Electrical System Problems of Kia Motor Sorento - part 1

The 12-volt battery system repeatedly collapses while the 2023 kia Sorento plug-in hybrid is parked, leaving the vehicle completely immobilized: the doors will not unlock/open normally and the vehicle cannot be started, even though the high-voltage hybrid battery and fuel are ample. On November 2, 2026, after six days parked, the 12-volt system measured approximately 6 volts, about half of nominal. The vehicle could not be revived by 14+ hours on a battery maintainer; on November 3, 2026, roadside assistance revived it with a jump pack applied for about 1. 4 seconds, confirming a system failure rather than an energy shortage. The defect has previously locked the owner out of the vehicle at -12 degrees fahrenheit in upstate new york, a safety hazard in cold climates. The owner's instrumented findings, reported to kia America in writing on February 9, 2026 and again November 2, 2026, show persistent parasitic draw during idle states, inconsistent charging of the 12-volt battery by the DC-DC converter, and no logic to re-energize the 12-volt system from the charged high-voltage battery. Kia has provided no substantive technical response. The vehicle/component is available for inspection upon request. No crash, no fire, no injuries. Manufacturer and dealer were notified in writing.

See all problems of the 2023 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

1. Headlight failure (recall malfunction): last year, my headlights began intermittently shutting completely off while driving at night, creating an immediate visibility hazard. Kia of palmdale performed the designated recall repair, but the dangerous defect remains. The headlights still shut off unexpectedly while the vehicle is in motion. 2. Shift lock failure: in may 2024, just two months after purchasing the vehicle, the shift lock mechanism failed completely. This intermittently prevented the vehicle from shifting properly out of park, creating an entrapment and stalling hazard. 3. Catastrophic engine failure: last week, the 3. 3l v6 engine suffered a sudden, catastrophic mechanical failure while driving. This caused an immediate loss of motive power, putting me and other drivers in severe danger.

See all problems of the 2017 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

The contact owns a 2014 kia Sorento. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 23v652000 (service brakes, hydraulic). The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and turned off overnight, an underhood might have fire occurred. While inspecting the vehicle the following day, the contact discovered a large hole in the battery, burned underhood components, and melted wiring harness sections on the battery terminal and engine. The contact stated that an overheated fuse might have caused the fire, which might have been extinguished overnight by the heavy rain. The vehicle was towed to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer informed the contact that the dealer would only replace the hecu fuse under the recall, and the contact was responsible for all additional repair costs. The dealer informed the contact that if diagnostic testing could not be completed, the contact was required to remove the vehicle from the dealer lot. The contact stated that prior to the underhood fire, the vehicle lost motive power while driving and failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The manufacturer was notified of the failure by telephone. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

See all problems of the 2014 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

Turned car on and no air blowing from any vents on any setting.

See all problems of the 2022 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

Subject: request for review of potentially related electrical overheating – kia Sorento hvac harness recall sc351 / NHTSA 25v649 I am requesting that NHTSA review an electrical overheating issue involving my kia Sorento and consider whether it could be related to the existing hvac blower-motor resistor harness recall, sc351 / NHTSA 25v649. My vehicle experienced overheating at a terminal on the main relay in the under-hood fuse box. The overheating spread to and melted part of the fuse box. Kia inspected the vehicle in person and informed me that the overheated relay terminal belongs to a different circuit from the hvac resistor harness involved in the recall. I understand kia's position that these are separate circuits. However, I have not received a detailed technical explanation identifying the root cause of the relay terminal overheating or explaining the basis for ruling out any relationship to the recalled wiring defect. Kia has offered approximately $2,200 toward an estimated $3,900 repair through a goodwill program, leaving me responsible for approximately $1,700. I am concerned about both the safety implications of the electrical overheating and whether the problem could be related to a known wiring-harness defect. I am not asserting that the recalled hvac harness definitively caused the damage. I am asking NHTSA to consider whether this incident warrants further review, whether similar failures have been reported by other kia Sorento owners, and whether the existing recall adequately addresses the relevant safety defect. I can provide the vehicle identification information, recall information, photographs of the damage, kia's written communications, and the repair estimate. Thank you for reviewing this potential safety concern.

Driving at highway speed, the vehicle began to make a loud rattling noise that came from under the vehicle. A passerby pulled even with my car and began frantically gesturing. After a few seconds of confusion, me daughter said the she thought the man was saying "it's on fire. " we pulled over to the shoulder of the road, exited quickly and realized there was fire visible in the engine area, seen through the grill. A good samaritan attempted to suppress the fire with an exstinguisher but moments later, it was fully engulfed.

See all problems of the 2020 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

During normal operation the vehicle will randomly decelerate (no brake lights). This has happened on the highway and on city streets. I repeat on the highway this vehicle will go from 75mph to 40mph with no lights or warnings. The issue happened with my wife and child in the car and I was able to replicate the issue. I refuse to put my family in the car at this point. The dealership says they cannot replicate the issue but is also lying about driving it diagnostically. The issue is video documented on two occasions. Since vehicle is under warranty it was brought to the dealership both times and have had zero resolution. During its last visit I was without the car for a month. I contacted kia corporate who denied a buy back. This vehicle will undoubtedly kill or injure my family or more if driven. I have been responsible and not done so to protect the public. But I need the car. Car is available for inspection at anytime. Videos available upon request.

While braking in a left hand turn lane waiting for the vehicles in front to turn left through an intersection, the vehicle stalled, shut off, and forced a manual restart in the turn lane. This same sequence happened again at another red light when the brake was engaged. The dealership the car was purchased from would not evaluate the car as they stated it is under factory warranty and should be evaluated at the manufacturer. The closest kia manufacturer has been notified, but they have not inspected it, as they stated they have a lift malfunction and do not have the ability to run diagnostics until at least 10/16/26. No warning lamps or messages appeared prior to the hard stop. After the car stalled, there was a message that appeared stating the car would need to be manually restarted by putting it in park or neutral and engaging the start button. It took 2 tries to restart the car. A police officer did pull up behind me for my safety while the car was stalled, but they let me go when the car restarted. My safety was put at risk as this happened while actively trying pull up to and through a busy intersection in a double left-turn lane. The car stalled right before the intersection while waiting on other cars in front of me to turn left on an unprotected left turn. If I had been braking in the intersection and the car stalled, it could have caused a serious accident with oncoming traffic. I have only owned the car for 45 days. There were two separate occasions in the week prior to this incident where an attempt was made to start the car when parked, and the electrical panel came on, but the engine did not engage. In those instances, turning the car back off then turning it on started the car and no other issues were noted until the issue arose with hard stops when idling at intersections. The car is under 54,000 miles. It is available for inspection upon request.

See all problems of the 2024 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

On multiple occasions, my 2023 kia Sorento has experienced an intermittent failure where numerous dashboard warning lights and alerts illuminate and the engine will not start. During the failure, the brake pedal becomes very stiff and the vehicle cannot be shifted out of park. The problem is unpredictable and has left the vehicle disabled. The vehicle was taken to a kia dealership for diagnosis. The dealer initially stated that the battery was not properly secured and was moving around, possibly contacting nearby electrical components. They told me the issue had been repaired. However, when I returned to pick up the vehicle, the exact same failure occurred again in the dealership parking lot before I was able to leave. The warning lights came on and, after the vehicle was turned off, it would not restart. The dealer has therefore been able to directly observe the repeated failure. The exact component causing the malfunction is still unknown. I am concerned that this may be an electrical or grounding issue and that the vehicle could become disabled unexpectedly while in use.

I own a 2021 kia Sorento 2. 5l turbo awd with approximately 150,000 miles. In the evening, while driving home after dinner with my daughter in the vehicle, I was traveling in the area of [xxx] and [xxx] when the vehicle displayed a “stop safely immediately” warning. The vehicle unexpectedly slowed down/appeared to brake on its own while I was driving. There was no check-engine light at that time and the warning did not remain on, so I did not initially know what caused the incident. Approximately two weeks later, the vehicle developed delayed shifting from 1st to 2nd gear. Rpm increased from about 2,000 to 3,000 before the next gear engaged. Switching from eco to comfort mode initially seemed to help, but later that day the problem worsened even in comfort mode and also began occurring from 2nd to 3rd gear. The check-engine light then came on. O'reilly auto parts scanned the vehicle and reported codes p0868/p086800 (transmission fluid pressure low) and p193b79 (high pressure electric oil pump performance). Kia has not yet diagnosed the current problem, and the vehicle is available for inspection. Kia checked my VIN for recalls sometime in 2025 and advised there was no open recall. I am aware of kia safety recall sc250/NHTSA recall 22v-760 involving the 8-speed dct electric oil pump on certain 2021-2022 Sorento vehicles. I am concerned because my vehicle experienced the “stop safely immediately” warning and unexpected slowing and now has worsening transmission symptoms and related diagnostic codes. I am concerned the vehicle could unexpectedly lose drive power while being driven. I request NHTSA review whether my vehicle's condition may be related to the existing safety defect and whether additional vehicles should be investigated. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2021 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

Bought my 2025 kia Sorento brand new in November of 2025. Summer of 2026 with 30,000 miles on it, all of the dash lights kept flashing at me, including the red brake light, and messages saying check esc, check abs, check driver assistance system/ happened several times but the car would still drive. The morning of August 20, I was going to leave for work and it happened again, but this time it wouldn't let me go in forward or reverse. When I pressed the gas, the engine just revved but it stayed in one spot and kind of jumped. I had it towed to kia. They came up with 5 codes all having to do with the abs system, drove it 500 miles, couldn't get it to happen so gave it back to me. Fast forward to oct 4, the dash lights came on again after 30 min of driving but this time while the car was running and in park-this time let me drive- felt unsafe being everything online says it's a cricical safety issue with your brakes. Contacted kia- bringing it back in tomorrow (oct 8) but it then happened again this morning while driving 30 mph. Turned car off and back on and they were gone.

See all problems of the 2025 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

The contact owns a 2025 kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving approximately 75 mph, the rear windshield wiper was moving with the switch turned off. The contact turned the rear windshield wiper to high, then low, and the wiper finally turned off. The contact continued driving and the vehicle suddenly stalled, and the message press button to start engine message was displayed. The vehicle continued to coast in neutral, and then decelerated to approximately 65 mph. The contact pressed the start button and the accelerator pedal, and the vehicle failed to move immediately. The contact stated that after several attempts, the engine revved as needed. The contact stated that while continuing to drive, the steering wheel was hot, the radio screen was blacked out, and the horn failed to sound. When the radio screen was illuminated and displayed the information on the screen, the contact became aware that the gps had reset to an erroneous location. The rear windshield wiper independently activated again. The contact noticed a burning odor while continuing to drive the vehicle. After the contact arrived to the destination, the contact had to press the button four times before the vehicle turned off. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issues. The failure mileage was approximately 56,000.

Engine seized per kia inspected by kia after aaa towed and could not start car warning lamps have been on for over 6 months. Kia inspected and ran diagnostics at that time and said it was nothing to fix just an annoying dashboard malfunction.

See all problems of the 2019 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

Vehicle: 2018 kia Sorento VIN: [xxx] kia corporate case #: xxx my 2018 kia Sorento experienced a catastrophic engine failure (“holes in the block”) while under warranty. The vehicle lost power, emitted heavy smoke, and became completely inoperable. Kia America has refused to repair the engine and has delayed providing the required written denial for my warranty claim. This vehicle has also suffered five break-ins, and kia has two active recalls for my year and model that were never performed, including a theft?prevention recall. My vehicle is part of a nationwide class?action lawsuit involving engine defects and theft vulnerabilities. Because kia America delayed resolving my warranty case, the vehicle has been sitting at kia vacaville accumulating predatory storage fees. The dealership is now threatening a mechanic’s/storage lien sale, which would destroy the vehicle and eliminate evidence of the manufacturer defect. I cannot afford any repair costs, storage fees, or loan payments for a vehicle that failed due to manufacturer defects. I am requesting NHTSA’s investigation into kia’s handling of engine failures, recall compliance, and the dealership’s attempt to sell a vehicle that is part of an active defect case. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2018 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

The dashboard has a screen display. I couldn’t see my fuel tank information. Every time I would use my turn signal a large green circle would take over the screen. Followed by loss of the screen, meaning no speedometer, rpm, etc. As the problem continued the speedometer started displaying incorrect numbers. Saying I was going 70 miles an hour when I was actually going about 55. Gage for fuel and heat (notifying if car is overheating, was lost for the entirety of my drive).

On August 15, 2026, while operating my 2021 kia Sorento, the transmission warning light came on and the vehicle displayed the following warning on the infotainment screen: “a possible condition with your transmission control system has been detected. Please press the sos button on the rear view mirror or roof console for roadside assistance. ” at the time of the malfunction, my vehicle would not properly switch gears. The transmission appeared to become stuck and would not shift as expected. This created a serious safety concern because I could not rely on the vehicle to change gears or respond normally while driving. The component/system that appears to have malfunctioned is the transmission and/or transmission control system/transmission control module (tcm). The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. The problem first occurred on August 15, 2026. Prior to this occurrence, I had not received this specific transmission control system warning. When the problem occurred, the transmission warning light illuminated and the vehicle displayed the transmission control system diagnostic message described above. As of the filing of this complaint, the vehicle has not yet been inspected or diagnosed by a kia dealership or independent repair facility. I have photographs documenting the warning message that appeared on the vehicle's display. I am concerned about the safety of continuing to operate this vehicle because an unexpected inability of the transmission to shift gears could cause a loss of acceleration, an inability to maintain appropriate speed, or an inability to safely maneuver the vehicle in traffic. I am also requesting that NHTSA review whether this failure is related to any existing recalls, investigations, technical service campaigns, or known transmission/transmission control module issues affecting the 2021 kia Sorento, including vehicles equipped with the 8-speed dual-clutch transmission.

The contact owns a 2022 kia Sorento. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 25v649000 (electrical system, visibility), and the vehicle was taken to the dealer; the recall repair was performed several weeks prior; however, the VIN status was not updated, and the recall remained marked as incomplete. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time to update the VIN status to reflect the completed repair. The manufacturer was notified of the issue.

I am writing to file a formal complaint against kia America, inc. Regarding the mishandling of a warranty repair dispute for my 2017 kia Sorento (VIN [xxx]). This complaint documents a pattern of misinformation, unreturned communications, and unprofessional conduct by kia representatives that has left my vehicle sitting at the dealership for over two weeks without resolution or accommodation. My vehicle was brought to kia of nutley for a confirmed mdps (power steering) motor failure. The dealership quoted approximately $3,400–$3,500 out of pocket to repair it, as the vehicle is outside its standard warranty. I opened kia consumer affairs case #[xxx] on August 10, 2026 & have since attempted repeatedly to reach a resolution or goodwill consideration, given the age and history of the vehicle. The car has been at the dealership since August 6, 2026 without a loaner or rental accommodation. On August 10, 2026, I spoke with representative liz, who told me she would send my case number to a supervisor to determine next steps. I have since learned that liz apparently logged my vehicle's issue as a head gasket problem, rather than the actual power steering failure that is documented & confirmed by the dealership. I also spoke with representatives kiyah (total kia specialist) & ivory (customer service, California), neither of whom was able to provide consistent or accurate information about my case status. I emailed michele cameron, kia's executive director of consumer affairs &warranty operations, on August 10, 2026. As of this letter, I have received no responseafter repeated hang-ups & my request for escalation, I received a callback today, August 19, 2026, from a kia supervisor named stephanie. Stephanie confirmed that there are two open recalls on my vehicle: recall sc330, for the multi-function switch, & recall sc340 (theta), for a software upgrade. Stephanie stated that someone from the escalation team will reach back out to me within 1–2 business days. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information ac.

All of the adas you have listed stop working on my car. I will be driving my car, stop at a red light, drive through, or just driving down the road and it starts throwing sensors. It won’t even show the mph I’m driving and some times the steering wheel locks up, as does the car itself. I can’t shift gears, move the vehicle, or anything until leaving the vehicle alone for a while and coming back to it. I have proof of multiple repairs, call ins to kia, and even a request for buy back which was denied on the vehicle.

The contact owns a 2017 kia Sorento. The contact stated that while seated inside the vehicle with three other occupants and the engine turned off, there was black smoke quickly coming from underneath the hood. The contact and the passengers exited the vehicle. The contact stated that a fire had started in the engine bay on the passenger’s side of the vehicle and another vehicle was damaged in the fire. The fire was extinguished by the fire department. The contact stated that a police report was filed. The contact believed that the vehicle was destroyed, but the insurance company had not yet deemed the vehicle a total loss. There were no injuries sustained. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 138,000.

I am filing an official safety complaint against the manufacturer for refusing to perform federally mandated safety recall repairs on my vehicle. My vehicle is impacted by critical safety recalls involving high-severity fire risks, specifically the hydraulic electronic control unit (hecu) electrical short circuit risk. Corporate customer care and my local authorized dealership have officially refused to schedule or perform these safety recall repairs. The representatives explicitly stated that my vehicle is denied service because I purchased it used from a third-party private owner, and because I do not possess complete historical maintenance records. The manufacturer is conflating civil class-action lawsuit requirements with federally mandated safety recalls. Under the national traffic and motor vehicle safety act, a manufacturer cannot legally condition or deny an active, free safety recall repair based on a vehicle's third-party purchase history or maintenance records. Due to poorly trained employees at both the dealership and customer care offices, I have faced constant misinformation that has wasted an immense amount of my time. Because this non-compliance has caused a severe safety hazard to drag on for an extended period, I am also requesting that a loaner vehicle be provided immediately until this vehicle is made safe to drive. The manufacturer has logged these denials and communications under an active corporate file, which I can provide directly to investigators upon request. I request that the NHTSA investigate this non-compliance and instruct the manufacturer to immediately authorize the local service center to perform all open fire safety recall remedies without cost or penalty.

Motor will not turn over, starter/electrical failure.

The electric oil pump circuit board for the transmission failed, causing motive power loss. The vehicle is currently located at ourisman chantilly kia and is available for inspection. Safety was compromised due to sudden loss of drive power while operating on public roads, creating a severe crash hazard. The failure was diagnosed and confirmed by ourisman chantilly kia service department, which retrieved active diagnostic trouble code p1c2d03. The vehicle was inspected by the kia dealership service department. Prior to failure, check engine/warning lights illuminated and transmission drive symptoms appeared. This vehicle is subject to recall sc250. A software update was performed under a previous owner, but the physical component failed. Kia is refusing replacement because the recall was marked "closed" after the software patch, leaving a known unaddressed safety defect active on the vehicle.

Driving on highway at 65, traction control light, airbag light, parking light, bcw warning, all came in at the same time. I was able to pull off to the side and re start engine to clear the lights. As soon as I got up to 40 lights one by one flickered on until up to highway speed and then all flickered and dash dings. Two independent shops ran diagnostics and noted that only battery was dead. Replaced battery and the lights came back immediately.

Faulty cameras to allow the aeb and ldws to work accordingly. Warning lights are on due to faulty system.

I parked my car and it was sitting for about an hour I came back to the car and heard a humming noise found that weird but I had to drive home about 10 mins later I parked car, sound was still going even while car was off. So I thought to let it sit for another while. Came back to car sound was still on I started car and the abs, traction, & brake light came on and not even 2 mins later my car starts smoking. So immediately I shut it off and have to leave my car parked in another city because I didn’t want to risk driving it home. Fast forward to next day. I got to my car and notice the speedometer had went out. I called kia because I read about the hecu abs recall. The service rep assured me my car would be covered so I pay a tow to get it towed to kia dealer where they then tell me the recall had been repaired in a year that I didn’t even own the car and they refuse to look at it or fix without a fee. With this problem being a fire hazard and a manufacturing problem I should not have to come out of pocket for kia mistake. I will be escalating this to corporate level.

See all problems of the 2015 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

Just bought this from a private seller last week and was driving to work. The engine suddenly caught fire and the car essentially exploded and melted.

See all problems of the 2011 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

Vehicle component affected: electrical system / hvac / blower motor resistor incident description: while operating my 2023 kia Sorento, the hvac system suddenly suffered a complete failure, causing all airflow to cease instantly. A subsequent professional diagnostic inspection by an authorized kia dealership revealed that the contacts at the blower motor resistor were severely burnt, causing the blower motor relay to burn out. This failure presents two critical safety and fire hazards: fire risk: the physical burning and overheating of electrical components and wiring within the dashboard assembly create an active fire hazard in the passenger cabin. Loss of visibility: the sudden, complete loss of the climate control system severely compromises passenger safety by preventing the vehicle from defogging or defrosting the windshield during inclement weather, presenting an immediate crash hazard. This exact failure mechanism matches the description of kia safety recall sc351 (NHTSA campaign 25v649) word-for-word. However, kia has stated that my specific VIN is excluded from the current recall population. Because this identical safety defect is actively manifesting outside of kia's restricted recall range, I am requesting that the NHTSA investigate an expansion of sc351 to include all affected 2023 kia Sorento vehicles to mitigate the risk of electrical fires and sudden visibility loss. 06/29/26 experienced symptoms inspected and diagnosed on 07/01/26 at jt kia (killian road) columbia, south carolina.

Car losing power.

(transmission and motor) I had taken my car to the dealership on xxx for recalls and all the signal were fine before going there. They took my car back to do the recalls and my son and I waited . Once they were done we left closer to closing time is noticed there was a burn mark on my dash board that wasn’t there before the recalls. Going forward on the way home. We were waved down by a man stating that my signal and brake light weren’t working . So that next day we took my car back to the dealership to see what happen, why all the sudden different alerts were coming up. They had the same mechanic relook at the car and a when finish 31/2 hour latter was told I needed a new transmission, costing $7384. 94 which I don’t have . They charge me $179. 00 just to confirm what they said about needing a new transmission. I was devastated and confused why I wasn’t told that the day before. So a few days later I took it to another machanic to see if the could see why the lights weren’t working and he ended up putting new bulbs in and got them working but also he put it in a diagnosis machine 2 of them and couldn’t get a reading at all and said I should take it back to find out why he couldn’t get a reading. I was so frustrated at that point I just was upset! I then had a friend of the family mechanic look at it and he said it wasn’t the transmission it was a knock sensor that I needed so I ordered it. When I called him to install the knock sensor he was too busy to do it and it had already been a whole month of waiting so I reached out to a place in cumberland ri to see if he could install the knock sensor had it towed there and he kept it for three days and said it was a transmission computer and he tried two of them and neither of them worked and charged me $150 for that I was humiliated and crying , I went there to have my car towed home seen him while waiting for the tow truck to come he said I needed a new transmission and now a motor, crying again. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia).

See all problems of the 2016 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

This is a follow up submission to NHTSA case #xxx. Organization under complaint: hutchinson kia, [xxx] complaint summary: the dealership is utilizing unfair and deceptive financial gating practices to avoid its legal obligations under a federal safety recall. The dealership refuses to look at or evaluate a vehicle subject to an urgent fire-risk hecu safety recall unless the consumer first authorizes a $189. 00 diagnostic fee. The dealership refuses to give a firm, legally binding commitment that this fee will be waived for a confirmed recall component. Instead, they require the consumer to assume all financial risk upfront, stating the fee will only "likely" be waived based on their own internal, unverified findings. This creates a high-pressure trap where the consumer is forced to sign away financial rights to access a free, federally mandated safety remedy. The dealership is weaponizing a acute shortage of independent import and specialized repair facilities in the macon, GA market. They are aware consumers have almost no local alternative venues to get an independent, affordable cross-check scan, and are using this regional monopoly to coerce consumers into signing open-ended diagnostic authorizations. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Following an engine replacement performed at billion auto kia in rapid city, sd, I began experiencing persistent electrical system failures in my 2017 kia Sorento. The vehicle alarm would activate randomly without cause, including while I was inside the vehicle with the engine running. Additionally, the door locks would engage spontaneously, trapping me inside the vehicle and preventing me from exiting. The only way to exit was to forcibly pull the door handle, which triggered the alarm. I have video documentation of these incidents. I presented the vehicle to billion auto kia in rapid city, sd — an authorized kia dealership with these exact symptoms. The service department was unable to identify a root cause and provided no repair path, returning the vehicle to me unrepaired. 7 months later, courtesy kia of brandon in brandon, FL, another authorized kia dealership diagnosed the root cause as a failed body control module (bcm). During the service visit, a kia dealership technician personally witnessed the alarm activating spontaneously while operating the vehicle, further confirming the defect. The bcm failure was present and active at the time of the prior authorized dealer visit and was not detected. The failed bcm has also caused the gear shifter to become completely stuck, unable to shift out of park, leaving the vehicle fully inoperable. This vehicle has had 6 recall actions performed since purchase — 4 completed after my purchase in August 2023, and two completed prior to my purchase. Despite this recall history, the vehicle has experienced an engine failure and a bcm failure within less than 3 years of my ownership. Being trapped inside a vehicle with a malfunctioning lock system represents a serious safety hazard, particularly in the event of an accident or emergency requiring rapid exit. I am requesting NHTSA investigate whether a safety defect exists in the body control module of 2017 kia Sorento vehicles and whether additional recall action is warranted.

This is a follow up of NHTSA case# 1840444. Complaint description: vehicle exhibited active can-bus communication timeout code dtc c1642 targeting the hydraulic electronic control unit (hecu). Following the official technical safety guidelines established under NHTSA campaign 20v519000 (kia sc197), an isolated parasitic current draw test was performed between the engine junction box positive power post and the abs2 circuit terminal. Testing across three independent iterations utilizing a digital multimeter confirmed a continuous localized parasitic draw of 218. 6 ua. This dramatically exceeds the manufacturer's maximum safety engineering threshold of 70. 0 ua by over 312%. This quantified excessive amperage draw conclusively isolates an internal circuit board short-circuit condition caused by a failure of the internal hecu brake fluid seals. The vehicle presents an immediate network communication failure, brake malfunction, and thermal/fire risk. Kia corporate must be compelled to immediately authorize an expedited, zero-cost component replacement under the active safety recall mandate.

The auto start-stop system light came on flashing while driving. Vehicle wouldn’t accelerate while in heavy traffic. Pulled over to the shoulder and turned vehicle off. Attempted to start vehicle again and would not start. Had to get the vehicle towed. Positive battery post is loose and screw is tightened as much as possible.

Fire at the rear bumper of car.