2012 Kia Sorento

In September 2025, an authorized Kia dealership performed recall SC284XM (HECU electrical short fire risk) on this 2012 Kia Sorento. During the repair, the dealership disconnected the battery, resetting the PCM/ECU and clearing all OBD-II readiness monitors including the oxygen sensor monitor. Despite driving hundreds of miles afterward, the O2 sensor monitor has not reached a Ready state. A malfunctioning or unmonitored oxygen sensor creates a direct safety risk — the PCM cannot properly regulate the fuel-air mixture, increasing the risk of catalytic converter overheating, engine damage, and potential fire. The vehicle cannot pass California's mandatory smog inspection and the registration has lapsed, forcing the owner to operate an unregistered vehicle or go without transportation entirely. The dealership has verbally confirmed this is a known model-year defect — the root cause is a software condition requiring a PCM reflash, not achievable through normal drive cycles. This is the second occurrence; the identical failure happened in 2022 after a prior battery disconnect on this vehicle. The vehicle is now held at the dealership 11+ days with no update, no loaner, and an ~$460 estimate for repairs caused entirely by Kia's own recall service. A vehicle actively subject to a fire-risk recall (SC284) was returned to an owner in a condition where the engine management system cannot be properly monitored — compounding the original safety risk rather than resolving it. All this an yet a no no-cost remedy has been issued. This vehicle has been subject to five NHTSA recalls: SC200 (engine fire), SC147 (engine bearing), SC284 (HECU fire), SC172 (fuel pipe fire), and brake-shift interlock defect. Simultaneous complaints filed with Kia Consumer Affairs and CA Bureau of Automotive Repair (Ref: XXX). INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving 75 MPH, the check engine warning light was flashing on the instrument panel. There was a misfire coming from the engine. The contact stated that the vehicle was sputtering while depressing the accelerator pedal and cautiously drove to the nearest independent mechanic. The mechanic used a code scanner and retrieved a fault code for an inoperable knock sensor and wiring harness. The vehicle was also taken to another independent mechanic who provided the same information. The dealer was notified of the failure, and the contact was informed that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

Engine Knocking - Car enters limp mode and has a known recall. KSDS was updated in prior recall and engine has failed at 118k Miles. Car has been well maintained. Kia asks for maintenance records, records were provided and they will not take action. KIA avoided fixing the engine and just updated software to tell you when this happens and now that the engine is failing will not honor their warranty or do work on the car despite sending maintenance records of over 10 years

The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that after parking and turning off the vehicle, she entered the post office; after 3 to 4 minutes, she was alerted by a consumer that the vehicle had caught fire. The contact noticed fire emerging from the undercarriage. The TPMS warning light had been illuminated prior to the incident. Post office employees attempted to extinguish the fire. The fire department was called and successfully extinguished the fire. There were no reported injuries. Police were also present at the scene. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number 23V-652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted; however, no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.

The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sorento. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 20V750000 (Engine) and 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The contact stated that while driving into a parking spot, the vehicle suddenly lost power and stalled. The contact later replaced the battery, but the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to a certified mechanic, who diagnosed the vehicle with engine failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and informed the contact that, due to the vehicle not having the sensor changed before the failure, the engine could not be replaced. The dealer informed the contact tha,t due to the mileage, the vehicle would not be covered and would not qualify for the extended warranty coverage for the engine replacement. The failure mileage was approximately 250,000.

Engine warning lamp illuminated as the engine lost some power. Code was diagnosed as the knock sensor issue. Unit taken to mechanic to evaluate and diagnose. Repair shop notified us that based on the sensor, the engine could succumb to a failure at any time. Engine oil was flushed, cleaned, and replaced. Code was addressed currently. This is similar to the failures observed by other engines in this class, however, it does not appear this engine is part of the lifetime warranty or recall.

The check engine light came on 12/29 and was driven approximately 50 miles. On Jan 3, 2026 vehicle was driven app. 5 miles and left parked at a friends. There was a little smoke coming out from under the hood, but this is not unusual as car had small oil leak for at least 3 years that no one could find to fix but burned off on engine and gave constant oily smell. Under 10 minutes later driver was notified that neighbors heard 3 explosions, car was on fire and fire department was coming. When driver went back to where vehicle was parked, fire was out and vehicle was almost totally destroyed. Vehicle was towed to a scrap yard.

The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that her son had reported that the vehicle was losing motive power and had failed to exceed 15 MPH while driving. The check engine warning illuminated. The contact advised the driver to pull over and to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer, who diagnosed the vehicle and advised that the engine had failed the engine bearing test and several other engine tests. The contact was advised that the vehicle could not be driven. The contact advised the dealer that in 2024, the same dealer had performed the recall of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V750000(Engine) on the vehicle. The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle qualified for a manufacturer program for engine replacement. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and advised the contact that the dealer would be contacted, but no further action was taken. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.

Rear subframe is completely rusted out on one side makes it completely undrivable especially with my young children.

Engine Intake gasket oil leak.

The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that, while driving at 60 MPH, she observed smoke emanating from the engine compartment, prompting her to attempt to pull to the shoulder of the roadway. During the attempt, the contact stated that she then heard an abnormal pop, after which the vehicle lost motive power, and within a moment, the entire front end of the vehicle was engulfed in flames. Upon exiting the vehicle and being assisted by bystanders, the contact was informed that the bystanders had attempted to alert her on the road as they had observed flames emanating from underneath the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a storage facility but had yet to be deemed a total loss by the contact's insurance provider. A fire report was filed. A police report was not filed, and injuries were not reported. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 106,334.

The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sorento. While the contact's son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the traction control and ABS warning lights were illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle stalled and went into LIMP Mode. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The contact used a portable diagnostic machine and retrieved DTC: C1613,C1205, C1206, C1207, C1208, C1210 and C1211. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 204,000.

The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was permanently illuminated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 97,000.

The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sorento. The contact stated the vehicle was serviced at the local dealer for the NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000(SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC) regarding a safety fire hazard. Days later, while the vehicle was idling, smoke was suddenly present coming from under the hood. The contact opened the hood of the vehicle and discovered flames and smoke coming from the fuse box located in the front of the engine bay. The contact, who was a local fire investigator, retrieved a fire extinguisher and extinguished the flames. The fire department was called to the scene, and a fire report was filed. The vehicle was later towed to the home, and the manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the incident. The manufacturer sent an investigator to the home to examine the vehicle. The investigator determined that the fire had originated at the front of the engine compartment, but did not determine the cause of the fire. No injuries were reported. The contact was concerned that the fire was related to the recall service previously performed. The failure mileage was 212,000.

My pearl white paint is chipping and peeling off my car

Parking lights stay on, change brake light switch but the hole that the switch goes in is not aligned with the brake stopper to turn off the stop brakes, therefore it remains on. Battery needs to be unplugged to keep from draining. The mechanism to stop the lights from remaining on is somehow shifted to no longer turn off the brake lights.

I smelled fuel in & around vehicle. Did some checking discovered cracked fuel rail , causing significant fuel leak when engine is on. Did some more research online discovered 2012 KIA Sedona recall SC188 “fuel rail leak” Identical issue my 2012 Sorento has but my VIN does not come up with fuel leak recall. There is however recall 23V652 HECU replacement- engine fire possible

The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sorento. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 23V652000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC) and 18V907000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE, ENGINE). The contact stated that while driving 10 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal before the vehicle stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. In addition, the contact stated there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine. The contact stated that the vehicle was pushed to a nearby parking lot. The vehicle was then towed to a Collison enter. However, no cause for the failure was found. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer where it was determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that the recall repair of NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V907000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE, ENGINE) could not be performed if the engine was not replaced first. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact had received a recall letter regarding a defect in the engine and the vehicle had been repaired in 2017. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 274,479.

[XXX] brought car in to dealer with engine problem, I was told it needed a new engine and would be replaced under warranty. April 27th 2025 I picked up my car, two weeks later on [XXX], driving home from work the engine caught on fire, I was able to pull over, got out and called 911. In 5 minutes the whole front end was engulfed in flames. Coconut Creek Police arrived first, then the fire department. The fire department extinguished the fire. I didn't notice any warning lamps, car was driving fine, I filed a claim with my insurance, AAA, I also spoke with the KIA service manager about it, He said it could have been an old brittle fuel line, they only replaced the engine. My AAA insurance company has the vehicle and is inspecting it. The Coconut Creek Police in FL has a report # [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The engine was replace May 1, 2025 and on May 11, 2025 the car caught on fire. It was a total loss.