Other Fuel System Problems of Kia Motor Sorento - part 2

The car engine started on fire while I was driving after all the recalls were fixed and new engine installed. The car was completely destroyed the whole engine compartment was completely burned. Kia says it was an oil leak but that’s not true the car oil change was done regularly and was serviced within 3 months of the engine fire. I also had this vehicle parked inside my garage for 5 years and not a single drop of oil in the garage floor. Kia is also refusing to send me a full report of their findings from the fire inspection. Kia adjuster is acting in bad faith by not providing the fire report. The car engine was replaced new due to an earlier recall and within 10,000 miles the new engine caught fire. They don’t want to be liable for this engine fire but cars don’t just burn without any reason. The refusal of kia adjuster to release the findings in the fire inspection is very concerning to other people driving this vehicle in the public. Where engine fire can cause their deaths and their families deaths. This is a safety problem.

See all problems of the 2014 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

The safety hazard began with a pattern of ignored warnings by the authorized dealer network. On Aug 15, 2025, I brought the vehicle to luther kia of bloomington for a check engine light. The dealer simply cleared the code without diagnosis, failing to catch early signs of engine trouble. On sept 22, 2025, the engine failed again. I drove the vehicle in unsafe "limp mode" to luther Nissan kia [xxx] ). They found the engine was "4 quarts low on oil" (severe starvation just 37 days after a dealer oil change). Despite this catastrophic finding, they failed to diagnose the root cause and released the unsafe vehicle to me after selling only a spark plug replacement. On sept 26, when I attempted to pick up the vehicle, the check engine light was flashing immediately at handover. I refused to take the unsafe vehicle. The dealer then replaced an oil control valve (ocv) and released the vehicle to me again later that day. After this second "repair," I drove the vehicle for only a few miles before the engine failed again with a check engine light. The dealer has since admitted in writing (bbb complaint #xxx) that the engine was "deprived of lubrication" due to the initial low oil condition. By ignoring early warnings and releasing a vehicle with a dying engine twice, the dealer put me and other motorists at risk of a sudden loss of power at highway speeds. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2016 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

It’s been a month since I did an oil change. However, while I was driving the car, I heard a noise like the engine had no oil in it. I stopped and after 15 minutes I checked the engine for oil when I discovered that the engine was empty. I then checked for a leak and there is no leak detected. I took it to a valvoline to get an oil change. This is when I discovered that the engine is burning the oil. This is most likely to happen due to a manufacturing problem. I am submitting this complaint and would like to have an investigation done on that matter because it is a safety concern when a car keeps burning oil without any leak detection.

See all problems of the 2017 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

Around 35,000 miles the vehicles fuel pump, relay assembly, and Smart junction box failed and left my wife stranded. Kia took about 7+ days to diagnose and repair.

See all problems of the 2023 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

My Sorento started smelling like gas , inside & outside. Worse when I stop driving. The fuel pump pressure hose (that’s in a compartment under my backseat) is spraying fuel everywhere inside the compartment it in. The safety for myself and my grand sons that are all 2years old (3 of them) is we are inhaling the fumes from it separating steadily out under the seat their car seats are sitting on. I have not taken my vehicle to anyone but my friend after seeing a video of why a guys vehicle smelled like gas no inspection has been done by anyone I’m not even sure what steps I need to take or what to do now. There were no messages, lights, etc. , that flashed or popped up on my message center. It just all of a sudden one day started smelling like gasoline in my car. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2019 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

The vehicle is jerky, loss of power, jolts, and very high concern of safety while in use.

See all problems of the 2024 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

My engine was replaced under the kia pi1802y/z engine replacement program in July of 2024 in August of 2025 after the replacement I began to smell gas in my vehicle and took my vehicle to the kia dealership to find out what the issue was. They informed me that it was a fuel pump leak due to bad gaskets. I believe the engine replacement was done improperly and should be under the sc172 high pressure fuel outlet recall campaign. I have reached out to kia and the dealership. The dealership is being less than cooperative and kia is not addressing the issue specifically. The gas leak was significant and was potentially dangerous. It would fill up my entire garage with fumes.

My car started to act crazy not wanting to move when in traffic.

Dad, driving back with daughter, noticed a brief and unusual delay between shifts, but was able to make it home fine. A few minutes later, mom left for picking up son after school. On the way there, she noticed sluggish acceleration, louder engine sounds/effort on acceleration and mild slopes, and there was a lag in acceleration response. After powering off the vehicle and sit in idle to recharge battery, restarted trip home and was unable to get acceleration response up the hills, doing only 20 mph. Engine was struggling and not getting any acceleration response. No check engine lights were generated as usual. Dad called service manager at kia temecula and he said to call kia roadside assistance to come tow the car to them. He also said that likely we'll be out of pocket to do any car rentals until they have a car to loan to us.

See all problems of the 2025 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

The vehicle emits a strong fuel odor: seems to be around the rear of vehicle & front engine compartment of vehicle. Seems the fuel system, both low & high pressure fuel pumps and their pipes channels are leaking to emit a strong fuel odor. Extreme high volatile combustion & fire risk! remedy: the fuel system including both low & high pressure fuel pumps & their pipes channels need replaced with strong, better engineered components! a newer vehicle like this should not be having fuel system failures.

See all problems of the 2018 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

Nhtsa complaint – kia Sorento vehicle: 2025 kia Sorento component/system: engine, fuel/propulsion system, power train date of incident: [xxx] location: [xxx] , southbound description of the problem: while driving my 2025 kia Sorento southbound on [xxx] , the accelerator did not respond properly both on a flat road and while going uphill. The engine failed to provide adequate power, creating a serious safety risk on the highway. The vehicle is currently at the dealer for inspection, which will take place on Monday. However, I am extremely frustrated that I have not been provided a loaner or rental vehicle, even though I need transportation immediately. Additionally, as a u. S. Citizen, I feel I am being treated unfairly and receiving discriminatory service compared to others in similar situations. No warning lights or messages appeared before the incident. The dealer has not confirmed or fixed the issue yet. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives. I am reporting this issue to document the safety risk, service denial, and potential discrimination, and to seek proper investigation. Inspection availability: unknown – vehicle can be inspected upon request. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Fuel pump leaking gas from a crack around electrical connections on top of it. Fire hazard.

* high pressure fuel pump quick disconnect fuel line fitting leaking fuel. * raw fuel leaking poses a risk of fire and danger to the vehicle occupants. Raw fuel leaking in a closed in area as it did in my garage could have lead to an explosion due ignition of the fuel vapors. * my vehicle was repaired by a kia dealership. The dealership noted that they've seen this issue several times in the past few months including one instance where the fuel line fitting actually fell off. The dealership acknowledged this failure hasn't yet become a recall issue which is why I'm filing a complaint with the nhsta to establish a record of the issue. * the component was probably discarded by the dealership. The dealership didn't mention sending the part out for inspection or reporting the issue to the manufacturer. Galeana kia did provide 2 pictures of the fuel leak area. I've attached these to this form. * there were no warning lamps or messages for this type of leak. The vehicle drove as normal. It wasn't until I parked the vehicle in my garage that I noticed a strong smell of raw fuel.

Fuel pump main high pressure connection to line got hairline crack on main fuel connection line resorting to fuel leak and smell outside and inside of vehicle.

To whom this may concern, I'm having to replace an upper module fuel pump that goes into the top of the tank. This part is being recalled on several other kia vehicles but not mine. The car was stalling and had a heavy smell of gasoline. I was told by my repair shop not to drive this car until repaired due to gasoline fumes having the potential to be ignited and cause a fire. I was told by kia customer care (sandra) on 6-30-25 @ 655am mst that my VIN number was not a part of this recall. I explained my car was experiencing the same issue and required the same repair as other recalls for kia and I was directed to file a formal complaint with NHTSA for assistance. Can you please assist with a formal recall. This is a very dangerous situation with flammable fumes escaping. Sincerely, [xxx] [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Fuel pump is leaking, unsafe to drive vehicle, no check engine light just really bad smell of gas.

Upper fuel pump module is defected and will malfunction. This leads to a fuel leak inside the vehicle. You will be able to see the leak if you remove the back seat and you will be able to smell the fumes of the fuel inside and outside the vehicle. This has occurred twice to our vehicle. First time, the vehicle had 72000 miles and the 2nd time is 130 000. The kia dealership repaired it the first time and has acknowledged the leak both times. This is dangerous as the vehicle can burst into flames by a spark or flame. We did not receive any warning lights regarding the fuel leak. The leak was determined by the smell and the reduced miles per gallon.

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 🔎.

I smelled fuel in & around vehicle. Did some checking discovered cracked fuel rail , causing significant fuel leak when engine is on. Did some more research online discovered 2012 kia sedona recall sc188 “fuel rail leak” identical issue my 2012 Sorento has but my VIN does not come up with fuel leak recall. There is however recall 23v652 hecu replacement- engine fire possible.

See all problems of the 2012 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

Have had an issue of losing power while on an interstate traveling back from work twice now. After the second time I reported to my local dealership. While driving home, my vehicle lost power and was extremely slow and unresponsive. Check engine light came on but when checked under the diagnostics of the entertainment system, showed no issues present. Light turn off but still was having issues with responsiveness. When arriving home connected my personal odb scanner tool to the vehicle and showed 1 code p0301cylinder 1 misfire. Had take. Pics of the code and of my obd tool and cleared the code. Car started functioning correctly again. But still took to dealership for analysis. Dealership could not find any issues or codes, probably cause I cleared the code which allowed the vehicle to run normally again.

The fuel injectors, it is available for inspection. The vehicle feels like it is going to stop unexpectedly, or will not accelerate when it is suppose to, which leads me to feel unsafe driving it with my children. This is the same exact issue we had previously and it was confirmed and fixed by the dealership. The component was previously inspected and confirmed but since happening again has not been- I called the dealership and told them about the issue and they stated my vehicle was not included and they are on a month wait list. The check engine light is on. My check engine light came on, when accelerating the vehicle seems to "jump" or need a minute to catch up. It also makes a sputtering and a "tink-tink" noise when the vehicle is on. We had this exact issue moths ago and it was the fuel injector- which was replaced by kia.

See all problems of the 2022 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

Strong smell of gas while driving and under the hood of car with no visible leaks.

2018 kia Sorento 2. 4 gdi. In late 2024 a kia dealer performed an oil-consumption test and confirmed the engine was burning excessive oil. In Feb 2025 the engine long block was replaced. Within about 4,000 miles the vehicle began setting p1326 warnings, misfiring, losing power, and struggling to climb hills. On a highway trip from south carolina back to indiana, the vehicle could barely maintain 30–40 mph on grades with the accelerator floored while traffic was moving much faster. The check-engine light returned repeatedly. The vehicle eventually died on an exit ramp and had to be pushed out of traffic and towed. I felt it was unsafe to drive but was repeatedly told by dealers that it was “ok to drive” or that the issue was “bad gas. ” after visits to multiple dealers, the current kia service center finally diagnosed a severely clogged exhaust. They report the manifold catalytic converter and underbody converter have broken down internally and are heavily coated in carbon/oil deposits, and state this likely came from the engine burning oil before and around the time of the rebuild. Exhaust temperatures have been recorded at very high levels, and the engine will only run briefly with an O2 sensor removed to vent exhaust; with the exhaust sealed it will not stay running. The dealer has warned there may now be internal engine damage from prolonged backpressure. The vehicle has been undriveable for many months and the failed converters are being retained and are available for inspection. My concern is that excessive oil consumption on these gdi engines is causing secondary catalytic-converter failure, extreme power loss, stalling risk, and possible fire risk from overheated exhaust components, even after engine replacement.

There have been 2 incidents. First, I was going down a steep incline and used my paddles to down shift and up shift. When I entered the flat area the car lost power 25mph to 38 mph. I was unable to go any faster. This continued until I shut off car. Then it went back to normal. A few days later driving on flat streets it lost power again in the same way. I returned home shut off car and it started up as usual again. I took it to dealer and it has been with them 4 days. They were unaware of any other complaints and cannot locate the problem. I have to take grandkids to school and activities a few times a week. This is very dangerous especially on the freeway. Found similar problems on internet.

1) I bought this car in October 2021, when it had ~79,000 miles on it. After ~2,000 miles, it showed a low engine oil sign, and it has been showing this issue since then, I. E. , I have to change my oil/filter after every ~2000 miles. It has incurred a huge cost. I talked to the dealers, but they did nothing to solve this problem and charged me ~$1200. Funny part. Whenever I go for an oil change, they say that kia/Hyundai cars have this engine problem. It's a joke to this system that the govt still allows them to roll on the USA roads. 2) today, this car had a flashing engine light. I will go to a mechanic tomorrow, but afraid of how much they will charge.

My vehicle falls under the 2013 kia sorrento engine replacement and fuel pump. Recall these have not been done to my vehicle. I even double checked with the previous owner and kia did not service the engine or replace it although it has a recall under mine, and all the symptoms stated in the recall with the engine and fuel pump are happening with my vehicle now how do I get this service covered under the recall also a very strong fuel odor.

See all problems of the 2013 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

Critical issue: gasoline leaks into engine. That causes increasing engine oil level significantly and mixed with engine oil. I dropped off me car (mileage: 11731) at kia pro in glendale, CA on 5/1/2025 as soon as I confirmed that engine oil level exceeds the maximum (twice of max) and smelled gasoline from the dipstick. The service advisor and a tech confirmed that the excessive engine oil level and gasoline smell. However, they refused to repair it under warranty because they don't see any physical leaks and error codes. In addition to that, they told me that the car is not good to drive as is because gasoline is mixed with engine oil. In my opinion, this can cause critical powertrain failures or possible life-threatening damages if that initiates fire from engine. Car maintenance history: at 6312miles, 1 oil change change at kia in alhambra, CA I have attached the service receipt on 5/1 for your reference. That shows that the dealership confirmed the issue but they didn't try to resolve the issue.

I saw the kia Sorento safety recall #24v-220 for the defective high pressure fuel pump. When I look up my VIN on your site, it doesn't show this affecting my vehicle. Although my vehicle does this exact same thing. It will randomly go into limp mode and not accelerate when pulling into traffic. I took it to the kia dealer and they said it is the fuel rail pressure sensor and would be $1266 to replace. I believe this is an increased crash risk due to the loss on acceleration when the vehicle converts to limp mode and should be added to the recall you issued under #24v-220.

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.

The entire car failed as it caught fire. I wasn't able to break or put the car into park and it rolled to a stop while smoke was coming through the vents. Because of this, my passenger and I exited the vehicle and crossed the expressway while a highway patroller was directing traffic away from the car. Within 2 minutes the car was engulfed in flames. The car is not available for inspection as it was towed away and disposed of. The safety of myself and the passenger were at risk because the entire car broke out in flames and soon exploded. If we stayed in the car for any longer than we did, we would have died. Unkown. I do not believe that the vehicle has been inspected. The warning lights all turned on at exactly the same time, about 3-5 seconds before the car completely stopped.

See all problems of the 2015 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

Was driving and car lost all power then violently shifted to the next gear and almost caused an accident.

The problem started when our car died while driving it. After a few different replacements, kia decided to replace the entire engine under a recall. After driving the car for a short period of time, the check engine light came on. I went to check the oil and it smelled overwhelmingly like gasoline. I took it to my mechanic who said the check engine light was coming on because of the catalytic converter needing replaced. And the high pressure fuel pump was leaking gas into the oil tank. He said that both of these reasons were because the engine was replaced and they should have all been replaced simultaneously under the recall. I did look it up and there was a second recall for 2015 kia Sorentos who had there engine replaced, that the high pressure fuel pump should be replaced because it was leaking gas into the oil tank. However, kia told us we do not qualify for the recall because it was a different type of engine. But this is the exact same car and exact same issue, therefore I feel this should be included under the recall 17v-224.

Engine failed. Took car to johnson city kia dealership as advised by kia of north America. The dealership said the engine failed due to carbon build up which is a problem with the engines, that it was not covered under warranty. I paid over $6,400 to have the engine replaced. When I was driving the car home the engine light came on and I lost power on the interstate causing me to almost get hit by a semi-truck. I took the car back to kia of johnson city TN. The next day. Kia stated that the high-pressure fuel pump had went bad from the time I left the dealership and got home. I paid over $1,350 to replace a high-pressure fuel pump. On the way home engine light and loss of power. I returned to kia. They stated that gas had gotten into my oil. They changed the oil and I headed home, same issue engine light and loss of power. I told kia of johnson city I wanted a refund, and they could put the old part back on. Kia of johnson city told me to take the car to another dealership that I was not getting a refund, and they would not fix my car. The engine codes and problems were the same as when I picked the car up from kia. I have tried twice to have kia of north America buy the car back due to it not being fixed and I do not feel safe in the car. I have taken the car to a Hyundai dealership in johnson city TN. And asked them to check the engine code and loss of power. Another $223. 05. They stated the high-pressure fuel pump was defective. Fixing same issue multiple times.

Engine died in the middle of the right of way suddenly and would not restart. Knocking sound ensued when restart was attempted. Within the previous 48 hours, the engine had been topped off with 2 quarts of oil. The dealership it was towed to to assess the issue confirmed they added an additional 3 quarts of oil during the assessment. They confirmed the engine would need to be replaced. Mileage at the time of incident was 68k. Kia corporate confirmed they would not replace the engine since there are 4 owners on the vehicle history, and the warranty expired at 60k miles as a result.

Engine stumbled and suddenly lost power, the engine turned off while on roadway in traffic. Car wouldn’t restart. When it did restart, an extreme smell of gasoline and tail pipe emissions was observed. Car was discharging gasoline from the tail pipe, at alarming rate, on to the ground. Car was unsafe to drive.