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.
While the vehicle is in motion a red warning light appears in the shape of a steering wheel and the steering becomes very stiff. This happens intermittently after putting it to gear and driving forward or backing out and it has also happened while highway driving. Luckily these incidents have happened while driving straight and occurs for a short duration. It is concerning from a safety standpoint. I brought it in to a Kia dealership and it has something to do with the electronics in the steering column. They have no recall listed and it is very expensive to replace outside the 50K basic mileage warranty which ours is since we tend to put a lot of highway miles on our vehicle. It isn't too much over though and we take very good care of it. I would find it very hard to believe it that is caused from wear and tear but more likely to be a manufacturer defect.
The steering on my Sorento ex feels 'sticky' and unsafe. Whenever driving, whether in the city, on the highway, or in a neighborhood, it feels as though the steering wheel is constantly getting stuck for half of a second and needs consistent readjustment. The problem is especially evident when driving around a turn, but it is very noticeable even while driving on a straight road or highway.
Steering is sticky, forcing driver to rotate steering wheel in an exaggerated way to correct the issue. Door handle cover on passenger rear side broke within 6 months of owning the car.
When the vehicle is driving straight the steering will feel like it hesitates slight movements and then releases causing me to over steer. Almost like the electronic steering is intermittent. To the point where I will end up in the other lane slightly and continually have to counter steer the vehicle.
Steering wheel is hard to turn left / right, it feels like its stuck and will not release free, then you have to pull it back. Its scares me on the highway. I took it to the dealer and they didn't find anything wrong. This feeling goes on and off
- Germantown, MD, USA
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Driving down interstate going around an onramp and the steering wheel locks up, traction control light comes on and another light comes on and feels like there is no power steering. I pull over to the side of the road. I turn off the vehicle for a few minutes and turn back on while calling the dealership and it resets the lights and codes. I have had this happen since I have bought this in 2017. The last 2 times have been 1 month apart. This will happen while driving and it is a safety issue while driving straight and while turning.
Purchased with about 17,000 miles. On way home from dealer (70 mph flat, mostly straight highway) I noticed that the steering wheel seemed to get stuck when it hadn't been adjusted for several seconds, almost as if the power steering would turn off. After using quite a bit of force to turn the wheel, the power steering seemed like it would wake up again, causing me to over-correct. After I became familiar with the issue on the highway, I noticed it would also happen at slower speeds. The dealer said they are familiar with the issue and are doing a series of software updates that they said will correct this issue. They are not replacing any equipment.
I purchased I used 2017 Kia Sorento fwd in September of 2019. The vehicle is great except the more I drove it, the more I noticed the steering was very sensitive. It has a stick just at the top as well. I feel that this can cause a safety issue especially when taking curves as the need to constantly adjust feels necessary or could cause on over correction while driving. The more research I did, I have found many people to have this same issue with no recall. It is an electronic problem in the steering column. I feel that Kia needs to address this issue. The problem with just having the steering column replaced is that it's going to be the same part. The need to design a new one for safety reasons.
Steering becomes notchy when going straight. At highway speeds and around town. Problem is occasional, maybe once a week, but is very distressing when it happens. The car starts to wander to one side or the other and when I try to smoothly correct, the steering wheel feels 'stuck'. with a little effort, it releases and over corrects. Now I'm heading off the other side of the road. Effort - over correct - effort - overcorrect and so on. Not sure if this is related, but when turning corners in town, the front end seems to jump several times when gassing out of the turn - most notable when going uphill and on right turns. Sometimes can feel the jump ( or maybe a slip ) when accelerating straight from a stop. Feels like something binding in the front - like if you drive a 4WD truck on dry pavement with the front axle engaged. Car only has 41,000 mi on it and has been doing both for over a year. Have appt tomorrow at Kia dealer, but not too confident they will be able to replicate the notchy steering, but should be able to feel the front end jump.
Driving down the highway the steering will lock up and then you have to pull it back and then it wants to go the other way. Have to fight it bad when it's warn or hot outside. Have reported it to my dealer shop and nothing has been done because there no recall. Could case accident then who is at fault. Kia!!!
I bought this car a few weeks ago, and when I test drove it, I did not feel what I feel almost on a daily basis now. It happens more so when going 40 mph or more and can feel it on the straightaways. The steering wheel feels like it gets locked or stuck and it takes more force to straighten the car out. I can never get the car to go perfectly straight as it veers to one side of the line and when I try to correct it, the stickiness allows for it to over correct which causes me to veer to the other side. I am constantly trying to keep my car going straight and it's a struggle and frustrating and I feel like I can never have just 1 hand on the wheel. We bought this car for the 3 row seating and liking to travel with family and a new baby on the way. I feel like this is very unsafe and needs to be looked at but when taken to the dealer all we get back is "cannot replicate customer complaint." Some days are better than others, like it engages and disengages. I have had my husband, mom, dad, and mechanic from carmax all feel the same thing as I do, so I know it is not just in my head (as I thought before when I got it back from Kia).
I lost power steering three times. The power steering light went on each time. On two of the occasions the vehicle was towed to the local dealer. It was towed to modesto Kia and paso robles Kia, both in California. In modesto, 1/18, I was told it was a dirty battery cable that the car had reset itself and there were no more problems with the power steering. Nine days later on 1/27, it went out again in cambria, ca. This time I was driving but was able to move to a safe place. The Kia dealership in paso robles said when the car arrived the light was off and there were no issues with the power steering. I was told they would put miles on the car in an effort to recreate the problem. That afternoon as it was set to be driven by the technician the light went on and power steering was lost. I was told the technician saw a problem in the fuse box, he fixed it and the car was able to be driven. I was told there was nothing else they could do. The service manager was rude and unsympathetic. My concerns were not validated or acknowledged, needless to say, I very upset because I was afraid to drive the car. Especially, given the fact that what they said they did to fix the problem did not make any sense to me. I know there is a problem with the vehicle and further investigation by both dealers may have discovered it but they went with the first thing they found. There are other complaints for the same reason. I truly felt unsafe. Driving the vehicle and because of that, I felt I had no other choice but to purchase another vehicle. The Sorento is unsafe and someone is going to get hurt. I pray you will investigate this issue and with this car specifically. I also have a Kia customer care case no; 13527008
Around 32,000 miles the car began to develop a sticky, notched feeling in the steering particularly while on the highway. It seems to happen most often after the car has remained going straight for a period of time, with no need for steering adjustment. Then suddenly adjustment becomes jerky. Sometimes the wheel feels sticky at the onset of moving it, requiring more force, which leads to too much lane shift, other times it moves freely just a little, but the car doesn't move until the wheel again becomes sticky and moving it results in overcompensation. It's difficult to describe, it feels almost like you are driving in a rut and can't at first get out of it with just the normal amount of steering usually required to move the vehicle and so have to turn the wheel harder, except you are not in a rut. The overcompensation is particular worrisome on snowy and icy highways where a sudden shift can lead to a slide. It's possible the problem is happening around town as well, but because the roads are curvy and I'm making turns, I'm already making large steering wheel adjustments so it's less noticeable.
Intermittent steering problem experienced during both highway and city driving. While driving straight, the car's steering will stick in the 12 O'clock position requiring the driver to force the steering wheel right or left causing constant over steer adjustments. This lack of vehicle control is cause for concern, especially at highway speeds or slippery conditions.
The truck steering sticks at highway speeds. It resists moving then lets go all at once. This causes over correction forcing the truck to wander side to side in the lane. I've had it back to the dealer twice with no solution. It's an irritation at best and unsafe at worst.
This problem is intermittent. It usually happens on straightaways. I notice it usually on roads not in the city. It is as if the steering locks up and you have to force it with both hands to get it to unlock. The pattern cannot be repeated. I took this problem to the dealership once and the mechanic said he "tweaked" it. However, it started happening again. The dealership said that they haven't had any complaints. This has happend on multiple dates and I don't have them listed but had to put a date to log this problem.
As I am driving over 40 mph, the vehicle will lose all power and caution lights illuminate on the dash, radio turns off, power steering goes out, car decreases speed. The car immediately turns back on, but there is no acceleration to the vehicle. This has happened 3 times in the last 5 days and it happed 3 times today March 12, 2019. All incidents were on city streets, while going straight at speeds 40 mph or more. The last time, was while I was making a right turn getting on the freeway. After each occurrence, I would safely pull off the road, turn the vehicle off, wait a couple seconds and turn the car back on. The car would resume back to normal. I have noticed that after the first time this happened, when I do the first attempt to turn the car on, it does not turn over.
Steering is sticking at highway speeds. Sticking is slight but requires constant overcorrection to get it to unstick. Usually occurs on long, straight stretches of driving. Issue is intermittent and dealer cannot replicate, of course.
Steering wheel feels very loose. It gives you the sensation that the car is meandering but it is not. You have to constantly correct the steering wheel and it is not always responsive. Also, it feels like it is sticking which causes an over correction and you suddenly head into the lane next to you. This happens especially at speeds over 50mph. Very uncomfortable driving. Feels very unsafe.wife refuses to drive the car. I'm concerned the condition could get even worse and cause an accident. I see no recall for this problem but there should be one. It is a significant safety concern. Please look into it and have Kia do the right thing.
Purchased new in 2018, the 2017 Sorento AWD vehicles steering from the showroom floor was fine. After roughly 1000 miles, the steering hangs as I'm driving into a 12:00 position. As speeds increase on highway, the level of effort to pull the steering wheel past this locking position increases somewhat. Also at highways speeds the car wanders all over the road regardless of the type of road surface. Understandably grooved concrete pavement can can this to some degree but the Sorento does it even on flat smooth, brand new blacktop roads. This is extremely dangerous as you have to pull the steering wheel strongly in the direction of the road and then it unlocks so to speak and over steers the car in the intended direction. I've tried everything to try to correct the issue. 1). turned off steering wheel centering function in the vehicle software. 2). under inflated the tires approx 5 lbs. 3). over inflated the tires by 2-3 pounds. 4). changed steering wheel tilt angle. I am very afraid of this vehicle now. Particularly when my grandkids are in it. We bought this 3rd row seated car for them. When my wife is driving the car alone I'm particularly concerned she may have a serious accident! this automobile was not an inexpensive model. I can't afford to take a huge loss selling the car because this information is widely distributed across the internet and no one is likely to buy it anyway. Please, help us on this issue. I love the car in general but I've owned old junkers that steered better and this start at only 1000 miles. It's bad enough that there will be serious accidents because of these issues. Thank you for allowing us to post our converens here
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Sebring, FL, USA