general problems of the 2024 Kia Motor Sorento

On 3 separate occasions, while idling, the engine will sputter as if it’s about to cut off. The rpm will rise and fall and the engine will rev up and down and finally it will quiet down. Once the light is green, it is able to drive as normal. At the next light the same thing happens and the engine revs up and down sounds like it’s about to die. At a certain point the car will lose propulsion,(hard to notice at first when it’s stop and go traffic) even with the pedal all the way down, making it difficult to drive at a safe speed. The car will operate this way in a very limited capacity w stuttered propulsion for a minute or two then a warning symbol and alarm sounds letting me know there is a safety issue with the hybrid system and to stop safely. The car then becomes completely unresponsive and you must stop immediately and shut the car off. Once restarted the car jolts back up and operates somewhat normally.

The contact owns a 2024 kia Sorento. The contact stated that during a routine oil change, the mechanic added an unknown oil additive to the vehicle. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle lost motive power and drove sluggishly. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for an oil change, and the mechanic observed metal shavings in the oil. The vehicle was taken to another dealer, but it had not yet been diagnosed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 31,000.

Vehicle hesitation, transmission slippage at low speeds for up shifting and hard shifting. Pulled out of a parking lot onto a main road from stop and my vehicle would not upshift and sounded like I was in neutral and would not accelerate. I had a vehicle behind me that almost rear ended me, I pulled over and had to put the vehicle in park. Once restarted, it would shift again.

On March 19 I completed my 8,000 mile oil change and then drove to florida. I had a warning light to change my oil since the company did not reset it. Unsure of the other warning lights. As I was driving in florida on the interstate the car started having issues. It was making a noise, then started smoking and by the time I got off the exit and got out the front right of the car was in flames. I was transported to the er with smoke inhalation. The car in still in clermont, FL with no resolution. The car has been inspected by the insurance and a third party inspector. The last I was told the inspection report is with the kia engineers. I am unaware at this point what the failure was that led to the fire. No response from kia for over a month.

While utilizing cruise control on the PA turnpike, the check engine light flashed on and the Sorento began to lose speed. The cruise control was attempting to compensate and pushing at 100% power, however the speed continued to decrease. We turned off cruise control and still were unable to increase speed. We were at 100% acceleration but lose 1 mph every ~10 seconds or so. We pulled over and kept the vehicle running. Opened the hood and saw the engine shaking violently. We turned the car off - waited ~30 seconds and turned it back on. The vehicle operated fine afterwards and since. Dealers are unable to diagnose in a timely manner and are booking 1-3 months out - even further if you need a loaner vehicle.

I was driving on the highway about 60mph, I go to accelerate and merge to the exit lane since that lane funnels another previous merge lane. I press the gas and the gauge stayed frozen at 60mph then a violent loud clunk came from the floor like as if the transmission gear got stuck and then slipped in. After parking at the store the hybrid inverter coolant refill warning came on the dash. I drove back home to get fluid 2 miles from home the vehicle lost all power. The issue is search through the internet I’m seeing many many kia Sorentos hybrid or gas with the same inverter issue. And every person posting online says the dealer has the same excuse a rock hit and punctured the small radiator. But the car also had a check engine light on and the dealer never brought that up. I’m a mechanic for 12yrs. Something fishy is going on, thank you.

Kia has failed to provide proper protection for their radiator on their Sorento and telluride models. There are many many many reports online of these radiators sustaining damage which should not have occurred, and kia refuses to cover any of these repairs under any type of warranty. In my example, my brand new 2024 Sorento with 1,300 miles overheated and dumped all of its coolant due to what the kia dealership claimed was a puncture in the radiator. The vehicle was never driven off road, and had never been hit by anything. If kia has a guard in place to prevent this from happening, the guard is insufficient and should be a concern. Kia refused to cover this issue under their warranty.

Purchased this vehicle last year, and less than a week into ownership developed a coolant leak. Kia determined the hybrid radiator leaking due to damage, such as a rock or related impact. While I didn't receive any warnings on the dash, there was noticeable coolant on the ground when parked and smell. I don't believe the level got low enough to trigger a warning or vehicle disabled by the computer. The front lower grille, which allows air to cool the hybrid radiator, creates a significant exposure of the radiator(s) due to manufacturer design. I have heard from an alarming number of Sorento owners that have experienced this problem, and they are installing their own mesh to reduce the size of holes through the grille. This defect in design should be escalated.