general problems of the 2021 Kia Motor Sorento - part 2

I would like to report that the 2021 kia Sorento sx x-line prestige I own has a chronic oil leak from the oil pan. The dealer has attempted to reseal the pan two times and has replaced the pan and gasket once as well. The vehicle has leaked oil since it was practically new and poses an environmental hazard.

As I was taking off from stop sign car dropped into lower gear jerking car and lowered speed. Did this twice almost causing an accident. Knowing something was very wrong we proceed to dealership. SUV stalled out 3 times on the way. Third time it stalled out was in front of service writer in front of dealership. This car has been very dangerous to drive from the delivery to now. It hesitates when you give it gas at stop and vibrates as you pic k up speed. This car is very dangerous to drive. Has been in shop for a week tring to figure out the problem. I have complained to service department about this ever since I have owned the car. Thanks for any help. I know I,m not the only one with this problem. Pat mcgrath.

On oct 5th, 2022, I was driving home from work on interstate 75, when I heard a chime from my dashboard. When I looked at the dashboard there was a message to “stop safely immediately,” and the check engine light came on. I happened to be at my exit and took the next exit off the highway. Whiling getting to the off ramp the vehicle randomly shut off. I stopped the SUV with the brake with no incident. Thankfully no one was behind me. However, the car wouldn't turn on. After several tries the car turned on again. I immediately drove it to kia which was about 2 miles away for immediate service. They did a multi-point inspection, checked fluids. The tech came back saying the vehicle need a software update. They did a software update and returned the SUV. I was told everything should be fine. Within a day of the update the check engine light came back on. This time when I accelerate the rpms are going up but the speed is not increasing. The Sorento hesitates to accelerate from a stop. The vehicle has issues shifting in the lower gears until it jolts forward. I returned the SUV to kia where now I am told it needs a new transmission. I was given no indication as to when this fix would happen. I ask for a rental car they have none. Tech at kia says its okay to keep driving this SUV. Did I miss something? as of oct 22, they want to recheck transmission fluid which they have already checked. I have been given the run around with no fix for the problem insight.

I have owned this vehicle for about 1 yr & 7 months now. It's been great but all of a sudden last Friday, the dashboard started producing an engine overheat warning with an alarm sound when I was driving under normal conditions. So then I pulled out of the highway and went to the nearest parking lot, and checked the engine. The coolant color was normal & max level. No sign of leaking. Then we resumed driving and nothing happened. Later on the way back home. . . The same thing happened. The alarm sounded for a while and the temperature indicator reached red at the max level then it went away. It was already too late for us to reach out to either dealership or kia, so I was going to get in touch later. The next day afternoon, I got a diagnostic appointment for the coming Wednesday with the nearest kia dealership and went out to take care of a few other stuff. The alarm sound with the temperature gauge reaching the red max level happened again after merging into the highway, and it went off after a while. This occurrence has happened 3 times already and I'm a bit worried that it may happen again and something else may happen even though the engine and other fluid levels were fine based on the visual inspection. Not sure if this is fixable. . .

My 2021 kia Sorento with 15,500 miles suddenly displayed a “stop safely immediately” warning with no other lights or indicators as to an issue. My husband and I were trying to find a safe place to stop when the vehicle suddenly stopped accelerating and would not shift out of first gear and the rpms increased to over 5000. We then lost all drivability in the middle of the road and couldn’t move at all. The dealership said a sensor was dirty and “cleaned it” and sent us on our way. Less than a week later, with my four year old daughter in the car with me, the same thing happened again but the “stop safely immediately” warning displayed briefly, disappeared, and then the car again lost all drivability in the middle of a busy highway.

As my vehicle was in drive and I was actively driving, an error displayed on the dash stating to "stop safely immediately. " the vehicle would neither accelerate nor decelerate and would not generate any rpms. The check engine light came on, went off hours lately and the vehicle appeared to perform normally thereafter. Nonetheless I had the vehicle towed to the dealership and was told they were unable to duplicate the error although. I was told that although they could download the code for the error, it was unlikely that kia would replace the faulty sensor that needed replacing as it was located on the side of the transmission. I was told to video the issue if it ever happened again. 7 days later, the exact same thing happened while I was in the middle of an intersection with my children. I leased this vehicle in may of 2021 and this issue occurred in July 2022 with 7800 miles on the odometer. There were zero issues with this vehicle prior to this and I have all service records and video footage of the incident.

Vehicle stuck in high rpm until I parked and restarted vehicle. Additionally continues to rock back and forth while parked and jumps forward significantly upon braking and acceleration.

There is a constant error happening daily where a warning shows “refill inverter coolant” it takes up the main display and no dealer has a fix.

Car has been having issues with not starting many times also dealership was contact also was serviced and still having issues.

The contact owns a 2021 kia Sorento ex 2. 5t fwd auto. The contact stated while driving on the main road the vehicle dropped into neutral. The check engine light was illuminated. The contact was able to drive to a dealer and the dealer diagnosed the vehicle the transmission needs replaced. The vehicle is not repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 11,978.

Less then 25000 miles. I was backing out of a parking place I heard some signal indicator beeps, put the car in park and saw a transmission engine light indicator lit. On the display panel were the options to make an appointment with a dealership or to call roadside assistance with the description of " a possible condition with your transmission control system has been detected. A full system check is recommended to be done when convenient. Please contact your local dealership for an appointment" I called roadside assistance to see if they were able to help me further understand and they could not and suggested I called the dealership. I drove the vehicle home and was hoping a sensor may have gotten wet as we had a lot of rain and bigger than usual puddles. The next day I started my car the engine light was on again. I drove to the dealership (when I called them they did not answer in the service department). A woman came out to the vehicle and said she could not diagnose what was wrong but as long as I'm not having any difficulty driving, nothing feeling weird, or off that I can bring it in on Monday, two days from today, so we agreed. I went to one store and when I came out the car started and shifted into gear but pressing on the gas no power! it would not go forward it would not go in reverse, nothing! the diagnostic code from my kia phone app is p1c2d03 I can't find anything about this code.

After being driven for 45 miles, with no problems, then parked for 2 hours, then when I started to drive, dashboard lit up "pull over safely immediately". I pulled over, shut car off and restarted. Same notice appeared. Tried again and nothing appeared. I attempted to move the car and it would not engage in drive or reverse. Shut car off, started again and still would not move. Then was towed to a kia dealership. Upon inspection, I was told it needed a new transmission. Vehicle had 5,606 miles. Car is at dealership since April 4 waiting for new transmission. I was told there are other kia's also waiting for new transmissions. If I had been driving and car suddenly shut off, it would have been very dangerous (there are many such reports online where people have experienced this). There is documented evidence on line that others with low mileage have had this problem dating back to April 2021. This car needs to be recalled and significant changes made. The car is available for inspection at the dealer's location, lou sobh kia, 1135 buford road, cumming GA 30041 if you need. You can reach me at 770-861-2513 or via email lbernknopf@gmail. Com.

I have a ‘21 Sorento hybrid. The refill inverter coolant warning light keeps coming on. The first time it happened was on a road trip. A local dealer told me to check coolant levels and when it was full, told me it was safe to drive. I had it looked at as soon as I got home. By that time, the light had gone off. They flushed and refill the coolant. It happened again within 3 weeks. I took it in again. The dealer inspected said nothing was wrong with vehicle. Safe to drive. Also said I was the second one of these they’d seen. They were told corporate is working on a fix. I starting a ticket with kia customer service. It’s been 9 days and no response from them. I am counting on the dealers being correct and that it is safe.

In 2 instances the car shut off without warning. Once after the car had been shut off, ( would not restart. ) then again while the car was in drive sitting at a red light. (engine shut off without warning). Dealership could not figure out cause. When trying to restart the dash lights would come on with all codes being thrown as failure for multiple systems but engine would not start or try to start. The car did think it was running though as the dash would say car will shut off in alloted time frame that was set in car settings. Both times after the car being towed to the dealership and sitting for the night it started back up next morning like nothing ever happened. I ended up getting traded out of the vehicle at 18,500 miles after owning the car for 30 days. I’m assuming that’s why previous owner traded it. It’s a lemon.

Suddenly one morning the transmission didn't work at all. I had to get a towing service to bring the car to the service. After a couple of days, they told me that the car needs a new transmission. Btw, the car only has 12,000 miles!.

Inverter coolant refill light will not turn off. This is available for inspection. This could be a possible fire risk. Issue has been confirmed at dealership. Components have been inspected by manufacturer. Issue started around 23,000 miles.

The inverter coolant refill light will illuminate at all times even with the system serviced. Kia has serviced the system but has no solution on how to stop the light. The light also blocks out any other warning that may happen on the dash. With the light illuminated while driving, it is impossible to determine if the system is empty to cause a fire or just a faulty light. The dealership has confirmed the faulty warning light. There are no computer codes associated with the warning light.

We had just received our Sorento back from being in the shop for 4 months due to being in an accident. Part of the repair work was to have the software updated and reprogrammed at a kia dealership, which was completed. We picked up the car on Tuesday, Feb 15, 2022, and on Wednesday, Feb. 16, as we were traveling down hwy 27 in lake wales, FL, the alert began to ding and the hybrid warning came on, as well as other lights (I can't remember which ones). The car lost acceleration capability, but as we slowed and turned down another road, the car began to slightly accelerate very slowly. We were able to travel another mile, when the acceleration completely stopped. We pulled over to the side of the road and put the car in park. The engine was very rough. The message came on to leave vehicle in park to charge the hybrid battery. When we did that, the engine started for about 5 seconds, then shut off. We attempted this two more times, with the same results. We also tried to jump the car, according to the operator's manual, but it didn't work. We had to have the car towed to the dealership.

The contact owns a 2021 kia Sorento. The contact stated while accelerating from a complete stop and while driving at various speeds, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle shuddered and hesitated to respond while the engine revved. The check engine warning light was illuminated, and the vehicle made a dinging sound. The contact stated that the rpms fluctuated while idling. Additionally, the contact stated that upon manually shifting to sport mode, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The vehicle was taken to o'reilly auto parts, where dtc: p193b and p193b79 were retrieved. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that a fee would be charged for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 36,000.

The contact owns a 2021 kia Sorento. The contact stated that intermittently the transmission was slipping. Additionally, the vehicle failed to go into standard mode. While driving, the vehicle lost motive power while driving at 15 mph. The check engine warning light was illuminated. There was an “s” symbol displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the system needed to be reset. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the sensor or wheel speed sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

Spark plug housing- causes vehicle to misfire. Which caused me to be stranded on side of the interstate. A valve burning the oil out of the engine that has caused issues numerous times. The dealership has tried repairing the vehicle numerous times but the issue persists.

Vehicle loses all power at random. First incident was dangerous merging into traffic. The vehicle remains in this condition until restarted. Dealer found no code problems. There are lots of issues with this vehicle and failing transmissions.

The contact owns a 2021 kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10 mph over a speed bump, the vehicle shut off. The contact was unable to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a bad connection at the fuel pump fuse box. The dealer performed a minor wiring repair. The contact stated that while driving 60-80 mph, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended, and the vehicle shuddered and then jolted. The vehicle was taken to calavan kia [xxx] ), but the failure could not be duplicated; however, the coils were replaced. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, several unknown warning lights were illuminated, and the vehicle was inoperable. The contact stated that upon restarting the vehicle, the warning lights were turned off, and the vehicle operated as needed. The contact also stated that the vehicle was making an abnormal rattling and ticking sound while driving. The vehicle was taken back to the second dealer, where the failure could not be duplicated; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to a third dealer, ed voyles kia [xxx] ), where the failure could not be replicated. Additionally, the contact stated that a/c system was inoperable. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 6,099. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

My 9 month old (9000+ miles) car went completely into neutral while driving without any warning. The speed dropped quickly, and I was very closed to get hit by the car behind. I carefully stopped and turned off the car at a curbside, and it went back to normal when restarted. However, the next day I started the car like normal and found it wouldn't move either forward or reverse with the check engine light on. The car was then towed to the dealership for inspection, and they were able to reproduce the problem. I was told the entire transmission needs to be replaced. The same terrifying experience is seen from multiple internet forums for the same new kia sorrento 2021.

Power train operation is erratic and unpredictable. I have have experienced the same problems of other reports (loss of power when turning, jerking/rough shifts, cruise control issues) with the addition of this: when stopping the vehicle in a smooth controlled fashion, it suddenly has a boost of acceleration at 1-2 mph which requires extra brake pedal pressure to keep from impacting the car ahead.

Car has 2500 miles and engine is revving funny, cruise control was working fine but all of a sudden started noises like downshift problems and lost power for cruise control; mph light flashed it has the 8 speed transmission it says. Please look into this as I paid a lot of money for this car to have it acting up already. I do not trust dealership to tell me the truth. Thank you.

The contact owns a 2021 kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving various speeds, the engine was vibrating abnormally. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer. The dealer set an appointment however, the vehicle had not yet been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 500.

Engine stall while sitting in red light twice in one month. I had to put vehicle in park and restart the vehicle to get the vehicle moving.

Car jumps when going into reverse, going into a stop and coming off a stop. Hesitates off of stops. Feels like it goes into neutral when going around bends. When I’m park, it rocks back and forth and rpm’s go down. It’s been happening since I bought the car a year ago.

Vehicle is not shifting properly. The vehicle is hesitating on shifting up and have a very hard down shift. When vehicle was brand new this was mentioned to the dealer and they said it was "normal" for these "new" transmissions. This issue has now since gotten way worse. When sitting at a stop sign and needing to accelerate to get out onto the roadway and wheel is slightly turned on "dry" roads the traction control light will come on and vehicle will not accelerate. This is a very big safety concern as myself and my kids use this car daily! this problem has been made aware to dealer but only to be told its "normal" this is not normal its a big risk of possibly getting myself or others into an accident. The vehicle is going to be relooked at with another dealer 8/30/22 as it has gotten worse and im concerned of the safety of myself that this vehicle may malfunction causing as accident. I have also looked at other reports of these 2021 Sorentos and seeing a pattern with the transmission issues of them.

Only had car 8 days with 500 miles. Went to pull away from stop sign and car cut off. When attempted to restart, car advised to place in park first. Once placed in park and pressed start button - all systems went dead. Sparks came from grounding cable under hood. When grounding cable was adjusted, car started turning on and off randomly. After waiting two hours for tow truck, was able to adjust ground cables well enough to drive home. Subsenquently, car was towed to dealership.

I have 2021 kia Sorento hybrid, which a regular message stating that it needs to refill inverter coolant fluid keeps coming up, even though the car coolants level is full. This is not a new problem for the all the kia users that have this model. Also, kia and their network of dealerships have known of this problem for over 1 yr and their standard answer is" we know its a software program, and will get back to you once the software code is fixed". Basically, they are dismissing the complaints and issues from the car owners. Also, this is poses a security and safety concern, since the warning light/message takes over the entire center console/display. Other relevant safety and security warnings/functionality is obstructed by it. Please force kia to make this a mandatory recall for all hybrid owners. There are thousands of customers impacted.