Vehicle Speed Control Problems of Kia Motor Sorento - part 2

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.

See all problems of the 2023 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

Intermittently, when coming from a stop (stop sign, red light, etc) or recent start of the vehicle, the Sorento will not accelerate past approximately 30 miles per hour and the auto-stop light will flash orange in the panel. Once the vehicle is stopped, turned off, and restarted, it goes back to operating as it should and accelerates like normal. This has happened when driving on small, low speed limit roads and on large, high speed limit roads. My safety and the safety of those driving around me is put at risk when vehicles around me are expecting me to drive a certain speed but I can't and am looking for a safe place to pull over to stop and restart the vehicle. To date, the vehicle acceleration has not suddenly dropped from a high speed to a low speed thankfully, but when the issue presents itself, it will not allow the vehicle to accelerate above the 30mph range. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. It is currently at a dealership that is working to reproduce and confirm the problem. There are reddit threads that discuss other Sorento owners experiencing this same issue. To my knowledge, there were not any warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of the problem prior to this issue presenting itself. It has been happening on and off for the last 1-2 years. My vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, or others but I am happy to have any of them do so. A simple battery replacement has not resolved the issue - it was happening before I had my battery replaced and it has happened since having my battery replaced.

See all problems of the 2021 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

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).

See all problems of the 2022 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

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.

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

See all problems of the 2019 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

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).

See all problems of the 2016 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

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.

See all problems of the 2017 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

2022 kia Sorento failed to increase speed when accelerator was depressed , engine rpms increased, but no subsequent speed increase. The amber isg light was flashing, with no other warning lights. The car was driven to a safe pull out, placed in park, turned off and restarted, no flashing light. The car accelerated satisfactorily afterwards. This has happened several times in the last two years. Both fuel pumps were replaced as well as the battery and computer systems were reset and the problem still intermittently persists. This is a significant safety issue if the car cannot properly accelerate when required to merge into traffic and properly maintain designated speed. Was told that kia engineering said this maybe a heat related issue, the car is operated mainly the the southwestern us, phoenix, az metropolitan area.

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.

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.

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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.

See all problems of the 2020 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

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.

See all problems of the 2011 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

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.

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I just purchased this vehicle on Saturday. And now my engine light is on. It is blinking. I did my research after getting the car and the code p1326 came up at autozone. After that it showed that code with recalls for 2011 to 2017.

While driving, my car slowed down and wouldn't accelerate pass 35 or 40 mph. I had to turn into a parking lot and restart the car. It drove fine, upon restarting. My obd reader indicated dtc p200a intake manifold runner. Aaa informed me of kia's notice regarding the same issue. This has happened on 4 occasions over the past weekend.

My car started jumping while driving we had put oil in my car 3 weeks prior. It also smelt like my car was burning while the heat was on I had 2 babies in the back seat and I was scared to death. I haven’t received anything in the mail about any recalls what so ever. I had to hear by a family friend the day of the incident that he thinks they’re recalls on my call so I looked it up. My car is currently not working now and I have work and doctors appointments for babies I got to kia tomorrow they’re saying I don’t have any recalls on my car and I looked it up on here and I do. I’m pretty sure they’re just not wanting to pay for it. They said if I have a warranty they could do. I just don’t know what to do I have no car and I Ave 2 children I can’t afford to not have a vehicle.

My car lost power & completely shut down at 70 mph on the highway. My dash lights went place & I had no control of vehicle other than to go straight & come to a rolling stop. It has shut off repeatedly while driving.

My kia Sorento uses roughly 2-4 quarts of oil every week or 2. The smell of oil is so strong in the car it’s almost unbearable. Just this week the the alert about a door being open is going off and the locks are malfunctioning. It locks and unlocks at random and it keeps sayings a door is open when it isn’t. The cruise control also stopped working.

I purchased a new 2023 kia Sorento in February 2023 from ken garff kia avondale. Since shortly after purchase, the vehicle has experienced repeated electrical and mechanical failures that substantially impair safety. In July 2023, the vehicle began displaying flashing lights, dashboard error messages, and system malfunctions while driving, despite no collision or visible damage. The air conditioning system malfunctioned and blew hot air even when turned off. The dealership stated a front sensor was “damaged” and not warranty-covered, despite no visible damage, and verbally indicated that many other customers were experiencing similar issues. Repairs took nearly four months, during which kia corporate engineers were involved. The issue persisted despite repairs. In December 2024, the vehicle began displaying repeated transmission system error warnings, often within the first 5–10 minutes of driving, causing significant loss of speed and drivability. After multiple service visits, the vehicle required a full transmission replacement in July/August 2025 under warranty. Despite this repair, the same transmission errors returned in December 2025. More critically, the vehicle then experienced multiple sudden and complete electrical shutdowns without warning, including: shutting off entirely while stopped at a red light, requiring a jump start all screens going black and the vehicle failing to restart restarting only after being left parked for several minutes these events occurred without any battery or system warning indicators and created a serious safety risk, including risk of being stranded or disabled in traffic. The issues have been documented with photos, videos, repair records, and written communications. Due to the ongoing and dangerous nature of these failures, I am reporting this as a vehicle safety defect.

I was driving on the highway last night again and my 2022 kia Sorento sx prestige awd lost engine power and the check engine light immediately came on. The truck would intensely vibrate when I tried to push the gas to get over to the highway shoulder. This was extremely unsafe on a highway but I was able to pull over to the shoulder and stop the car and turn it off. When I turned it on, the check engine light remains on and vibrations persist. Even after waiting and multiple restarts. This was the fourth event of this engine issue in the past 6 months. With the same engine power loss and crazy vibrations. The three previous times, the engine light goes off after the first restart and truck drives normal. I even brought it into the dealer and they used the engine diagnostic device that showed no code so they say there’s nothing they can do. But now it’s the following morning, engine light remains on and car is shaking still. I have recordings of this event now bc napleton kia of elmhurst is not believing me. As a traveling healthcare worker, my vehicle is my primary resource. The truck barely has 17k miles on it and all maintenance and care is on point. To shell out over $60k for a ‘top of the line’ SUV that could’ve just ended my life on the expressway is extremely terrifying and disappointing. I urge the NHTSA to please look into these engine issues before someone’s life is ended because of it.

The abs brake light, traction control, and downhill assist lights all came on at the same time. This is being caused by a faulty speed sensor. This item was recalled on the two wheel drive kias, but not the all wheel drive models. . . Hiwever. . Looking for answers in the forums show that there is a systemic problem in the kia system, just google search it and watch all the other car owners stories pop up.

Sometimes the cruise control works. Sometimes it doesn't work. Even after vehicle is warmed up still no resolution. Engine oil disappears without notice or warning.

We were driving on the highway at about 65 mph. Without warning, the vehicle suddenly started to struggle and slowed to about 40 mph. We were able to safely pull over, but we were in an acceleration lane merging onto another highway and didn't feel safe due to the sudden deceleration. This is a plug-in hybrid. We have driven at 65+ mph on long rides before, and this was the first time that we noticed that the battery had completely drained. We expect that when the battery is drained that the car would function like a normal hybrid and continue to function in a safe manner. The car's cluster displayed a message along the lines of "maintaining hybrid mode," although it isn't clear if the speed-limiting behavior was an expected consequence of that. After being pulled over for a bit, the battery level recuperated enough that we attempted to resume driving on side roads. Battery level varied from red to blue (normal) and then back to red, but thankfully the battery didn't fully deplete again and we were able to return home safely. We're waiting on an appointment with a dealership to have the car checked out. It was last serviced 3 days prior to the incident (first oil change, filters changed, etc).