Electrical System Problems of Kia Motor Sorento - part 1

The contact owns a 2013 kia Sorento. While the contact's granddaughter was attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated that a special device was previously installed in the vehicle because of a legal matter. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who installed the device, and the vehicle was inspected. The contact was informed that the device did not cause the failure. In addition, the cause of the failure could not be determined. The contact was advised to contact the dealer for assistance. The contact had received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 23v652000 (service brakes, hydraulic). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 215,000.

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Upon starting the vehicle, it flashed several warning lights that were not on the day before. Including popping codes up on the infotainment system and urging me to schedule a service with kia. Upon looking up the codes it states hvac issue, when calling to dealership to schedule a service for it (while it is still barely under warranty) they let me know it might not be covered. That’s when I found out there is a recall only for certain VIN #’s for the exact same issue. My car won’t even drive because the electrical system is being affected. Windshield wipers going crazy, lights not working, ac/heat not working, the emergency braking system braking out of nowhere, the lane departure pulling the wheel while driving without cause. I don’t even feel safe driving the vehicle anymore. Kia needs to have a recall on this that alerts the vehicles owners because I had no clue that there was a potential fire hazard due to faulty wiring.

See all problems of the 2023 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

My reverse camera bracket broke off leading to the camera dangling on the license plate and unusable for rear backup safety.

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To whom it may concern, I had a horrible experience with my 2020 kia Sorento and I can't seem to get anyone to respond to me. This very upsetting. My VIN number is [xxx] , my vehicle only had 75,000 miles on it. I kept up with all maintenance, oil changes, checking oil on a regular basis, checking all fluids, including antifreeze, brake fluid as well. I was driving on a clear day, no snow, no rain, no traffic, country road. I was going about 35 mph and all of the sudden every light that I could possibly think of came on my dashboard, within 30 seconds of that I heard a very loud pop and smoke barreled in through my vents. Obviously the smoke made it a struggle to breathe and definitely is not good for mine or my children lungs. I immediately pulled into the first driveway I seen. This took 5 seconds from the loud pop and the smoke through the vents, actually not even 5 seconds. I jump out of my car and see a fire under my hood. I immediately run up to the house of the driveway I pulled in. Fortunately, the man of the home, seen what was happening, ran to his garage, got a fire extinguisher and put the fire out. I look under the car. I seen something very shiny lying on the ground, right under where the fire was. It was piston cylinder piece this explains the pop, the fire and nearly every fluid that was in my car now on the ground. Oil, antifreeze and brake fluid were all now spilled in this man's driveway. I called kia and reported the incident, they stated there were no recalls on my vehicle, according to the VIN number. They also stated the year 2020 did not have recalls, like the years leading up to 2019, stopping at 2020 and then resuming at 2021. Elizabeth from kia America corp made promises she didn’t keep by stating they would tow my car to kia dealership and give me a rental. She promised to make it right and was caught lying, she never contacted the dealership. Elizabeth’s phone number [xxx] . Please help me, my kids and I need a vehicle. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (.

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I wanted to add to a previous claim I had already submitted, I found an item that had fallen out of my engine, I don't know if I can submit a picture on here but I will try.

I have placed below what I have sent to kia company.

I was driving 2 minutes away from my house and all of the sudden every warning light on the dashboard came on, billowing smoke started coming through the vents. I immediately pulled in a random driveway, as I was turning I. I heard a loud pop. I shut the car off immediately, jumped out. As I looked at the front of my car, flames were coming from the bottom front. I ran up to the house, the man of the house came out with a fire extinguisher. He put out the flames underneath, asked me to pop the hood, I did so and he put out the flames underneath the hood. As I was waiting for a tow truck, I seen a shiny object at the bottom of the vehicle, I pulled it out. It was a wrist pin from the engine. I also noticed a ton of fluids poured out in the man’s driveway. I had the vehicle towed home and contacted kia and my insurance company. My case was escalated to kia corporate and elizabeth barooni contacted me. She promised to tow my vehicle to the dealership of my choice, get me a rental car, pay any out of cost expenses and repair the vehicle. The vehicle only had 75,000 miles on it. After all her promises, she never contacted me again. I have tried to contact her and a kia number called me, I answered they hung up on me. I called the number back and it was james hope, an employee who works at kia America corporation. They have not returned my call since around christmas. I also contacted geico, my insurance company, they sent out a adjuster, they denied my claim. They stated that all of this was caused by mechanical failure, they put on the claim that kia is known for these issues and they will not cover it. I still remain without a vehicle and kia corporate has completely ignored me after making promises to help.

The contact owns a 2021 kia Sorento. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 25v649000 (electrical system, visibility); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was called but was unreachable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue, but the contact was informed that the call could not be transferred to the recall department because the department was undergoing a training session. The contact had not experienced a failure.

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On December 16, 2025 at approximately 0830 hrs. Est my wife attempted to start the above vehicle. There was an "odd" odor in the garage by the vehicle at the time. She was unable to start the vehicle, there were not functional lights and no other accessories were functional. I perfomed a test on the battery later in the afternoon using a battery testing probe, it indicated the battery was non-functional. At approximately 1515 hrs. Est I replaced the battery in the above vehicle. Upon replacement of the battery the vehicle was started and run for approximately 3 minutes to ensure all systems checked alright and there was no damage from the loss of the. I then was standing at the back of the vehicle and noted smoke coming from the tail lights and from under the liftgate. I opened the rear liftgate and felt heat and saw smoke. As I was removing the trim from around the vehicle to access the area of origin for the smoke, the rear bumper cover melted and flames were visible where the bumper cover had melted. I used a fire extinguisher to extinguish the visible fire then accessed the area under the bumper to ensure the fire had been fully extinguished. Visible under the bumper was the tow wiring whch was visibly damaged by fire. I reported the fire to kia of muncie from where the vehicle was purchased new in December 2018 and to the kia care line. Pictures of the damage were sent to both. The vehicle had been checked and cleared of all recalls associated with the tow wiring recall.

See all problems of the 2019 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

Was driving on dallas north toll way when my vehicle lost acceleration. Had to pull over and engine started smoking and lit a flame under the hood. Car is now at clay cooley kia in irving, TX. Car has been there for over two weeks and I still have no answers or information regarding the plan to fix it. Major dealership delay and all they keep saying is “waiting on a kia engineer to come out but we don't have a date. ”.

Road debris under normal driving conditions caused a puncture of the inverter radiator resulting in a total loss of coolant in the inverter and battery system. Inspection of the system at a kia dealer confirmed the problem. The first sign of concern was an error displayed on the driver screen stating, "check drive motor cooling system". There is no mention of this error in the owner's manual for the vehicle, though I did find several online discussions surrounding similar issues and warnings. I was driving on the highway at the time, and outside temperature was just under 40 degrees f. The car continued to drive normally for roughly 15 miles while utilizing the gas engine on the highway but eventually began struggling to accelerate or brake when switching to the electrical system after moving to residential streets. There is not a means of turning off the hybrid system. I received further warnings for several various driver assist functions becoming unavailable and the car became difficult to steer. I parked in a parking lot until the car could be towed for evaluation.

See all problems of the 2025 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

The contact owns a 2016 kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at 50 mph and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle speed decreased. The contact was able to pull into a parking lot safely. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle, but the vehicle failed to restart as intended. An independent mechanic and a dealer were contacted. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine starter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 83,000.

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Vehicle: 2025 kia Sorento (leased) VIN: [xxx] mileage at failure: 11,345 incident dates: March 23, April 27, November 28–December 1 type: loss of power / electrical failure / safety hazard complaint description: I am reporting repeated electrical failures and complete loss of power in my 2025 kia Sorento that created unsafe situations for myself and my children. The first failure occurred on March 23, approximately 2½ weeks after leasing the vehicle. The vehicle died without warning and had to be jumped. I brought it to the kia dealership, but service would not perform a diagnostic without an appointment and sent me home with no repair. The second failure occurred on April 27. This time the vehicle was completely dead again. Kia’s service manager retrieved the vehicle from my home, diagnosed a failed battery cell, and replaced the battery. The third failure occurred between November 28 and December 1. The vehicle was again completely inoperable. I attempted to jump the vehicle on multiple days, but it would not hold a charge. I was stranded without transportation. The interior doors and trunk would not unlock because the power locks failed, and my belongings and large business related were inaccessible. Headlights flickered like a strobe light before the vehicle lost power entirely. Kia towed the vehicle from my home on December 1. These repeated electrical failures have resulted in multiple incidents of being stranded, including with my children, and have caused loss of use of the vehicle for several days. The defect is unpredictable and creates a serious safety concern, especially because the vehicle can lose power without warning and I am unable to unlock the doors. This raises a serious safety concern when transporting children. I am requesting that NHTSA document this as a potential electrical system safety defect. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Beginning at approximately 750 miles on a brand-new 2025 kia Sorento hybrid ex, the vehicle experienced a flashing check engine light accompanied by severe shaking while driving, rough idling, loss of power, and loud engine/exhaust noise. The vehicle became difficult and unsafe to operate due to the vibration and reduced drivability. These symptoms appeared suddenly on November 22, less than three weeks after purchase. The vehicle was taken to the dealership on November 24. Their technician retrieved diagnostic codes p0300 (random misfire) and p0304 (cylinder #4 misfire) and identified a failed ignition coil on cylinder #4. The coil was replaced, and the dealership reported the issue resolved. However, less than 24 hours later, with the vehicle still under 800 miles, the exact same symptoms reoccurred: heavy shaking while driving, vibration while idling, loss of power, and unstable engine operation. This indicates the underlying issue may be more serious than a single coil failure. The problem has been reproduced and confirmed by the dealership, and the vehicle is currently back in their possession for further inspection. A loaner vehicle was issued because the vehicle was not safe to drive. The sudden shaking, engine misfire, and loss of power created a significant safety risk, especially if this failure were to occur at highway speeds or while turning across traffic. Given the extremely low mileage and recurrence immediately after repair, this may indicate a broader defect affecting engine performance or ignition components in this model. The vehicle remains available for inspection by NHTSA, the manufacturer, or investigators.

Car has sensor issues. It ran into pole and median after defective collision assist said sensor was blocked. Has emission leak. Second vehicle I had with that and they wont cover under warranty. Kia refuses to by back a car do not feel safe driving. They refuse to fix things under warranty. The refuse to do anything about sensors, says its the safety features and they cannot remove them. Only offered me 19k for car. Why would I be upside down for a car that was sold to me with safety features issues. .

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Vehicle: 2016 kia Sorento, VIN [xxx] incident date: November 13, 2025 incident location: durham, nc (3828 guess rd) cause of loss: engine fire, confirmed by durham fire department report (incident #253663) as "originated from under the hood. " technical narrative & symptoms (critical for liability): I am filing this complaint to report a catastrophic vehicle fire that I believe is directly linked to multiple acknowledged manufacturing defects that create a fire risk in kia vehicles. Abs/traction control light warning (direct fire risk symptom): immediately prior to the loss, the abs and traction control warning lights were constantly illuminated. This is a known precursor symptom for the defective hydraulic electronic control unit (hecu) or abs module short-circuit, which has been cited in numerous kia fire recalls (e. G. , NHTSA 20v019, 20v519). The fire's origin under the hood is consistent with this component failure. Prior engine failures (systemic defect history): this vehicle has a history of catastrophic manufacturing defects: the engine assembly was replaced in 2023 due to the known theta ii rod bearing failure. The knock sensor was replaced in September 2025 as part of the ksds product improvement campaign, demonstrating the vehicle was still under active service for critical engine monitoring defects just weeks before the fire. Potential tow hitch wiring fire risk: the vehicle was fully engulfed, but the fire may also be linked to the defect cited in NHTSA recall 22v703 (tow hitch wiring harness short circuit, which also poses a fire risk). I require a full investigation into this defect leading to compensation for the total loss of the vehicle and consequential damages. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

My vehicle has been slow to start and I have had all other issues come on on my vehicle as far as lights as far as the forward collision warning light has came on and the check driver attention warning light has come on as well while I’m running my hvac past the level 2. I have also had my battery tested and that has tested fine. I have had my alternator tested and the first time it came back good the second time it came back failed and the third time it came back good.

There’s a big loud buzzing noise every time you open the tailgate. Sometimes it doesn’t lock, you have to try several times press the button it to unlock so that way you could lock it the tailgate down. If you do not make sure the tailgate is locked the tailgate would stay open and fly open while driving.

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Fourth time we've had the car go into limp mode. Now at the dealer for third time. Driver was driving and the car went into limp mode after activating the cruise control follow function. Husband was behind in our Toyota tacoma truck and was able to pick her up with California highway patrol to get off the highway into a parking lot to tow her. No warnings, no messages on the dash. She was unable to accelerate to highway speeds and was capped, and felt that there was very little to no predictable responsiveness in the car's acceleration. Car now at dealership.

The contact owns a 2009 kia Sorento. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the check engine, esc, and abs warning lights were illuminated. Upon speaking with other independent mechanics, the contact was informed that the failure was likely linked to moisture that might have entered the abs module. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA campaign number: 20v088000 (electrical system, service brakes, hydraulic); which the contact associated with the failure. The dealer was notified of the failure, and the contact was informed that the vehicle was already serviced under recall prior to owning the vehicle. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

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The car was running as normal and then randomly it started kind of rough and seemed like maybe just cold. But I had my mechanic take a look, and he said that when he started it, which was the next day that it made a loud knocking sound upon start. On the 30th I had it towed out to west hills kia in bremerton. And they reported back that the engine needed full repair. I only owned this car one year and before me it was reportedly well maintained. I maintained it well also! kia is denying all recall, but it’s a 2016 kia Sorento. It’s within the one or two years that the recall doesn’t cover??? the brake lights also work and always one of them is not working. It is not exclusively one or the other but the bulbs keep burning out. I need to know what to do to get this engine fixed, and it should fall under the bad engines that kia’s have!.

The contact owns a 2014 kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost automotive power, and there was smoke coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that there was oil leaking out of the exhaust, accompanied by an abnormal sound and odor. The contact stated that the front driver’s side air bag was intermittently inoperative. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the engine, power train control module, brakes, and several other unknown electrical parts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

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On October 26, 2025, Sunday, I was cleaning my windows. I discovered both rear windows would not roll up or down. I took it to valley kia on October 27, and it was diagnosed that I needed to replace both rear windows with new window regulator. It will be installed on October 29. I told my tech advisor about the window regulator recall on the 2017 kia optima and sportage. He told me there was no recalls on the 2017 Sorento. I had to pay out of pocket to have my vehicle repaired. How could my rear window regulator fail within 4 years? it seems really perplexing for both rear windows to fail at the same time. How can I recover the cost of repairs - because 2017 kia optima and sportage had the same problems. On October 22, 2025, Wednesday, I took my car to kia riverside regarding a voluntary recall for a multi-function switch. The rear window regulator behind the front passenger side failed on may 24, 2021. I took my 2017 kia Sorento to valley kia, fontana. The mechanic made the diagnose and replaced with new window regulator and it was installed on may 25, 2021. It poses a safety hazard if baby, children or adults are in the back seat, and windows does not roll up or down unexpectedly. It is a safety hazard when I cannot secure my vehicle. It is a safety hazard if I had things in the back seat, and it would fly out the window. It is a safety hazard when unable to open or close the window when it is hot, cold, or raining. There was no warning prior to failure. I just heard a grinding like sound, or like sound of plastic breaking when I pushed the button on driver seat to lower or try to roll the window back up.

The drive mode selector in my kia Sorento was found to be defective. The selector forces the vehicle into "eco" mode on startup regardless of the previously selected mode. This creates unexpected throttle response at startup given the manual states leaving the vehicle in other modes (such as "Smart" or "comfort") will be retained on key-cycle. The specific incident in question produced unexpected throttle response while backing into a highly-trafficked road and resulted in unexpected proximity to oncoming traffic. The selection module has a further failure state: the backlight lamp showing selected drive mode has gone out preventing ready identification of current drive mode.

My headlights went out completely and without warning on a dark highway. No brights or even the orange running lights. Not even the front hazard lights would go on. There was no warning until after they went out. I pulled over as best I could but there was very little shoulder and semi trucks speeding past me at 70 mph about a foot away from my car. There was a ditch about a foot to the right. I stayed in my car and turned the interior lights on until after highway patrol officer escorted me to a safe turn off. Thankfully my rear hazard lights were working. My husband had to drive a hour to come pick me up. I got home 3 hours later than originally planned. I talked to a mechanic who said it was likely a fuse that went out. I asked him why there was no warning and he said the warning for the lights is likely on the same fuse as the lights! how is that helpful?! we weren’t able to find the right fuse late at night in the dark, so we had to leave it on the side of the road about 60 miles from home until we could go to an auto parts store and drive it home in the daylight. It was a very dangerous situation. I could have been killed.

The contact owns a 2021 kia Sorento. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 25v649000 (electrical system, visibility); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, with the a/c activated, there was an abnormal burning odor entering the vehicle through the vents. The burning odor was coming from the vehicle whether the a/c was in use or turned off. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. On a separate occasion, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked and failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the failure was more evident while the vehicle was driven uphill. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. However, the vehicle was not repaired. Most recently, the battery was replaced, and the contact stated that there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.

Safety concern – 2025 kia Sorento prestige hybrid (VIN [xxx] ) around October 13, 2025, my leased 2025 kia Sorento prestige hybrid experienced a sudden and severe loss of power while I was driving on the highway. The vehicle was towed to the dealership, where the high power control unit (hpcu), part number 36601-3dpg3, was replaced. No clear explanation of the root cause was provided. Less than a month later, on November 6, the same failure occurred again—this time in heavy highway traffic—creating a serious safety risk and increasing the chance of a collision. The vehicle is primarily driven by my wife, who regularly uses highways to transport our son. The recurring and unpredictable nature of this issue has made us feel unsafe and anxious. We are deeply concerned that another failure could lead to a serious accident or fatality. We respectfully request that the national highway traffic safety administration (NHTSA) investigate this matter as a potential safety defect. Without a clear understanding of the cause, we are documenting these incidents to encourage action. It is critical that kia resolves this issue to protect families and maintain trust in its brand. Thank you information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

On 10/3 driving at roughly 60mph on the freeway, when going to accelerate, the vehicle would not accelerate with no power going to the engine. The gas motor was not engaging, and the car rapidly decelerated to around 20mph in an incredibly unsafe situation. Coasting it off the freeway, it was towed to the local kia dealership. No warning lights or any indicators went off during that event. 10/9/2025, I picked up the vehicle after they replaced the high-pressure fuel pump and high-pressure fuel line, I noticed the battery was very low and thought it would charge while driving. As I left the dealership, the vehicle did not engage the gas engine and quickly avoided acceleration - no power was going to the engine. The battery reached a catastrophic low, and the engine failed in a busy intersection - creating another extremely unsafe situation - as I was turning around to return to the dealership. This time the hybrid system warning system went off and the battery and oil lights went on. While waiting for the tow truck, the vehicle would not turn off. It is currently with the dealership, 41k miles on vehicle, 1 year old.

I've had a couple of issues with the electrical components. One time the drivers side door controls wouldn't roll down any of the windows or lock/unlock the doors. This is a safety issue if you needed to roll the windows down/up or lock the doors for the security of your vehicle. I've also had it where the infotainment system has cut out while driving. As far as I can tell, the vehicle could still drive but I was unsure for a minute because the engine kind of revved at the same time. There were no warning lights when the windows and locks didn't work.

My check engine light came on and my SUV started sputtering so I pulled over called my husband who came and had it towed to langdale kia of valdosta, GA.

The contact owns a 2020 kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the headlights became inoperable. The blinkers and the radio were inoperable for several seconds before returning to normal function. The contact stated that the failure had occurred several times while the contact and the contact's wife were driving the vehicle. The contact stated the failure was a major safety hazard, especially while driving at night. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic; however, the failure was not duplicated. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the contact was required to pay a fee for a diagnostic test. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

The driver’s door windows/lock button cluster on my 2025 kia sorrento lx will randomly not work. None of the buttons will work so I am unable to roll any of the windows down or lock or unlock the doors. The only way to fix this is to turn off the car and restart it.

The contact owns a 2022 kia Sorento. The contact stated that after coming to a complete stop, while attempting to accelerate, the vehicle failed to immediately respond. Additionally, the “battery failure” and check engine warning lights were illuminated in red. The contact scheduled an appointment with the dealer, but the vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 26,000.

The engine light comes on and then the wheel lock light will come on and the car will disengage from 4 wheel drive to 2 wheel drive while driving.

See all problems of the 2011 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

Adding to NHTSA safety issue id # 11685509. The car was taken back to the dealership on 9/8/2025 and the maintenance department was showed were the junction box that controls a lot of safety features could be the issue and why normal diagnostics tools used could not isolated the issue to it. Online research shows that this junction box is a common issue and an undiagnosed issue with major safety issues. Actually the maintenance department had no clue as to were it was even located on a 2019 kia sonata. Please look into this issue. I am having mine replaced but it will take a week to do it. It maybe because of the unavailability because of quality fixing the issue.