Equipment Problems of Kia Motor Sorento - part 2

I was driving my Sorento sxl on a highway, at approximately 50 mph. With no warning, the engine began to run rough. The check engine light immediately began flashing. I was able to drive the car approximately three more miles to an auto service center. The engine ran very rough the entire time, wanting to stall when slowing down. The mechanic determined that my car’s oil reservoir was 4 quarts low, yet no engine oil light ever illuminated on the dashboard. It holds 6. 2 quarts, and had only 2. 2 quarts in it. Again, there was no illuminated light whatsoever telling me my car was dangerously low on oil. Because of this low oil condition, one of my timing chains skipped, and the cam rotated approximately 62° out of center. That’s what caused it to run rough. It appears my only options now are to have the engine apart, and hope no real damage was done, or replace it entirely. The engine for my car has been discontinued, with seemingly no suitable replacement from kia. This could have been completely avoided if my car had alerted me to a low oil condition sometime before. This is very dangerous and it seems it is a common ailment among some kia cars like mine. A low oil light would have informed me immediately that my car was in need of oil, a critical fluid for proper and safe operation. If I were towing a trailer when this happened, or on a winding stretch of road in snow or ice, this could have been catastrophic.

See all problems of the 2016 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

I have had many issues where my car will completely shut off after the auto start-stop function causing me to almost get into accidents with my toddlers in the vehicle. There was one incident where I was at a stop light, when the light turned green I started my car again to go and another vehicle continued to bypass me. When I halted for the other vehicle, my engine shut off again almost the cause of a horrific accident. I have had many incidents after this with the related cause of engine shutting off.

See all problems of the 2021 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

Back in June 2025 my car started having an issue with the auto on/off light blinking on the dash and unable to be turned off. While driving and this happens, the car is unable to maintain its sped or accelerate. This has caused safety concerns many times. Dyer kia first said it was an update, problem still remained. Then they said a deeper update was needed to no avail. The third attempt was a new transmission which caused more problems and still did not address the initial issue. Then they said it was the battery. They installed/ replaced an already new battery yet the problem still existed. Another transmission was put in and the problem still existed. Then they replaced the tcm and the issue still exists. The car is at a new dealership and already they are saying they have not found any codes to explain the problem yet and that they need to repair the battery terminal leads that the previous dealership broke before they are able to go further. Kia corporate is not helping me find a permanent solution to this issue and I still do not have my vehicle.

The car is not able to shift out of park unless the shift interlock release button is depressed. This issue has occurred intermittently in the last year but has been consistent in the past few weeks of the submission of the complaint.

See all problems of the 2018 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

My 2016 kia Sorento has a paint peeling on the hood and roof. I have reached out to corporate but they will not help due to expired warranty. Learned on fb group chat that the paint is defective also the same color paint white pearl. Have you had any other complaints?any idea on what I need to do? thanks.

Driving on the frwy when car started loosing power/acceleration, no warning lights or indicators on dashboard. Safely able to merge off the frwy. Turned off vehicle, engine would not turn back on. But all the dash lights came up as warning including engine light. Started to smell like burnt. Open the hood and it smelled like burning oil. Towed my vehicle & under the vehicle a pool of engine oil. Dealer confirmed engine seized. When repairs began water pump was damaged & engine mounts due to engine seizing.

Panoramic sunroof sunshade has detached on one side and is hanging down, affecting visibility.

See all problems of the 2017 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

Driving down the highway normal conditions at 60 mph and sunroof exploded out. Very loud noise and pulled off of highway . Found sunroof was shattered. No cars were around at the time and nothing hit the roof to cause it .

See all problems of the 2020 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

Pearl white paint has suddenly begun flaking off from roof of my 2019 Sorentosxl. It is running above the length of the driver side door. Paint should not be doing that. Looks like a factory defect. Noticed many other complaints for the exact same issue. Kia defers to the warranty but kia should fix this regardless of warranty timeline since this is not as a result of external forces or owner error.

See all problems of the 2019 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

I am unsure what component system failed or malfunctioned. The car is in the toe place. It's a total loss burned from front to back my safety was put at risk by no indication of any lights coming on my dashboard. By the time I stopped the whole front into my car was on fire. It burned from from 2 back within 8 minutes. It has not been inspected by insurance. The police were there when the fire was put out along with the fire department. There were no warning lights or lamps of any indication of a problem. I was driving down the road and I seemed small but I had no lights on my dashboard. Indicating anything was wrong? so I drove as soon as I started to slow down at the stoplight. Flames started coming out of the driver's side of the hook. But I turned the corner and stopped the car and the whole front end. By the time I stopped was on fire. I contacted the fire department and within 8 minutes. The car was a total loss.

The contact owned a 2020 kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed smoke coming from the vehicle. The contact stated the fuse box located on the driver's side had caught on fire. The vehicle was extinguished by the fire department. A fire report was filed, and a fire report number was provided; however, the cause of the failure was not yet determined. A police report was filed and provided to the contact. The dealer was not contacted. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 22v703000(trailer hitches). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

Upon normal driving the vehicle suddenly lost power and would only go around 20 to 30 mph. This has happened twice in the past week. Very slow acceleration from a stop and had to actually pull off the road into a parking lot to let traffic pass. Took it to dealer and they said there were no active codes or anything visually presenting and they could do nothing to remedy the problem. My wife uses this vehicle in her work sometimes and has to drive sometimes 30 to 40 miles on her job and if this happened suddenly on an interstate it could be catastrophic. I'm afraid to let her drive it. No check engine or other warning lights come on. The vehicle has 58xxx miles and I hope I'm not being given the run around till the warranty expires. I notice there was a recall on this type of vehicle for this exact thing happening on 2022 models manufactured before August 2022 which ours was, taking delivery on 1/31/2022. It has the 2. 5l turbo gdi engine as in the recall but is awd.

See all problems of the 2022 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

I am writing to bring to your attention a concerning issue regarding the instrument panel of the 2016-2020 kia Sorento. My car - 2017 kia Sorento. In approx. 2021, I noticed a small 2 cm crack resembling a razor blade cut on my instrument panel (part number: 84710-c5000wk, also 84710-c6000wk and 84710-c6001wk). At the time, I did not find this defect alarming as it was minor and located far from the airbag area. However, over time, the situation has deteriorated significantly. The small crack has now developed into three substantial cracks measuring between 6 to 8 inches, with some of them encroaching upon the airbag area. I am increasingly concerned that these cracks may impact the airbag deployment mechanism and potentially result in fragments from the panel flying out during a collision, an issue that has been documented in other vehicle brands in the past. After conducting some research, I found that this problem appears to be common among the kia Sorento models manufactured between 2016 and 2020. Numerous sources online indicate that these dashboard cracks pose a safety hazard. I have made attempts to address this issue directly with kia. However, I was informed that the initial inspection fee is $150, and the estimated cost for part replacement and installation is approximately $3,959. This amount is quite significant. I urge your organization to investigate this matter further and consider providing a remedy for affected customers. Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

Code p0014 indicates that the bank 1 exhaust camshaft position timing was advanced beyond limits for a pre determined period of time.

See all problems of the 2013 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

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 🔎.

Paint is peeling. Only have 100,000 miles. Paint is peeling off badly.

The vehicle is hesitant during acceleration and linger in one gear. When try to move from a stop have to remove foot of the gas and back again with a pause before it will accelerate, only to start jerking.

The ac condenser has failed. Kia said the condenser is damaged in the far corner of the condenser where it meets the rubber. They said the warranty would not cover the repair but could not explain the damage. I have reviewed a webpage where many kia Sorento owners had this issue. The techs all said the same thing: the rock-damaged condenser and warranty won't cover the cost of almost 1500 dollars. Now, they are stating a rock didn't damage it, but there is unexplainable damage, and they won't cover any costs. The vehicle is a 2022 with 29,000 miles.

My oil level in my car keeps going low. Service department at kia states they cannot find another problem. I’ve had regular oil changes. I met someone at the dealership experiencing the same problem.

I was at a stop sign waiting for my turn to go and I got hit from behind.

Driving down the road and the sunroof exploded. No other cars were around me so no project was thrown from another vehicle. Took the vehicle to the dealership. The service tech confirmed nothing was thrown and it appears the glass imploded from the inside. We are over 60,000 so not covered by warranty. He stated he would send through to kia to see if they would replace and was rejected. Was told to take it some place else to get it fixed. Contacted a local auto glass, they will not even touch it. Contacted another, the entire panoramic roof must be replaced even though it was only the front moving part that shattered. I am out $1,300 and a vehicle until the glass arrives which I was told will take weeks. Searching the internet I see there have been numerous complaints of this issue. Something needs to be done. No there was no crash, but very easily could have.

I was driving my daughter to school and heard 2 popping noises under the car. The car started smoking as I was driving. I pulled into the parking lot and the car wouldn’t stop. I pressed the break multiple times before it eventually stopped. The car was completely smoking from the hood and then caught fire as I got me and my children out of it. The fire department came and successfully put the fire out after about 30 minutes of continuous flames. It was a total loss.

While driving my 2025 kia Sorento on the highway, I noticed a coolant leak and an overheating warning. I immediately pulled over, and the vehicle was towed to a kia dealership for inspection. After diagnosing the issue, the dealership claimed that small pebbles had damaged the radiator, leading to the coolant leak. They stated that this was considered an accident, not a defect, and therefore was not covered under warranty. Why this is a concern: after researching online, I discovered that many other kia owners are experiencing the same issue, suggesting that the radiator may be vulnerable to road debris due to poor design or insufficient protection. A radiator should be durable enough to withstand normal highway driving conditions. A failure like this could cause engine overheating and sudden breakdowns, posing a serious safety risk to drivers and passengers. Request for investigation: since this issue is affecting multiple kia Sorento owners, I believe it should be investigated as a possible design flaw. If the radiator is too fragile to handle everyday road debris, kia should issue a recall or technical service bulletin (TSB) to address the defect and ensure driver safety.

We have received the security update for the ignition system over a year ago for the recall. Even with this recall fix our vehicle was still stolen, so this solution clearly didn't work.

Car paint peeling.

Battery does not stay charged. I purchased the vehicle on 24aug24. On 08feb25, I began having trouble with the 12v battery. The battery died and kia roadside was called to jumpstart. The local kia dealership replaced the 12v and tested the system. Everything checked out ok. I picked up the car on 10feb25. On 03mar25, I called kia roadside to jumpstart the dead 12v battery, again, and took the vehicle back to the same local kia dealership. The dealer has been unable to correct the problem even with the help of kia corp.

As I was driving on the highway, my car began to lose speed. I attempted to accelerate but nothing happened when I pushed the gas pedal. There were no weird noises or rpm changes as if revving. I pulled onto the shoulder and slowed to a stop. If there had been more traffic on the highway I would not have been able to get to the shoulder without causing an accident. There were no warning signs or indicator lights before the loss of ability to accelerate. When I restarted the car, an "engine control" system warning appeared on the screen. I continued driving, staying in the right lane with hazard lights. The same thing happened a few more times on my drive home. I would lose the ability to accelerate, pull over, turn off the car, wait a moment, turn it back on and drive until it happened again. The car has not been expected yet but I have noticed small oil puddles when parked, which hadn't happened before this incident.

The car is a 2017 kia Sorento with approximately 73,000 miles. We have always had the oil changed at the kia dealership. A month after the last time I had it changed (1/2025) we were going on a trip so my dad checked the oil. There was no oil in it. Since then we have been having to put oil in it about once a month or so because it runs out. It is not leaking anywhere and no oil light comes on when it does run out. The oil is disappearing. The oil is burning internally. I am having difficulties with the dealership in addressing the oil consumption issue, even when it's a known problem. This last time I spoke with robert at kia ramada in shelby nc. They want me to pay for them to look at it and then said they would write up a report to see if corporate would cover it. I feel like since this is a known issue I shouldn’t have to pay for them to look at or diagnose it. He said it would not be covered unless the engine locked up. Well if I keep driving it and don’t keep putting oil in it, it will lock up. I’d rather you fix the issue than have to put in a whole new motor. Please get in touch with me ASAP so I know what further actions that I will need to take to resolve this matter.

Hi, my car has increased oil consumption. Every week, iam toping off the oil, 1 qrt every week now. I brought this to kia's attention, had the test done as they suggested. They offerred me only this: a/c evap clean, coolant fluid exchange, spark plug replace, 3 pt induction svc, which doesnt fix the problem. I also wanted the existing recall to be adressed, but they ignored.

Oil leak from under vehicle.

I was driving on the highway, and all of the sudden the car started losing power, it would not respond to the accelerator pedal. It slowed down to 10-15 mph and would not go faster. I was lucky that the drivers behind me were able to slow their cars without hitting me.

Vehicle has frequent oil consumption issues. It’s burning oil way too fast and causing a potential issue with the engine. According to the staff at the car shop, there is no way to fix it. You have to just kind of deal with it. It seems to be a defect that has not been addressed and is only for first owners. Bought my vehicle from a dealership and apparently this isn’t covered. This is a lemon and it’s clearly unknown issue based on the workers at the car shop that have not been addressed and is causing an issue with my engine.

The check engine light has come on. The vehicle has stalled or loss power while driving 3 times with the last week. Once at 70 mph and the other 2 at 35 mph. Still very concerning on how to control when this occurs!!.

The vehicle experienced multiple critical mechanical failures, including defective injectors, transmission issues, and a malfunctioning differential. The dealer repaired some of the previous issues, such as the differential in August 2024 and the transmission in October 2024 (which required three weeks of repair). However, they refused to repair the defective injectors, even after the NHTSA issued an alert on September 1, 2024, regarding injector problems. I was never notified of this alert. On January 8, 2025, while driving with my family, the vehicle suddenly stalled without any warning, creating a dangerous situation on the road and putting our safety at significant risk. This resulted in additional expenses, including towing costs ($300) and alternative transportation by taxi ($150). I had to pay $1,851. 98 out of pocket to repair the injectors with an independent mechanic after the dealer refused to cover it. There were no warning lights or messages before the sudden stalling incident. These issues have been partially inspected and addressed by the dealer and independent service centers, but the recurring failures persist, posing ongoing safety risks.

The forward collision system warning system the warning that it's not working stays on for a couple of days then goes off but then it comes back on. My other problem is the pearl white paint is peeling off the hood and roof of my Sorento. Kia said not their problem because it has 80,000 miles. I have read thousands of complaints about this problem. There seems to be a problem with the paint they are using.