5.5

fairly significant
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
16,203 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.

2017 Kia Sorento steering problems

steering problem

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2017 Kia Sorento Owner Comments (Page 1 of 4)

problem #73

Mar 012024

Sorento

  • miles

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

The steering has at times become sticky for lack of s better term. Turning the wheel, even slightly, feels hard to turn and then will release and cause slight over-correcting. It feels like something is preventing the steering column from turning and then it will let go and turn freely. When this happens it will happen repeatedly on the same outing and is not just a one time occurrence.

- Cranston, RI, USA

problem #72

Sep 092023

Sorento

  • miles
When driving my Kia the steering wheel is sticking. At first it was just ever now and then. But now it it-??s happening everyday. There is a recall for 2018 models doing the same thing. I pretty sure this is the same part and should be covered under the recall.

- Patis, TX, USA

problem #71

Jan 092024

Sorento

  • miles
For the last few weeksI have been experiencing problems with the steering wheel feeling like it's sticking while driving. It might happen on a straight roadway, but its mostly noticeable on curves, like rounabouts. I can hold the steering wheel around a slight curve and if I need to move it to the right slightly to keep in line with the curve then it jerks a little to get out of that position. I'll take it to the dealer for other recalls and I hope they'll take care of this as well...

- Wichita, KS, USA

problem #70

Aug 112023

Sorento

  • miles

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

For months now I have been experiencing problems with the steering wheel feeling like it's sticking while driving. It can happen on a straight roadway, but mostly notice it on curves, especially a long stretch of road. I can hold the steering wheel around a slight curve and if I need to move it to the right slightly to keep in line with the curve then it jerks a little to get out of that position. It happens every time whether moving the steering wheel left or right. Last time it happened I said I wasn't going to drive the car anymore because it's unsafe. It got stuck around a curve and took more tug on the steering wheel to get it to move the tires in the direction I needed. There's so many other complaints online about this very problem from other Kia owners around the 2017 models. I've taken it to the dealer twice for this and they never experienced the problem because they just drove around the lot and did a rapid back and forth on the steering wheel. You have to be driving it on a longer stretch of road when you can get it up to faster speeds where it's more noticeable.

- Joshua, TX, USA

problem #69

Dec 252023

Sorento

  • miles
continuous issues with "sticky" or "notchy" steering. Steering is not smooth and almost caused several accidents.

- Jerseyville, IL, USA

problem #68

Oct 172023

Sorento

  • miles
Steering wheel sticking when driving. Kia replaced the steering column assy-steering and the gear and linkage assy. Steering is some better but still the sticking

- Waleska, GA, USA

problem #67

Apr 012023

Sorento

  • miles

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

I have a 2017 Kia Sorento in which the steering has been feeling sticky. It feels like the steering has been getting stuck and hard to turn at times. I-??m scared that one day it will get stuck and I can-??t undue the stickiness at all. It-??s very scary and unsafe to drive. I had contacted a Kia dealership to get this problem looked at because I feel this vehicle is dangerous and I have a young child that I drive back and forth in this vehicle. I even contacted Kia consumer services on plenty of occasions and they were no help.

- Cape Charles, VA, USA

problem #66

Jun 152023

Sorento

  • miles
I was driving on a highway where maximum speed limit was 65miles. Suddenly my car stalled and restarted again and post that i had a warning for Check AEB, auto hold was disabled and Traction control was enabled. For a brief moment, i lost steering which may be a result of the stall but then i regained steering. This has happened 4 times in the last 6 months. I stopped the car by the road, turned off the engine and restarted the car. The dashboard still showed the same warnings. I again turned off the car, opened my drivers side door and closed it and then restarted the car. The warning signs went off and then there were no issues post that.

- Wayne, NJ, USA

problem #65

Jan 052019

Sorento

  • miles
My Kia I purchased had 39,000 miles and it has a steering problem which I wasn-??t 100% aware of. Today it is at Kia where they stated they-??re gonna have to replace the steering column did not give me a price but this is a safety issue, and I want to recall done on this issue For the steering column. How can you help me?

- Panama City , FL, USA

problem #64

Mar 202023

Sorento

  • miles
Kia Sorento are being stolen like crazy. I took my Sorento to Russ Darrow Wauwatosa to get the anti-theft software updated. When I got there, the supervisor told me that 80% of cars on which the update was applied ended up having the steering wheel have all buttons on it not working. This scared me and I ended up not getting the software for my Sorento. Why would Kia fix one problem and create 10 other ones" Or did the car dealer's supervisor lie to me" Thanks, Ahmed.

- Milwaukee, WI, USA

problem #63

Mar 072023

Sorento

  • 44,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that an unknown steering part needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 44,000.

- Racine, WV, USA

problem #62

Nov 152022

Sorento

  • 70,000 miles
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became firm. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

- Hixson, TN, USA

problem #61

Jan 272023

Sorento

  • miles
I was driving at approximately 35mph when my vehicle loss power and the steering wheel locked and gas pedal did not work almost causing me to be rear ended. I put my hazard lights on and started my vehicle back up and tried to continue driving but my vehicle delayed in acceleration and has now continued to delay ever since that incident. I have parked my vehicle and have not moved it due to the danger.

- Los Angeles , CA, USA

problem #60

Sep 012019

Sorento

  • miles
While driving at highway speeds, steering is notchy and sticky. Steering is hard to control and it is difficult to drive straight. Overcorrection is a result and the car is unsafe to drive. The dealership drove the car and felt the same steering issue. They updated the software, but that didn't help. In fact, the sticky, notchy steering seems worse. The steering problem has been ongoing for about 5 years, and there has never been any warnings or messages from the car's electronics.

- Fort Morgan, CO, USA

problem #59

Jan 172023

Sorento

  • miles
This is a continuing problem. The steering -€œNotches-€ when driving down straight and curves as well. I-€™ve had the vehicle into dealerships 4 times since 2019. The vehicles warning never came on. ECU-€™s been updated with the revisions of group CHA, Number 084., and the problem goes away for awhile, however, it-€™s back again in January 2023. There was extension for the MDPS issued on January 7, 2022 to 15yrs/150,000 miles, but it says the the warning has to come on. This is not right, I believe now something needs to be replaced. My Sorento now has over 70,000 miles. Do we with same problem have to hit something and possibly kill an innocent person or ourselves.

- Fitchburg, WI, USA

problem #58

Jan 012021

Sorento

  • miles
The steering wheel seems to get stuck with prolonged straightforward driving such as highway trips. When attempting to make slight correction in steering the steering wheel seems to stick requiring increased force to move the steering wheel which results in over correction. Power steering malfunction, it is available for inspection upon request. Potential steering problem resulting in crash. No. Problem described to dealer service center, no problems found upon routine service screening. No.

- Littleton, CO, USA

problem #57

Jan 092023

Sorento

  • miles
The steering is "Sticky" or feels like it gets stuck in a "Notch" while driving down the road. It is most noticeable at highway speeds and happens every trip to town. When the steering sticks is causes an overcorrection. This overcorrection is getting worse with time. I have yet to take it to the shop for inspection. No warning lamps or codes are currently present.

- Florence, AZ, USA

problem #56

Mar 012022

Sorento

  • miles
Steering has a sticky or notchy feel. When going around bends/curves the vehicle proceeds to turn without the need of hands on the wheel. Steering feels like you have to break it out of place, which leads to oversteering out of lane. The issue is constant. Vehicle is not only putting myself at risk, but other drivers if not able to turn or avoid traffic. Problem has been reproduced and confirmed by dealer. Dealer advised to replace entire steering column which is about $2,600. There are no warning lights but issue was noticed after first buying the vehicle. Vehicle has no history of accidents nor indications of damage.

- Woodstock, GA, USA

problem #55

Nov 272022

Sorento

  • miles
Steering is sticky, it holds then releases.

- Chico, CA, USA

problem #54

Aug 242022

Sorento

  • miles
I was picking up my daughter from school. I drove there a considerable distance. I parked because I got there early. Once it was time to get my daughter I put my car in reverse and it made a loud clanking sound and the wheel became hard to maneuver. As soon as it made the sound a steering wheel with an exclamation point red light came on. I looked it up on Google and found that there was a technical bulletin issued for my year car regarding the MDPS/EPS system extending the warranty to 15 years on 01/05/2022-01/07/2022. When I took my vehicle to Kia of Hollywood service center in Hollywood FL, they were able to reproduce the problem. However after looking at the bulletin and parts covered under that particular bulletin, they told me that the issue that is causing the noise was not covered by that technical bulletin for the MDPS warning light and the actual cause of the noise in my vehicle was my car needed a new rack and pinion. Once they told me the repair would not be covered by the extended warranty I asked for the price. Kia is selling the rack and pinion for $3280. The same part after market is $339. I of course took my vehicle to a different mechanic and did not pay the total cost of parts and labor that they quoted me which was $4460. I believe Kia is aware that this particular part is defective and are taking advantage of some sort of loop hole. Maybe not enough consumers knowing they can file complaints. There's a reason why they are selling this particular part 10 times its after market value. The part was also readily available and wasn't back ordered which means they have plenty in stock probably due to demand. I was not able to control my steering wheel which is a danger while driving. My car has had previous structural damage but nothing that affected the power steering in my vehicle at any time. This problem just came out of nowhere.

- Davie, FL, USA

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