Power Train Problems of Kia Motor Sorento - part 1

The issue appears to involve the electric oil pump and related components. My 2021 kia Sorento had a recall for the electric oil pump that was marked “completed” in January 2023; however, the dealership only performed a software update and did not replace any mechanical components because no fault code was present at that time. Beginning around October 2025, the vehicle started experiencing drivability issues including hesitation and bogging down when accelerating from a stop. A dealership representative later stated the electric oil pump and housing likely need replacement and that the transmission may also be affected. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. This issue creates a safety risk because the vehicle frequently hesitates or bogs down when attempting to accelerate, especially when pulling into highway traffic. When pressing the accelerator, the vehicle sometimes struggles to engage and move forward, which increases the risk of a collision. I brought the vehicle to kia of rbc and spoke with service advisor justin hawkins. At the time of inspection, the check engine light had turned off and I was told they could not diagnose or repair the issue unless the warning light was active. I was instructed to continue driving the vehicle until the light returns. During a later conversation, dealership staff indicated the electric oil pump and housing likely need replacement and that the transmission may also require replacement, but they could not confirm this without the warning light being present.

See all problems of the 2021 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

The vehicle just had an oil change. It was driven after that approximately 25 miles when there was a loud noise and the wheels locked up. The vehicle was shifted into neutral and coasted to the end of a dirt road. Could smell oil burning. Upon inspection of the underside there was oil blown onto the exhaust and down the underside of the vehicle. After looking further, I noticed a semi rectangular hole in the narrow end of the oil pan just above the exhaust pipe. Some oil had drained out but the dip stick was reading full. This incident could have resulted in losing control of the vehicle when the tires locked up or caused a fire when the oil hit the exhaust. It could have cause an accident if another vehicle was following. No lights were on until after the incident when the check engine and oil light came on. It still has not been diagnosed by the dealer because they are all backed up until may. Have to rent a vehicle due now and probably look for an independent garage.

See all problems of the 2019 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

Car burns oil to the point it requires 1 qt/500 mile. Had oil consumption test when issue first started in 2024 by kia, was told there was no problem. Car has continued to have this issue and has now broke connecting rod due to engine starvation even through the oil is to the full mark. I lost all power while driving with no warning before hand. Kia has admitted these engines have oil consumption issues that can lead to this exact problem and many other consumers have complained of the same situation in which kia will not replace the flawed engine.

See all problems of the 2014 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

The contact owns a 2021 kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated and occasionally jerked while accelerating with the accelerator pedal depressed. The message to "pull over and shut off vehicle" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to an unknown recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 68,846.

Car would randomly stall and jerk while accelerating. Unsafe to drive. May cause accident. Having to constantly set hazard lights to prevent accident.

Gear shifter gets stuck. Car jerks back when trying to speed up.

See all problems of the 2016 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

The oil pressure switch is faulty. The oil indicator light comes on when I'm idling, and I'm also losing 1 quart of oil every 1,000 miles. This was reported on previous kia models of this make and model, which extended the warranty to 15 years/150k miles. Kia isn't honoring this anymore, even though my switch was diagnosed as bad. Seems kia never fixed the problem, as my kia has 113,000 miles and would have been covered by a TSB (technical service bulletin) for the same issue a year earlier.

My vehicle started to shift irregularly. From a stop, I would accelerate and before shifting to the next gear the vehicle would lose power, pause, and then shift to the next gear. Doing this until the vehicle reached the desired speed. At first, I could turn the vehicle off then on again and it would be fixed. Eventually, the check engine light came on and stopping and restarting no longer fixed the problem. If this would have occurred while I was pulling into busy traffic, expecting my vehicle to accelerate normally, an accident would have happened. The vehicle is now experiencing a loss of power even at highway speeds. Upon taking the vehicle to the dealership, I had to climb a hill and the vehicle speed dropped down to 30mph from the 75mph I was doing before making it to the top of the hill. There is currently a recall for this issue, NHTSA 22v760000, and it matches everything in relation to my vehicle, however my VIN doesn't show as part of the recall. And the dealership is refusing to fix it under this recall. Please advise on what can be done. Thanks.

The engine pump went in my vehicle (21 kia sorrento) and is giving a code of p193b79. There was a recall that the dealership said they completed in 2023 to fix this. When I asked the dealership what they did to fix this in 2023, they said they checked for the code and it didn't have the code. Since they closed the recall, because it didn't currently have the code, they marked it complete and won't fix the issue with the transmission now. This was the information I got from the dealership. Then they proceded to tell me that sc250 is for code p1c2d03 and my car is giving code p193b79. I explained when I search online the two issues are very closely related and the kmsister company of Hyundai includes both coves in their recall. I have loss of power, as stated in the recall. I explained to the dealership that when I pulled out of my road, I tried to cross and I pressed the gas. The car would not got above 15 mph and the rpms went very high. The dealership called it a "limp motor" when I described it to them. After calling kia customer service they told me that the dealership makes the call if it is under warranty. I called the dealership back and they told me again that because it was marked completed in 2023, it can't be under that recall. I easked because I didn't have the code in 2023, what was done to prevent this issue from happening on my car. They explained again they closed the ticket in 2023, so it can't be under that recall. I am having the loss of power, explained in sc250 and the dealership told me it is the engine pump fail. They explained it is the same part but a different code. I explained again how those 2 codes are very similar issues and their sister company agrees. I also explained an article I found online for kia, where those 2 codes are very related. The article explained if the dealership did not cover it, call kia. If still not resolved, file a complaint with NHTSA. That brings me here. Thank you!.

I bought a kia 2020 from long lewis 3 days after I got it the check engine light come on, I called and told them, then around the 5th day black smut started covering the back of the SUV, and I was smelling a burnt oi; and antifreeze smell, took it to a shop and they pulled the codes and one code was p045600 and another was p074100 then airbag codes, not even a month it started jerking they told me to bring it in so I did, he said they cleared the codes and was gonna fixed the evap, I asked about the torch converter and he said that must've been a code from the history but it wasn't, it did have a history of the code though, and I asked about the black smut on back of the vehicle he said nothing they can do about that and said fixing the evap may fix it, but sometimes it smells like it's on fire, and jerks.

See all problems of the 2020 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

While driving, have had the engine of my 25 Sorento hybrid stop working. An emergency notice comes on the screen (see photo) stating to pull over safely. The hybrid system error message has come on 4-5 times in the last month. The vehicle will not drive more than 15-20 miles per hour and has virtually no acceleration making it very dangerous to drive in or around high speed/traffic areas. Took it to a local kia dealership where I was told nothing was wrong and their only guess was that it was related to the battery and cold weather. The same messaged/incident has happened 2x since bringing it into the dealership. With the most recent being 1/22/26. Problem first arose on 1/9/26. There are dozens of reports of this in online threads over the past few months with kia hybrid engines.

See all problems of the 2025 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

I am reporting a serious safety defect regarding my 2022 kia Sorento hybrid (mileage: 91,661). The vehicle was diagnosed with an internal short in the egr (exhaust gas recirculation) control unit (error codes p0404, p049d). Upon inspection, significant engine oil intrusion was found inside the egr unit. The egr system is designed to handle exhaust gases only; the presence of liquid engine oil indicates a critical failure in the powertrain system (likely the pcv system or turbocharger seals) which is forcing oil into the intake/exhaust tract. Safety risk: this defect causes the egr system to short-circuit, which can lead to unpredictable engine performance, reduced power, or sudden engine stalling while driving. Any sudden loss of power on a highway poses a severe risk of a rear-end collision. Furthermore, oil intrusion into electrical components increases the risk of thermal incidents or localized fires within the engine bay. Despite the vehicle being within the 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty, the dealership (suntrup kia south) is refusing coverage, claiming the egr is not a powertrain component, while ignoring the fact that a powertrain failure (oil bypass) is the root cause of the damage. I request NHTSA to investigate this "oil intrusion into egr" issue as it appears to be a systemic defect in kia’s hybrid powertrain that compromises vehicle safety.

See all problems of the 2022 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

Car is in shop 3rd time 2020 Sorento with 2. 4l thete ii gdi engine. In may e went in p1326 code of death, knocking and blinking light. They put a band aid on. Back in September more issues, oil gasket valve cover and 4 spark plugs. Another bandaid, westarted seeing oil, I thought we were nuts because it was just fixed. Check engine light cane on, read 4th spark plug shot that they put in on 9/25. Tatvfirst rried sating 300 for plug and done. Then day after head mechanic says we need a new engine but all receipts not available. They're not filing a claim for an engine, these engine are blowing up and failing everywhere they just haven't gotten to year 2020 yet in law suits or settlements. When p1326 originally happened we were on the highway and it just decellateared and loud knock! luckily we were okay and got over fast. With each issue car was immediately brought back to the kia dealer, the sane dealer I bought the car new off lot in 2020.

The contact owns a 2021 kia Sorento. The contact stated that while stopped at a traffic light or a stop sign, the vehicle rolled backwards and stalled. The contact was able to coast to the side of the road. The ignition key was cycled several times before the vehicle restarted. The failure was intermittent, with the check engine light illuminating intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The failure persisted. The contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 22v760000 (power train); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 62,500.

This incident started within the first 100 miles of ownership. The dealership hasn’t been able to recreate the incident. I put my 2025 kia Sorento in the “automatic” drive position. I start driving and my transmission won’t shift gears. I looked down at my dashboard and it shows the vehicle is in “manual” drive gear 1. I look at my gear shift and it shows the vehicle is in “automatic” drive position. If I push the vehicle to its redline or approximately 5000 rpm’s the vehicle shifts and dashboard changes from “1” to “d”. In summary my transmission is malfunctioning and shifting intermittently on its own from automatic to manual drive and the gear shifter is always in the automatic shift position. This happens several times a month. I video taped the incident because the dealership didn’t believe me when I told them this keeps happening.

While driving at low speed and turning, the vehicle experienced a sudden loss of power accompanied by engine knocking. The engine stalled and would no longer operate normally. The vehicle was inspected by a mechanic, who found metal fragments/shavings in the engine oil, indicating internal engine damage. The engine is now inoperable and has effectively failed. There were no warning signs prior to the failure other than the knocking noise immediately before the loss of power. This failure occurred suddenly and without driver input. The sudden engine failure caused a loss of propulsion while the vehicle was in use, creating a potential safety hazard for occupants and surrounding traffic. The vehicle required towing due to engine failure. Kia consumer assistance was contacted regarding the engine failure. I was informed that no recalls apply to this VIN and that the vehicle is out of warranty. Kia consumer assistance stated they would not inspect or document the engine failure unless I paid out of pocket.

A failing alternator caused me to take my kia into a mechanic for oem replacement. The mechanic informed me that the engine rattles. I got to talking with the mechanic and told him that my car has been experiencing high oil consumption with no 'low oil' warning light on the dash and ive checked my oil periodically between changes and have found the dip stick bone dry multiple times. A year later, my alternator failed again and was replaced with another oem part. The same mechanic told me that the engine is still rattling (I hadnt gotten it fixed/diagnosed because I am low income) and that he found out there had been a recall for kia sotento engines with my vehicle date range. Upon research, I find thousands of people on different platforms are also experiencing high oil consumption and there was actually a recall. When I checked my VIN, my vehicle was not part of the recall. There seems to be a high number of consumers who have the same issue, but are also not included in the original recall and we are all being told that unless we pay for a new engine out of pocket, there's nothing that can be done. High oil consumption with no warning light is dangerous. How is it possible that only half of the vehicles with the same defect are eligible for a recall/repair and the rest of us are s. O. L? I am the second owner of this vehicle and purchased from a used lot, however kia knew about this defect before I purchased the vehicle from the used lot. The used car dealership no longer exists so I can't even ask them if kia made them aware (which they potentially did not since my VIN isn't considered eligible anyways) this issue needs to be rectified for the thousands of consumers/customers that are experiencing this problem and I strongly suggest a new investigation be conducted for the remaining vehicles that were manufactured in the same time frame as the vehicles that are covered. My vehicle has only 90k miles on it!.

Based on my best assessment, the issue appears to be related to the transmission pump. The vehicle experienced transmission malfunction consistent with a failing transmission pump. This vehicle has an active federal safety recall listed under its VIN; however, the local dealership in puerto rico refused to honor the recall and attempted to charge for the repair.

Today is 12/15/2025 about a month or 2 ago I was on the highway coming from south carolina to north carolina when the engine revved up unexpectedly without input. It has hda2 and that was doing most of the work. The vehicle started to speed up beyond the set limit and once I hit the brakes and manually shifted I was able to regain control. Last week the vehicle made a small noise that I wasn’t sure about. I called the dealership thinking that it could be a transmission problem. When I called they didn’t seem concerned and asked me to bring it in Monday (today). I had no lights or error codes (and still don’t) on the dash and they did not recommend that I don’t drive it so I continued using the car. Last night it made a horrendous noise started revving on its own and shifting very hard ans if something was coming apart. This morning on my way to the dealership the car completely seized up at an intersection. The car has 47900 miles on it. It’s a 2025 and the transmission seems to have completely blown. Ive read online several complaints about the transmission on these vehicles and think that they may be a major concern. For a new car to have this type of issue locking up while on public roads and smoking is absolutely a hazard. My only saving grace is that it happened at an intersection and not on the highway where an accident would have been inevitable. Please look into the dct transmission on kia Sorentos. Particularly x-line sx prestige models. It is a highly unsafe vehicle. Another issue that the car is having is a clicking noise on the steering column that seems to be getting much worse over time and im afraid will result in loss of steering. Im having them check it out as well. The vehicle never showed a malfunction and I’ve attached a screenshot of the app showing it in perfect health despite being undrivable. I still have no invoice and no police report was made.

On 3 separate occasions, while idling, the engine will sputter as if it’s about to cut off. The rpm will rise and fall and the engine will rev up and down and finally it will quiet down. Once the light is green, it is able to drive as normal. At the next light the same thing happens and the engine revs up and down sounds like it’s about to die. At a certain point the car will lose propulsion,(hard to notice at first when it’s stop and go traffic) even with the pedal all the way down, making it difficult to drive at a safe speed. The car will operate this way in a very limited capacity w stuttered propulsion for a minute or two then a warning symbol and alarm sounds letting me know there is a safety issue with the hybrid system and to stop safely. The car then becomes completely unresponsive and you must stop immediately and shut the car off. Once restarted the car jolts back up and operates somewhat normally.

See all problems of the 2024 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

Incident #1: [xxx] the vehicle would not accelerate after coming to a stop at an intersection. The vehicle would not exceed 20 mph with oncoming traffic from both the east and west as I was turning west from a north bound road. On coming traffic was traveling between 45 and 50 mph. I was clearly nearly broadsided. The car displayed flashing lights on the dash as I was attempting to accelerate. Depressing the accelerator did not increase my speed. The car kept at a 20 mph speed for the 1/2 mile I traveled to pull off the road in a safe location, causing traffic to be disrupted until I could pull off the highway I had the car towed to the kia of round rock dealership November 17th. The car remained at kia until December 3rd where they were unable to duplicate the problem. I requested the problem be referred to kia in California. Kia of CA was totally unresponsive when the problem could not be duplicated. Incident #2 [xxx] vehicle failed to respond to accelerate after stopping before attempting to enter a four lane highway. (no traffic was visible. ) the car would not accelerate more than 20 mpr, the speed limit was 55 mph. For the 1. 5 mile trip home, I turned on my hazard lights, kept to the right and flagged traffic around me. The car never exceeded 20 mph. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2023 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

While driving from phoenix to tucson in midday traffic, the vehicle displayed a "check transmission" error message. Immediately following this warning, the vehicle experienced a significant loss of motive power while navigating a busy intersection. The car would not shift gears appropriately to maintain speed or move out of the path of traffic, which created an immediate risk of a collision. I was able to avoid an accident, but the vehicle's inability to accelerate or change gears left me stranded in a hazardous location. Component failed: transmission/transmission control module. Safety risk: the sudden loss of power in an intersection put me and other drivers at risk of a high-speed side-impact or rear-end collision. Warning symptoms: the "check transmission" message appeared moments before the failure. Inspection status: we have had the recall taken care of on January 25 , 2023 with 8810 miles at peoria kia initially. The incident happened on December 6, 2025 and the vehicle was taken to royal kia on December 6, 2025 for inspection. ".

Car has 77,593 miles. The oil light came on only at idle. Immediately hauled to dealership and was told it was a faulty pressure switch and not covered by the warranty even though its part of the powertrain and the earlier models had the same problem and were extended. Should I expect every 77,000 miles or so to have to spend $1700? the tech said no because they are replacing the known faulty switch with new version of it.

The contact owns a 2022 kia Sorento. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the vehicle failed to accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact restarted the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. The contact called a mobile mechanic to the residence, and the mechanic diagnosed the vehicle with a defect in the transmission. The mechanic informed the contact that there was a recall on the model vehicle related to the transmission. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA campaign number: 22v760000 (power train); which was linked to the failure. The contact called several dealers in the area and was informed that the vehicle was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and the contact was provided with the same information as the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000.

Vehicle: 2025 kia Sorento (leased) VIN: [xxx] mileage at failure: 11,345 incident dates: March 23, April 27, November 28–December 1 type: loss of power / electrical failure / safety hazard complaint description: I am reporting repeated electrical failures and complete loss of power in my 2025 kia Sorento that created unsafe situations for myself and my children. The first failure occurred on March 23, approximately 2½ weeks after leasing the vehicle. The vehicle died without warning and had to be jumped. I brought it to the kia dealership, but service would not perform a diagnostic without an appointment and sent me home with no repair. The second failure occurred on April 27. This time the vehicle was completely dead again. Kia’s service manager retrieved the vehicle from my home, diagnosed a failed battery cell, and replaced the battery. The third failure occurred between November 28 and December 1. The vehicle was again completely inoperable. I attempted to jump the vehicle on multiple days, but it would not hold a charge. I was stranded without transportation. The interior doors and trunk would not unlock because the power locks failed, and my belongings and large business related were inaccessible. Headlights flickered like a strobe light before the vehicle lost power entirely. Kia towed the vehicle from my home on December 1. These repeated electrical failures have resulted in multiple incidents of being stranded, including with my children, and have caused loss of use of the vehicle for several days. The defect is unpredictable and creates a serious safety concern, especially because the vehicle can lose power without warning and I am unable to unlock the doors. This raises a serious safety concern when transporting children. I am requesting that NHTSA document this as a potential electrical system safety defect. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

My car totally stopped on me due to one of the 8 recalls I have undone related to my car. My insurance company verified that the recalls were open related to my car. I verified it to make sure by VIN number at NHTSA. Gov. Up until today 2/13/2026 as I spoked with a representative at NHTSA my 8 recalls went from 8 to 0 recalls all of a sudden. I'm pretty sure the young lady went updated they website to read just that. I still have some proof that the 8 recalls pertain to my car and needs to be repaired. The dealership had me to bring my car in due to the recalls but because it had a motor failure now they're saying it's my fault for going over the approximate mileage of getting an oil change which is not true. The recalls were due way before my time and should have been taken care of before the car was sold to me. I purchased the car in March of 2025 and the car just failed on me in November of 2025. Within that time frame of me purchasing the car, I took good care of the car getting and oil change as well. Providing all oils where needed replacing tires that were needed, keeping gas tank clean. Changing air filters, and just keeping up with the maintenance. The car had no accidents no losses perfectly good car other than the recalls that were pointed out. When I brought the car in they told me everything was fine and that they would take care of those for me. My car has been there for like three weeks now and now they're telling me that the car is showing that the car was driven 11 thousand miles before it had an oil change. I have no idea of who drove the car before I purchased it and that I can only provide them with documents of what I took care of within the time frame I drove it up until the day it just stopped on me while I was driving. I really need my car and they is holding my car doing nothing to it all this time just to tell me that it's up to the manufacturer and sending him my documents for them to decide wether they will approve the repairs or not.

Our 2016 kia Sorento had 86k miles on it, loud knocking began and days later catastrophic engine failure. Rods and bearings are busted on my 3. 3 liter, v6 gdi engine. It died while my wife was driving it to the dealership. Estimated repair is 19k, metal shavings in the oil. It is available for inspection. My wife was driving it on the highway when the engine failed. Dealer confirmed the rods and bearings were broken.

The vehicle is a 2016 kia Sorento equipped with a 2. 0l turbo theta ii engine subject to the ksds (knock sensor detection system) safety recall. The original engine was replaced at approximately 70,000 miles under kia’s engine service program. The replacement engine currently has approximately 32,000 miles. The vehicle developed internal engine damage diagnosed by a kia dealership as a burnt exhaust valve. A burnt exhaust valve indicates abnormal combustion conditions such as lean operation, pre-ignition, detonation, timing deviation, injector malfunction, or lubrication failure. These are conditions the ksds recall was intended to detect and mitigate. Kia consumer affairs denied warranty coverage, stating that the extended warranty applies only to rod bearing failure and that no further escalation would be pursued. Kia consumer affairs declined to escalate the matter for district parts & service manager review and directed the owner back to the dealership. During the prior engine replacement, the dipstick was observed to be glued in place, raising concerns regarding oil level accuracy and lubrication integrity on the replacement engine. This complaint is submitted due to concern that a ksds safety recall-related engine failure involving abnormal combustion was not properly reviewed or escalated, and that recall procedures were not administered in accordance with their intent.

Beginning at approximately 750 miles on a brand-new 2025 kia Sorento hybrid ex, the vehicle experienced a flashing check engine light accompanied by severe shaking while driving, rough idling, loss of power, and loud engine/exhaust noise. The vehicle became difficult and unsafe to operate due to the vibration and reduced drivability. These symptoms appeared suddenly on November 22, less than three weeks after purchase. The vehicle was taken to the dealership on November 24. Their technician retrieved diagnostic codes p0300 (random misfire) and p0304 (cylinder #4 misfire) and identified a failed ignition coil on cylinder #4. The coil was replaced, and the dealership reported the issue resolved. However, less than 24 hours later, with the vehicle still under 800 miles, the exact same symptoms reoccurred: heavy shaking while driving, vibration while idling, loss of power, and unstable engine operation. This indicates the underlying issue may be more serious than a single coil failure. The problem has been reproduced and confirmed by the dealership, and the vehicle is currently back in their possession for further inspection. A loaner vehicle was issued because the vehicle was not safe to drive. The sudden shaking, engine misfire, and loss of power created a significant safety risk, especially if this failure were to occur at highway speeds or while turning across traffic. Given the extremely low mileage and recurrence immediately after repair, this may indicate a broader defect affecting engine performance or ignition components in this model. The vehicle remains available for inspection by NHTSA, the manufacturer, or investigators.

Car is losing power, won't go into gear, slipping.

See all problems of the 2017 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

The contact owns a 2017 kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle was shifting extremely roughly. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission due to the vehicle not receiving a required software update. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 141,128.

Engine has a leak, the engine oil sensor was defected ,front axel leak and needs replacement.

I am reporting a serious defect involving my 2017 kia Sorento 2. 4 liter gdi engine (VIN [xxx] ) at approximately 84000 miles, while still under the powertrain warranty, I brought the vehicle to the dealership from which I purchased it (hutchinson kia in macon GA) due to engine hesitation and abnormal performance. I was initially told the engine might need replacement, but the dealer later claimed the issue was only a relay/software problem and performed a software update (likely the ksds knock sensor update) at approximately 94000 miles, the engine suffered a sudden catastrophic failure while driving on the interstate, the failure was abrupt and created a dangerous situation in traffic. The vehicle is now inoperable. The engine is equipped with the theta ii gdi engine, which has a documented history of bearing and connecting -rod failures, fires and sudden engine seizure. Kia is refusing to cover the failure, even though the symptoms began during warrantly and the ksds update was reportedly completed. This appears to be consistent with the widespread theta ii engine safety defect previously investigated by NHTSA. The sudden failure of the engine posed a significant safety risk to myself, passengers and other motorists. I am requesting the NHTSA review the incident and evaluate whether kia is properly honoring required safety-related engine replacements for thet ii gdi equipped vehicles. Thank you. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Our 2025 kia Sorento has exhibited several issues with shifting into gears especially from 1-2 gear there is hesitation, hard shifting, where it has delayed engagement, rough or jerky shifts, and a feeling of power loss while driving. It has a hard time getting into 3rd gear and just stalls, dragging at 1st/2nd when attempting to accelerate and coming down from 4th gear back into 2nd and 3rd. A "check transmission' warning light has appeared on the dashboard. This is teh second time we have had this issue. The car only has 16k miles on it, we have had it for 12 months exactly now and only drive it locally.

My vehicle has a slow speed pick up and I’m getting code p0018 and has very rough idling !.

See all problems of the 2015 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.