Wiper Problems of Kia Motor Sorento - part 1

The contact owns a 2025 kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving approximately 75 mph, the rear windshield wiper was moving with the switch turned off. The contact turned the rear windshield wiper to high, then low, and the wiper finally turned off. The contact continued driving and the vehicle suddenly stalled, and the message press button to start engine message was displayed. The vehicle continued to coast in neutral, and then decelerated to approximately 65 mph. The contact pressed the start button and the accelerator pedal, and the vehicle failed to move immediately. The contact stated that after several attempts, the engine revved as needed. The contact stated that while continuing to drive, the steering wheel was hot, the radio screen was blacked out, and the horn failed to sound. When the radio screen was illuminated and displayed the information on the screen, the contact became aware that the gps had reset to an erroneous location. The rear windshield wiper independently activated again. The contact noticed a burning odor while continuing to drive the vehicle. After the contact arrived to the destination, the contact had to press the button four times before the vehicle turned off. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issues. The failure mileage was approximately 56,000.

See all problems of the 2025 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

While traveling on a freeway, the front sliding portion of our sunroof exploded outward and upward. Sunroof was closed at the time with no impact present to cause the event. A very expensive repair for something that is clearly a defect of some sort. Kia was contacted and not willing to warranty or help cover.

See all problems of the 2023 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

The panoramic sunroof on my 2023 kia Sorento intermittently fails to close. When commanded to close, the glass travels most of the way, then stops or reverses before reaching the fully closed position. It frequently takes many repeated attempts. In some cases the panel will not seat at all until the vehicle is driven over rough pavement, and the resulting vibration allows it to complete closure. The malfunction is accompanied by a loud grinding or scraping noise from the roof assembly during travel. This condition has been present since I purchased the vehicle new. The sunroof has seen very limited use. Safety risk: the glass panel cannot be reliably secured. An open or unseated panoramic panel at highway speed presents a risk of water intrusion, wind loading on an unsecured glass panel, and loss of roof structure integrity. Repeatedly operating the switch and monitoring the panel while driving is a significant distraction from the driving task, and driving specifically to induce vibration in order to force closure is itself an unsafe workaround. Dealer history: I have reported this to a kia dealership on multiple occasions. I was told there is no defect and that the cause is debris, which is inconsistent with a vehicle purchased new with minimal sunroof use. On one visit the dealer cleaned the assembly as a goodwill gesture. This did not correct the noise or the closure failure. The vehicle was returned to me as repaired while the noise and the failure to close were both still present. Kia issued technical service bulletin bod125 (rev 1, 02/27/2017) describing a slow-to-close condition and abnormal closing noise on the prior-generation Sorento (uma), remedied by cleaning and lubricating the rear guide rails and replacing the rear tilt levers. My vehicle exhibits the same failure mode described in that bulletin. The component is available for inspection on request. No warning lamps or messages preceded or accompanied the failure.

The vehicles windshield may not be sealed properly or have moisture that builds up between the pressed glass causing reduced visibility and higher risk for crash obstructing the view of both passenger and most importantly the driver.

See all problems of the 2024 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

Leaking windshield. Water dripping into cabin. Headliner soaked with water. Windshield possibly not sealed or adhered properly. (similarly to NHTSA campaign 22v158000 and kia recall sc232 for the kia cadenza).

See all problems of the 2019 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

My windshield randomly cracked from driver side top edge and down in a diagonal direction. There is no visible impact from an object hitting my windshield, which might be a manufacturer defect. This is my daily drive vehicle but the crack is in my line of sight while driving and is not safe. This crack happened yesterday while driving and I contacted kia service department and left a message since it was on a Saturday afternoon.

See all problems of the 2021 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

Sunroof exploded when driving sounded like a shotgun. This is a known issue by kia. The glass blow upward.

The headlights are so dim that I could not see at night. I am forced to drive with the fog lights on for any amount of visibility. I recently replaced the headlights with factory replacements and now the connectors going into the back have failed and power only makes it to the lights when Mercury is in retrograde. This is unacceptable and a severe safety hazard.

See all problems of the 2015 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

I am submitting a vehicle safety and certification concern regarding a 2023 kia Sorento hybrid that was marketed and offered for sale as a kia certified pre-owned (cpo) vehicle by shawnee mission kia, 7951 shawnee mission pkwy, mission, KS 66202. On [xxx], during an in-person inspection of the vehicle prior to purchase, I observed conditions inconsistent with expected certified pre-owned inspection and preparation standards, including inverter coolant below the minimum level, engine oil materially above the normal operating range, and deteriorated windshield wiper condition. A third-party witness was present during the inspection. Because the vehicle was being represented as certified pre-owned, I requested the vehicle’s cpo inspection checklist and supporting inspection documentation from dealership personnel. The requested documentation was not provided despite multiple follow-up requests. Subsequent written communications from dealership management acknowledged failures in dealership standards and handling related to the matter. After a formal complaint was submitted to the dealership’s corporate parent, the dealership’s general manager responded in writing that an internal review had been initiated concerning cpo preparation and documentation practices. The requested inspection and service documentation were still not produced. The dealership later confirmed in writing that the vehicle “has since sold. ” I am submitting this complaint because the vehicle was represented to consumers as certified pre-owned despite observed maintenance and inspection concerns affecting vehicle condition and safety-related systems, while supporting certification documentation was not produced upon request. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

While driving on the interstate at 70 mph the front part of the panoramic sunroof exploded. There was no debris or road hazards that caused it.

I have less than 100,000 miles on my 2018 kia Sorento. When I reached probably 50,000 miles this car went down hill. I feel like I’ve replaced everything on this car. Now every oil change was saying no oil on the dip stick, so I take it to the kia dealership. They tell me that I need an entire engine. My car is less than 100,000 miles. I saw something that said if it was under that threshold, it could be covered but they said they couldn’t find anything. This car has been failing me. I still owe half of the car, what it’s not even worth on carfax anymore. And the engine cost is exactly 50% of what I owe on this car. I don’t know what to do, but never buy a kia again. This is a hazard for everyone around me the gas it is putting into the air. I don’t know what else to do. I even paid them to do an oil change and the oil light lit up as soon as I left the parking lot. There are no leaks whatsoever. I even had someone from the kia engine settlement verify my VIN # and told me that it was eligible and she told me that everything would be taken care of at the dealership without charge. She then told me to wait for the dealership to call and let me know because I was on hold while they were talking. But right after I received a call asking how I was going to pay for it because they could not find anyway to cover it. I don’t know how to ask for a second opinion. Kia is never available to speak with or try to resolve the issue. This has just been a nightmare.

See all problems of the 2018 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

Vehicle: 2025 kia Sorento (VIN: [xxx]) kia corporate case #: xxx safety defect description: the central ccnc infotainment display screen suffers from recurring, thermal-induced flickering and complete blackouts while driving and parking. When the screen blackouts, the fmvss 111 federally mandated backup camera, navigation, and critical vehicle safety displays are completely lost, posing an immediate collision and safety hazard. Extensive service & repair history (2 failed dealer visits): 1. Visit #1 (xxx - healey kia, newburgh NY): reported intermittent display flickering and blackout. Dealer claimed unable to duplicate on quick drive and requested video proof. 2. Evidence documentation: clear video was captured demonstrating screen flickering and total blackout after ~20 minutes of driving, while audio continued playing. 3. Visit #2 (xxx - kia of middletown, NY, invoice #xxx at 4,951 miles): dealer performed a 2-hour manual ccnc software update via kgis and released the vehicle as "operating as designed. " 4. Failure recurrence (xxx): less than 24 hours after the software update, the display experienced another complete failure and blackout while driving (captured on secondary video). Current status / refusal to repair: despite two separate dealership visits and conclusive video evidence proving the software update failed, kia customer care (case #xxx) refused to authorize a warranty head unit / display assembly replacement and instead instructed me to repeatedly surrender the vehicle for indefinite dealer visits. This is an unresolved, chronic safety defect. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Was merging onto the san tan l202 freeway from the sr24 on ramp. While accelerating to up to roughly 65mph, what sounded like a gunshot went off and it became very loud in the cabin of my car. I then noticed glass flying around the outside of my car, so I immediately pulled over onto the shoulder to see what happened. When I got out and looked up I noticed that the sunroof had completely exploded out in the center and that the glass was facing upwards. My husband came to help me take the vehicle to horne kia dealership and we left it with them that day. There was no any indication of anything hitting or striking the vehicle, anything falling down onto it, or any external factors that could have contributed to the sunroof exploding.

The vehicle’s ignition system began malfunctioning immediately after a recall-related service (campaign cs2312 – ignition cylinder protector installation) performed on January 9, 2026. Prior to this service, the vehicle had no ignition or electrical issues. After the repair, the ignition key became difficult to turn, and the vehicle intermittently failed to start. Additionally, multiple electrical components began to fail intermittently, including the infotainment screen shutting off, the air conditioning system stopping, and windshield wipers not operating at times. These failures create a safety concern, as they may affect visibility, driver awareness, and vehicle operability while driving. The issue was reported to the dealership, and their own inspection confirmed that the ignition key cylinder is sticking. The vehicle remains available for inspection, and the condition persists.

Panoramic sunroof panel spontaneously exploded at highway speed.

The rear backup camera brackets inside are broken, causing the camera to dangle down. There was a recall on 2022 kia Sorentos for this, but my VIN number is not coming up as part of the recall when it should be. This causes me to not be able to visibly see the things in the rear when the car is in reverse. There are no warning lights, lamps or messages to notify of thus.

See all problems of the 2022 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

My backup camera had a safety recall issued previously. In March of 2024 I received a letter from kia notifying me of the recall related to this issue, and offered a remedy. I took the car in for inspection, but it was working at the time. Now in oct of 2025 the backup camera starting getting moisture inside, and has completely failed. I contacted the kia dealership that I purchased it from, and they told me to bring it in. When I did, the technician told me that it had been a bracket that was the recall issue, and it was repaired, in direct conflict with what my paperwork said. They refused to repair the backup camera for free. Please inform me of my recourse, as my backup camera does not work at all, and it is expensive to repair/.

On passenger side interior between glove box and dashboard, there is a textured, metallic trim plate that during a sunny mid day, casts a reflection on the passenger side window over the top of the where the passenger side rear view mirror is.

At highway speeds and in windy conditions, both side view mirrors partially fold inwards obstructing the ability to check blinds spots. The vehicle was purchased new from a dealership a month ago. The dealership has been notified of this issue as well as the check engine light being on since the vehicle was 5 days old and we were told they are unable to take the vehicle in until they have a loaner car available. Attached are two images of the driver's sideview mirror showing the approximate distance the mirror folds inwards with little effort.

Lighting and/ or electrical. When using the auto headlight switch, all lights will come on randomly and periodically and stay on until you notice them or they ware down your battery. This is something that could be checked out by dealer and I will ask about it. So, for now, I do not use the auto headlight switch. My other problem is a glass issue. For no apparent reason, when I shut my driver side door a few weeks ago. My entire rear window shattered into pieces. There were no signs of damage to the rear window. Happened in my drive way. But, it could have happened anywhere. Filed a insurance claim and had the rear window replaced.

The vehicle was driven home from work, parked outside in a secluded spot. When I went to leave like an hour later, there was a huge crack in the windshield on the driver side. The crack seemingly appeared out of nowhere, and there is no chip, indicating that it was hit by something that would’ve caused the crack.

Even though the dealership reports that safety recall 23v610 / sc280 for the mounting clip replacement was completed on 2/16/24, my rearview camera has just fell out of its housing, hanging by its wires, with the mounting clips laying broken in my driveway. My rearview camera is currently unusable; its taped up so that it is not just swinging by the wires. When I contacted my dealership, they are pretty sure they can get this work covered under the warranty, but they are not sure. And my VIN# is currently not pulling up any "active recalls". Either the clips they used to replace the previous clips were also bad, or the dealership didnt actually complete the work as reported.

Panoramic sunroof sunshade has detached on one side and is hanging down, affecting visibility.

See all problems of the 2017 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

The panoramic sun roof opens but will not close. It takes 6-12 attempts to get it to close, it will move to where its an inch away from closing then reopen. Kia has recalls for this make and year but says my car is not affected. Attempting to get it to close is very distracting and frustrating taking focus away from driving.

My wife was driving down the highway (xxx) after dropping our daughter off at school. The closest car was approximately 10 cars ahead of her and there were no vehicles behind her. The outside temperature was about 48 degrees, the a/c was set to about 70 degrees. She was driving about 70mph. My wife described the sound to be what she thought was a shotgun blast above her head followed by wind noise like if the sunroof had opened. She looked in the rear-view mirror and observed glass flying behind the car, and what sounded like glass continuously falling on to the cloth for the retractable headliner. When she arrived home I took pictures of the sun roof and noticed that the glass appeared to be pushed upwards (away from the car) as if the glass had been over-pressurized and "popped". By the looks of the glass it appeared as though something massive had been thrown from the inside of the car through the sun roof (although not possible as my wife is small and the retractable headliner was closed). My two youngest kids were in the car with my wife and if the headliner would have been retracted they 100%, without a doubt in my mind, would have been injured by the blow back of the glass "exploding". For context I am an aviation electricians mate in the navy and it looked the exact same as when we have had windows on our aircraft fail and they have blown outwards. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Driver side headlight keeps going out. Bulb doesn’t blow and fuses are fine…. Take the bulb out and put back in and after a couple minutes light starts working again for a couple days before it goes back out. If you go to the passenger side and pull that one out the bulb is smoking.

See all problems of the 2016 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

The rear camera on my 2016 kia Sorento no longer works. Over the past year, the camera images have been getting blurry and smaller. Now, there is no indication or warning of cars or people behind my vehicle, which is a safety concern. I found online that there is a recall on the rear camera for this model, but the dealership claims they haven't been informed. I'm worried about the safety risks this presents.

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

Infotainment center continues to have issues/restarting as if the car was just started. Attempted to resolve with kia after ongoing issues but they do not feel that this is a safety concern or feel it needs to be investigated appropriately. This occurs when driving typically on the highway because most of my travel is highway. When this occurs it is a distraction for the driver. It interferes with the ability to use hands free/calls/gps. Timestamped photos and video available.

On the morning of July 14, 2024 I noticed a crack on the driver side on the window. The crack appeared on the bottom of the window and travel upwards where it ended. This morning July 15, 2024, the crack spread across towards the passenger side of the vehicle. Nothing hit the window for it to develop a crack as my car was parked in the driveway and there were no markings on the window. I do put on the window sun visor to keep the excessive heat out of the car.

Back up camera failure while attempting to drive. Ongoing since water issues in 2019 due to "manufacturers design flaw". Manufacturer will not resolve.

The problem started after a quick stop at a convenient store on the way to work. After starting the engine the vehicle would not shift from park. I was able to bypass this after a quick internet search by removing a small cover near the stick shut and a small straw to bypass the shift control. I've had the car twice at the mechanics without a diagnosis as to a possible cause and was able to have the mechanic permanently disabled the shift lock but was warned the vehicle could be shifted to drive or neutral at any time and moved with a key. About a month later I found myself without headlights and shortly after this without wiper controls. Another visit to my mechanic would this time show the problems, shift lock, headlights and wipers were all from a faulty pcm. My mechanic has shipped my pcm out twice for repair but both time only caused the replacement part to blow. It's not suggested they use the dealer to further repair the problem. I've been 3 weeks without my vehicle and it's another week before the earliest availability from my local dealer. I'm only hoping now it's not a long backorder to gets the parts necessary to fix my vehicle. I have also read this has been a common problem and costly repair with other 2016 kia Sorento owners.

Without warning or indication, my windshield wipers stopped working in a heavy night rainstorm causing me to not be able to see anything. The dealership told me to bring my car in the next morning, while it was still raining, and they said they don’t know what caused it but stated that I need a replacement windshield wiper motor. They ‘escalated’ the issue due to the safety concern involved with lack of functional windshield wipers. As of today, 3/29, kia continues to tell me there is no eta of the windshield wiper motor. The wipers are stuck in reverse and only work occasionally… but in reverse. Most times they do not work. I have been in constant communication with the dealership and kia customer care and no one is able to help or offer a loaner car, but everyone I speak to confirms that this is in fact a safety issue and continues to tell me the case is being escalated. How high does it need to be escalated before a part is received and the issue is fixed? I do not feel safe driving in this condition as it has been raining a lot and no one seems to care about my safety. I don’t want to get into an accident due to limited or completely obstructed visibility. It is now spring and spring in NY means alot of rain, and since 3/6 it has rained more days than not. Today, kia customer care sent me an email saying that the part was ordered on 3/19, but it should have been ordered on 3/7 which was the date I went to the dealership where they confirmed my windshield wiper motor needs to be replaced. I am getting the run around from kia and associated dealerships and want to feel safe. Please help.

Issue occurred and came to like during the past winter snow storm. The hood of the SUV does not allow and blocks the wiper blade arm from being lifted in order to clean ice off the wiper blade nor can the wiper arm be lifted to clear ice and snow under the wiper arm to allow proper operation. This design flaw does not allow safe and clear sight function of the windshield wipers.

Winshield lamination cracked/seperation. No rock chips or anything that hit the winshield. It just started to seperate by itself.