Steering Problems of Kia Motor Sorento - part 1

In August 2025 my 2022 kia Sorento s began having the electronic power steering (eps) malfunction indicator light flashing. It comes on, flashes for a while, then goes off again. Shortly after the first time this happened (a week or so), my steering began losing all power steering intermittently at random. I took it to the local kia dealership, but they did nothing even though I am still under warranty. It has progressively become worse - now the light does not even have to be flashing for me to lose all power steering - I almost wrecked twice this past week with my 3 small children, due to loss of all power steering at random, unpredictable, times during turns - while I am turning the vehicle. I took it to the dealership again today, and they still don't fix anything. I am terrified for the safety of my children and myself. Something must be done. I am paying $30,000 for a car that is trying to end our lives.

See all problems of the 2022 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

I was driving and when I lost all power steering the lights on the dash came on for power steering and traction I could not steer at all it was so hard to drive . I reported it right away and had my car check out there is a recall on the power steering but they are saying my car was made in April and the recall starts for cars made in June . Well now they are saying I need a new steering column when u turn the wheel u hear a load clunk noise my dash light go on and off when you turn the wheel and you lose power to the vehicle I also burn threw light bulbs monthly I think it’s also a electrical issue within this vehicle I have already had to get a new engine this vehicle in junk and has costed me a fortune and the keep denying to cover there at fault for any of it and it’s there fault it’s not just my car they are all like this.

See all problems of the 2018 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

I was driving our 2017 kia Sorento 2. 4 liter, on I-94 in detroit, mi when suddenly, the vehicle would not go over 50 mph when the engine suddenly lost power on Friday 11/28/2025 . . We towed the vehicle to the auto repair shop a few days later. On Tuesday 12/9/2025 the auto repair shop contacted us and said that their was plenty of oil in the vehicle but cylinder 3 misfired and there is a loss of engine compression. Auto shop says cylinder 3 failed and now only 3 cylinders are now working on the 2017 kia Sorento now mileage is now 94, 971 miles. I have not taken it to the dealer yet because even though there was a class action lawsuit, the auto repair shop has informed us, as well as other information online, that the dealer will sometimes try to avoid replacing the engine. I did contact the dealer on 12/10/2025 and informed that we do have maintenance records and have the vehicle towed there this weekend, however, my initial conversation with the service rep did not sound promising to date.

See all problems of the 2017 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

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 🔎.

My name is [xxx] I am a [xxx] widow, and I am also a 100% disabled (combat wounded, purple heart receipient) marine corps veteran. I purchased my 2017 kia Sorento brand new from lion county kia in state college pennsylvania. After a couple of years, I noticed while driving on several random trips, that my kia's steering felt like it had stopped working, and I had to fight to keep my kia centered in my lane. I took it to lion county kia, and complained about this issue, while my kia was still under warranty. The lion country kia service tech. Claimed that they could not find the issue with my steering (becasue there was no "alert light" in my kia's computer. A few years later corporate kia acknowledged there is an issue with the power steering assist motor and sent a document stating that this part will be warranty past the original warranty to 15 years or 150,000 miles. I let my grandson use my vehicle and the same continual steering failure happened to him. I then took my kia to team kia in, johnstown PA, and paid to have a diagnostic test completed team kia's test showed in a writen document that my Sorento has a faulty "motor driven power steering" unit. I sent the team kia's test results to kia corp. Power steering assist motor, so kia corporate is aware that my Sorento defenitly does have a "m. D. P. S. " problem. I contacted kia corporation and they informed me that because there is no indicator light or computer code present on my kia, they will not warrant the power steering assist motor. In my opinion kia corp. Is willingly placing an unsafe vehicle on the roadway. This faulty "motor assist power steeing" not only puts the operator of my vehicle at risk, but this issue also puts all vehicles close to me on the roadway at risk. This issue has me so concerned that I am forced to ride my trike instead of driving my kia. Driving my kia, with this steering problem, is definately a severe safety issue. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6.

The red steering wheel with an exclamation point pops up on the dashboard and instantly I lose power steering the wheel gets really hard, it went out as I was making a turn and I almost hit the truck . I had to yank the wheel really hard to control the steering, then had to pull over turn the truck off then back on to reset the problem. This have been going on mildly for a few years now has gotten to its worst.

See all problems of the 2016 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

Driving on the freeway going 75-80 mph and my steering wheel locked up. When this happens I am unable to turn my steering wheel. Have to let my foot of the gas and try with all my muscle to get the car to go to the side of the road to put the car in park. Turn it off and turn it back on. This exact incident has happened to me 3 times in a row on the freeway on [xxx]. Once while the road had a curve. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Power train incident - • transmission holding gears, jerking between shifts, gear shifted into s mode on its own and stuck there, unresponsive acceleration, locked up steering/inability to turn the steering wheel and total loss of drive power. • happened while merging onto a highway in one of two split lanes for highway access. A merging semi truck in the other merging lane almost ran into me because I could not give it gas. Me and a local police officer who saw me broke down and stopped to provide additional cover, were nearly hit several (6) times from other vehicles and semi trucks due to malfunctions happening. • diagnosed by kia dealership and was told there was a major electrical failure which caused the electrical oil pump to fail and need a new transmission. Although my VIN doesn’t list recalls, similar issue to the recall on my same year/make/model under NHTSA campaign number 21v519. • warning lamps/messages shown in photos attached. __________________________________ forward collision warning incident - • front forward safety system light appeared on dash, then moments later a warning appeared and the vehicle braked on its own detecting a vehicle in front of me when there was not another vehicle in front of me within vision!! • happened while driving in a 55mph zone, a vehicle was driving behind me when this occurred and that vehicle almost slammed into the back end of mine causing a crash. • problem not yet inspected on vehicle due to blown transmission from above incident and inability to start/move the vehicle.

See all problems of the 2021 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

It feels like the engine is starting to cut out and as soon as that happens, the electronics in the car seem to start fighting each other. They adaptive steering and the lane assist it feels like they don’t work together anymore and I’m always fighting it or it won’t stay in the right lane and the car jerks from line to line. If I turned the lane assist off then it drives ok but the engine still is doing something funny.

See all problems of the 2025 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

My 2021 kia Sorento (VIN: 5xyrldlc8mg069305, built July 2021) has a persistent scraping/metal-on-metal noise when turning the steering wheel. This noise comes from inside the steering column. It matches exactly what kia documents in TSB cha111, which identifies failure of the worm shaft small bearing inside the c-mdps (column-mounted motor driven power steering) system. My vehicle uses the same steering column system covered in that bulletin, though my VIN is not included in the bulletin’s range. The video embedded in cha111 features the exact noise my vehicle is producing. I recorded it and sent it to kia consumer affairs, along with proof of the c-mdps configuration and production date. Despite clear evidence that my steering system is affected by the same design flaw, kia declined support unless I pay for a dealer inspection — despite the issue being a known, documented defect. This noise has been present as far back as I can remember. And is steadily worsening. The steering column bearing is a critical safety component. If it fails, it could lead to steering resistance or failure. Other kia and Hyundai vehicles using this system have already had the part replaced under warranty or goodwill coverage. I can provide a video of my vehicle making the noise. I’m submitting this complaint because kia refuses to address a defect they’ve already acknowledged when it appears in later vins. I am asking NHTSA to investigate and consider requiring kia to expand the scope of TSB cha111 or issue a recall.

Electrical issue all dash lights came on and couldn’t shift into gear, had to replace my main computer as it was fried at 72,000 miles, also had to get the steering column replaced total of $6,000 fixes.

Steering wheel has a "sticky" feeling when driving at high speeds. You have to keep the steering wheel moving back and forth or else it sticks while driving high speeds. I have reported to dealership multiple times, but I have been told there is no issue.

Was turning right onto the road when the steering locked up and every safety warning light came on. My car literally stopped moving in the middle of the road. I wasn't literally right down the road from my house so thankfully I was able to get the car back to my house. The steering felt worse than not having power steering. I called and the dealership matt blac kia of toms river, and they had my car towed to the dealership around 10 am on April 4th. Around 4pm I was told they still had no idea what was wrong with my car, and to come pick up a loaner car. On April 5th at 4:42 pm I received a text stating the wiring harness wasn't secured properly and rubbed the steering shaft, and they had to contact kia to see how to proceed. April 11th was told the part arrived and hopefully sometime next week I would get my vehicle. As of right now I still don't have my vehicle and have no idea of when I will get it back. My main concern is that this was a serious oversight on the assembly of this car, and could have had very different results if I was not in my neighborhood and was on a busier road.

All of it. Car randomly shuts off and lose power steering. No. Dealership has inspected. All the lights in the dash light up, screen says battery discharge warning, car shuts off and lose power steering while driving down the road.

Car shut off and the radio kept going on and off red light on dash board and steering was hard.

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.

See all problems of the 2019 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

The steering seems to stick, hard to explain but when you are driving on the highway feels like the steering wheel is going to stop working.

Steering sticks and makes it difficult to stay straight. Have to use extreme effort to keep it in the lane. Complained to kia in 2022 and dealer saw problem with the rack mounted motor driven power assembly but that it was within their specs. They did a software update on the eps and said system now operating as designed. The miles were 35,774 at that time. Started having same issues in February of 2025. Dealer is saying it needs a new steering column, but now out of warranty. Miles were 59,436.

Steering mdps unit malfunction causing loss of power assisted steering. Visible steering light on dash. Vehicle was inspected at a kia dealer confirming issue with mdps unit. Kia shop stated that this was an issue with the 2016-2020 kia Sorento models and most fell under the recall umbrella but this specific 2017 kia Sorento is not on the VIN checked list for a steering recall for the mdps unit failure. Kia stated that the repair would cost out of pocket at $3500 for the same issue others with the same problem kia is replacing under recall warranty. The mdps unit failed while driving causing issues with being able to steer.

My vehicle has issues with the power steering. At random times, day or night, the wheel steers to the right and I have to force my grip on the wheel to avoid crashing. It last between 3-5 seconds. No lights or alerts light up on the dashboard. Dealerships have been unable to assist me, I have gone to three different ones. They cannot identify the issue. Loss of power steering assist increases crash risk, since it’s harder to control the vehicle in tight maneuvers or emergencies. Car is available for inspection.

See all problems of the 2024 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

The steering started to fail and would be hard to steer while driving. I then looked further online and found that a recall was issued for the steering column and how dangerous it was to continue driving the vehicle for the cross as stated in the recall could seperate and one could lose steering and cause a crash so we; my wife and I managed to get the car safely to the dealer for further diagnostic only to find out that although a recall was issued for the steering problem. Our VIN was not included and we had to pay for the repair.

The contact owns a 2015 kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal popping sound coming from the steering column. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the steering column became severely loose, and the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The vehicle was restarted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and the contact was informed that the steering column might have failed and needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the mechanic had not completed a full diagnostic test on the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The approximate failure mileage was 76,289.

See all problems of the 2015 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

Steering cupler failure.

While driving a red wheel icon with exclamation mark appeared on the dash. This caused for my car steering wheel to become increasingly hard to maneuver and drive while on the highway driving about 60mph.

My vehicle has always been well-maintained with the dealer with regularly scheduled oil changes. On the captioned date, my vehicle failed the state emissions test. Immediately after leaving the testing facility, the check engine light came on and the engine began to rumble. The vehicle barely made it to the kia dealership. Kia told me the entire engine needs to be rebuilt for $6,500 and that may not even solve the “timing” issues.

This is an ongoing issue, from the day I purchased the car used. The steering sticks and binds when turning to the left; not on an ordinary sharp turn at an intersection, but at highway speeds. Sometimes the steering sticks and must be corrected to avoid going into the opposite lane. Several diagnostic attempts have been made including alignment, recalibration, and replacement of the 4wd coupling. Car still wavers and sticks at speed when turning left. Unknown cause. No codes show. However, at one time, on the display (not the dashboard symbol display, the camera/radio display) a message appeared saying: mechanism failure.

The power steering system has randomly gone out. This occurs at random times when I’m driving. Once I was backing out of somewhere and the power steering light came in, while I was in the middle of the street blocking both sides. I had to turn my car off and restart it. I am put at risk because of my inability to turn at random times. This puts others at risk too when I can’t turn/ move my steering wheel properly. I’ve been desperately trying to get my car looked at but I keep getting the run around that they can’t check what the codes are on the car because the lights on the dash turn on and off. There were no warning signs. The car is managed well and kept up with. This started randomly when driving and turning into a parking lot, causing me to almost hit cars and large rocks. The car has been fine until now.

When attempting to start the car, the engine will not start and every alert system and dashboard light turns on. The car is undriveable when it does this. It takes 5-10 minutes of turning the car on and off before it stops and is drivable again. It does not happen every time and seems to be random. This has happened 5 times. An additional 6th time this same issue happened while I was driving - all of the dashboard lights went on, and every alert / warning turned on (forward collision, lane warning, etc). The steering wheel also became stiff and extremely difficult to turn. I have been attempting to work with 2 different kia service departments and their corporate escalations department without luck. They are unable to replicate the issue and are planning to give the car back to us. After seeing so many similar or same issues reported on various forums I am filing a NHTSA claim. (one forum example here: [xxx] ) 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 🔎.

My front driver seat slips out of recline position to another position on its own had engine replaced, got car back, made humming noise, took back to dealer, could not find noise, car still makes noise and now there’s seems to be louder noise coming from steering or front suspension while car is driven, dealer claims with no extension of warranty and over 60,000 miles, any work for this issue with steering/suspension is not covered, this was not an issue before engine was replaced under the engine recall.

Car was burning oil rapidly. While driving heard loud noises, shaking, smoke started coming through vents and car turned off. Kia is stating that there are many recalls on vehicle, but the only recall I received is for a tow hitch. I don't have a tow hitch. Very dangerous if I was going somewhere with a higher speed limit. Kia dealership is saying corporation won't offer extended warranty due to recalls not being completed. Again the only recall is for a tow hitch. Kia dealership has quoted me over $10000 to fix a vehicle that is suffering from known manufacturer failures.

Sometimes this condition hardly noticable and other times very stiff then move steering wheel slightly and full assist. Seems more prevalent after driving 1/2 hour or more on expressway steering becomes stiff and ratchety. This causes steering to stick whenever driving at highway then driver is putting more effort to overcome stuck wheel. When breaks loose vehicle goes to far in that direction then sticks again causing to stick again and over corrects other direction. This goes from annoying and uncomfortable to just plain dangerous depending on conditions speed weather and proximity to other vehicles or obstacles.

Steering wheel "sticks" at higher speeds, making it difficult to make fine adjustments. When steering un-sticks, it then overcompensates and you end up zig-zagging down the highway. It is very uncomfortable and it feels unsafe.

The contact owns a 2015 kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 mph, the brakes locked up, the steering seized, and the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that there were several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact was barely able to pull off the highway. The contact was not able to restart the vehicle. The contact had the vehicle towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine had seized and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.

The clock spring went bad with no warning.

The steering wheel sticks and has to be forced out of the stuck position. Not a safe situation if it gets worse. If it sticks for good I could be driving into the ditch or into the path of an oncoming car. I hear the steering column has to be replaced. It has been doing his for the last year.