Table 1 shows one common engine and engine cooling related problems of the 2026 Kia Motor Sorento.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Engine And Engine Cooling problems |
We bought this car new on xxx. On xxx as my family and I were returning from a vacation, re-entering the interstate, the gas engine on the Sorento hybrid would not start. There was no warning or error message. I put the pedal to the floor and it would not pick up speed as we entered xxx. I tried switching the drive mode to sport, then to Smart. Nothing worked. The fastest I could get the car going was about 50mph for a few seconds, then it slowed to 40 mph as traffic was bearing down on us, starting with an 18 wheeler truck that I could see in my rearview mirror. I had to put my emergency blinkers on and drive on the little bit of shoulder that there was on a bridge, and pull off onto the shoulder as fast as I could. The interstate was loaded with traffic today, going 75 mph. It was only fortunate that there was a break when the car rolled onto the interstate at about 40 mph. This car almost caused a wreck which could have killed me and my whole family, including my [xxx] daughter. If there hadn't been enough of a shoulder for me to get mostly off the road, the thick traffic going 75mph would have all had to slow to 40mph, without anyone plowing into the car in front of them. As it was, trucks were flying past me one foot from the side of my car going 75 mph. If one of them was off a little, my whole family could be dead or in the hospital now. After I turned the car off, and then on again, the gas engine started operating as normal. We got home, albeit with a flat from driving through the trash on the shoulder. I have now taken the car to two dealers and they could not repeat the problem. I told kia I didn't trust the car any more and that if they couldn't fix it, I wanted my money back. They told me yesterday that they will not do a buyback. And they've been claiming for weeks that they plan to have an engineer look at it. All the while, we don't have a car. It has been sitting at the dealer because it is unsafe. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.
The contact owns a 2026 kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving 75 mph, the check engine warning light started flashing and the vehicle entered limp mode. The contact pulled over, turned off, and restarted the vehicle, and the vehicle operated as intended while driving to the residence. The contact stated that the following day, while driving 75 mph with an 18-wheeler behind the vehicle, the vehicle hesitated, shuddered, and jerked. The check engine warning light was consistently illuminated, and the message "engine management system - follow up check required" was displayed. Additionally, the mobile app displayed the message "engine issues" with dtc: p030100. The contact pulled over, turned off, and restarted the vehicle, but the failure persisted while driving to the dealer. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with cylinder injector failure. The dealer replaced the cylinder injector; however, the failure recurred while driving 30 minutes later. The contact pulled over, turned off, and restarted the vehicle, but the failure persisted, and the vehicle made abnormal sounds. The vehicle failed to exceed 25-30 mph and was taken to the dealer. The dealer had not yet provided the result of a diagnostic test. The manufacturer was contacted and informed that the latest diagnostic report submitted by the dealer on June 22, 2026, stated that the vehicle was diagnosed with a gasket failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 7,000.