general problems of the 2017 Kia Motor Sorento - part 1

My airbag light is on after picking it up from a kia dealership service and they are refusing to correct the issue that was caused by the dealership. I escalated the issue to kia America and filled a formal case#25916418 on 2/26/2026. On 3/4/206 tori at kia customer service informed me that it will not be covered because the dealership claims its a pre-existing issue. The dealership has failed to provide proof that that is true. Attached are: -the dealership’s diagnostic report -all text communications with the service advisor -also have video documentation of misaligned steering wheel I was unable to attach. Prior to dealership service, my vehicle was evaluated for approximately one week at a reputable independent repair facility for a cracked head gasket. At no time were there airbag warnings, steering issues, or safety system concerns. The vehicle was driven directly from the independent shop to the dealership where they preformed a warranty service. Upon pickup, I immediately observed: - misaligned steering wheel - illuminated airbag warning light - coolant system air bubble (later corrected per dealership) the steering misalignment indicates the steering system was disturbed during repair. The airbag warning light appeared immediately afterward. The dealership’s report references “history” fault codes, but provides no proof the warning light was active prior to service. History codes can result from battery disconnection or electrical interruption during major repairs and do not establish a pre-existing defect. Given that: - the airbag system functioned properly before service - the steering wheel was returned misaligned - the airbag light appeared immediately after repair - there is no documentation proving a prior active fault I am concerned a critical safety system has been compromised. An active airbag warning indicates the system may not function in a collision. I am requesting that kia fix this at no charge to me due to the reasons listed above.

I was driving our 2017 kia Sorento 2. 4 liter, on I-94 in detroit, mi when suddenly, the vehicle would not go over 50 mph when the engine suddenly lost power on Friday 11/28/2025 . . We towed the vehicle to the auto repair shop a few days later. On Tuesday 12/9/2025 the auto repair shop contacted us and said that their was plenty of oil in the vehicle but cylinder 3 misfired and there is a loss of engine compression. Auto shop says cylinder 3 failed and now only 3 cylinders are now working on the 2017 kia Sorento now mileage is now 94, 971 miles. I have not taken it to the dealer yet because even though there was a class action lawsuit, the auto repair shop has informed us, as well as other information online, that the dealer will sometimes try to avoid replacing the engine. I did contact the dealer on 12/10/2025 and informed that we do have maintenance records and have the vehicle towed there this weekend, however, my initial conversation with the service rep did not sound promising to date.

My name is [xxx] I am a [xxx] widow, and I am also a 100% disabled (combat wounded, purple heart receipient) marine corps veteran. I purchased my 2017 kia Sorento brand new from lion county kia in state college pennsylvania. After a couple of years, I noticed while driving on several random trips, that my kia's steering felt like it had stopped working, and I had to fight to keep my kia centered in my lane. I took it to lion county kia, and complained about this issue, while my kia was still under warranty. The lion country kia service tech. Claimed that they could not find the issue with my steering (becasue there was no "alert light" in my kia's computer. A few years later corporate kia acknowledged there is an issue with the power steering assist motor and sent a document stating that this part will be warranty past the original warranty to 15 years or 150,000 miles. I let my grandson use my vehicle and the same continual steering failure happened to him. I then took my kia to team kia in, johnstown PA, and paid to have a diagnostic test completed team kia's test showed in a writen document that my Sorento has a faulty "motor driven power steering" unit. I sent the team kia's test results to kia corp. Power steering assist motor, so kia corporate is aware that my Sorento defenitly does have a "m. D. P. S. " problem. I contacted kia corporation and they informed me that because there is no indicator light or computer code present on my kia, they will not warrant the power steering assist motor. In my opinion kia corp. Is willingly placing an unsafe vehicle on the roadway. This faulty "motor assist power steeing" not only puts the operator of my vehicle at risk, but this issue also puts all vehicles close to me on the roadway at risk. This issue has me so concerned that I am forced to ride my trike instead of driving my kia. Driving my kia, with this steering problem, is definately a severe safety issue. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6.

Car shut off and the radio kept going on and off red light on dash board and steering was hard.

The steering seems to stick, hard to explain but when you are driving on the highway feels like the steering wheel is going to stop working.

Steering sticks and makes it difficult to stay straight. Have to use extreme effort to keep it in the lane. Complained to kia in 2022 and dealer saw problem with the rack mounted motor driven power assembly but that it was within their specs. They did a software update on the eps and said system now operating as designed. The miles were 35,774 at that time. Started having same issues in February of 2025. Dealer is saying it needs a new steering column, but now out of warranty. Miles were 59,436.

Steering mdps unit malfunction causing loss of power assisted steering. Visible steering light on dash. Vehicle was inspected at a kia dealer confirming issue with mdps unit. Kia shop stated that this was an issue with the 2016-2020 kia Sorento models and most fell under the recall umbrella but this specific 2017 kia Sorento is not on the VIN checked list for a steering recall for the mdps unit failure. Kia stated that the repair would cost out of pocket at $3500 for the same issue others with the same problem kia is replacing under recall warranty. The mdps unit failed while driving causing issues with being able to steer.

While driving a red wheel icon with exclamation mark appeared on the dash. This caused for my car steering wheel to become increasingly hard to maneuver and drive while on the highway driving about 60mph.

The power steering system has randomly gone out. This occurs at random times when I’m driving. Once I was backing out of somewhere and the power steering light came in, while I was in the middle of the street blocking both sides. I had to turn my car off and restart it. I am put at risk because of my inability to turn at random times. This puts others at risk too when I can’t turn/ move my steering wheel properly. I’ve been desperately trying to get my car looked at but I keep getting the run around that they can’t check what the codes are on the car because the lights on the dash turn on and off. There were no warning signs. The car is managed well and kept up with. This started randomly when driving and turning into a parking lot, causing me to almost hit cars and large rocks. The car has been fine until now.

Car was burning oil rapidly. While driving heard loud noises, shaking, smoke started coming through vents and car turned off. Kia is stating that there are many recalls on vehicle, but the only recall I received is for a tow hitch. I don't have a tow hitch. Very dangerous if I was going somewhere with a higher speed limit. Kia dealership is saying corporation won't offer extended warranty due to recalls not being completed. Again the only recall is for a tow hitch. Kia dealership has quoted me over $10000 to fix a vehicle that is suffering from known manufacturer failures.

The steering wheel sticks and has to be forced out of the stuck position. Not a safe situation if it gets worse. If it sticks for good I could be driving into the ditch or into the path of an oncoming car. I hear the steering column has to be replaced. It has been doing his for the last year.

Sticking steering wheel at speeds around 60 mph on slight turns been happening over a year took it to dealer said they couldn’t get it to do it.

The contact owns a 2017 kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel momentarily became stuck while turning or attempting to switch lanes. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the steering column was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 132,000.

Steering motor and controller failed at 53000 km . The steering light and traction control came on and no power assist to the steering in any way . It requires considerable force to turn the steering wheel. Took it to a certified kia dealer and was told the steering motor and controller needs to be replaced. Kia canada refused to fix this issue insisting that the warranty is for 5years or 100,000 km. (bought brand new ,single owner) I do understand the business part and I will take my business elsewhere in the future. Consumers should be aware that such a critical part of their vehicle can fail with no warnings whatsoever. Imagine driving on the highway and your steering fails. . . .

Steering is sticky when making slight correction. Happens every time I drive. The speed does not matter. Happens at all speeds.

The steering has at times become sticky for lack of s better term. Turning the wheel, even slightly, feels hard to turn and then will release and cause slight over-correcting. It feels like something is preventing the steering column from turning and then it will let go and turn freely. When this happens it will happen repeatedly on the same outing and is not just a one time occurrence.

For the last few weeksi have been experiencing problems with the steering wheel feeling like it's sticking while driving. It might happen on a straight roadway, but its mostly noticeable on curves, like rounabouts. I can hold the steering wheel around a slight curve and if I need to move it to the right slightly to keep in line with the curve then it jerks a little to get out of that position. I'll take it to the dealer for other recalls and I hope they'll take care of this as well. . .

Continuous issues with "sticky" or "notchy" steering. Steering is not smooth and almost caused several accidents.

Steering wheel has a sticky feeling, especially on the highway traveling at faster speeds. The wheel gets stuck in certain positions and then over exerts when you turn the wheel back. Overall, the steering wheel feels unstable.

The steering is sticky. When on the highway you have to keep correcting the steering because the wheel seems to be sticking then moving. As a result you can not just go straight down the road but have to keep putting in steering corrections!!!!! this needs to be addressed! this is an ongoing problem , not just on one date.

Steering wheel sticking when driving. Kia replaced the steering column assy-steering and the gear and linkage assy. Steering is some better but still the sticking.

When driving my kia the steering wheel is sticking. At first it was just ever now and then. But now it it’s happening everyday. There is a recall for 2018 models doing the same thing. I pretty sure this is the same part and should be covered under the recall.

For months now I have been experiencing problems with the steering wheel feeling like it's sticking while driving. It can happen on a straight roadway, but mostly notice it on curves, especially a long stretch of road. I can hold the steering wheel around a slight curve and if I need to move it to the right slightly to keep in line with the curve then it jerks a little to get out of that position. It happens every time whether moving the steering wheel left or right. Last time it happened I said I wasn't going to drive the car anymore because it's unsafe. It got stuck around a curve and took more tug on the steering wheel to get it to move the tires in the direction I needed. There's so many other complaints online about this very problem from other kia owners around the 2017 models. I've taken it to the dealer twice for this and they never experienced the problem because they just drove around the lot and did a rapid back and forth on the steering wheel. You have to be driving it on a longer stretch of road when you can get it up to faster speeds where it's more noticeable.

I was driving on a highway where maximum speed limit was 65miles. Suddenly my car stalled and restarted again and post that I had a warning for check aeb, auto hold was disabled and traction control was enabled. For a brief moment, I lost steering which may be a result of the stall but then I regained steering. This has happened 4 times in the last 6 months. I stopped the car by the road, turned off the engine and restarted the car. The dashboard still showed the same warnings. I again turned off the car, opened my drivers side door and closed it and then restarted the car. The warning signs went off and then there were no issues post that.

I have a 2017 kia Sorento in which the steering has been feeling sticky. It feels like the steering has been getting stuck and hard to turn at times. I’m scared that one day it will get stuck and I can’t undue the stickiness at all. It’s very scary and unsafe to drive. I had contacted a kia dealership to get this problem looked at because I feel this vehicle is dangerous and I have a young child that I drive back and forth in this vehicle. I even contacted kia consumer services on plenty of occasions and they were no help.

Kia Sorento are being stolen like crazy. I took my Sorento to russ darrow wauwatosa to get the anti-theft software updated. When I got there, the supervisor told me that 80% of cars on which the update was applied ended up having the steering wheel have all buttons on it not working. This scared me and I ended up not getting the software for my Sorento. Why would kia fix one problem and create 10 other ones? or did the car dealer's supervisor lie to me? thanks, ahmed.

The contact owns a 2017 kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that an unknown steering part needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 44,000.

I was driving at approximately 35mph when my vehicle loss power and the steering wheel locked and gas pedal did not work almost causing me to be rear ended. I put my hazard lights on and started my vehicle back up and tried to continue driving but my vehicle delayed in acceleration and has now continued to delay ever since that incident. I have parked my vehicle and have not moved it due to the danger.

This is a continuing problem. The steering “notches” when driving down straight and curves as well. I’ve had the vehicle into dealerships 4 times since 2019. The vehicles warning never came on. Ecu’s been updated with the revisions of group cha, number 084. , and the problem goes away for awhile, however, it’s back again in January 2023. There was extension for the mdps issued on January 7, 2022 to 15yrs/150,000 miles, but it says the the warning has to come on. This is not right, I believe now something needs to be replaced. My Sorento now has over 70,000 miles. Do we with same problem have to hit something and possibly kill an innocent person or ourselves.

The steering is "sticky" or feels like it gets stuck in a "notch" while driving down the road. It is most noticeable at highway speeds and happens every trip to town. When the steering sticks is causes an overcorrection. This overcorrection is getting worse with time. I have yet to take it to the shop for inspection. No warning lamps or codes are currently present.

Steering is sticky, it holds then releases.

The contact owns a 2017 kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became firm. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

I was picking up my daughter from school. I drove there a considerable distance. I parked because I got there early. Once it was time to get my daughter I put my car in reverse and it made a loud clanking sound and the wheel became hard to maneuver. As soon as it made the sound a steering wheel with an exclamation point red light came on. I looked it up on google and found that there was a technical bulletin issued for my year car regarding the mdps/eps system extending the warranty to 15 years on 01/05/2022-01/07/2022. When I took my vehicle to kia of hollywood service center in hollywood FL, they were able to reproduce the problem. However after looking at the bulletin and parts covered under that particular bulletin, they told me that the issue that is causing the noise was not covered by that technical bulletin for the mdps warning light and the actual cause of the noise in my vehicle was my car needed a new rack and pinion. Once they told me the repair would not be covered by the extended warranty I asked for the price. Kia is selling the rack and pinion for $3280. The same part after market is $339. I of course took my vehicle to a different mechanic and did not pay the total cost of parts and labor that they quoted me which was $4460. I believe kia is aware that this particular part is defective and are taking advantage of some sort of loop hole. Maybe not enough consumers knowing they can file complaints. There's a reason why they are selling this particular part 10 times its after market value. The part was also readily available and wasn't back ordered which means they have plenty in stock probably due to demand. I was not able to control my steering wheel which is a danger while driving. My car has had previous structural damage but nothing that affected the power steering in my vehicle at any time. This problem just came out of nowhere.

The kia turned off while driving in traffic going to louisiana. It just turned off while I was slowing down. The vehicle turned back on a few minutes later and continued to louisiana. The steering wheel locked up while in baton rouge, la and the red warning light came on after that. There were no warning lights prior to the vehicle turning off while driving nor when the power steering locked up. I took it to o’reilly’s auto parts to have them put some power steering fluid in it. They could not do it because apparently it has an electric power steering system. The car would not start after that. All the warning lights came on. The rep at o'reilly's said that since it is electrical, I would need to take it to the dealership because I should not be having these issues since I only had the vehicle for almost 3 months. The codes that came on when the rep put the machine on were: battery, starter, alternator, power steering. The oil had been changed on Tuesday, 08. 09. 2022. I already had to buy 2 tires as the tire shop stated the inside of the tires were already going bald. Which should not be happening either. The vehicle was left in baton rouge, la as it was not drivable to return to houston, texas. I am going to make arrangements with carmax to tow the vehicle to their location in baton rouge, la. According to carmax, there were no known issues when the vehicle was purchased nor were there any recalls. If there were no known issues, why am I having these issues now?.

I reported earlier that my steering became "sticky" at highway speeds. Now, the problem is occurring at lower speeds. Today it began at 35 mph. Was just driving down the country road from my house and the steering started to stick.