CarComplaints.com Notes: As long as catastrophic engine failure at under 60,000 miles is the top owner complaint, it'll be pretty hard to recommend the 2012 Sorento.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
71,903 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2012 Kia Sorento brakes problems

brakes problem

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2012 Kia Sorento Owner Comments

problem #11

Apr 252020

Sorento

  • 146,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The vehicle was sitting in the driveway approximately 30 to 45 minutes after having been driven. I had noticed nothing unusual when driving the car. I walked outside to the driveway and flames were visible inside the car. The car was unoccupied and was not running. The switch was turned off and the keys were removed. The doors were locked. I unlocked the doors and put the fire out with a pan of water. I let it cool off and cranked it and moved it out of the driveway to the side of the road. I removed the battery cable for safety reasons. The emergency flasher switch apparently had melted and the flashers would not turn off.

- Pleasant Grove, AL, USA

problem #10

Jul 162019

Sorento

  • 69,000 miles
2nd complain for Kia engine. Dec. 2017 my engine seized. I spent on 5grand for a rebuilt engine. Original complaint was electrical system did not give me any indication that there was an issue with my oil or engine. Driving down a main street where my car suddenly died. I had to pull off to the side of the road. I was able to restart it. Once it was restarted you can hear loud clicking from the engine. Fast forward to a year and 4 months later. Rebuilt engine on Feb 2018.. car died again on 7/16/19. Once again no indication that there was a problem with my car. No oil light. I was driving on the highway when my car was not picking up on accelerating. I decided after work I put some oil into my engine. Schedule an appt with my mechanic to have my oil changed. The next day my car would not start. Had my mechanic tow my car and later tells me that it was my engine again. Stated he could find an engine for over 3grand for me. Unfortunately I do not have the money. I am now out of a car again with a newborn and trying to find rides to and from work. I just recently moved and cannot afford this. My VIN is not listed in the recalls and it should be. Kia has faulty engines and it is not just the one engine. Last engine failure was at 65000 miles. This time it is at 69000 miles. Why are my oil lights not coming on when there is low oil" why was this problem not fixed to begin with??" other problems with my car is my handle in the back seat pulled off (I am not that strong) electrical system (oil light not coming on, cruise control knocks out while driving, volume control for radio randomly calls contacts) Kia is a lemon but I don't have the money to repair a 2nd and probably 3rd engine. I don't even trust my car with my Kia dealership anymore because they are crooks and liars. I still have 10grand left to pay for this car!

- Bristol, PA, USA

problem #9

Dec 012018

Sorento

  • 90,000 miles
Door handles broke off, air bag light is turned on after replacing battery in car, and car won't pass smog because O2 sensor readiness and fuel system monitors won't show ready even though there is nothing wrong with the car and car is not pulling any error codes, both upstream and downstream O2 sensors were replaced, air filters changed, and fuel system was flushed and still did nothing to make the monitors show ready

- Corona, CA, USA

problem #8

Jul 272018

Sorento

  • 129,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The break lights stopped working and the electronic stability control ESC and downhill breaking control dhc lights came on. I was alerted to the break light issue when I was stopped by a fort worth police officer. I tried to fix the problem by checking the break light bulbs (they were good), the fuses were all good. I replaced the break switch with on bought from O'reilly auto parts. It did not fix the problem. I took it to mechanic who told me that the switch was bad, so I returned that switch and changed it again but still the lights didn't work. I took it to southwest Kia in mesquite and was charge $312.95 to fix a $19.41 part: Another break switch. I found this preposterous. As I was waiting in the waiting room I looked up Kia recalls and I found that previous year model vehicles had been recalled for this issue. I believe that this is a recurring issue and that 2012 and other model years having this same issue should be included in the recall...

- Dallas, TX, USA

problem #7

Apr 302018

Sorento

  • 104,000 miles
My mechanic said my engine seized on me. I was driving on a highway which turns into a city street and the car stopped on me and when I turned the steering wheel right to get off of the busy street it was difficult to turn. I then tried to start the engine, all the lights came on but there was no noise when I turned the key. Smoke started coming out of the engine on the passenger side. I had to get the car towed and the mechanic said the engine seized on me. There were no warning signs. I called Kia but they said my car does not qualify for a recall because it is not a gdi model, even though it falls into the same year for the engine recall. I called Kia to see how much it would cost to get the engine replaced and was told they discontinued my engine model. So they told me my best bet would be to search for a used engine in a junk yard.

- Calexico, CA, USA

problem #6

Jun 202017

Sorento

  • miles
While driving the ABS, traction control, and down hill break assist light began to come on normal highway driving. Would stop and restart the car the lights would go off, after a few driving miles the ligjts came back on and stayed. Now the break warning light will illuminate sometimes. I owner vehicle 52,000 thousands on vehicle. All service up to date and performed by Kia dealership.

- Kosciusko, MS, USA

problem #5

Aug 012016

Sorento

  • 50,222 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Can not move shifter out of park when car is started. Can not shift car out of selected gear when motor is running. ESC lite is illuminated on dashboard and brake lites do not function when these defects occur. Symptons experienced are the same as described in NHTSA campaign 13V114000. Kia dealer replaced brake lite switch-says SUV does not fall within population of vehicles identified under Kia SC098 recall. I am of the opinion my SUV should have been covered under this Kia recall and I should have not been charged for the repairs. My 2012 SUV should be included in NHTSA campaign 13V114000 / Kia SC098.

- Dracut, MA, USA

problem #4

Jan 102016

Sorento

  • 79,643 miles
We own 2012 Kia Sorento sx, purchased new. The car has 79643 miles. Our family was driving on interstate 84 from boston to Connecticut. The car was driving at 60~65 mph. Suddenly, the car tpm (tire pressure monitoring) came on and within 5~10 second all lights ( traction control/ battery/ all wheel drive) started flashing. It was raining and wiper stopped in middle. All of these events occurred within 10~15 seconds. I pulled over from left lane to center lane. I felt car is losing power with no wipers running. I than pulled over to the breakdown lane ' the car started shaking and engine tuned off. The breaks were hard to press. After the car was turned off - I cannot even move the shifter from drive mode to parking. We called the tow truck and towed the car to Kia of East hartford ( Kia's dealer in ct) I was lucky to pull over without any accident or tragic. This kind of sudden death of car without warning is very dangerous. I called Kia customer service team to report this incidence and they were not even concerned. I reviewed the comment/ complain from other customer about the similar incidence they experienced as well. I request want NHTSA to investigate the matter.

- Cromwell, CT, USA

problem #3

Aug 222013

Sorento

  • 45,564 miles
I was driving my 2012 Kia Sorento on a flat residential road in fair weather and came to stop at a stop sign. After going forward about 20ft after the stop sign my car just died. It completely turned off, all electrical, the engine, everything and I had to put it in park to restart the engine. This has happened on 4 separate occasions, 1 time on a hill, 1 time in rush hour traffic with a tractor trailer behind me, and again on my way home in a residential area. I took the vehicle to the Kia dealership and was told that they could not re-create the problem and no error codes came up. I do not know what to do. I am scared for my life driving this car.

- Bowie, MD, USA

problem #2

May 272014

Sorento 6-cyl

  • 59,000 miles
For the third time in a 2 month span, my 2012 Kia Sorento has completely shut down as we have been driving it. We are at the 60K miles mark. This is very dangerous. Two of the three times we have been doing around 40 mph on very busy streets and thank god, we did not hit another car or get hit. The vehicle with zero warning, will just die and we will lose all power steering, we can't shift gears, and the brakes do not work like they normally do. The first time I thought it was just a battery, so I replaced it. But since then we have had it at the dealership twice and they do not know what is wrong with it. They will get it running again and then a couple of weeks later, it will die again. I have two babies that ride in this vehicle and I am looking at my options to getting rid of it. This vehicle is very dangerous!!

- Denton, TX, USA

problem #1

Apr 052013

Sorento 6-cyl

  • 18,500 miles
My family and I (wife, 4 year old daughter and 9 month old daughter) had just exited the freeway and entered our housing complex. While driving through the neighborhood our vehicle's engine as well as all electrical components turned off. We were in motion at the time it turned off. We had another vehicle behind us, but luckily they saw our vehicle slowing down and drove around us. My wife was driving and stated everything locked up and, as expected, she had to muscle the steering to pull to the side and out of the way of traffic. The brake pedal was also depressed all the way to the floor, and had no ABS. We had to wait for the vehicle to come to a complete stop then put the vehicle in park and start the engine back up. I initially told my wife to put it in neutral but after trying that, it did not work. After we got the vehicle back on we drove straight home. I contacted citrus Kia that day and told them what had happened. I was told that they have not heard of that issue and would have no way confirming what happened unless it did it while they were inspecting it. My vehicle was being serviced from 4/10/13- 4/13/13. The end result is that they could not locate the problem but did do a number of inspections to "hopefully" prevent the problem from re-occurring. They told me there is nothing more they could do as they have no way of actually verifying why the vehicle shut off while in motion. As of this writing I was advised I could come down and pick up my vehicle, but will refuse until the problem is found and resolved, as this is my wife's vehicle and I do not want this same problem happening and it resulting in a injury or fatal collision. I have read edmunds.com (townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.F13B7ca/40) and see similar complaints with no resolution. Please please help.

- Eastvale, CA, USA

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