Vehicle Speed Control Problems of Kia Motor Sorento - part 1

I am filing this complaint regarding a serious transmission defect in my 2022 kia Sorento. The vehicle frequently hesitates, stalls, and at times fails to accelerate properly, creating a dangerous situation when driving in traffic, merging, or crossing intersections. This poses a direct safety hazard to me, my passengers, and other drivers on the road. I brought the vehicle to mark kia service in scottsdale, az. The dealership acknowledged that the transmission issue is a known defect in this model. However, they refused to repair the problem unless they could “replicate” the malfunction during their testing. Because the issue is intermittent, it does not always occur on demand, leaving me without any repair or resolution despite the safety risk. This policy effectively forces consumers to continue driving unsafe vehicles. I have already experienced several close calls where the vehicle’s hesitation and lack of response nearly caused an accident. The defect is widely reported among other owners of the 2022 Sorento, yet kia and its dealerships are failing to provide adequate remedies under warranty. I am submitting this complaint to request an investigation into kia’s handling of this matter. The failure to repair a known transmission defect, despite documented safety risks, places drivers and the public in harm’s way. A recall or mandatory corrective action should be considered to ensure consumer safety.

See all problems of the 2022 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

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

See all problems of the 2019 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

There are eight recalls on my car I do not trust dealerships I do not trust mechanics I work on my own car I have very bad experience with mechanics I would rather return my car to the dealership I want to sell my car do the dealership eight different recalls is too much.

See all problems of the 2011 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

We have been having problems with the speed control not functioning. Sometimes we couldn't set the speed or slow it down. Now it doesn't function at all! when it was working the cancel switch would also not work and we had to use the brake pedal to shut it off. Later on while driving through town with the cruise control still on, I stopped at a traffic light and the engine began to race at a high rpms. I took my foot off the gas pedal not knowing exactly what it would do and rpms settled down. Luckily the SUV didn't accelerate into the vehicle in front of me. The engine has done this a couple of times with or without the cruise control on. My wife drives this vehicle with our grand children onboard and I am highly concerned about their safety.

See all problems of the 2016 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

My 2020 kia Sorento engine light came on and not able to accelerate more than 40 mph. The code when I went to an auto repair shop says knock signal range/ performance. I had it reset by the mechanic and the engine light still on. The engine is also eating through oil very fast. We have to fill the car with oil frequently in between oil changes.

See all problems of the 2020 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

On June 5, 2025, I was driving my 2025 kia Sorento. I proceeded to get onto the highway from an on ramp. At that moment, the engine stalled. The car would not accelerate. I could not go faster than 20-25 mph. This was a huge safety risk to me, to my passengers, and to others on the highway. Eventually I exited the highway and drove home very slowly, since the car would not accelerate beyond 20-25 mph. I was pressing the gas pedal as far down as it would go. I even tried turning off the car and restarting it. The check engine light was on. The car was towed to a kia dealer. The kia mechanics noted that the fault log in the car's computer system noted that the stalling/failure to accelerate event did occur, but that they were unable to reproduce it, even after several attempts driving it around in various conditions. The kia mechanics told me there was nothing they could do or fix, since they were unable to reproduce the stalling event. Then just yesterday, on July 6, 2025, the Sorento stalled again while it was being driven on the highway. I am having it towed tomorrow to the same kia dealership to have the same mechanics look at it again. At this point, this is an extreme safety issue for anyone driving the car, in the car while it is being driven, or on the highway when the car is on the highway. Imagine if the car stalls again and another car behind us traveling at a high speed slams into us. We could potentially suffer mortal or grave physical injury.

While traveling to va from TX, [xxx] and on [xxx] the vehicle hesitated to accelerate multiple times. Some were from a complete stop, and other times it occurred when accelerating to merge on the highway. On [xxx], I pulled out of a driveway onto a very busy road and upon increasing pressure on the gas, the vehicle shook (similar to the behavior of a manual when letting up off the clutch and not applying even pressure to the gas. Due to the vehicle's hesitation, I as almost hit by a large truck traveling on my exact path. This was the sole instance that warranted a call to kia corporate, as I feel the issue is a significant safety concern. I placed the vehicle in service 11-12 Jun and the attached receipt highlights that the dealer was unable to replicate the issue. As of 16 Jun, the vehicle is still exhibiting the same issue intermittently, along with the break pedal popping when ascending or descending on a hill/ramp. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The kia was using to much oil, the engine light came on and it’s the cam shaft sensor…just got it replace but still doing the same thing as the rpm’s is fluctuating ….

The contact owns a 2019 kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving 55 mph, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated to 95 mph. The check engine and hazard warning lights were illuminated. The brake pedal was depressed; however, the brakes failed to respond as needed, and the steering wheel seized. The contact turned off the vehicle and was able to stop the vehicle on the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer to be diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the throttle shaft was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred the following day, and while driving at 55 mph, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated to 80 mph. The contact pulled over to the side lane and turned off the vehicle, and the vehicle gradually slowed to a stop. The check engine warning light and hazard light were illuminated. The vehicle was restarted and slowly driven back to the same deale,r and the contact was informed that additional diagnostic tests were needed to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

Vehicles instrument cluster goes black at times ( speedometer, tach and all exterior lights and turn signals are inoperative during this time) I took it to the dealership and they said they couldn’t duplicate the problem.

See all problems of the 2023 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

This is the third time I’m having to take my SUV to the kia dealership because my check engine light begins flashing and then my car has a hard time accelerating when it gets to certain speeds. It shakes but will not go over 68 mph although it is covered under a warranty, it is very frustrating. Having to keep take my car to get fixed. There should be a more permanent solution.

See all problems of the 2017 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

Outside temp was 33 degrees f with a slightly lower windchill. I started the car and, when I accelerated to 30 mph, my car began to beep and the dashboard indicated the speed was limited to 30 mph. It went into limp mode and resisted when I tried to go above 30. We were towed to kia but they could not replicate the issue and said it may have been due to the cold. A google search showed others with 2025 model kias also had the issue and they also happened during colder temps. I was glad I was on a 40 mph road and not a highway or it could have been a dangerous issue. There was no indication of any issue until I tried to accelerate to 30 mph. It drove fine the night before when it was also below freezing.

Was driving up a hill when the 'auto-off' light started flashing on the driver display. Car would not accelerate above 20mph. At the top of the hill, I switched gears to neutral and the car began operating as expected; however, the same behavior occurred again at the next hill. Pulled over and restarted the car. Car worked as expected after restart. This is dangerous. I was taking my daughter to school in morning rush hour traffic. We live in a very hilly area and I'm terrified to drive the car. I dropped it off at the dealership almost 2 weeks ago and they have yet to identify the issue. I do see similar complaints on this site so I'm hoping that you are investigating.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? I was driving and the car completely shut down- I could not use my brakes or accelerate. I had to pull along the road in ongoing traffic to coast to a stop. I lost all control. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? I was in traffic and the cars behind me had to slow down immediately, I could not speed up or even brake to come to a stop. Others around me as well as myself were in danger. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? they reviewed and said they scanned it and did a drive test and could not find the cause. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? yes, it was seen at the kia dealer I bought it from. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? as soon as the vehicle lost power there was a warning sign on the dash that showed "limit" with a half circle emblem.

I've taken my vehicle to the dealership and explained what issues I'm having. I was told that the tec experienced the same issues. When I asked for a loaner car until they make the repairs needed I was told that they don't give loaners out unless I call customer relations which I did and filed a complaint. My complaint was escalated to corporate and the person that was handling my complaint told me due to the regulations in my state they're not able to assist me with my concerns. I explained to her that I could not go over 5miles, the truck would and has shut down on me and my family while driving on the interstate. I've had my truck towed three times. Then the transmission light comes on the dealership stated they can't find anything wrong with the truck. At this point I don't even want the truck anymore I don't feel safe driving the vehicle anymore. I explained my concerns to the dealership and corporate office customer escalated case representative (tiffany) and still no one cares is it going to take for myself or my kids to lose their life in order for them to take this seriously!!!!! case # [xxx] is my case number. . . . Please assist me with this matter as I'm currently deployed. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The contact leased a 2025 kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving, the vehicle failed to increase over 20 mph. The 20 mph limited message was displayed. The brake pedal was hard to depress. The driver pulled over and called the salesman at the dealer, who discussed red flags. The contact turned the vehicle off and restarted. While driving 45 mph, turning left, the brake pedal was applied, but the brakes violently pumped upwards for about nine car lengths. The vehicle eventually slowed down. The speed decreased from 40 mph to 20 mph, and he crashed into a Toyota corolla stopped at the light. There was an unknown abnormal warning sound detected. There were no reported injuries, airbags, fire, or police report filed. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the bumper was cracked and two unknown sensors were damaged. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, who investigated the failure and determined that the brakes and Smart cruise control were working as designed. Additionally, informed  him not to utilize the cruise control in the city, read the manual, and learn the vehicle. The approximate failure mileage was 65.

I have been without transportation for 3 months now and I’m about to lose my job.

I had just entered the highway and reached highway speed of 70 mph. Without any warning, the engine died, all of the dashboard lights came on, and I was unable to accelerate. Thankfully I was in the right-hand lane and there was an exit ramp a short distance ahead. The car decelerated as it had no power, and cars behind me were honking. I was able to exit the highway and coast into a parking lot just off the frontage road. Had I not been able to get off the highway, the vehicle would have been stalled in fast-moving traffic, and a pile-up could have easily occurred. I turned the car off using the push button start/stop, waited several minutes, and restarted the car. The check engine light was on and the car diagnostics system reported an issue with the "engine management system. " upon clicking the details link, the diagnostics system further stated "a possible condition with your engine control system has been detected. A full system check is recommended to be done soon. Please contact your local dealership to schedule an appointment. " I took the car to a local kia dealership, and they stated they could not recreate the problem. They reported they "inspected the vehicle for dtc's and found code po65312 in history. " they cleared the code and reported, in writing, that "no issues found during test drive, vehicle currently operating properly, no further action taken" and gave the car back to me without fixing anything. They stated it may need to be diagnosed for longer ext diag time. The vehicle is available for inspection, and I would appreciate any help I can get as I got no help at the dealership.

My SUV is having all of the problems associated with a bad engine. This started a week ago and on Thursday, [xxx] my SUV completely stopped running and I had to get it towed to my residence. I had an ase certified mechanic to check it out and he said your engine is bad. I have had all of my required oil changes as well as servicing as recommended. I got this SUV in 2020. It has a little over 100,000 miles. I cannot afford a engine repair at this time. Please advice. Thank you [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Left out for work one morning as normal. Everything was ok no lights no warnings no problems. I was driving approximately 25-30 mph when my speed began to decelerate, a knocking noise, the check engine and oil light came on and my vehicle just stopped. After about 10-15 mins I could restart the car and drive to a safe parking lot off the street. When I started the car back up the knocking sound was even worse. In the parking lot, all the fluids were checked and there was not one drop of oil in the engine. I took the vehicle to the shop and was told the engine was done. It would need to be replaced. The mechanic explained that there had been a problem with the engines burning up oil in the 2011-2014 kia's. Thankfully, I was on a local road during morning travel, not the highway. I shudder to think of what may have happened if I suddenly started to decelerate at highway speeds and was hit by another vehicle.

See all problems of the 2014 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

Was driving to the store for groceries with my 2 young children, when my car just stopped accelerating and the engine seized up on a local road. Had noticed a ticking and knocking sound when accelerating a few prior and a weird sound coming from the suspension but it was dismissed by the dealer. Had the vehicle towed to my home and had to tow to dealership as it would no longer turn over at all. Received a recall notice but apparently it doesn't apply to my vehicle because I had oil, coolant and no leaks anywhere. Only had 127,000 mold and this is the 4th issue I've had with this vehicle. 1st was rats chewing all my wires, 2nd was the rear differential, 3rd fuel pump, and now this.

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.

While in the process of pulling into marked stall in parking lot car accelerated unexpectedly jumping over a concrete stop and crashing into the wall of a building. Car sustained eleven thousand dollars worth of damage and the wall that was hit was caved in. Cost of wall repair is unknown at this time. After the collision an attempt to dislodge the car was attempted by putting the car in reverse. The engine rpm was still racing and the car jerked backwards uncontrollably requiring the engine to be shut off to stop the car. Nobody was injured only property damage.

See all problems of the 2021 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

The contact owned a 2015 kia Sorento. The contact stated while depressing the accelerator pedal to drive inside the garage, the vehicle accelerated to the highest speed unintendedly. The contact depressed the brake pedal continuously, but the vehicle failed to respond. The vehicle pushed a table of home items through the rear wall of the garage, hit several gas pipes, and then landed approximately 6 ft. Downhill in the backyard, where it continued to accelerate. The contact then noticed steam coming out from underneath the hood and the vehicle stopped. The air bags did not deploy. The contact was able to drive up the backyard hill and entered the residence. The contact did not sustain any injuries. The vehicle was towed and totaled. A police report was not filed. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 32,042.

See all problems of the 2015 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

I was on the freeway and I needed to accelerate to get over and I pushed on the gas and the car would not accelerate at all I could not get the vehicle to speed up it was stuck at 40 I had gotten the gas pedal to the ground and no acceleration the rpm were jumping up but the miles per hour were not so I I tried to let it drop down in speed and then tried to accelerate again and at that point I could not get the vehicle over 60 I pulled over turned off the vehicle waited and then restarted it and tried to continue on to the freeway and the car would not go over 60 miles per hour. I had my car towed to dch kia of temecula where they had my vehicle over 2 weeks and proceeded to say they couldn’t find any errors or codes to see what was wrong with it and said it was intermittent and had me pick up my car I picked up my car and when I went to get on the freeway once again with my daughter in the car and vehicles behind me I went to accelerate to get on the freeway and the vehicle would not pick up I could not get my car to go over 40 miles per hour once again and I had a car behind me almost hit me and start honking at me with my kid in the car I had to pull off the freeway because I was causing traffic to back up my car wouldn’t accelerate and it had to be towed back that Monday to the dealership they continue to have the vehicle for another 2 weeks and said they hooked it up to a a flight recorder and drove it and no one could find and thing wrong with it so I picked it up after 2 trips to the dealership and 1 month with out my car and no one can I find anything wrong with it yet I google it and there are multiple recalls on other 2020 kia Sorentos that have acceleration problems but the kia dealership told me they never heard of this. I once again had it happen at 80 miles per hour tonight and it got stuck this is very unsafe and can cause a catastrophic accident.

I was driving to work going about 40 and out of nowhere my 2016 kia Sorento started slowing down. I could not accelerate and no warning lights came on. There was a sudden loss of power. The car slowed to a stop near a busy intersection. I was in the road and almost hit by multiple cars. I could not start it again. I noticed white smoke coming out from under the hood. There was an awful smell to it. It would not start back up. It was eventually towed to a dealership and they said the engine was locked up and the starter was burned. The engine is a 2. 0l turbo gdi engine.

Shortly after purchasing the vehicle in February of this year, we started to notice that oil was burning off quickly. We took it to be looked at and was notified that there was no signs of a leak. After that incident all of the warning lights came on on the dashboard. We took it again to be seen where we were told that it was burning oil again and that the oil was low. We had the oil refilled and on our way home the car completely seats and shut down loosing all power on the highway. We lost all control of the power steering, braking system, and the power to the whole car shut off. We had the car towed to a repairman who looked over the car and said that the engine is completely seized with no notable signs of damage but that it would require an entire engine replacement. We notified kia about the problem and that it was something that was known to happen with the engine and they refused to cover it or do any type of repair. The car is now non-functionable with a complete seizure of the engine.

Vehicle seems to be stalling when you stop and then try to pull out. It takes minutes to accelerate after stopping.

See all problems of the 2018 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

Me and my wife were traveling north on [xxx], left lane, 18 wheeler in right lane, cars directly behind us, 70 mph, when there was an abrupt thud, and slight skid, then lost all power from the engine. There were no warning indicators at the time. When the engine failed, we almost hit the tractor next to us. Looking in the mirror to try to determine what to do, as steering was hard to perform, there was a large cloud of black and blue smoke, the car behind us being covered in smoke and most likely oil too. The car behind us aggressively braked and ducked in behind the 18 wheeler just before a rear impact would have occurred. We finally got to safety on the side of the road as the traffic stacked up behind us was able to reduce speed in time. I had my car towed to the kia dealership in springfield, mo. One interesting point, the wrecker operator said that unfortunately a big part of his business was hauling kias. We almost died. Upon review of social media, I see there are literally thousands of kias placing families in danger. Why hasn’t mr. Budegedge acted on it. After experiencing this, it’s likely there will be deaths. My car had 120,000 miles on the engine. Kia said it was my problem as they met their warranty obligation at 100,000 miles. There are so many incidents, even with 6 cyl engines. Customers need to be warned. At least they can be prepared for the failure when it happens. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

I was driving home from work when vehicle downshifted while on the interstate. I continued to drive and tried to accelerate but again the vehicle downshifted. I was able to drive home by not going over 50 miles per hour.

The contact owns a 2022 kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at 70 mph, the forward camera was obstructed. The steering over corrected while turned off. The transmission was accelerating and decelerating without application. The collision control engaged without an object in the driving path. The drive-side seat belt randomly unlatched. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was taken back to the local dealer, who diagnosed and determined that the transmission and seat belt needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was contacted, who opened a case but declined to buy back the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 28,660.

While attempting to merge into 70mph traffic on the interstate, the vehicle suddenly lost all acceleration capabilities. I could have been in an accident due to the sudden loss of acceleration and eventual power to the engine. When I pressed on the gas pedal, there was no resistance and the pedal went all the way to the floor. The vehicle slowly accelerated on it's own from 20mph to 55mph without my pressing the accelerator. There were no warnings on the dash at this time. Once it reached 55mph, it slowly began to decrease it's speed without my pressing the brake or accelerator. As it started decreasing in speed, a warning popped up "check hybrid system, stop safely". At this time, the battery level showed 0 bars though it showed half full (8 bars before this happened). I got over to the side of the highway and continued coasting until the vehicle slowed itself to a complete stop at which point the car put itself in park and engaged the emergency brake and the dash displayed "parking brake automatically engaged" and the engine oil pressure warning light came on. I attempted to put the car back in drive and the dash displayed "shifting conditions not met". I turned the car off, let it sit a few minutes and restarted it. When I restarted it, the battery showed 0 bars and the display said "park with engine on to charge battery". I put it in drive and I was able to drive without any issues. The battery level went back up 6 bars in less than a minute and I drove it to the dealership. This was the 2nd time this happened. The same exact thing happened the first time and when I took it to the dealership they couldn't replicate the issue and there were no codes recorded. First incident was on 1/12/24. I immediately pulled over, put it in park and turned the vehicle off. It worked fine after restarting it. Second incident was on 1/25/24. There were no codes recorded this time either but I do have pictures of the dash displays. They are "live" photos.

As I was backing into my driveway on Thursday 1/18/2024 @ 5:25 pm. I was on my way home from work. As I was backing into my driveway I lost power, the abs and the mil light both came on, the abs went off but the mil began to flash and I lost all power in the car. I shut it off immediately and we pushed my car the rest of the way into the driveway. I had received a kia safety recall notice that said if this happens, call kia, immediately to request a tow to the nearest authorized dealership. Was told they cannot perform this task and that I need to wait till tghe figure out the recall before they will help me. I have no vehicle to get back and forth to work now and kia is refusing to help me.

On January 17 2024 as I am making my usual drive to work on a very busy interstate highway my 2016 kia Sorento ex v6 fwd auto 3. 3 liter engine completely seizes up and so begins my nightmare. The same nightmare I am seeing time and time and time again reported on this site, and every site you do a simple search on 2016 kia Sorento's for. As a result of the catastrophic engine failure, I (a female, original owner of the kia,) was left in a very dangerous position to try and maneuver through and not be killed by oncoming cars and further not get jumped in a very bad part of the metro. (this is not my personal assessment, this is the highest crime area in our city) car was towed to dealership where I originally purchased it and today I received the diagnosis report indicating alternator replacement $1,283. 94, head gasket $4,276. 92, body control module/ ecu $1,030. 35 (an issue that I raised when the car was under the manufacturer warranty, and was ignored by the service team and results in me using a screw driver to even get the car out of park) I want answers as do all of the other impacted customers as to what more is needed to prove that kia engines are dangerous and need to be taken off the street!.

(January 11,2024) my wife had an accident while driving a 2012 kia Sorento vehicle. She was waiting to enter a parking space at the laurel mall that someone was backing out of, when the space was clear to enter, she took her foot off the brake and proceeded to enter the space. It seems that the Sorento went full throttle on it's own and proceeded to smash into 3 other parked cars. I read that kia has a problem with faulty acceleration on 2009 thru 2015 with the Sorentos. I reported this incindent to my insurance and they recommended that I contact Kia Motors direct. I have reported this to Kia Motors customer care, (January 12, 2024) I am waiting for their reply to this situation. There were no warning lights nor any warning of a failure with the vehicle. To date, the Sorento has not been repaired nor checked by a mechanic.

See all problems of the 2012 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.