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.
My 2015 V6 Kia Sorento's engine seized absent any warning on 08/14/21. I was in the car with my dog and 3 young daughters at a stop light. The light turned green and I pushed the gas and the car did not move. It was frozen. I pushed it again and the entire car shut down. I police officer had to push our car out of the way after another motorist called 911. We were stuck. My auto shop said my car had extremely low and dirty oil, despite the fact I had just gotten a $90 synthetic oil change 2 weeks earlier. I had the car towed to Tasca Kia in Rhode Island and they told me the engine was covered under a lifetime warranty. They later called me and told me the recall was only related to V4 engines & denied any problem with V6's. I am learning MANY people have had this same problem. I called KIA Consumer Affairs and they denied the issue and refuse to help. My car was impeccably maintained and had 77,000 miles on it. The dealership told me to "scrap" the car. At the time of the engine seizure there were NO warning lights on and the temperature gauge was in the middle. KIA is refusing to accept responsibility.
Bought the vehicle used, from dealership had little over 91,000 miles on vehicle when purchased and purchased extended warranty as well, only had 11months, at little over 109 thousand miles on vehicle noticed white exhaust coming from tail pipe, was having to put oil in the vehicle 1-2 quarts a week. At one time, during a week, vehicle seemed to be stalling/slow to accelerate, engine sounded different, when got home, checked oil, the dip stick showed barely any oil. Put oil in the vehicle. NO warning light ever has came on about low oil, no warning light about engine has come on. I called local Kia dealership about the issue. Took 2 weeks to get appointment to take my Sorento in to get looked at. Once in the Kia dealership, service department manager says they did an oil consumption test on the engine. Multiple points of the inspection show engine failure. Dealership has more in depth description of what all has failed with the engine and oil consumption. Also had to provide the copies of when and where the vehicle had its regular maintenance such as oil changes done so it could be sent to the Extended warranty to approve engine replacement. My vehicle has been sitting at the dealership since July 20,2021 with no working being done, not even the safety recalls, because I was told engine is on back order. At time writing this it is August 19, 2021, so my sorento has been just sitting at Kia dealership with nothing being done. I have called once a week to Kia dealership, as they have yet to call me for updates. I reached out to Kia customer hotline, they were able to pull up the info on vehicle, find out exactly what part/engine was needed from dealership and shows it back ordered because the engine is coming from Korea to US, No actual ETA on when it will actually be sent/shipped to US to then be sent to dealership to put in my vehicle. Was told it could be months..unacceptable! was never sent any information on possible oil consumption problems or engine problems.
Hello. Prior to receiving the Recall letter around mid-July 2021, we had complained to the dealership about the engine humming after a ride and AC going on and off On July 17, I was scheduled to visit the dealership and take care of the Recall. Although, I was scheduled for an appointment, nothing happened! The dealership did not have the component required for the recall. We then left and insisted to return the following day and requested that a diagnostic be conducted in addition to the recall on July 23. Following the diagnostic, the dealership told us we needed a new engine. It was a big surprise and a shock that a car which was serviced twice a year at this dealership, had 104, 000 miles and was only 5 years old, had a complete failure. The dealership provided a quote for the repairs and never mentioned the recall or how it could be related to the diagnostic they had just made. Upon consulting with my insurance company, USAA, their adjuster was able to establish that the mechanical failure my car was facing was closely related to the recall. Based on the assessment made by USAA on August 4, 2021, we now know the dealership knew that failure to receive the recall caused the mechanical failure. The quote the dealership presented me included and was consistent with damages reported in the Recall. why don't they contact KIA, which is clearly liable, and want me to pay for a new engine? I need help to unpack this issue that has strained my resources, time and brought stress to the family car. A major risk associated with this overheating is fire. In light of this new information, I have contacted the dealership to discuss August 8, 2021. I also contacted KIA USA on July 28 prior to establishing the connection between the recall and the mechanical engine. No response. I need help as school is reopening. We need the car to go the work. No help has been provided. Dealership is Southwest Kia#451/ Lithia 39650 LBJ, Freeway South, Dallas, TX 75237, tel: 469-772-7252
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving 30-35 mph, he heard an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine before the vehicle inadvertently loss power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle after several attempts and drove to his residence. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced due to rod bearing failure. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred while the vehicle was at the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact that they could not cover the repair of the vehicle as the service campaign for the failure had expired. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 83,000.
Motor shuts down completely disabling the car electronically. I lose my brakes and my steering. In February 2020, I almost died driving the vehicle the car engine seized while driving and was replaced by KIA. I never received an itemized bill from Dealership they stole the rental from my private driveway to and stole $5,000 and my belongings from the vehicle. One June 29.2021 I almost died again driving the car. The New Engine shuts down and I lose breaks and steering and hit an animal trying to get off the road for safety since I no longer have breaks to my vehicle. The animal ripped off my undercarriage and dented my radiator. The car was smoking and the engine would start and when driven 50 feet keep shutting down and locking no breaks no power no steering becoming a hazard to myself and others. I have had no resolve with any dealership I have been to 4 different Kia dealerships and The Hyundai Certified Pre Owned Used Car Sales Dealer I purchased the car from. Instead of helping me and not placing my life and other lives in danger. I was threatened, antagonized, slandered, Defamed, and Had the police called to remove me because I refused to commit a crime and set my car on fire like the Dealership told me to do. I need help.
- Chestnut Ridge, NY, USA
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Upon receiving Recall NOTICE, Vehicle Is A Fire Danger and I can Not Drive it.Living in the middle of the Forrest makes having this vehicle in this HIGH FIRE DANGER TOWN for 2 months put not only my family and home in danger but my entire FIRE VULNERABLE COMMUNITY AT RISK. The company headquarters or Dealership would not loan me a safe car nor remove this FIRE HAZARD from this community.
I was driving down the highway when the battery light came on and the engine died. I had the vehicle towed to Kia. The informed that the engine di not meet the recall requirements for replacement. The engines are obviously not well made and Kia needs to replace them when they fail. Thank you for your time.
On May 10th 2021 the engine ceased on my 2015 Kia Sorento. The car was towed by AAA to Grand Prairie, Texas. Note, the cadillac converter was stolen at this location and Christian Brothers did replace it. They notified us that the engine needed to be replaced. I then had it towed on May 19, 2021 to my local mechanic at in Richardson, Texas. I have used this mechanic for several years. It was confirmed that the engine needed to be replaced. I then had the car towed on May 20, 2021 to Kia in Plano, Texas. On May 27, 2021 Kia called me and said the motor needed to be replaced and they are contacting Kia to see how this will be taken care of. I did not receive a return call for several day and I was assuming the vehicle was being taken care of. On June 8, 2021 I called for an update. I received a return call from the Kia service man who then informed me that the computer engine was not updated in 2019 and Kia was not going to uphold their recall on the engine because of this. There is no notification given on the vehicle that this was coming due or even past due. Kia has now refused to replace the motor that is in a current recall due to the motor ceasing. On June 9, 2021 I contacted my finance company and insurance for advice. June 10, 2021 I called to talk to service department at 9:45am was told they would return my call. At 3:50 I called again since service mailbox is full and I can-??t leave a message. I called again at 5:00pm and was told the service manager will call me June 11th Friday morning. I did not receive a call from her in the morning. I called at 1:10pm June 11, 2021. I was directed to two mailboxes that were full. I called a third time and was told they will have the service manager call me. Emely returned my call and said I need to talk to Kia Consumer Affairs. Consumer Affairs at Kia again said the letter was enough notification. I went to Kia on June 12, 2021 and they wanted me to trade it in.
On June 23rd my 2015 Kia Sorento with a 3.3 l engine V6 started making noises and I called a dealership and they asked if it sounded like knocking noises and I said no it sounded more like exhaust noise within an hour my car was losing power it was idling very rough and I took it into the dealership and they said that I need ed an entire new engine. However I had been in there on June 14th and they told me that my oil level was good and there were no leaks but on June 23rd suddenly I had 0 oil in my engine and they were claiming that it was my issue however it is The exact issue that Kia has had with this model and make but different engine. My car has 91000 miles on it I use full synthetic oil I had it changed 6000 miles ago it was fine then I have had the maintenance done on my car and there were 0 warning lights on my - for either oil or engine that is why I checked electrical I was told by the dealer that there Oil lights and engine lights often don't come on when they have a problem with the car. This is a huge safety issue and if it's starting to happen on the 3.3 engine this needs to be looked at immediately I know someone who owns the exact same year exact same engine and they have been dealing with this type of thing as well
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving 35 mph, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine. The vehicle loss motive power without warning. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the oil level was inspected. The contact was informed that there was too much oil in the engine. The vehicle was then towed to Nucar Kia of Tilton (40 Tilton Rd lot a, Tilton, NH 03276) and diagnosed that the failure was related to a manufacturer's recall for the Occupant Detection System (ODS). The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The contact stated that the manufacturer declined to provide the recall repair since the contact had not gotten the manufacturer's recall for the ODS software update. The contact stated that the manufacturer-??s recall letter stated that if the air bags functioned properly, there was no need to contact a Kia dealer for the recall repair. The failure mileage was 53,000. Consumer stated knock sensor recall was not received although dealer states otherwise. Lawsuit states without knock sensor Kia is not responsible for warranty coverage.
Low audible knocking in engine compartment that progressively became louder over the next 2 days. Engine stalled, flashing check engine light appeared. Vehicle is now un-drivable because of a P1326 code that is common in these Hyundai/Kia engines. Oil change was last done less than 2 months ago and an oil change plus facility. A campaign suggests this is a defect of the engine. There is a class action suite in favor of the owners of this and other vehicles with Hyundai/Kia engines.
Had engine replaced due to recall and now its doing the same thing as it was before the engine replacement by kia. I was going 65mph with cruise control active on the highway and all of a sudden it slowed me down to 20mph, check engine light blinking and went into limp mode. Will not go over 2000rpm and literally shifts like a standard when it is an automatic. This is such bull on having these issues, and doing the same crap as it did before the engine replacement which was done in March/April. I hope I dont have to keep driving it til it throws a rod like before in order to get it replaced and fixed. Kia is not a safe vehicle. I would like a rental.
In late Feb. 2021 my check engine light came on, as well as my UVO system telling me there was something wrong with my emission's control systems. I immediately stopped & had the code read. P0447 Evaporative Emission system-Vent Control Circuit Open. My husband researched & found there was a wire broken, it was fixed. The check engine light went out for approximately 2 days & in early March, same thing, check engine light, stopped & check the code reading, yep same exact issue. We completed a full tune up on the vehicle, new wires, plugs, everything, fluids. Check engine light went out again & once again 2 days later yep same exact issue as well as it indicating the timing cam sensor was bad. With this new code, I made an appointment to take it to the dealership. 3/28/21 my appt date. Took the vehicle in, was told they would send a video of the inspection (which they did not)via text & they would complete the software update for the knock sensor. When they were done, they came out stating there was slug in my engine & it needed a new engine. They wanted all my oil change records & said they would try to get Kia to pay for it. They charged me 150 for the diagnosis, of which they never showed us any pictures of slug from the engine, nor did they ever really say what was wrong. Now I am doing research & find there was a recall for 2.4L engines and they want to charge me to put in a new engine, when these are the ones that have issues. By the way, they us if we drive it the engine will blow up, well I don't have a choice but to drive a vehicle I am still paying on as I do work. It hasn't blown up yet! Is it possible they thought they had a dummy in their presence and found metal shavings & just didn't tell me. Also when the check engine light came on, it didn't change the driving, other than the vehicle has used about a Quart of oil a month, I have had no other issues. I just want my vehicle fixed!
As soon as I pulled it off the lot within a few months I had some stalling where it would only go 30 mph I was pushing down on the gas full blown and then all of a sudden it would jerk and then it would go again I took it to the dealership the first time in 2016 and I told him that and they said they couldn't help me there was nothing wrong with it so I said okay second time and did it I took it back there and said there's something wrong do some testing they did some testing nothing. I was doing 70 mph and it jerked on me it slowed all the way down to 30mph by it self a semi I just passed I ended up hitting the milepost marker went through four lanes of traffic that semi almost hit me and killed me $10,000 worth of damage to my car I told guys need to figure this out. Kia they said nothing was wrong with it I got the body damage fixed I had full coverage. I went in again and told them there's something wrong with this vehicle they said it was fine so then I drove it for about a year it kept stalling but then it caught on fire smoke started coming out of the engine compartment as I was driving and my gauges went crazy went all the way to hot so I pulled over. I jumped out another person pulled over that was coming the opposite way and yelled get away from the car just in case it blow up it was white smoke at first and then it started turning into black smoke it was burning something had to sit there for hours we called Kia told him to come get it engine had caught on fire. Kia then said theyre replacing engine they did the inspection at no time did they tell me there were any recalls. It took all that for them to finally help me. I bought a new car for a reason I spent over $32,000 for this reliable car I wouldn't take it on a trip it's unsafe my headlights go out all the time I'm sick of buying bulbs so I don't drive at night. I need a new vehicle I got one of the bad seeds kia had yet to say there in the wrong. I am still waiting for them to help 4 years now
Engine failure due to bad rod bearing. Kia will not fix the engine due to a software update not fixed previously. This vehicle was just purchased. A software update will not fix a premature engine failure. The update only turns on the check engine light if the knock sensor detects a knock.
My check engine light came on while driving. The car did not seem to be handling any different then normal, aside from a recent rattling sound on start up that would lessen after idling/running for a few minutes. I took it in to get the code read, and was given a code indicating the timing cam was off. Once I gets took it into the dealership it was determined I needed a new engine due to metal shavings found in my oil filter and pan. The oil was also noted to be very low, despite me having performed the oil changes at proper intervals. I since have learned about the engine recalls for the same year, but in the smaller 4 cylinder 2.0 and 2.4L engines. Upon learning about this and looking further into it, I had read that on several consumer websites that others with the same year and larger 3.3L V6 engine as mine were having the same issue of engine failure due to metal shavings found despite also performing proper maintenance of the vehicle. So my issue is now I need a mew engine as have others, but it is not recognized as part of the issue with the smaller engine 2015 Sorento's.
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving at 60 mph and approaching a highway exit, the contact slowed down. After entering the exit ramp, the accelerator pedal was depressed however, the vehicle failed to respond. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact slowly drifted to the side of the roadway and then had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The mechanic diagnosed that the engine seized and needed to be repaired or replaced. The vehicle was then towed to myrtle beach Kia (4811 us-501, myrtle beach, SC 29579, (843) 444-8000) to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 91,000.
While driving my car down the freeway going 77mph my car failed to shift while going up a hill and started making a knocking noise while in cruise control. Then out of cruise control the car made a loud bag and pop and smoked. We pulled over and the car motor had then been seized and would not start. Kia motor is declining to replace my motor based on the product improvement campaign of 18V907000 because they state that I failed to have the car inspected with this campaign. Kia motors told me that they sent the product improvement campaign notice to the previous owner in 2018 but that it was still my fault that the inspection was not done and the knock sensor wasn't added. I let them know I knew nothing about this because I never received the letter because it was not sent to me and I was not notified and the Consumer Affairs supervisor said it was still my fault for not calling Kia when I purchased the car in 2015 to let them know I am the new owner and to give them my information.
While driving my vehicle, the engine "shut off" and the vehicle suddenly stopped running. I was able to get the vehicle to coast somewhat off the road at a round-about. I had my 3 year old daughter in the vehicle and it was very cold. I was told later the engine had seized and there were metal shards dispersed all over the system. When I looked into this issue, many Kia vehicles have had recalls on engines with this exact issue, but my vehicle is not included in these recalls. My vehicle has around 70,000 miles on it and I still owe 8000$ on the vehicle, while my repairs will be around 6500$. I have done all routine maintenance on the vehicle and had my oil changed and fluids checked two weeks prior to this incident.
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that their son was driving at 55 mph and stopped at a red light when the contacts son proceeded to drive after the light turn green, they saw smoke coming from underneath the front hood of the vehicle. The contacts son pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road. The contacts son and his girlfriend got out of the vehicle and another driver pulled over stated they saw fire coming from the rear underneath of the vehicle. The other driver had a fire extinguisher and extinguished the fire from the underneath the front hood and under the vehicle. No warning light illuminated from the vehicle. No one was injured, the fire department did arrive to the scene but there was no fire report filed. The vehicle was towed to the contacts residence. The next day the contact called the local dealer martin Kia (289 E cleveland ave, newark, de 19711 phone: (302) 738-5200) and had the vehicle towed to the dealer where the contacts insurance company inspected and diagnosed the failure as mechanical failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 117,000.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Wrentham, MA, USA