8.9

pretty bad
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
2,505 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.

2020 Kia Sorento drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2020 Kia Sorento Owner Comments

problem #10

May 252023

Sorento

  • miles

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

Burning oil and no warning lights come on for low oil, had the car looked at and was told that there are no leaks. Mechanic also told me that it is the piston rings and that he has had other customers with the same experience and was told that kia is honoring the engine warranty even though the car is out of warranty, but will not fix mine.

- Fowlerville, MI, USA

problem #9

Feb 132022

Sorento

  • miles
Here-€™s the deal, what I would is for the dealership to accept a fair trade of equal monthly payments on a new Kia Sorento 2022. So here-€™s the deal I have a 2020 Kia Sorento LX looking to do a even trade for a 2022 Kia Sorento, same monthly payments of 540. I-€™ve filed a complaint with corporate about a issue I-€™ve had with my current kia which it has had a issue running around 4k rpm in sport mode and won-€™t drop down below normal ranges until in smart mode when I brought it in for its routine maintenance they said that the transmission was just catching up to the speed? Well on February 11th my wife was driving my car and the car experienced a issue were the engine was loud and car was slow an couldn-€™t get above 60mph. My cars drive SyncUP got this error code Transmission Range Sensor Circuit Malfunction (PRNDLInput) (P0705), took it into kia east the next day, they claimed everything was safe and they couldn-€™t find anything wrong with it after having 3 techs look at it. On February 13th on Alabama highway going 70mph my blind spot collision warning came on, car made a clunking noise from the transmission, felt like we got hit, went from 70mph to 30mph. Completely unsafe, had to restart the car an seems to run normal for now but I do not feel safe in this car anymore. The same issue I got the second time was the same code that I got the first time, I have reached out on social media to see if others have had this issue since kia should have started a investigation to determine the root cause of this issue an have had another person step forward with the same experience. This is completely unacceptable and unsafe to have to second guess a vehicle that I was ensured would be completely safe after having it looked at. I-€™ve already contacted corporate about the issue, they are looking into it now. I have yet to hear back from the kia general manager, they are offering to trade the car in but yet have more negative equity on the car, how about a fair trade.

- Orlando, FL, USA

problem #8

Feb 202021

Sorento

  • 9,000 miles
I have a 2020 Sorento that has ~9,000 miles on it. I was driving on the highway when the engine overheat chime started going off and the temperature gauge went hot. I pulled over and called for help, then tried to go a smidge further up the road. Within 200 yards it chimed again and the temp went hot. Put an entire jug of coolant in and my rescue driver informed me that there was a trail of coolant pouring out behind me. There is no visible damage to the underside of the vehicle or from looking at the engine with the hood up. We were told that due to the weather (middle tn) Kia roadside doesn't have any tow truck drivers available, and neither did my insurance company. A local towing company is retrieving my vehicle tomorrow and taking it to the Kia dealership that I purchased from.

- Nashville, TN, USA

problem #7

Sep 182020

Sorento

  • 5,000 miles

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

I bought this can brand new 4/30/20. I noticed small erratic stuttering in the engine while cruising at 30-40 mph. I wasn't sure what it was or that I did something to create it. A friend was riding with me and ssk what what causing the issues. I said you can feel that? I took the car in in Oct @ the first oild change 6kmiles on the care at this point. The drive mode would be different each starting as well. The dealership was able to recreate the issue. They reset the drive modes and said that should fix it. Here we are a mth later at 7K miles on the car. Its still happening as well as lurching when stopped. Took it in today and they said there's nothing wrong and could not recreate it. From what I understand this is an ongoing issue that they don't seem concerned about getting the issue resolved. This will be my last time dealing with a Kia!!!

- Wichita, KS, USA

problem #6

Jul 152020

Sorento

  • miles
We purchased the 2020 sorrento V6 with the 8 speed automatic transmission. From the very beginning the transmission had an erratic shift when it was cold. Took the vehicle to the dealer and they said they were going to install a new transmission in it. Found out when I pick up the vehicle up that they in fact installed a rebuilt transmission, vehicle now has 1100 miles on it. Problem was not fixed. Took the vehicle back and the dealer I was informed that a kai rep was going to come out and look at the vehicle. That is exactly what he did he looked at the vehicle and drove it. The Kia rep then drove another sorrento on the lot and reported back that my sorrento was 'operating as designed'. I also drove two other V6 8 speed sorrento's that were on the lot and they were both having the same problem. In my 45 years of driving I have never had a transmission behave like this unless there was a problem with it. I have escalated the issue to the Kia customer care center (800) 333-4542. The customer care center are like lemmings and only read back to me what the dealership and so called expert entered in to the system. I was advised by the customer care representative that if I wanted to fix the problem myself I could do so and if Kia did put out a service bulletin or recall I could be reimbursed for my expenses.

- Conroe, TX, USA

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problem #5

Aug 102020

Sorento

  • 6,150 miles
When car is cold it acts like it skips taking off on a hill. ( transmission shifts erratically) took car to dealer for service that said this is normal I think it will be a lot worst this winter when it gets real cold as the car hesitates when taking off and pulling out into traffic

- Henniker, NH, USA

problem #4

Jun 012020

Sorento

  • 100 miles

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

Transmission stutters or hesitates when shifting, and it is especially bad until the car has been driven for at least 10 minutes. It is worst when shifting from 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 3rd. I have only owned the car for two months and it has acted this way from day one.

- Mesa, AZ, USA

problem #3

Apr 112020

Sorento 6-cyl

  • miles
The day after I purchase my new Kia I had started to work the motor was cold and when trying to shift gears it slipping when you first started out until motor has warmed up I took it back to the dealership and they stayed to just drive it until the first oil change and they would check on it then I feel that the car is going back down when driving it.

- Concord, NC, USA

problem #2

May 262020

Sorento 4-cyl

  • 4,700 miles
The transmission will act in a very erratic manner when the car is first driven after sitting cold for several hours. This problem appears when accelerating, and persists until the car has been driven a few miles.

- Anderson, SC, USA

problem #1

Oct 252019

Sorento

  • 100 miles
I have a 2020 Kia Sorento V6. When the engine is cold or has been sitting for an hour or so, the transmission shifts erratically between 20 and 40 mph. When coming to a stop, at the same speed, the vehicle surges forward. I have taken the vehicle back to the dealership 3 times. They reprogramed the transmission module 2 times with no improvement. This problem happens in all 4 driving modes. I purchased this vehicle 10-22-2019 and the problem started about 3 or 4 days later and continues through today 2-23-2020.

- Gilbert, AZ, USA

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