Equipment Problems of Kia Motor Sorento - part 2

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 (.

See all problems of the 2020 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

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.

See all problems of the 2016 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

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?.

See all problems of the 2013 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

Unknown however multiple times the front end of the vehicle starts shaking when I try to break up especially on the highway. The dealership claimed to have repaired it once and shortly after it happened again. When I took it in they first looked and said the parts was ordered but nothing was done then came back and said OH yes it was done then refused to fix it without a charge so I had to pay to repair it since I feared that the brake would give out if I drive it. The other issue was the check engine light just popped up check engine while driving on the highway, when I take it in they are stating that I may have left the gas tank open which is absolutely false. They cleared it but could not or neglect to explain why it was on. All these incidents occur while on highways never in the general local areas.

See all problems of the 2023 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

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.

See all problems of the 2022 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

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

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.

See all problems of the 2019 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

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.

See all problems of the 2025 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

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.

The panoramic roof glass shattered. It was not hit by any external debris. It just exploded scaring the driver almost losing vehicle control. The dealer inspected it and confirmed nothing external caused it, however kia will not warrant it. Our insurance company has not inspected it yet. It is available for inspection.

See all problems of the 2024 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

Vehicle was trying to go forward while my foot was on the brake. It would not go in park gear. Eventually shut down completely at a busy intersection. I was unable to use my hazards and could have been in a bad accident. I had to keep on the emergency brake until I was able to get it towed.

See all problems of the 2011 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

The rear backup camera brackets inside are broken, causing the camera to dangle down. There was a recall on 2022 kia Sorentos for this, but my VIN number is not coming up as part of the recall when it should be. This causes me to not be able to visibly see the things in the rear when the car is in reverse. There are no warning lights, lamps or messages to notify of thus.

1. The snow white paint is lifting and peeling in all areas of the vehicle. 2. The engine, despite proper care and maintenance, is seizing occasionally upon starting the vehicle. 3. Auto braking system and lane departure turns off at random.

I was involved in an automobile collision. It was a t- bone collision on the driver side. My vehicle flipped on it's side, the moon roof completely shattered, my seatbelt released me and I was ejected through the moon roof. The vehicle landed on top of me. All of my air bags did not deploy even though my vehicle rolled over twice.

Automatic lift gate closed and injured child. Was placing groceries in vehicle. Closed lift gate with button on lift gate, child was next to me, but hand was behind him. Liftgate closed and would not reopen. Child was injured.

Exterior paint (snow white pearl) has delaminated resulting in chipping in several places on the hood. This has been previously identified in 5 other NHTSA complaints (11663682, 11636915, 11630983, 11521467, 11498038). The root cause of the issue seems to be a known (but unconfirmed) manufacturer paint defect by kia. Problems as far back as 2012 involving the paint (snow white pearl) have been reported on the kia owner forum, reddit, facebook, and possibly other social media sites. I have always maintained my vehicle to the highest standard and my vehicle mileage is significantly under the average annual mileage of 10k. I have just begun the journey to seeking remedy for this unfortunate situation and would appreciate an investigation by NHTSA on behalf of all who have filed complaints and told their stories. Thank you.

I am unable to disable the "consider taking a break" warning, this is highly distracting and I don't understand why I can disable ever other warning on the vehicle. This warning goes off so easily even when I'm not distracted or tired and it's unsafe!.

Backup camera doesn’t work properly it gives a blank screen.

See all problems of the 2014 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

The car the engine wast the oil in 1 week that every weeks it has problem in the ring of the engine , we just buy the car they tell us it has it had guarantee talking to the bank and the where I buy the car it don't show . It has a bad smell of wet and burnt oil . .

I was driving from richlands coming home and my vechial kept trying to die on me like I didnt have any gas and then I had to suddenly pull off the side of the road without any power and I sat their and even try to restart the vechial and it wouldn't start back then a woman come out of nowhere in an ambulance and I was trying to tell her that it was alright and she was trying to tell me that the vechial was on fire underneath the vechial and I didnt see that it was a fire at all I though I was overheating so I was sitting in the vechial waiting on it to cool down thank god I was not hurt really bad if this would have happened somewere else I know I would be dead I already have smoke in my lungs from breathing in all that smoke I though was just steam but I still dont know what in my engine caught on fire but I do know it started from either in the engine or under it somewhere then everything caught fire and it was all melted the whole thing is completely gone even the tag melted I have never seen that kind of fire before ever and I have own alot of vechicle and they usally break down but this was the first time one caught on fire and thus happens to kia alot even the day this happened the fire dept told me they just put another kia out just the week before how is it that kia are keeping these vechicle on the road it is awful and im trying to do something about it but noone will help me and I dont know what I need yo do to make kia pay for this I only had this vechial almost 6 months and it didnt have alot of miles on it 100000 thats not alot but the kia everything I have read have flew apart after the warranty has expired so its great for them I say they are happy and they have had a few recalls on this vechial and know about the fire but have something stupid like a tow hitch its saying my vechial has that recall but I didnt see a tow hitch anywere but it still caught fire so I would love for someone to take these vechial off the road they are not safe not what kia.

See all problems of the 2018 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

The paint peeled off on my hood in several places and on the fenders, I was driving in the rain and a big sheet of the paint on my hood peeled off and flew up on my windshield on the driver side causing me to run off the road because I couldn’t see, I took it to the jenkins kia dealership in ocala, FL and was told by the service people there that they would not fix it that it was my responsibility, they were very rude even though I was really shaken after running off the road now I have small rust spots all over my car , can you please help me?.

We have a brand new 2025 kia Sorento and suddenly the ac stopped working. Took it into the service center who could not identify the problem but didn't see any damage. They got it working again and we drove it for a couple of days and it stopped working again as anticipated. We brought it back in and they now report debri damage, now not covered by kia warranty. I searched online and this seems to be a common issue with the unit and that the grill design does not protect the engine and is prone to significant damage to the vehicles engine components that kia will not cover under warranty.

I came to this website because it was suggested to me to look for a recall. While there is an active recall with my car, the interesting part to me is the fact that the issues I'm having with my car match a recall for the same model as mine, just a different spec. To me that seems odd, I'd have the same type issues. . . I was wondering how to get this examined.