driving straight and steady power steering stiffens and losses power, red warning light steering lights which forces the driver to steer hard limiting short turns. Almost got into accident multiple times. Must restart engine in order to restart steering function.

Steering sticking, second time. Now they changed the rack and pinion. Thank god I had extended service warranty. $4000. 00.

Steering wheel constantly sticks.