general problems of the 2021 Kia Motor Sorento - part 2

The stop go feature is not working correctly, when it does cut off at a light after releasing the brake to move forward it takes 3-5 seconds to start. When the cars behind me see that I release the brake they assume im going to move which doesnt happen at first. Some occasions the stop n go just doesnt work at all.

Was driving and car lost all power then violently shifted to the next gear and almost caused an accident.

When pressing the accelerator pedal after a near stop (rolling stop, California stop, stop to u der 3mpg and then resume acceleration) or very brief stop (<1 second) there is a significant delay in acceleration or a very brief acceleration then dead pedal and no acceleration for ~ 1 second. No accelerator pedal input variations changes this, I. E. I can release the accelerator pedal, hold the accelerator pedal pr push the accelerator pedal to the floor and it’s still a “dead pedal” scenario until the car decides it’s time to go. Owned car since new (~20 miles) and now has ~64k miles, been a persistent issue for entire ownership.

The check engine light has come on. The vehicle has stalled or loss power while driving 3 times with the last week. Once at 70 mph and the other 2 at 35 mph. Still very concerning on how to control when this occurs!!.

I had purchased my vehicle in January of 2024. At the time the car drove great. Fast forward a few months later and that’s when the issues started happening. I would go to accelerate the vehicle and it’s like the car didn’t want to go anywhere. I would have the pedal down to the floor and it wasn’t moving. At first when it happened it was sporadicly, and I thought ok it’s a new car maybe that’s just how it drives. But then when I was pressing the gas pedal the engine would revv up but then continue to rev even when the car was moving, like it wasn’t catching the gear. So I had enough of just thinking it’s the car and I had my own mechanic look at it and he mentioned cvt transmission slipping. So being still under warranty I took it into kia this past December and explained the loss of acceleration, it eating gas, and how I truly do not feel safe. Well of course I was told there is nothing wrong with it, and that it learned my driving habits and that I possible keep hitting the shifter in manual. I had videos of the rpms revving up and the car not moving, and they didn’t want to see my videos. I was just a few thousands miles from my 60,000 mile second owner warranty and not sure if that’s why I was told there was nothing wrong with is. This vehicle is truly a hazard as it does not move on acceleration on the highway and feel like I will get into an accident because of it one day. Kia really needs to address the issue before something really bad happens to someone. I apologize but it will not allow me to upload videos of the issues before and after going to kia and how there is still an issue.

The contact owns a 2021 kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal, with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the contact was informed of NHTSA campaign number: 22v760000 (power train); which the dealer linked to the failure. The vehicle was repaired under the recall; however, the failure returned soon after leaving the dealer. The vehicle was then taken to arapahoe kia (9701 e arapahoe rd, centennial, CO 80112); where the contact was informed that the recall was closed by the previous dealer. The contact believed that the initial dealer never serviced the vehicle under the recall. The contact made several requests to the dealer to provide documentation about the work that was performed for the recall; however, the contact had not yet received the documentation. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was provided a case number. The contact later received an email from the manufacturer stating that all future repairs would be performed out of pocket. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

I experienced a loss of drive power while on a busy street. Often while shifting into gear, the transmission will not engage. Luckily, this hasn't happened on a freeway. I have brought the vehicle into my dealership, however they can't replicate the issue, therefore, I feel unsafe continuing to drive. There was a recall on this issue, but I've been told my VIN is not effected by this recall. I understand that, however I am experiencing the issue of losing drive power, which can cause a serious incident.

My 2021 kia Sorento has been losing drive power, shuddering when we accelerate, hesitate when starting from a stop or parked position, and having issues accelerating at different and random speed intervals. This is a safety concern because it can cause an accident or for us and others or cause us to lose the ability to control the vehicle everyone is also at risk if my car stops responding to me pushing the gas and it will not let me continue, increase, decrease or become entirely unresponsive could cause my entire family to die. It has been reproduced by a local service center. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives. No warning lamps, messages have appeared at any time. The first symptoms started with short shuddering for a quick second or two every now and then. It has become progressively worse and is becoming unsafe for us to operate.

Was driving the car on the interstate with no issues. I took an exit to stop at a gas station and was stopped at a traffic light. When I went to accelerate the car was sluggish and barely got me into the gas station parking lot. There were no warning lights on. When I got back in the car the car reversed but it would not accelerate, and the engine light was on. I had to have the car towed 70 miles to the dealership closest to home. Once the car was at the dealership and off the tow truck I got in and tried to drive it. When I put the car in drive it would not move forward, the emergency brake came on, and a warning light displayed telling me to put the car in park. The car was towed on June 30. I got a call the morning of July 1 to inform me that the dealership would take 10-15 days to even diagnose the problem.

The vehicle loss power pulling out on to a 2 lane county road. I was a quarter of the way across and vehicle simply lost power. I let off the gas and then pressed down again and car moved forward. An amazon truck was coming around the corner at the same time. . . He had to put his brakes on to avoid hitting me. I proceeded on after the initial incident thinking maybe it was bad gas. . . Vehicle started to beep at me repeatedly but no check engine light. I went about a mile down the road to nearest gas station during which time vehicle lost power a couple of times. Filled up with gas, put the car in reverse and car initially rolled forward and then engaged. I drove the car back home a couple of miles. In that time frame, the vehicle again lost power and started beeping at me. The check engine light came on at some point heading back home. Vehicle was towed to the dealership. The dealership has confirmed the issue exactly as I described. Becca at the dealership confirmed the car losing power driving it from the front of the dealership lot to the service department after locating the vehicle after the tow driver dropped it. The dealership tech said the transmission fluid pressures were low. . . Did not specify if it was the control or transmission fluid . They are continuing to work with kia's "tech line" on repairing. . . . They did a "relearn" on the software controlling the transmission but it did not resolve the issue. I'm waiting on kia's "techline" response on next steps. . . . With all that said, its obvious to me at least this is related to the recent recall on their transmission pumps. . . Which I did take my vehicle in for and it passed the recall inspection last year with no corrective action taken. This is a very dangerous scenario. . . Losing power suddenly. I'm glad I was driving it when it occurred vs my wife or daughter.

Sometimes the vehicle will stall and not want to move. I have to try and coast off the road to kill the car and restart it. Also sometimes the radio goes completely black and doesnt come back on even if you kill the car.

The contact owns a 2021 kia Sorento. The contact stated that while parking the vehicle, the vehicle jerked abnormally. The contact stated that while the vehicle was in drive, the vehicle jerked and unexpectedly accelerated while driving 55 mph and was dragging. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was serviced by the dealer for a transmission failure, but the failure persisted. The contact stated that the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.

The contact owns a 2021 kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving 80 mph, the vehicle suddenly lost motive power. The contact stated that she pulled to the side of the road. The contact stated that she restarted the vehicle, and was able to continue driving. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure recurred several times while driving. The contact stated that the last time the failure occurred, the vehicle restarted but failed to respond upon depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was being diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 22v760000 (power train); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could only assist after the dealer diagnosed that the failure was related to the recall. The failure mileage was unknown.

Transmission shifting 3 levels with start of driving.

I was driving my car on Friday, September 29 at approximately 12:30 pm. As I was driving the vehicle ot started to feel as though it was jerking and stalling while driving in driving on a busy road. I reached a parking lot and pulled over and shut the car off when I restarted it a warning came up on my infotainment system that there was a promblem with the transmission and I needed to contact my dealer immediately. The check engine light also came on. I own a 2021 kia Sorento with 11,712 miles. I was afraid to drive vehicle after this incident as I feared for my safety.

The contact owns a 2021 kia Sorento. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at unknown speeds, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who mentioned a recall on the transmission. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, who informed the contact there was no recall coverage on the VIN. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was informed there was no recall or warranty coverage on the VIN. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA campaign number: 22v760000 (power train). The failure mileage was approximately 66,550.

My 2021 Sorento randomly gets stuck in between gears, slipping into neutral and rev'ing up to 4000-5000 rpms. This is at lower speed usually within a mile or so of leaving my house. It's very frightening and has happened to me dozens of times, but I live in a rural area over an hour from a kia dealership, and they do not offer loaners. This issue first arose for me after the transmission oil pump recall was already addressed. I am the 2d owner, and suspect this could be why the previous owners sold the car, which I bought through autotrader from the heiser dealership in wisconsin. After the latest episode, I finally arranged alternate transportation and took it in to the serra kia dealership in jackson, TN. They have had it over a week and not been able to replicate the issue so far. No computer codes show up on it either. They say there's no technical advisory on the issue, and have no idea what's going on with the transmission. Serra kia is saying that kia corporate will not approve replacing the transmission without an error code. From reviewing other owner reviews in kia forums, the kia 2021 Sorento slipping into neutral while driving appears to be an issue for others as well. It is dangerous, as I could be rear-ended. Quite honestly, it’s terrifying, and I am afraid to drive the car again without this issue being addressed.

See attached document for complaint.

The automatic start/stop function (isg) stopped functioning. The light turned from green to amber and flashes intermittently. When the light is flashing the vehicle has a loss of power. On 8/28/23 I was accelerating to get on the interstate. Suddenly the speedometer dropped from 40 mph to 24 mph. I had to quickly exit the on ramp as to avoid being hit from behind by a huge white pickup truck. I drove the side streets, staying under 40 mph, to the dealership. You cannot disable the isg at this time. There is no warning of when this may happen. I've had it in the dealership 3 times, 8/10/23, 8/24/23, and 8/28-9/16/23. The first two times they could not replicate the problem, so nothing was done. On the third visit a high pressure sensor was ordered and replaced. The isg is still malfunctioning. Now the isg kicks itself back on after it has been disabled. The light is still amber, not green, indicating there is still a problem. Loss of power has happened twice 6/25/23 and 8/28/23. I have service reports and videos of flashing lights. Unfortunately, I was not able to load at this time.

I had reported a momentary loss of power when driving the first time I took my vehicle for an oil change. Dealer said the car was just getting accustomed to my driving habits. I said I was in an intersection and the car lost power for a moment and I was almost rear-ended. It has happened many more times and it seemed as though it usually happened between 25-30 mph. Recently it has become more frequent. It’s happening at all speeds. Yesterday it seemed like it was choking like when you’re out of gas (it had 3/4 tank of gas). Today I was making a turn at a heavily traveled intersection, when rounding the corner vehicle lost power then banged into gear. I’ve never heard it bang like that before. Seems to be getting progressively worse and I’m now concerned for myself and others safety. I work 45 miles from home and depend on this vehicle. This is my 3rd Sorento and have always liked and recommended them. I’m making an appointment for a diagnostic service soon but can’t afford to be without my car. I saw there was a recall for “loss of power” but my VIN isn’t included. Please help.

The contact owns a 2021 kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle failed to shift into the intended gear and stalled. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the wiring harness for the remote starting system had malfunctioned and needed to be replaced. The wiring harness was replaced; however, the contact stated that after driving for an undisclosed period and parking the vehicle, the contact was unable to shift the gear shifter. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer but was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the state attorney general who then referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 34,256.

The contact owns a 2021 kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving at various speeds the vehicle suddenly lost motive power and the vehicle decelerated and would not accelerate above 30 mph. During the failure, the idle stop light continued to flash off and on. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The transmission was replaced but the failure reoccurred within a month of the repair being performed. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced a second time. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 20,000.

Our issues include not shifting into second gear with no warning lights on the dash to indicate a faul. It goes completely in to neutral at all speeds without any warning. Never recovers until stopped and turned off. Again, nothing happens, no sounds , no lights, no flashes. Just no transmission at all. My wife was almost rear ended on when it stopped functioning in traffic. Someone is going to get killed.

Vehicle shut off on interstate while slowing for a wreck and almost caused our own acda crash. Entire gauge cluster flashed and started back up after stopping in the roadway for approximately 5 minutes without restarting. The vehicle was able to be driven home and was taken to a local kia dealership where after 3 days has not been able to replicate the issue.

The transmission has failed there has been a recall involving the transmission on this car. My car has been in the shop for a month because it needs a transmission replacement.

Vehicle transmission completely failed immediately after long (~4 hr, 224 mile) highway drive. During drive vehicle hesitated slightly when downshifting to accelerate. After arriving at destination, vehicle showed a check engine light and would not consistently accelerate. After sitting for ~36 hrs, vehicle would not shift into any gear (drive or reverse). Had to have vehicle towed. After unsuccessfully attempting to update and flush transmission, and consulting with kia engineers, future kia in fresno, CA informed me that the dual clutches in the transmission had “melted and fused. ” failure occurred the day after a transmission software update by the kia dealer in carson, CA.

10/25/2022 started the SUV at a wal-mart parking lot and as I drove out of the parking lot onto a street my SUV made a motorcycle sound then it started to loss power with my foot still on the gas pedal. SUV came to a complete stop and was towed home. 11/03/2022 picked up SUV from kia dealership. Drove 43 minutes home and parked inside garage. An hour later started the SUV to go pick up kids from school. The SUV wouldn't reverse out of the garage. I restarted the engine 4 times then it finally reverse out of the garage then when I put it on drive. There was no power to drive. I restarted the engine again 2 more times then it finally drive and I parked it back inside the garage. 11-04-2022 I attempted to drive SUV to kia dealership for help. I made it onto the freeway with a speed of 74 mph for about 8 minutes then my SUV started to loose power with my foot still on the gas pedal. I almost got rear ended by a big rig before I can even put my hazard light on and pulled safely to the side of the freeway. My SUV was towed into kia dealership that same day. 11-12-2022 picked up the SUV from kia, drove it 43 minutes then stopped at chevron to top off gas. When restarted the SUV my engine light came on the dash board. I drove it back to my house. I notified kia ASAP with a picture of my dash board and it's been in my garage since yesterday. Today is 11/13/2022. All incidents are not able to be duplicated by the dealership's mechanic everytime they had the SUV. No actions were taken. I showed them videos and picture of the proof that I do have but because it's not happening for them while they have my SUV. They can't fix my SUV problem. It's an accident waiting to happen and I already had a near miss on the freeway. An extremely concerned 2021 kia seronto owner.

Vehicle suddenly displayed the message "stop safely immediately" and then lost all traction to the wheels. This happened as I was entering a busy street and could have resulted in an accident. I had to coast to the side of the road where the car would not drive. I took the vehicle to my kia dealer and they performed a software update as part of a recall. The update or "fix" only prevents the immediate loss of traction and does not address the underlying cause. My car is now back at the dealer with a failing transmission.

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.

Kia has been chasing transmission problems on this vehicle for several months and now the transmission has completely failed.

Transmission quit engaging and had service light that said to stop vehicle immediately on September 24, 2022. The vehicle was then towed off to nearest dealer for inspection/diagnosis. Software update was applied on September 30. We picked car up on oct 01 and drove home with no issues. On oct 02, I started noticing car was not shifting properly from 2nd to 3rd gear. I had to delicately drive in a certain manner to get it to shift to next gear. Oct 03 engine light came back on, had vehicle towed back to dealer. Oct 04 received call from dealer and after diagnostic was completed, they said they had ordered a new transmission for us with an unknown eta. Safety of us and others was put at risk due to the transmission behaving erratically. No warning lamps, or messages had been received prior to transmission disengaging initially on Sep. 24. However, there were some symptoms prior to that incident, so I had a strong notion that it was only a matter of time until we were going to experience a transmission issue.

While driving car dropped to 20 miles pe hour pressed gas harder and rpm stayed at 2 and car failed to accelerate, loss of driving power. It intermittently will drop rpms and lose speed with no warning no light or indicators. This is the 2nd transmission the original failed on 09/11/21 with only 12,000 miles on the car and had to be replaced. This transmission only has 14, 00 miles on it and is a replacement from the valley kia dealer. This car is unsafe to drive you dont know if you press the gas pedal it will actually accelerate or stall.

The transmission failed; it is at the dealership awaiting a replacement transmission, and, if needed and if possible, I would authorize for it to be inspected. While in a parking garage, the instrument cluster displayed a "safely stop immediately" message and a check engine light, and the vehicle began to lose momentum and roll to a stop, regardless of accelerator input. The problem was was replicated and confirmed by a kia dealership. The vehicle has not been inspected beyond the service department at the dealership.

I have a 2021 sx with 6000 miles sitting at the dealership with a failing transmission. Yesterday September 2, 2022, my vehicle lost 100% of power and I was left at a traffic light with no power. The dashboard said, "stop safely immediately". The engine light came on and thank god I was not on the highway. Got towing service to kia dealer in houston. It is a very dangerous situation for any driver to lose all power suddenly. I went to the internet and this is a common problem with this model. It is related to the dct transmission.