Electrical System Problems of Kia Motor Sorento - part 2

This scenerio happened and fire resulted with total loss. Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings recall date 2018-12-18 recall no. 18v907000 Kia Motors America (kia) is recalling certain 2011-2017 optima, 2012-2017 Sorento and 2011-2018 sportage vehicles that previously received an engine replacement under recall number 17v-224, warranty, or the knock sensor detection system (ksds) product improvement campaign. The high pressure fuel pipe that connects to the fuel pump outlet may have been damaged, misaligned or improperly torqued during the engine replacement procedure, possibly causing a fuel leak. Hide details recall consequence a fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire. Recall action kia has notified owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the fuel pipe, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 17, 2019. Owners may contact kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is sc172.

See all problems of the 2016 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

Upon starting my vehicle after going to the grocery store, the abs, esc, check forward collision-avoidance assist system, and auto hold warning lights illuminated. The cruise control was then inadvertently deactivated. When vehicle is started the check forward collision error comes on. After a few months when entering the freeway and accelerating I received an error regarding unknown engine issue. Took vehicle to kia dealership and was who diagnosed that the hydraulic electronic control unit (hecu) needed to be replaced. Manufacturer being notified, vehicle not repaired at dealer due to cost.

See all problems of the 2019 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

Was turning right onto the road when the steering locked up and every safety warning light came on. My car literally stopped moving in the middle of the road. I wasn't literally right down the road from my house so thankfully I was able to get the car back to my house. The steering felt worse than not having power steering. I called and the dealership matt blac kia of toms river, and they had my car towed to the dealership around 10 am on April 4th. Around 4pm I was told they still had no idea what was wrong with my car, and to come pick up a loaner car. On April 5th at 4:42 pm I received a text stating the wiring harness wasn't secured properly and rubbed the steering shaft, and they had to contact kia to see how to proceed. April 11th was told the part arrived and hopefully sometime next week I would get my vehicle. As of right now I still don't have my vehicle and have no idea of when I will get it back. My main concern is that this was a serious oversight on the assembly of this car, and could have had very different results if I was not in my neighborhood and was on a busier road.

The passengers window will not roll down the sound of clicking you can hear though when switch pushed this is a very common ongoing issue via kia Sorento community thread that goes back over 7 years it’s never addressed or serious it seems for the services dept of several member’s experience to find the cause leading to ongoing hassle and inconvenience for those with one dealer hours away and the vehicle as new brand new only 3k miles as mine! it’s a safety issue to say the least children on board.

See all problems of the 2024 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

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.

See all problems of the 2021 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

The panoramic sun roof opens but will not close. It takes 6-12 attempts to get it to close, it will move to where its an inch away from closing then reopen. Kia has recalls for this make and year but says my car is not affected. Attempting to get it to close is very distracting and frustrating taking focus away from driving.

Vehicles instrument cluster goes black at times ( speedometer, tach and all exterior lights and turn signals are inoperative during this time) I took it to the dealership and they said they couldn’t duplicate the problem.

See all problems of the 2023 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

The abs, down hill light, and swaying light came on. As I was pulling into a parking space slowly with my foot on the brakes, the car sped forward knocking over a post and shrubs.

See all problems of the 2011 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

This is the third time I’m having to take my SUV to the kia dealership because my check engine light begins flashing and then my car has a hard time accelerating when it gets to certain speeds. It shakes but will not go over 68 mph although it is covered under a warranty, it is very frustrating. Having to keep take my car to get fixed. There should be a more permanent solution.

See all problems of the 2017 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

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.

The contact owns a 2025 kia Sorento. The contact stated that upon purchasing the vehicle brand new from the dealer and driving the vehicle to the residence, the contact became aware that the VIN was included in NHTSA campaign number: 25v006000 (electrical system, exterior lighting) after conducting a VIN search the same day. The dealer and the manufacturer were not contacted. The mileage on the vehicle was 10. The actual mileage was 530.

While I am driving it can be jerking anytime and also the slippery light come on the dashboard. Sometimes the engine light come on too.

Car shut off and the radio kept going on and off red light on dash board and steering was hard.

Engine blew. Getting on interstate, vehicle blew when accelerating on interstate and died right before getting on. Could have been very dangerous if it had made it on the interstate itself. No warning lights or indication ther was a problem. It was maintained regularly. It had 125000 miles on it. A/c fan quit working due to electrical issues. Drivers side brake light blew several times. It was life changing and not for the good. There have also been a few other minor problems.

The instrument cluster blacks out in the middle of a drive or will not come on when initially started. Seems to work when it wants to. Yes, vehicle is available for inspection and we have a video of this defect. Yes, this is a safety issue because no other warning lights or warning system can work. Sometimes the speedometer shows 60mph while sitting still or 0mph while driving. This glitch makes it impossible to verify the speed, if lights and signals are working, airbags active, etc the dealership was advised but nothing done and was told no recalls so can't help without having to come out of pocket. At first it would flicker and get lines like a broken tv screen. We bought car in 2023 about 6 months in is when flickering started. It stopped for awhile. It is on more than off but presents a safety issue for my 18 yr old daughter who it was purchased for.

I called quirk kia in manchester nh to have the recall done on my vehicle. . My vehicle has had a hard time starting and staying started sometimes. . . The vehicle would shut down while driving all dash lights come on and loose s all power to gas pedal and steering. . Had hard time starting for couple weeks before it stopped starting . . I believe there is electrical problem . . But when I called quirk to get the recall done the service guy told me he can not do the recall unless the vehicle runs . . I told him I believe it's not running because of the part that is being recalled . He said I doubt it . I then asked for a supervisor and he told me he doesn't have one . . Then I asked him his name he again told me he doesn't have one . So I said are you really gonna refuse to do this recall . . It has to be done he then hung up on me . . I tried calling back and got to the sales department. . Spoke to the gm in sales and explained what just happened with the service department and he told me I would get a call back and still haven't heard from them . . This recall has to be done . . And I don't know what else to do.

See all problems of the 2013 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

Was driving up a hill when the 'auto-off' light started flashing on the driver display. Car would not accelerate above 20mph. At the top of the hill, I switched gears to neutral and the car began operating as expected; however, the same behavior occurred again at the next hill. Pulled over and restarted the car. Car worked as expected after restart. This is dangerous. I was taking my daughter to school in morning rush hour traffic. We live in a very hilly area and I'm terrified to drive the car. I dropped it off at the dealership almost 2 weeks ago and they have yet to identify the issue. I do see similar complaints on this site so I'm hoping that you are investigating.

The contact owns a 2014 kia Sorento. The contact stated that the push to start button failed to function as intended, and the vehicle failed to start. The contact called the lien holder and was informed that the key was not connecting. The lien holder replaced the key. The contact stated that the failure persisted, and the key fob failed to function as intended. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The dealer swapped the key fobs with another set of key fobs to diagnose the failure. However, no cause for the failure was found. The contact was informed that two unknown fuse boxes needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, the led lights under the door and dashboard failed to function as intended. In addition, an abnormal sound was coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and remained with the dealer for months. The contact was informed that the fuse box had been replaced. The vehicle failed to restart when the contact picked up the vehicle from the dealer. The vehicle was towed to the residence and had not been driven since. The tow truck driver tried to jumpstart the vehicle, but the vehicle failed to start. There was no power in the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 114,000. The VIN was not available.

See all problems of the 2014 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

My kia Sorento has the pearl white paint that began peeling 4 years ago. That is a known issue for kia vehicles made between 2013 and 2019. [xxx] . While this is not necessarily a safety issue, it is common problem that kia knows about. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2015 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

The downhill break control (dbc) and the traction control system is is engaged and eliminated in the dash. It causes smoke or steam to come from under the hood after it is driven. This is the second time this issue has happened. I spent over $3,000 and six months getting this fixed last time. If there is not a recall on these things it should be recalled and fixed without me having to pay for it again. I believe it should have been covered the first time it happened.

See all problems of the 2012 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

All safety features disabled, srs light turns on, vehicle shuts off when driving, guage cluster is inop doesn’t show speed.

On [xxx] we were driving the kia at slow speed due to snow on the road when a warning light came on which we think said hybrid vehicle failure pull over. The car stopped and the traffic lane with the engine off. The car would not start and we were exposed to traffic. Fortunately, we were on a country road at the time about a mile from our house and we were not struck by following vehicle when the car shut off and stopped in the traffic lane. If we had been on a beltway with 60 or 65 mph traffic obviously the result would’ve been quite different. Because I felt the vehicle was not safe to drive. I had it towed to the kia dealer in salisbury pocahontas kia, who have not been able to duplicate the problem and have also not been able to tell us what was wrong with the kia to cause this problem in the first place. Unless there is a clear reason why this happened and it can be fixed then we have no reason to believe this would not happen again and endanger our safety. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

My car has been in the kia shop for engine. We just stopped on the freeway and for the module recall and my safety bag is just constantly on since I’ve gotten it and now I’m noticing electrical issues that shouldn’t be someone told me. Hey you need to file a complaint because your car can catch on fire and I don’t know what else to do but to do a paper trail just in case but it’s been recalls after recalls.

I am financing a 2016 kia sorrento from the burns Ford of york by here pay here of south carolina I had the car for less than two weeks and the car would not go in park and sometimes it would not come out of park . I am trying to find all recalls that have been fixed on the car before VIN# [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

This vehicle has a oil consumption problem that causes engine damage and kia will not take responsibility for especially after the car being maintained. On top of it even with substantial evidence that this was a manufacturing defect that kia is refusing to take accountability for and completely dismisses any claims or complaints and not even bothered to speak with you unless the car has warranty which is absurd because this was a again a manufacturing defect of the vehicle not from not sustaining the vehicle from the driver that owns it. It also did not give off any warning signs or any indication that there was a problem until the problem completely left me without a car. Without a warning or indication this was a hazard and luckily I did not have my children in the car when the oil brought broke and pierced an immense hole causing my engine damage. Kia Sorentos are known for this defect it has had a lawsuit for this with other kia Sorento's they need to put this model also as I dug deeper I am not the only one that has this problem I'm currently trying to pursue a lawsuit with kia corporation for this however as you know this is not an easy process this was definitely a safety issue that could have became extremely severe and risked my life and my children.

While driving this warning alert will show up on the screen of my vehicle. It is important to note that this happens while driving and when no one is using their phone or using the touchscreen of the car. No one is ever searching something on their phone or on the car’s touchscreen system.

The rear camera on my 2016 kia Sorento no longer works. Over the past year, the camera images have been getting blurry and smaller. Now, there is no indication or warning of cars or people behind my vehicle, which is a safety concern. I found online that there is a recall on the rear camera for this model, but the dealership claims they haven't been informed. I'm worried about the safety risks this presents.

Coolant system not functioning properly replace thermostat and worked a day then back to overheating. Engine overheating with new oil and filter also shakes badly car does not shut of when ignition is pressed the first time have start the car then shut it off again.

Dear NHTSA, I am writing to report a serious safety issue with my kia Sorento 2014. While driving on the interstate with my family, the vehicle suddenly began to slow down without warning. We were able to move to the shoulder, but this incident put our safety at significant risk as we were on a busy highway. We initially suspected brake failure, but after having the car towed home and inspected, we discovered that the motor/engine had completely failed. This failure also impacted the electrical system, leaving the car completely immobile. It has been confirmed by a mechanic that the engine is at fault. However, local dealers and mechanics were unable to inspect it further due to a lack of necessary equipment. As of now, the component has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, or any other authority. There were no warning lamps, messages, or symptoms prior to the failure, and the vehicle showed no signs of issues leading up to the incident. We purchased this car in 2023, only to find out later that kia had issued a recall for this issue in 2021. This recall was never disclosed by the dealership, nor was it listed on the carfax report. Due to the recall predating our purchase, kia has refused to provide any assistance or compensation, leaving us with an inoperable vehicle and significant financial strain. As a low-income family on a fixed budget, this situation has been extremely challenging. We kindly request your assistance in investigating this matter and helping us find a resolution. Thank you for your attention and support.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? I was driving and the car completely shut down- I could not use my brakes or accelerate. I had to pull along the road in ongoing traffic to coast to a stop. I lost all control. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? I was in traffic and the cars behind me had to slow down immediately, I could not speed up or even brake to come to a stop. Others around me as well as myself were in danger. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? they reviewed and said they scanned it and did a drive test and could not find the cause. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? yes, it was seen at the kia dealer I bought it from. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? as soon as the vehicle lost power there was a warning sign on the dash that showed "limit" with a half circle emblem.

The front and rear passenger side windows of my 2025 kia Sorento intermittently fail to operate. When attempting to roll them down, all that can be heard is a clicking sound, and the windows do not move. This issue occurs randomly and without warning. The malfunction poses a safety concern, as functioning windows are necessary for proper ventilation, emergency egress, and communication with others outside the vehicle, including law enforcement or toll booth operators. The issue was first reported to kia of bowie on December 9, 2024. However, the dealership stated they could not recreate the problem and, therefore, could not make repairs, citing that kia would not reimburse them unless they could verify the defect. I was advised to record a video of the issue should it occur again. The problem has persisted multiple times, but due to being the driver, capturing a video was difficult. I was recently able to record the malfunction, showing both windows failing to operate with only the clicking sound audible. On February 17, 2025, I returned to the dealership with a scheduled appointment to address this issue. After waiting 2. 5 hours, I was informed that they again could not recreate the issue and that my video evidence was not considered sufficient for a repair. Despite following the dealership's instructions, no resolution has been provided. Additionally, my kia connect system is not functioning properly, and the radio sound intermittently cuts in and out. These electrical issues raise concerns about potential broader system malfunctions that could compromise vehicle safety. No warning lights or error messages have appeared related to these issues. The vehicle remains available for inspection upon request.

No less than 6 times in approximately 8000 miles the vehicle has lost all electrical power while driving and then regained power. All interior electric components are lost, power steering, headlights, everything. Twice it has completely stalled out when this has happened. I cannot recreate the issue on-demand. On occasion, the vehicle will not hold a hill. It will drift backwards when taking your foot off the brake. Again, this is not reproducible and is completely random.

Unknown.

While driving down the highway the ev side of my phev wouldn't switch to gas. The car wouldn't accelerate past 40-50 mph and drained the remaining battery till my car shut off and forced me to the side of the road. Been to the dealer multiple times (over 4) for the same issue. They claim they recreate it and no resolution has been done.

See all problems of the 2022 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

I unable to accelerate to merge on to the highway. This is the second time that my car was unable to accelerate and kick into gear. The first time was in 2021/2022 a few months after getting the car.