2016 Kia Sorento Complaint Log

The vehicle had 87000 miles. On two occasions the engine overheated , requiring a tow. After the 1st incident a local mechanic ran tests and thought the radiator cap needed replacing. It ran fine until a few weeks driving up a mt. pass it overheated again, leaving me stranded on a two lane hwy in 20 degree temps with no cell service. Had it towed to Reno ,nv kia dealership they said it had blown a head gasket and then a few weeks later said the entire engine would have to be replaced ( the threads to the cylinder were stripped). The original mechanic and lia dealership are the only ones to have looked at or inspected the vehicle. As soon as I noticed the temperature gauge at an elevated level, I immediately pulled over and turned off the motor.

Purchased vehicle April 2019 and properly maintained it with no major issues until September 2022 when the alternator went and was replaced with a new alternator but the car was no longer reliable at that point as it spent several trips to the shop (where it resides currently). The catalytic converter was throwing a code but the car was running okay so we were told to see what happens The smell of antifreeze was strong and the engine overheated despite our best efforts (from mechanics with various backgrounds and experience levels). We were told post diagnostic test days before Christmas that the engine block was “walking” and a new engine would be the only true and effective repair for it. In disbelief and penniless at this point we got a second and third opinion from other reputable mechanics. The last shop actually tore the engine apart and was able to confirm that the cylinders were so badly warped that a machine shop wouldn’t be able to make them usable. The mechanic commented about how awful the cylinders looked, and that putting the engine back together would be a complete waste of time because the engine would surely throw codes, it was just a matter of when. He also urged us to replace the engine. At this point we have reached out to the administrator for our gap optional warranty we purchased and despite the contract clearly stating there is ample engine coverage, he refuses to cover labor and/or parts. This was my first Kia and will without a doubt be my last. With days before my senior semester of nursing school starting my car sat at a shop (where it still sits) and the customer service, or lack thereof I have received has been nothing short of appalling. School is stressful enough and with no reliable transportation it’s really been a treat. Also worth mentioning the fact the car was running so terribly it put quite the damper on mine and my kids holidays.

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 warped and wore a machinist would be unable to work with them and fire was clearly on the horizon based on the dangerous conditions. FIRE. I have a 14, 5, 4 and 3 year old who are almost always with me. My children could have been killed. So worse than this inconvenience is the blatant lack of regard for human life. To add insult to injury I guess insurance companies are tired of taking the brunt of Kia’s incompetent craftsmanship so they are only covering half of the cost, I must pay $5,000.

Paint peeling in large flakes from front hood area of vehicle. Dealer documented paint issue on Jan 2, 2023

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.

Car started to make a knocking noise, however no lights on dash indicated anything was wrong. Checked oil and the oil was low, had to add 4 quarts of oil, checked for leaks and nothing was leaking. Two weeks later noticed the car was driving a little different, checked oil and had to add two more quarts of oil.

In December 2022 while driving at various speeds, the vehicle began to overheat. No warning lights illuminated. I pulled over and let the engine cool down. Then coolant was added to the reservoir. I waited before restarting the vehicle. I took the vehicle to an independent mechanic the next day and was informed that the head gasket was blown, and the engine would likely need to be replaced. Kia dealership was contacted and notified. The vehicle was not repaired.

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that she heard an abnormal sound at the front of the vehicle. The contact then stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated. The contact was unsure of any warning lights being illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer but was not yet diagnosed. The contact then received notification of the NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V703000 (Trailer Hitches). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 123,000. The VIN was unavailable.

Engine failed. Car received all maintenance and was burning oil and no leaks detected. It has the Theta II engine that is known to fail.

The car is burning through a lot of oil and I see smoke from the engine bay (back of engine) though i don't see leaks under the car. It smells like burning oil.

There is an URGENT FIRE RISK that they aren't fixing! How can there just NOT be a remedy? Please make Kia fix it?

When lights are turned to automatic setting they often turn on during daylight or off at night. They have now turned off while driving at night on unlit roads and highways and we are lucky we did not have an accident. Typically jiggling the knob on light lever will reset the lights to be correct, but this leads to distracted driving often while not being able to see the road.

while i was driving on the road, the car installed. i pulled over on the shoulder and i started the car and the engine started knocking. I change the oil on the car regularly and on time. I didnt see any engine warning lights or anything. I am going to tow the car to a kia dealership and see what they say

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.

The hood of the car has large amounts of paint peeling. The paint peeling has progressively worsened. The paint on the roof of the car also has a similar problem with the paint.

While driving down the road at highway speeds, the engine died. Losing power brakes and steering. I was able to move over to the shoulder. The engine is seized. Oil changes done every 3,500 miles and with full synthetic and a kia branded filter every time. I believe the 2016 2.4L engine has an internal oil problem. There are 617 complaints on the 2016 Sorento, and every one of them that states Engine, is a seized engine. That's only the people that thought to complain. I have found hundreds of comments on youtube videos and several friends that own similar (2015 2.4L Sorento) that have all had to replace their engines from loss of power at highway speeds. I was passing a car when the Sorento engine died and had to navigate back to the left lane and onto the should with no power steering or brake assist, all while being surprised and confused as to why the engine wouldn't restart. Not taken to the dealer yet for inspection, but a local mechanic said the engine appears seized. No warning lights on the dash until the engine died. No oil pressure light, no battery light, no check engine light, until the engine died.

My 2016 Sorento started using oil in between oil changes beginning November 2022 after recall repairs and other repairs completed by the KIA dealership. We’re now adding oil every other day, checking the oil almost daily. There is no sign of oil leak where vehicle is parked, does not smoke and no warning lights of low oil pressure. Kia should be made to fix these cars! I took good care of my car with regular oil changes and overall maintenance. This is obviously a case of a bad product on Kia's part, and they should be made to stand by their work!

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 stated while receiving a routine oil change, the mechanic noticed that the vehicle had no oil in the engine. The mechanic added oil but then noticed that the oil return line was leaking. The dealer was contacted and stated that they are aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 162,000. The VIN was not available.

The transmission of the 2016 Kia Sorento is now disabled. The car is currently undergoing repair at a Kia Dealership and Service Center. Kia has inspected the vehicle, and it has been determined that the engine needs replacing. Leading up to the engine failing, there were no signs of a repair needed. No check engine lights, oil light, etc. Nothing. The car seemed to be running just fine. Driving on the highway going about 65mph, the car began to shake violently and eventually slowed down. Only at that point did the oil and check engine light appear.

Vehicle uses excessive amount of engine oil. It burns appx a quart of oil every 750 miles. There is no evidence of a leak in the driveway or on the undercarriage of the car. Informed dealer and was told it may be a bad oil drain plug. This is not evidenced by any visible oil loss. Loss of oil in this amount could cause engine failure where traffic conditions would put driver and other vehicles at risk.

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while the brake pedal was depressed, she placed the vehicle in park; however, the RPM’s increased rapidly and the engine revved. No warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that her husband turned off the vehicle and disconnected and reconnected the battery cables however, he restarted the vehicle and the failure recurred. The contact stated that she notified multiple dealers of the failure and was informed that no appointments were available until February of 2023. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V089000 (Vehicle Speed Control). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximate 110,000.

I was driving my 2016 Kia Sorento on the freeway when I heard a loud boom, like a gun shot and then the vehicle was showered with glass from the sunroof that exploded. It was NOT struck by any object or rock. Fortunately the sun shade prevented me from getting glass poured on my head. The dealership denied responsibility and I am in the process of getting it replaced though my insurance company. In doing research I found that while it not common place it has happened more than I thought.

My vehicle began blowing cold air instead of heated air. Then the engine began over-heating and it cracked the radiator. After radiator was replaced my 2016 Sorento continued to blow cold air and continued to overheat. KIA dealership says I don't qualify for recall repairs. My mechanic says I do. My mechanic says my vehicle is not safe to drive. I want KIA to FIX MY 2016 Engine problem. On December 2, 2022 my vehicle overheated and began spewing antifreeze. I am glad there wasn't a fire.

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.

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.

the anti lock button does not work, kia will not fix it, they stated that there recall on it was for locks that can move the car forward and backwards. I've never used my anti lock button its down beside the gear shift so the only way I can drive my suv to put my car in drive, reverse etc to use the gear shift is by holding a screwdriver down in it the whole time and I complained to kia about that knows that but they won't do anything about it unless I pay out of pocket for something I've never even used since I had the vehicle/I'm not at fault for. I suddenly could not put my suv back in drive after cutting my car off at my daughter school in 2022 bc of the anti lock button being stuck or something of that nature and kia done nothing about it since, they turned my down to fix n/or replace it. And my dashboard is cracking by the airbag on passenger side from the top all the way down unknowingly on its own. Also my engine light suddenly comes on and stays on for days then goes off and that happened on several occasions/ twice so far, kia was notified about it and said if its not jumping or flashing I'll have to pay to get it checked.

Liftgate fail to open when key fob button pressed or dashboard release button pressed or approach function is turn on. Liftgate trying to open and than right a way closed. I read numerous posts of other owners stating same problem with liftgate. The problem starts once a while but getting worst and worst

Car stalled on the major freeway at highway speed at 65 mph. With no advanced warning lights on dash. Lost power and stalled. Was able to steer without power steering over to the side of the road. Towed to the shop . Mechanic found #4 cylinder has no compression. Engine is making noise. I have problems with Engine using oil. Been to the dealership many to address the engine concerns. No help. Now the engine is inoperable.

Excessive consumption of oil. At my last oil change, I was told that my motor was completely dry. Engine knocks and shuts off. Need to monitor and top off motor oil every week.

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made abnormal sounds with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, and the dealer informed the contact that the vehicle was out of warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

In November last year, my car caught fire while I was driving on a highway at a rate of about 70 mph. Some good Samaritans flagged me down and I was able to pull off the road and escape injury. My car was a total loss as were the contents of it. The fire department tapped out the fire. Kia admitted responsibility saying it was a manufacturing defect (I have the email conversation saved) but only wanted to pay my insurance company back and refund me my deductible. Kia would not pay for my lost iPhone and belongings because they said they could only do so if I provided a receipts for those items. Who has a receipt for everything in their car? I didn't claim to loss a Rolex or anything crazy. I refused the offer and am out for the loss of my car, deductible and its contents (though insurance cut me a check for the blue book value of my car minus the deductible). Kia is the worst.

Headlights drop out without notice, most noticeable when it’s dark! Happens often

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at 70 MPH, the vehicle lost oil , the low oil and low fuel warning lights did not illuminate. The vehicle started to slow down and it made an abnormal noise and lost power. When she depressed the accelerator pedal, the vehicle would make a jerking motion. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder and the vehicle was towed to a safe area. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage as approximately 84,000.

I had no warning lights come on all of a sudden steam and anti freeze blew from outside hood luckily I was right near home pulled in popped hood all Xtra antifreeze gone from back up container .had triple A tow to a mechanic as thought it was a hole in radiator or hose fell off.He got back to me and said there are exhausted gases in antifreeze and my head gasket is blown !Nothing ever gave me a clue just happened.He suggested towing to kia as only 70.000 miles and he said there is a leak either from head gasket bolt .but somehow this is a reason for kia as he has read many complaints the same as mine.not the knock sensor issue this is a whole new problem with v6 engine .so I owe 15,000.00 for a car that does no longer run kia will do nothing as had towed to dealership.what do I do? I can not find anyone to do engine cause there are none there are no recalls on this issue!Kia needs to be held accountable for all there issues !As my car is still there cause have no idea what to do !so now still paying payments with no help from them!please look on kia complaint you will see so many others with same issue! https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/cars/news-blog/hyundai-and-kia-s-decade-of-very-troublesome-engines-continues-44497118

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the engine made abnormal knocking sounds before the vehicle stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was unable to veer to the side of the road. The vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine rod bearing had failed. The dealer and the manufacturer informed the contact that they could not assist as the original owner failed to complete an unknown software update on the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 96,000.

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

October 30th 2022 I was driving with my 3&4 yr old son's after dropping my fiance off to fish. I had run to the store and on the way back to pick him up the car completely died without ANY waring at a Stop sign. Everything just shut down Completely! I called a tow truck and he was unable to jump me so the car was towed. The mechanic said my engine was seized and sounded like it had bolts rattling around the engine, he also mentioned he has seen this in 5 engines this past couple weeks!!! I was recommended to bring it to a Kia dealership to further inspect. I found paperwork for an extended warranty on Oil Pressure Switch Leaking, the dealership only looked at this part and said it was ok and the warranty doesn't cover the engine only that part. The dealer and mechanic said there was oil in the car and they could tell we put new filters recently ( which we did on our last oil change ).I was then recommended to contact Kia consumer affairs to enter a claim. I have done so and been denied. I will call today to file again. A new engine was quoted to cost $13,000. I was told to have the engine examined would be $1,500. And I would be responsible and still have to pay for the new engine. My car has 90,366 miles and is our only vehicle. After researching how many other poor people this is affecting and had almost exact same thing happen to them is CRAZY!!! Something needs to be done. Reading Kia is known for engine failure and leaking head gaskets being a manufacturer error but something they won't help you with is criminal. How is anyone supposed to be able to afford this problem? I'm hoping with enough reports something will happen so this gets resolved. I know we were lucky to be unharmed but I know some have not been so lucky. We need to feel safe in our car, especially with our boys.

Sunscreen spontaneously exploded. Open highway, no surrounding debris, no trees, etc.

One afternoon when I started my Sorento (with Lambda Engine around 85,000 miles) I heard a loud tapping sound in the engine and saw the check engine light on. I took it in for an oil change and to get an opinion on the tapping sound at Jiffy lube. They told me I had no oil in the vehicle. They also noted no oil leaks and sludge in the engine. I took it in to the kia dealership the next day and they told me my timing chain was damaged and that I would need a new engine. I thought I was covered under the "special" 20 year warranty I had on the vehicle. My warranty claim was DENIED due to "improper maintenance"; not having sufficient oil change records and sludge being found under the valve cover. During my previous oil change 6 months & 8700 miles ago there were no issues with the engine. I also use premium synthetic oil. No oil lights had ever gone off, only the check engine light prior to taking it to a mechanic. I have also had safety issues over the last 5 months where my vehicle failed to accelerate while on the highway. The car would function as normal after stopping and cutting the car off and back on.

Engine overheating, no warning lights. Changed thermostat, no change, new radiator- some improvement but still getting hot. Oil and coolant levels were fine. Got it tested and they told us we needed a new engine. We just had purchased the car and we just barely missed it being covered under warranty. This leading us to search forums for others that have had this issue with Kia Sorento 3.3 engine. Turns out there are quite a a few due to the head bolts coming loose, leaking head gasket, and ultimately ruining the engine. We are paying for a vehicle that is not drivable due to faulty parts by design. We were not made aware of this issue or that it may need to be repaired otherwise we would have steered clear of KIA. Will not be buying a KIA ever again. So many issues and no accountability for their mistakes.

The vehicle has been consuming excessive amounts of oil resulting in the recommendation from the Ourisman Kia Dealership in Chantilly, Virginia that the engine be replaced. The only warning I had that there could be an issue was the oil light occasionally coming on for 3-5 seconds when turning off a highway exit or braking hard, etc. The car has been taken to the dealership 3 times in order to figure out what was going on for this specific issue, but it has been indirectly addressed prior to that. The first time the car was taken it was still under warranty, but the result that the engine needed replacement was not given until after the car was out of warranty. The dealership first performed an oil change and consumption test. I returned after 1000 miles for the results of the consumption test and was told my car was consuming oil and would need a Combustion Chamber cleaning. Once that was completed, I was told it should be fine. The dealership did not communicate to me that I needed to return the car after 1000 miles, but I brought it back after I noticed the oil light was coming on again and it had only been a few weeks since the oil change. I was told that the car was consuming excessive amounts of oil and it would need an engine replacement. The car has also occasionally struggled to accelerate, but I had the Knock Sensor replaced under warranty so it is likely related to the lack of oil. The car is now unsafe to drive as it could have "catastrophic engine failure" according to the dealership service manager. There is no extended warranty or recall, so I have no choice but to spend the quoted $9-10k for an engine replacement or sell the car for next to nothing and start over.

While driving engine completely stopped with myself driving and my 2 year old in the car. No warning lights lit up beforehand until after the failure and after coming to a complete stop smoke could be seen coming from the engine bay underneath the hood. Now the car is disabled and unable to start. Vehicle has not been inspected yet as we are scheduled two weeks out for an appointment with the dealer shop.

My car has been having high oil consumption. I have taken it to my Kia dealership. They informed me this is a problem with the make and model. They told me this is the beginning of an engine problem that will ultimately cause engine failure affecting connecting rods and bearings. My options are to drive the car until it fails then Kia will replace the engine. I a,so co tacted Kia corporate Customer service a d was told the same thing. I ask her to file a complaint and accelerate it. She said 5hat was. Ot he process. I am 77 year old widow. I'm active and drive my car day a night almost every day. I am usually alone. The solutions are not acceptable. There is a danger for me getting suddenly stranded alone at my age. I think the engine should be replaced now. Can you help me with this? Thank you

October 19,2022 I was driving (cruise control about 70 mph) and hit a deer. The impact and damage was quite a bit however no airbags deployed. The car is still being repaired at Blakely Chevrolet in Blakely GA and they are having issues with airbag sensors.

PAINT IS PEELING OFF

There was an instance where I was driving in heavy rain and the windshield wipers just stopped working. I had to drive about 5 more miles without them working. They worked the next time it rained a couple of days later. There has been 2 instances in the last week where I have had my car parked in my driveway off and locked. In the middle of the night, the headlights and taillights come on on there own. The headlights setting has been set to auto. I end up having to go out and start and turn off my car, then when I lock it back the lights go off.

Brakes applied but vehicle does slow down but not stop. In a few seconds brakes do stop. This problem was intermittent but getting worse. Confirmed operation by others driving vehicle and at the auto dealers service department. Vehicle was declared a safety hazard until problem solved. Service record indicates check valve replaced and vacuum pump service. No dash warning lights indicated a problem. Replaced part was not inspected but the problem has returned 10 days after repair, it is back at the dealer. Cost $1100.00

The vehicle was running great then without any warning it stalled. I started it back up and the engine began knocking horribly. I got a diagnostic test done at Auto Zone and was told that I had a bad sensor in my engine. I took it in to the dealership and I was told that it had no oil, metal in the engine, and I had to replace it. I checked the oil the previous week and it had oil then.