2016 Kia Sorento complaints

My vehicle abruptly went into catastrophic engine failure 01/03/23. After diagnostics run by both a third party repair shop and a Kia dealership, we were informed that a knock sensor failure had led to the lack check engine light as the problem was evolving. This knock sensor is a known defect in Kia's product and has previously been labeled a "product improvement" issue. I was not notified of this product improvement recommendation and could therefore not reconcile it. I contacted Kia directly who state a letter was sent in December 2018 and June 2019; these communications were absolutely never received. This issue directly led to a serious safety event of the vehicle and therefore for my family. As a "product improvement" this known defect is not searchable through the NHTSA or Kia website for consumers awareness. This issue needs to be escalated to a product safety recall to prevent further serious safety events

It started making a knocking noise, checked the oil and there was none in it. No warning light came and I was not due for an oil change.

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact received recall notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V703000 (Trailer Hitches); however, the part to do the repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

The motor oil is disappearing at a rapid rate and I have to fill up the engine oil every week because they just disappear. A few weeks ago my vehicle started jumping while on park and when I took it to the mechanic he said the oil is leaking out to the coils and there were several misfires. It cost me over $200 to repair it and I am still filling up the engine oil every week. This issue is showing up in other similar models as well.

While driving at highway speed, the battery light and oil light came on and the throttle became unresponsive. The driver pulled over safely. The vehicle had to be restarted before the throttle became responsive again. The vehicle was taken to Maguire Kia Service (Ithaca, NY), where the engine was subsequently replaced.

I was driving my Kia Sorento and the check engine light came on. Took to Autozone to scan the code. And it came back as a KNOCK SENSOR CODE. It went to LIMP MODE I couldn’t accelerare and Was so slow. And consuming oil. And the engine had a knock. Problems with the shift gear. I took it to GREENBRIER KIA DEALERSHIP IN CHESAPEAKE VIRGINIA. They told me that it just need it a software update. I told them that I hear many owners having the same issues. Now they did a diagnostic for $199 dollars. They told me it needs a new knock sensor. The total I will have to pay is close to $600 dollars. I told them if they do ROD BEARINGS TEST. They say they do. I’m just frustrated because it seems like the engine needs to be replaced. The technician told me my Kia Sorento was not on the knock sensor recall nor engine recall. I can’t drive the car and still making payments on it.

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle suddenly lost motive power and stalled and failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the engine was faulty and needed to be replaced. The engine was replaced with a refurbished engine. Approximately three years later the engine began to leak oil. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the replacement engine was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 84,994.

The cooling system was not heating or Cooling and the car was shaking when turned on. There was also fluid leaking from under the car. The mechanic reported that the head gasket is loose and leaking coolant and engine oil. He stated this is been a common problem with Kia sorento's and it is a manufacturer defect during the installation of the engine. The bolts are loose which causes the gasket to come loose which causes the leaking. He advised me not to drive the car because it could cause the engine and the head gasket to blow completely and possibly even start a fire.

The brake is not sending a signal to the switch. When I try to switch out of park, It will not move. My car is a great car. I have no other problems besides trying to switch out of Park. I had the vehicle checked out and everything is in order. I was told the problem might be behind the Body module of the car...Please help me with trying to find out what is going on. My car has less than 79k miles and this should not be happening. Please call or email [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

Oil consumption problem with GDI engine. No leaks, it is burning oil on a weekly basis and the oil light does not come on. There are several online blogs and YouTube videos of people with the same issue but no fix. I am constantly having to add oil. This is a known issue with GDI engines.

Car stopped accelerating on highway. Is unable to drive safely at this time and needed to call tow truck to tow vehicle to nearest dealership.

Over the course of 12 months the vehicle is exhibiting worsening excessive engine oil consumption. There is no oil leak. Engine Oil Warning Light does not come on to alert oil is low. And at times within a week the oil level is almost none on dipstick. Using 4-5 quarts a month between regular oil changes. Loud knocking noise occurs after driving and engine is turned off. The engine fan is constantly running and remains running up to 10 minutes after engine turned off even in mild temperatures and very short drives. Violently Hard Shifting occurs. This is intermittent and unpredictable but has worsened and become more frequent over last 1 year. This hard shifting can be so hard and severe to cause pain from seat belt and mild whiplash. Cold weather does increase the frequency and severity however it also happens in mild and warm weather at an alarming rate. At times the shifting is so hard and violent that it feels as though you just drove off a 3 foot ledge hitting front end hard. It happens at both high and low speeds. Vehicle has been taken to mechanics on several occasions. Each time they find no problems. Current Mileage is 95,000 miles. I purchased 18 months ago from dealership and almost immediately problems began.

Car uses more oil than it is supposed to. Oil consumption problem. The engine can use more oil that it is supposed to and cause disruption to the engine running. It can also cause problems with the catalytic converter and cause the check engine light to come on.

My 2016 Kia Sorento has large places on the body (hood, roof, door rails) where the paint has peeled off extensively. We noticed the paint peeling on the hood in August 2022 and the roof and door rails were noticed this month, March 2023.

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. Later after restarting the vehicle, the vehicle would not exceed 20 MPH. The vehicle was inspected by an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the throttle body to the accelerator pedal was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 120,000.

The vehicle started severely overheating and making weird noises out of no where one day and is now not drivable due to overheating.

Paint is peeling off in chunks without any cause

The car is available for inspection and has a paint defect. It went from one day being perfectly fine and next day I took it for a car wash and a big chunk of paint just peeled/ripped off. This is definitely a paint defect. I cannot believe this was something that can happen especially considering I take very good care of the vehicle and is well maintained. I am one of many other consumers affected by this. No it had not been inspected by insurance. I have an open claim with Kia corporate and pending a reply.

Car will not shift out of Park

While driving on a major high my vehicle suddenly caught fire. There were no warning lights and my vehicle was not in a collision. The road was clear and I was in a steady flow of traffic.

DRIVING HOME FROM DINNER WITH A FRIEND, WE PROCEED ON TO INTERSECTION. WE HEAR A LOUD SOUND, WE FIND OUT ONCE CAR HAS STOPPED WE NOTICE THAT THERE NO LONGER ANY OIL IN ENGINE. CALL FOR A TOW, AND FIND OUT THAT OUR ENGINE HAD BLOWN A ROD. NOTICED THAT ARE OTHER OWNERS WITH SAME ISSUE. CAR IS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING TOWED FROM MY MECHANIC TO THE KIA DEALERSHIP.

My car has 65,000.00. I keep the oil and filter maintained every 7,500 miles. I was driving the other day and went to exhilarate and my car starting shacking and made a loud bang, smoke came out everywhere. I was able to make it to the side of the road before it died. No check engine light, no oil heat indicator came on. I looked under the hood and there was oil everywhere. I have now been told by a Kia dealership where I had the car towed that I had a catastrophic engine failure.

PAINT IS PEELING OFF THE HOOD AND WINDSHELD AREAS

I have maintained my 2016 Kia Sorento EX with oil changes, spark plugs and fluid changes regularly. Within the past year or so I have noticed that shortly after oil changes my oil levels would drop significantly. There were no signs of leaks (no oil on the ground and inspected to see where it could be possibly going.) Nothing was found as to where the oil was going. This has happened more frequently than not. Recently after an oil change, my family and I took the car on a small road trip (Mass to Rhode Island.) The engine failed without warning. Took the SUV to a mechanic. My SUV was diagnosed as having no compression and now I need a new engine. After research of my hefty bill I have found that this is a very dangerous and frequent issue that a lot of consumers have faced with the same make and model of my SUV. I have read numerous of threads, news articles and reviews of the 2016 KIA Sorento EX and all have exact issue. Excessive oil consumption, no warnings and same/similar repair costs. I have looked into recalls and surprisingly this is not one of them. This is clearly a defective part(s) on Kia and should not be a cost to the consumer. This is not something that is normal wear and tear. This is a huge concern. I got my car second hand at 61k in 2018. Now I have 124k on the engine and its completely failed. Please look into this. With inflation, still making monthly payments on this vehicle, pandemic who can really afford throwing 6,500.00 towards a new engine. Now I fac

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, there was an abnormally loud sound and then a knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that the vehicle was stalling with the oil warning light illuminated. The contact then saw smoke coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was inoperable. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle remained with the independent mechanic awaiting the repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

For several months I drove the vehicle and kept smelling like something was burning. I took the vehicle to my mechanic they said they didn't find anything. This smell continued and I began to notice my oil was low so I added a quart. Well it then became routine for me to check my oil in between changes. Everytime I would check it was low so I'd add a quart. Eventually while driving home from the store my vehicle began making a noise, the next day it was brought to the mechanic who told me pretty much the engine was going. (This was an engine knock due to over consumption of oil causing) at no point did my oil light come on and stay on nor did the engine light appear for the knock sensor system. I contacted the local Kia dealership ego told me to let it run in my driveway until the engine blew. I did not feel comfortable doing this so I let the vehicle sit. The day I went to trade the Kia in I was driving in congested traffic and without warning the engine light flashed and I immediately lost all power leaving me stuck in congested traffic.

This is an update to a report/complaint #115-6142 that I filed on 2/7/2023 regarding my 2016 KIA Sorento needing a new engine. I have since spoken with a dealer, a family-owned auto repair shop, who subsequently spoke with a parts store in Denver and another dealer. It was reported to me that KIA has discontinued the sale and/or manufacture of engines for 2015-2017 KIA Sorentos because of many many complaints from owners who had the same problems I had with mine...needing a new engine for a non-very-old car. KIA obviously knows of the problems but have yet to initiate a recall. I'm about to start proceedings for a Class Action Suit. Stay tuned.

P1336, limp mode suddenly lost power while driving on the freeway. They need to taker of this issue, I’m not the only one with this problem! I’d almost crash!!

Tailgate proximity sensor failed.

1. Local neighborhood mechanic (s) after many checks determined head gasket blown and unable to repair. Requires complete NEW engine. Car has 120k. Good condition no other major mechanical issues. Shop estimate is $10,000 to repair. 2. Gear shift won’t budge - must use a flat head screw driver to shift gears 3. Passenger front door sticks and has trouble opening door. Was shown this video about issues and thought I was only one having but I have several of the issues listed here.never even tried to fix #2 & 3 bc with kids and all didn’t have extra money. Bought car brand new. Only owner. I am looking for guidance on how to proceed cause this is like a punch in face 10k to fix! https://youtu.be/Suv945jAcfo

Engine lost power over night. No warning lights or other signs prior to it happening prior. One day it was running, the next it wasn't. The starter, battery and all oil etc was changed. After everything has been changed out, the car starts but is not in running condition. A continuous knocking in the engine is heard. Had it professionally diagnosed and was told the engine is bad. There is only 69k miles and no problems prior whatsoever! I am the 2nd owner and am upset that this has happened.

2016 Kia Sorento LX which was regularly serviced and well taken care of completely shut off while I was commuting to school on a notoriously dangerous stretch of road. I was in disbelief when the mechanic diagnosed our vehicle as a complete engine failure with 122,000 miles. I thought things couldn’t be any worse until I had the trauma of interacting with Kia “customer service” and I use that term very lightly. I had never owned a Kia before and I naively thought this well known manufacturer would back their product. HA. Instead, I was insensitively told I was “out of luck” and worse yet incriminated to an extent when I didn’t have oil change receipts from the past going on 4 years of financing the vehicle during a hysterical phone ordeal (on hold for 45 minutes- I was in the shower when he finally picked up, didn’t rinse my hyaluronic acid exfoliator off and burned my face). I explained to him that the mechanic described the issue as “the bolts are walking off of the engine block, it’s a known KIA issue” - to which he ironically vehemently denied any knowledge of. So not only was I lied to but patronized days before Christmas. I tearfully pleaded with him to help me in some way because this is my only vehicle and I’m counting on it to commute to school everyday, I graduate in the Spring. Kia did not care. Where is my sorento now? The garage. We had GAP coverage so they required the engine be completely tore apart and sent out - our mechanic stated the bolts were so badly war

Would not shift out of park Dealership repair cost $1000 - told “not part of transmission so not under the warranty “ - now reading online and on recall site lever and linkage column shift issue but now dealership says “not the same” but reading lots of Kia owners reporting same problem? Should be a recall!!

Traveling from Cheyenne, WY to Houston, TX my SUV overheated without warning and bubbling coolant sprayed everywhere. I was 200 miles south of Pueblo, CO in the middle of nowhere in New Mexico. I then had my SUV towed to the Kia dealership in Pueblo, CO and was informed I needed a total engine replacement. I decided to have my car towed to the Kia dealership here in Cheyenne, WY. I was told 2 bolts were stripped which caused engine failure and overheating "Kia used a bolt thread that fails to grip the block with enough force and overheating is a common scenario. This is a known Kia manufacture defect". I have always maintained my SUV and had regular service performed because I never wanted to be stranded on the side of the road. I am requesting KIA step up and help cover some or all of these expenses due to it being a known manufacture defect. I have not heard from Kia since my case was opened six weeks ago. The Kia dealership here in Cheyenne, WY indicated there have been over 20 cars at their service department alone with this issue.

My wife was driving the vehicle and the engine locked up because it had burned through all the oil in the vehicle. There was no warning lights to let us know it had low oil. The vehicle is available for inspection. My son was also in the car as well. I had the vehicle towed to my local machanical shop. The owner of the shop was the person that notified me of the engine default.

I was driving down the interstate going 80mph when all of the sudden the vehicle lost power. I had to dodge traffic and cross over into another lane to get to the side of the road I’m lucky I made it and nobody was hurt.

My headlights go completely out, pitch black, going over 50mph, several times now. I have turned them off the automatic setting as this has happened more than 5 times over the past year. Everything out front goes black including fog lamps, meeting cars, not meeting cars, lights, no lights on the roadway, no rhyme or reason. No warning lights, no sensors covered. My children have been in the car everytime but once. Nobody knows what's going on with it as it happens intermittently and no codes appear.

Smelled something burning. Pulled over and noticed smoke coming from under hood. Called the fire department. It was fully engulfed by the time they got there. Pictures of it burning are available. The vehicle is a total loss. Police report taken today 2-9-2023. Insurance company being notified. No warning lamps. No check engine light. No inspections made yet.

My engine needed to be replaced after they said it overheated and was beyond repair.

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V703000 (Trailer Hitches) several months ago; however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the part was not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue but could not confirm when parts would become available. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

We were driving home from a road trip in November 2022 - and the heater was failing, not working. There were no warning lights showing. There was a rattling-type sound when we got nearer to home and since there were still no warning lights coming on, we got the car home. Checked the coolant and oil levels - topped them off (not too low). The next morning, I was going to drive to work - started the car and it sounded rough. Took daughter's car to work. My husband took the car to shop near the house - they said they got air pocket out of coolant line and suspected head gasket was blown. Took it to KIA dealer and they confirmed head was blown and would need a new engine - $12,000. Never had any indication of overheating until just before we took it to the dealer - the temp gauge indicator would be in the middle then would rise to high and go right back down to middle. Did that a couple of times on ride to the dealer. It's now sitting in my garage while I figure out what to do with it.

We bought a used 2016 Kia Sorrento. Upon driving, we realized that the seat belts were not tightening up on the driver's seat. We took the car into Kia in order to get the seat belt fixed. They told us it was the seat belt tentioner was bad and that the repair would not be covered under any kind of warranty. I called Kia directly to ask them to override what the dealer was telling me and cover the seat belt since it was a safety issue and the car was under 10 years old. They denied my claim.

I have had my car less than a month as I’m driving my car starts to rattle loudly and loses power I go to a nearby auto zone and they run a test which says I have a recall on my engine

On 02/03/2023 and once before, I stepped on brake to come to a stop and car accelerated to the point that braking took more distance to come to a stop. I called the Kia dealer today and got an appointment which is scheduled for 02/09/2023 to have them inspect vehicle for problem. I read an article published 11/23/2021 by [XXX] on the MotorBiscuit website that states the problem is with an issue with the throttle contol system. This problem nearly caused my to crash into car in front of me and could have been catastrophic if I had been going at a higher rate of speed and had to stop quickly. resulting in loss of life or injuries to myself and others. My vehicle is available for inspection upon request. There were no warnings. The floor rug was not jammed under accelerator. The first time it happened was also when coming to a stop. At that time I wasn't sure why it happened. This time myself and my passenger both heard the engine revving while I was trying to brake. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact received notification of the NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V703000 (Trailer Hitches) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. Additionally, the contact mentioned that a recall notice was received confirming the remedy was available and to contact a local dealer however, the dealer informed the contact that the part was not yet available. The manufacturer was notified of the issue and confirmed that parts were unavailable. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

With just a few payments left on my 2016 Kia Sorento I was traveling home from work when without any warning at all, my car, in the middle lane of a highway, dropped from about 65 miles an hour down to 30 mph. This almost caused a major accident involving many cars. I managed to get the car off the road and to the mechanic. I was told that there was very little oil left in the motor, which was hard to believe because I was only a month beyond my scheduled oil change. I was told by the mechanic that this engine is known to start burning oil at an excessive rate without warning. I was also told that the motor was no longer any good due to the damage that was caused. I was disappointed to find out there was no recall and I was left with a car that had very little value. Please recall these cars before someone gets hurt or worse.

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V703000 (Trailer Hitches) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

2016 KIA SORENTO. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO PAINT PEELING ON VEHICLE.

The Engine failed due to bolts backing out of the engine and causing a leak into the exhaust system.This causes the head gasket to leak. This comes without warning of any kind. Kia is aware of this problem. There were not any warning lights on. It was diagnosed at an independent service center.

Did oil change on vehicle about a week ago. A week later checked oil noticed it was a quart low and put more oil in. Next day heard a knocking sound come from engine compartment. Checked oil noticed no oil. No warning lights came on to show I had low oil. Put more oil in took to kia. Kia told me that engine rods are gone and engine is fried. Need new engine and its going to cost me $11,000. No lights or warning system was in place when I bought the car and no one informed me of any update or issue needed to prevent this. Car only has 67000 miles on it so I should still be covered under manufacturing warranty but they are blaming me for the no oil when no idiot lights came to tell me low oil. This is Kias fault.