Equipment Problems of Kia Motor Sorento - part 1

2016 kia sorrento ex paint is coming off in panels and different areas of car. I called kia and they cant do anything about it.

See all problems of the 2016 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

The shifter is not working have to use shift lock release.

I was leaving my home and was pulling out of my driveway when my vehicle suddenly caught fire. I was able to exit the vehicle with no injuries and called the fire department to put out the fire. The vehicle was a total loss. There were no warning signs, the car just caught on fire in the engine and spread fast.

I was driving my car, while at a stop light I noticed some smoke coming from under my hood. I thought it might have been the cold I turned off the main road onto my street and noticed the smoke increasing, I pulled over turned off my car opened the hood and a fire started at the back of my engine.

See all problems of the 2011 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

On [xxx], our 2016 kia Sorento (VIN: [xxx] ) caught fire while being driven on a public highway in houston, texas. The vehicle had been operating normally and displayed no warning lights, alerts, or diagnostic trouble codes prior to the incident. The driver was forced to pull over immediately for safety. The fire caused catastrophic damage and resulted in a total loss of the vehicle. Law enforcement authorized towing and impound. Photographs and third-party documentation confirm extensive fire damage. Prior to this incident, the vehicle had a clean title with no accident, fire, or salvage history. The 2016 kia Sorento model year has been subject to multiple safety recalls, including recalls that acknowledge fire risk related to electrical and fuel system components. A vehicle igniting during normal operation without warning presents a serious safety risk and warrants investigation. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

I was driving down a very busy road and with no warning my car lost power. It would turn over but not start back up. I was stuck in the middle of a busy road way causing traffic’s to back up. I had to call the police to sit behind me so I wouldn’t get hit from behind.

See all problems of the 2015 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

Radiator has had a leak twice in the past three months. This has cause me to have to get it fully replaced at my own cost. This is a design flaw and is at no part my fault.

See all problems of the 2022 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

My wife was slowly pulling into a parking spot at kohls and the car lunged like the gas pedal was pressed all the way down and hit parking pole in spot . I googled to see if this was an issue reports and found information on this not actual recall but reports on this issue . Kia has done nothing with this case.

See all problems of the 2025 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

The check engine light came on 12/29 and was driven approximately 50 miles. On Jan 3, 2026 vehicle was driven app. 5 miles and left parked at a friends. There was a little smoke coming out from under the hood, but this is not unusual as car had small oil leak for at least 3 years that no one could find to fix but burned off on engine and gave constant oily smell. Under 10 minutes later driver was notified that neighbors heard 3 explosions, car was on fire and fire department was coming. When driver went back to where vehicle was parked, fire was out and vehicle was almost totally destroyed. Vehicle was towed to a scrap yard.

See all problems of the 2012 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

Car stalled several times including as I was turning through an intersection. I took my car to kia ganley if boardman 7870 market street bdmn two, youngstown, ohio 44512. I met w/gerry who I explained the concerns with car stalling reminding him it had been almost 2 years since the jnick sensor issue was detected. So why am I expected to keep driving a dangerous vehicle without the repair needed??!!!! also asked about light assembly replacement delay (per recall) since I'm replacing the turn signal & brake bulbs 5-6 times a year while awaiting a replacement. Assembly.

See all problems of the 2013 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

My key fob doesn’t register even while in car, my battery drains daily has to recieve jump off every otha day if not daily, door open indicator shows open on all doors even when closed, car locks won’t disengage automatically but your system shows no recalls something’s wrong with it.

See all problems of the 2014 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

The contact owned a 2019 kia Sorento. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in the contact's residential driveway, the vehicle caught on fire. The vehicle was unoccupied. The contact stated that while packing the vehicle for a planned family trip, the contact noticed the fire. In addition, the contact stated that no warning lights were illuminated prior to the fire. The contact and other family members extinguished the fire with fire extinguishers that were at the contact's residence. The vehicle was towed to a local tow yard. The insurance company condemned the vehicle as a total loss. In addition, the contact stated that the insurance investigation confirmed that the fire started as an electrical fire. The contact referenced an unknown recall which had a similar failure description, however the contact's VIN was not associated. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 116,000.

See all problems of the 2019 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

While driving on an interstate highway, our sunroof exploded with a loud boom and glass fragments fell into the passenger compartment. 2021 kia Sorento SUV with only 65,000 miles on it.

See all problems of the 2021 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

Instrument gauge cluster freezes while driving. Cannot view current speed, blinker status, cruise control settings, tachometer information, fuel status, or adaas items. Also gear select indicator light freezes and does not show correct gear/park. Can only be reset by disconnecting negative battery cable and discharging system.

I was driving my vehicle and all the sudden all the lights on my dashboard came on, I am going to try and remember exactly which ones came on. The engine malfunction light, the abs light, the battery light, the eps light, the oil light, there were more lights that came on but I don't know the exact name of it. Then I heard a pop, smoke pouring through the vents, this all happened within 30 seconds. I quickly pulled into a driveway, there was a flame coming from beneath the hood. I ran up to the person's house. I was ringing the doorbell, they instantly seen what was happening. The male owner of the home came running out with a fire extinguisher and put out the flame. I kept up with all the maintenance of my vehicle, oil changes, making sure everything was up to date. All the oil had poured out of the vehicle some a little on the road around the same time the lights came on and I heard the pop and in the rest in the driveway. I didn't know what to do so I called kia to report it, then I called triple a and they refused to tow it. I called a random tow truck driver who was kind enough to tow it back to my house. The person at kia told me to tow it home and they would send out an inspector, I'm still waiting for a response. My vehicle only has 75,000 miles on it and nothing was wrong with it. I've never had a car just start on fire before. This is so upsetting because I am a single mother of 3 children, with a single income. I am an rn and it is my only transportation to and from work. I truly hope someone rectified this situation.

See all problems of the 2020 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

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 (.

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.

Head gasket leaking, yes causes engine to overheat. Radiator looses coolant and backs up into overflow. Makes heat and ac flow coolant fumes into vehicle. No longer clear air. Not yet. Still researching. Independent mechanics shop. No there was no warning when the vehicle overheated.

I am seeing an axle shaft issue for this vehicle and noticed that several vehicles for similar timeline had a safety recall. However, mine is not showing up. Could you look into it and let me know whether my vehicle should also be part of this recall?.

My vehicle has a recall that says potential fire could occur yet there’s no solution for the recall. I think that is something that should be replaced immediately considering it’s 15 degrees outside and I have to run my heat in my vehicle.

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. ”.

See all problems of the 2023 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

Paint is bubbling and peeling off. Been to the dealership and they don’t seem to want to help. I have an extended warranty on the paint until 12/29/2025. They’re giving me the runaround.

I took my 2019 kia Sorento to alan jay kia 0n 12/05/2025 because of the 2 slits on the top of the dashboard. I spoke to the service manager, and he sent the general sales manager out to take pictures of the dashboard. He stated that the slits are outlines of the air bag. I asked if it would be ok to drive since I was going out of town for a month and he said it was ok to drive. I also showed him all of my rims that are peeling. The service manager said he would send the information to kia and will contact me when he gets a response. I didn't hear from him, so I scheduled service om my vehicle on Jan. 9, 2026. I inquired about the dashboard and the service manager said he couldn't find anything in the computer. On Friday, Jan 16,2026, I stopped back and spoke to the service manager, and he said he heard back from kia, and they will not fix the dashboard or the peeling rims because of the age of the car and it's not under warranty. I researched the nhts and found that it is a safety issue.

I want to file a complaint about my recall having no remedy and it’s affecting me. I need kia to buy my car back.

I was driving the car and the sunroof exploded out of the blue.

I have a huge paint peeling situation on the roof of my vehicle. I do have a white kia sorrento and there is about a 24" by 6" spot where the paint is either peeling or is gone. It's directly above my front window on the roof of the vehicle.

At night when I am driving, the headlight goes off. The light switch does not work on some settings. I never know when or where this dangerous situation is going to happen. Therefore, I try to avoid driving at night, as much as possible. This problem was addressed to kia more than a year ago. They keep saying that they don't see a problem.

See all problems of the 2017 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

When I purchased this car in 2020 it had approximately 30,000 miles on it and the paint was already flaking in one place. The paint is snow white pearl and it is now flaking in several places. I would like to request an investigation into this specific paint and flaking issues.

On Dec 1, 2025 we were driving down the freeway at approx 70 mph when we heard a loud bang. At first, we thought a tire had blown but that wasn't the case. We started hearing more road and wind noise from above the shade screen. We were close to our kia dealership so we went directly there. The sunroof glass about the driver and front passenger seats had a large hole and the glass around it was shattered. No object was found. Additionally, we didn't see any road debris kicked up before the loud bang nor we were near any overpass.

For about 23,000 miles our mechanic has mentioned that the engine is burning oil. The exhaust pipe is covered in black soot. I monitor the oil level and it is always low even after oil changes with no oil leak. This has been provided to kia with no remedy. Recently our Sorento was in a busy highway and the check engine, oil and battery lights came on and the car went into limp mode. We had the vehicle towed to kia chula vista and the engine will be replaced by them. My concern is that the catalytic converter will soon fail and the engine issues need to be addressed for all of these makes/models before someone gets seriously hurt or killed.

Sunroof randomly shattered with no vehicles in front of me while driving.

My vehicle repeatedly fails to recognize the key fob even when it is in my hand or inside the vehicle. Because it is a push-button start system, proper fob communication is required for unlocking and driving. When recognition fails, the vehicle will not start and I have been stranded. During the first of these failures, I called the dealership because I was stranded and needed immediate assistance. They instructed me to remove all passengers, close the doors, and then hold the unlock button on the key fob for 10 seconds and press lock/unlock six times in sequence. They also advised me not to use the door-handle lock/unlock button and to use only the fob buttons. This temporarily restored function, but a new vehicle should not require a manual reset procedure to start and operate normally. On two separate occasions, this problem also triggered the vehicle alarm, which was extremely difficult to silence. This does not happen every time, making the vehicle unreliable. One incident occurred while transporting special-needs children and an elderly passenger, and removing them from the vehicle to perform the reset was difficult and unsafe. The dealership later ran diagnostics and found no fault codes. I also replaced the key fob battery, but the issue continues. I have seen other owners online describing the same key-recognition failures, indicating that I may not be the only person experiencing this. This is a safety concern because the vehicle can fail to start without warning, and the alarm activation increases confusion and stress. The issue remains unresolved.

My vehicle has an active fire-risk safety recall, but kia states the remedy is not available yet. The recall notice explains that the wiring harness for the hvac blower motor may be inadequate and can cause a vehicle fire. I am concerned for my safety and my family’s safety because I have small children who ride in this vehicle daily. I contacted my kia dealership, but they will not provide a rental or alternative transportation and will not confirm whether the vehicle is safe to drive while waiting for the remedy. I am being forced to continue driving a vehicle that may catch fire, and kia has provided no temporary safety solution. I am requesting NHTSA to review this situation because kia is not offering any safe option for owners while the recall is unresolved. The recall involves a potential fire inside the vehicle cabin, and yet there is no inspection, workaround, or transportation assistance available. This puts consumers at risk.

Driving down the freeway and heard a loud explosion and sunroof shattered with glass falling into the car. It was very discontenting and if there were more cars on the freeway overpass at the time it could have caused an accident as I was stunned by what had happened and lowered my speed. This could have easily led to a collision went to kia and mechanic inspected roof and said it appeared to have blown outward and was not struck by an object. He further said it was not safe to drive as the small glass pieces could get imbedded in the frame and come loose at a later date and cause harm.