2016 Kia Sorento Complaint Log

It was determined by a local mechanic that the engine was damaged due to a internal rod busting through the block of the engine. This caused an immediate shutdown of the vehicle in the middle of traffic on a cold night with my 7-month old daughter in the vehicle. I suppose it could have been worse if the engine had caught fire or if we were on the highway, thankfully we were barely accelerating from a stop light. The engine has not been inspected by Kia as they claimed it would cost over $300 to just look at it, and it is well known from the original mechanic what the issue was. We did contact Kia about it but they were unwilling to fix the issue. We were quoted over $10000 for a replacement engine but that was all the help we got. Prior to this sudden destruction of our engine all normal oil changes and maintenance had been done and there were no warning lights on the dash.

The shift suddenly locked when put in park...need to use the shift lock release to unlock it.

The coolant system depressurizes due to steel head bolts into the aluminum block. While driving, the coolant system released all pressurized coolant out of the coolant overflow tank. The engine began to overheat without warning in the middle of traffic while transporting children. Kia has sent out an Extended Warranty to all 2016-2017 Sorento owners to attempt to remedy the issue. Our dealership was able to reproduce the issue. We're being advised a 60-90-day wait on the engine/parts to resolve the claim. This should be filed as a recall and resolved promptly. 2-3 months for a nationwide extended recall is an absurd amount of time without a vehicle.

Engine failed Kia decided that part is Not covered under warranty and dealer expects us to pay $6500 This car is only 8 years old, 88,500 miles. How can Kia sell faulty engines and still expect someone to pay outrageous price to repair their junk cars?!

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while the vehicle was idling in a drive-thru line, the engine temperature gauge increased to the "high" position and the engine overheated causing engine coolant to leak from the engine compartment with white smoke coming from the exhaust system. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the head gasket was blown. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The contact was informed that the replacement engine was on backorder. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 99,820.

I am experiencing coolant leaks possibly due to head gasket or engine bolt malfunction. I have received and extended warranty letter from kia but the dealers are saying kia has not provided a solution. The extended warranty is for 15 year/180,000 miles. I am currently at 172,000 miles and am concerned by the time a solution is provided to the dealer i will be out of the warranty period.

WE WERE DRIVING ON US 40 WEST BOUND,ENGINE SLOWED,AND STOPPED,ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON,FULL OF OIL WAS JUST CHANGED, WAS NOT LOW,TEMP WAS NOT HOT, TOWED HOME AAA. WE WERE IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC,JUST LUCKEY WE WERE NOT KILLED IN THAT HEAVY TRAFFIC

The engine overheated. We were able to get to a place and stop. We continue to have overheating issues. An independent shop believes it is being caused by the issue of stripped head bolts. They advised I take it to the Kia dealer who denies being able to recreate the overheating. No further inspection has taken place. The temp gauge was topping out but no other warning lights or gauges were triggered. After reading numerous other accounts of issues with this engine in this car I was concerned about continuing to drive the vehicle for fear of being stranded or the engine seizing while driving.

The 2016 Kia Sorento engine apparently has excessive oil usage leading to engine failure while driving on highway. Dealers are aware of the problem but Kia is not addressing the issue. Took the car in 3 times for Diagnostic check with no indication of any fault codes to address issue specifically. Now engine has failed despite our efforts to get ahead of the problem, and provide regular maintenance to our vehicle. Apparently dealers are well aware of the issue and aren't owning to it because Kia isn't supporting it.

While driving the car, the engine temperature started fluctuating and finally reached over temp. The engine failed. I towed the car to my mechanic and initially thought that the head gasket had blown. However, upon inspection, they found that the engine head bolt to the engine block was damaged. The threads were stripped. The only repair option for this problem was to replace the engine block. I believe the engine on this vehicle is a 3.3-liter Lambda II V6. This car only had 87,000 miles on it.

Head bolts come lose causing head gaskets to leak. Vehicle is losing coolant internally. My safety is at risk for now I have no vehicle to drive to get me to and from work, in order to afford food and housing, causing me to have a poor mental state, of which may or may not have a negative effect on my well-being. Poor design and quality is to blame and a large corporation such as Kia needs to be held accountable. I have no idea what other domino effects this poor design may have on other engine parts/failures. The contact is respectfully asking for this complaint to be listed as part of the investigation PE23019.

On January 17 2024 as I am making my usual drive to work on a very busy interstate highway my 2016 Kia SORENTO EX V6 FWD AUTO 3.3 liter engine completely seizes up and so begins my nightmare. The same nightmare I am seeing time and time and time again reported on this site, and every site you do a simple search on 2016 KIA Sorento's for. As a result of the catastrophic engine failure, I (a female, original owner of the KIA,) was left in a very dangerous position to try and maneuver through and not be killed by oncoming cars and further not get jumped in a very bad part of the metro. (this is not my personal assessment, this is the highest crime area in our city) Car was towed to dealership where I originally purchased it and today I received the diagnosis report indicating Alternator Replacement $1,283.94, Head Gasket $4,276.92, Body Control Module/ ECU $1,030.35 (an issue that I raised when the car was under the manufacturer warranty, and was ignored by the service team and results in me using a screw driver to even get the car out of park) I want answers as do all of the other impacted customers as to WHAT MORE IS NEEDED TO PROVE THAT KIA ENGINES ARE DANGEROUS AND NEED TO BE TAKEN OFF THE STREET!

Oil consumption with no low oil light.

Engine replacement needed due to faulty engine. Dealer confirmed faulty bolts in head gasket causing leaks. No signs of critical issue. The vehicle was taken in for a regularly scheduled oil change when the dealership discovered the leak and subsequent issue with the head gasket threads being striped requiring a full engine replacement. The manufacturer(KIA/Hyundai) should in good faith provide restitution for this issue as it has devalued the vehicle in the public market and is a public safety issue to have the potential for engines to fail without warning. The manufacturer, should also extend and fully cover future engine issues, not just the boilerplate 12k mile warranty on "new" engine replacements. Replacing one faulty engine with another does not negate the root issue and does not provide a good faith solution. The contact stated after being assured by the service department that the new engine would be free of defects the vehicle was driven roughly 300 miles when the warning lights for electronic steering, ABS, and traction control which was immediately followed by a burning smell in the cabin. When safely pulled over there was smoke coming from under the hood. Upon inspection there was almost no coolant left.

My engine blew with no light to indicate there was even a problem with the engine.

Cruise control was set on 60, went up a non steep incline I drive everyday and vehicle suddenly stopped functioning properly. Took off the cruise, step on the accelerator, no power and no response. Also no warning lights are on, no dash lights came on until I was able to stop the vehicle and shift to park. Turned off the engine and it never turned over again. My safety was put at risk and others on the road due to there being no warning to this happening and lack of control I had over the vehicle. I have had it inspected by my mechanic and he is telling me it was a catastrophic failure and the engine blew. Cost of repair isn't much less than a new vehicle. I have no trade in value on a car I purchased brand new 7 years ago. I have to scrap a vehicle I should be able to trade in for 5K at least. According to an article I found from Nov 2023 this has recently been found to be an issue with these models. I took really good care of this vehicle, it still blew up on me, and put me in danger.

My name is [XXX] Owner of KIA SORENTO 2016 V6 At the begging of this year in early January , my automobile starting showing extremely overheating conditions. My wife was taking our kids to school on a cold weather, 15 minutes from home and as she was arriving to the school parking lot she noticed the temperature indicator up to (H) mark, she then notice a loud buzzing sound coming from the engine.She parked the car immediately as she could , shutdown the engine and asked my kids to leave the car immediately . She called me very frightened and worry about my kids safety and hers. She said that she was able to shutdown the engine but the temperature indicator stayed on H mark and the buzzing sound was still on. Then, I remember receiving a latter from Kia Corporate Headquarters, extending the warranty on my car on mid December 2023. The letter states that the warranty has been extended because it's a potential overheating and coolant leaking that it has been related to the cylinder head gasket and head bolts. We reached out to a dealer right after the incident and on [XXX] we took our car for inspection and acknowledge the mechanical problem. All the sings of the fail system of the engine are present in my car. My car has been at the dealer since [XXX] and as of now Kia Corporate has fail to proceed with the approval of the repairs of my car. I have been renting cars all this time and the dealer personal said they can't approve to pay any rental until Kia Corporate Headquarters acknowledge the fail engine. Its absurd that Kia Corporate Headquarters have the knowledge of this dangerous mechanical issues in my car engine but fail to acknowledge repairs. The case it's no longer" to be determine" on their data base, its updated to repair as fallow but yet has not acknowledge that our car has to be fix under their extended warranty and my wife still driving my kids on a rental car . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The car continues to have burning smell last few days and temperature Gauge past the H. Kia will not diagnose or look at for over 2 weeks and asks me to drive it with my young children. There are no rentals or loaner available while I wait to get my vehicle looked at. I do not want to be the next statistic with my vehicle burning on the side of the road. Please help.

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked when the contact attempted to open the trunk, however, the trunk failed to open. The contact stated that the failure recurred multiple times and after multiple attempts, the trunk was able to open. The contact stated that the failure continued to recur and the trunk became inoperable. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer. The contact stated that there were no warning lights illuminated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and they informed the contact that the warranty did not cover the failure. The failure mileage was 110,000.

My car was overheating and no coolant was leaking. Took it to a Kia dealership and they said that it was due to failed head bolts warping the heads and damaging the block. They said they need to replace the engine and that this is an issue with 2016-2017 Kia Sorento.

The had the same oil leakage recall fixed two times by a dealership which it is still leaking BAD! That was said to be an oil pressure switch. My trunk also will not open.

The paint on my car start peeling out of nowhere… the hood of the car 12/26/2023 and the roof of the car 2/09/2024 peeled off in the rain I have pictures and videos… Kia said warranty only covers 36000 miles or 3 years on the car so they couldn’t help me …plus as the paint peels u can see the car was painted with no primer for the paint to stick …. I paid my car off to have it fall apart on me this is not acceptable..my car only has 63000 miles it shouldn’t be falling apart already … I’m having issues with the engine burning excessive oil .. Please help a very concerned client

The engine died as I was driving on the freeway at 70 mph. My safety was at risk. I thank God the other drivers on the freeway were paying attention and as I slowly made it to the side of the freeway before it completely stopped rolling. The vehicle is still at the Kia dealership. The vehicle had been burning through oil very badly.

There are many complaints about head gasket leaks. I have a head gasket leaks with 150,000 miles.

My vehicle has 111k miles on it and is burning so much oil I have to spend 8 thousand dollars to replace the motor. This doesn’t seem like it should be burning this much oil. Now the motor has a horrible knock on the inside of the motor. Garage says the whole motor has to be replaced.

On 12/15/23 my wife was driving her father to a dental appointment and when trying to pass a slower moving vehicle on a rural stretch of our highway system. The car died after she accelerated to pass the slower vehicle. She was in the oncoming lane of traffic when she lost engine power, power steering, power brakes and electronics. The car she was passing slowed down to allow her to get over, as a semi truck had now appeared on the horizon. Without any power, she could not complete the pass and had to force the car back into the correct lane where the car came to a stop partially in the roadway. Two vehicles behind her witnessed the issue and could tell she was having vehicle problems and helped push her, her dad, and the car to the side of the road into an orchard for safety. There were no warning symptoms, no loud sounds, nothing, just the control panel flashing intermediately after the car died. The car was towed to a local shop that thought it was possibly an electrical issue and replaced the battery (as that somehow died during the incident) but they soon identified the motor had seized and we should have it taken to a Kia dealership for a known issue with the 2.4L engines. The Kia dealership advised that a "Product Improvement Campaign", not a Safety Recall, had not been performed on the vehicle and that Kia had a class action lawsuit for this exact issue. Kia claims that postal notifications were sent to the previous owner, but had our information on file and registered as an owner through the Kia Owner web portal. Kia is refusing to cover the repair costs because the original owner never had the work completed, and as a second owner, we were never notified of the Knock Sensor Software Update that needed to ensure the car would go into limp mode before a total engine seizure. We never took the Kia to an actual dealer, as we had all maintenance done at various oil change locations, and an independent auto repair shop do the milestone services as recommended.

At an ODO of 87,337 the Sorrento turned off while at a speed of >45 mph on a highway, luckily near an exit. There were no warnings before the car turned off. The car allowed for a slow crawl off the highway. The Sorrento could not be restarted. After towing it to an independent mechanic we were told that the car engine had seized, likely due to low oil. The car did not indicate anything before the catastrophic event. This was a danger to the young driver and everyone on the highway at the time due to the sudden slowing of the car, likely without brake lights. This occurred after dusk which added totes danger.

When in motion and at higher rates of speed, the vehicle’s steering wheel gets stuck and requires additional force to turn which causes an over correction. This is a consistent problem that happens.

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the vehicle was overheating. The contact veered to the side of the road. Upon inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that there was sufficient coolant in the coolant reservoir, but there was no coolant in the radiator. The contact stated that the failure recurred. The contact inspected the vehicle and noticed that coolant was leaking out of the coolant reservoir due to pressure. The contact received notification of TSB Number: WTY035, which was related to the failure. The dealer was contacted and advised the contact to take the vehicle to their location for repair; however, the dealer informed the contact that the repair could take 3-4 months. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

Complete engine failure. Palmen Kia of Kenosha mechanics say it is an ongoing issue with this type of engine that Kia is fully aware of and that it should be covered by the factory Powertrain warranty but the company refuses to fix it. I also own an additional extended warranty through Educator’s Credit Union which won’t fix it for me.

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated after pulling into the driveway, he noticed an abnormal burning oil odor. The contact stated that he inspected the engine compartment and underneath the vehicle, but no oil leak was found. The contact stated the failure recurred several times while at a complete stop. There was no warning light illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that he noticed that a significant amount of oil had leaked on the undercarriage of the vehicle and onto the ground. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the turbo oil intake lines were damaged. The mechanic informed the contact that the failure could cause oil to leak onto the manifold, which could cause a fire. The contact stated that he replaced the turbo oil intake lines himself. The vehicle was repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 143,000.

When driving down the road at any speed in a striaght line steering sticks requiring constant over correction. This is becoming a big problem at highway speeds as vehcile will jerk and on an icy road Im affaid I my lose control

Large area of paint peeled off the hood while washing the vehicle

At driving speeds steering catches with no control for a few seconds during slight turns. Has happened multiple times. Took to mechanic and was told there was an overheat code showing that could only be resolved through Kia software.Took to Kia dealership in St. Cloud, Minnesota, and was told it would resolve by putting in an actual Kia battery, $500+. Had no issues for 2 months Then happened twice. Took Back to the same dealership and was told needed new steering column $1,000+. As of today, my Sorrento is at the dealership in St. Cloud, Minnesota Waiting for part. 6/24/2024

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to push the vehicle off the roadway. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact called the local dealer and was informed that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

I’ve had my 2016 KIA Sorento for a month. The engine locked up. So, I would like for it to be repaired at no cost to me since it was within the 30 period of purchase. I need to know what to do at this point. My car is at the dealership where I bought it from. Thank you for a speedy response.

The engine failed and stopped while driving on the highway going about 50 mph. Fortunately was able to pull off to side of the road without crashing. Took the vehicle to the kia dealer it was determined that the engine failed due to rod bearing failure. It stopped without any warning. It also appears that there is a current recall and class action lawsuit on v4 2.4 engines identifying the same problem. This needs to be checked into

Knock sensor goes bad. Car does not receive fuel to engine. Cuts off while driving and will not accelerate over 20 mph

Last year before my 100,000 mile warranty was up, my vehicles engine light and oil light came on. This was following an oil change which was approximately 3000 in. I checked the oil to find out there was no oil. After adding oil, I took it to the Kia dealership and was told the place who changed the oil didn’t tighten my oil filter which was not true because there was no oil on the garage floor where it was parked. They then proceeded to tell me this engine uses a quart of oil every 1000 miles. Fast forward, to last week, I was driving on the highway when my car all the sudden had high RPM but wouldn’t accelerate. The vehicle started stalling and died. I pulled over and again tried to start the car which it died again. The oil level was fine. I took it to a mechanic to find out the engine had 3 cylinders misfiring due to not getting the compression needed resulting in the engine failing. The oil consumption resulted in needing a new engine and now outside of warranty.

My 2016 Kia Sorento started about 2 months to peel, it was a quarter size spot and now is getting bigger every day !!

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that the Electronic Parking Brake (EPB) System had failed, causing the Auto Park, the electronic parking brake, the Adaptive Cruise Control, and the automatic emergency braking system to become inoperable. Additionally, the contact stated that while making a turn from a complete stop, the parking brake engaged unintendedly, causing the rear brakes to activate, and the vehicle became immovable. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. A mobile independent mechanic diagnosed that the Electronic Parking Brake (EPB) System had failed and informed the contact that he could not repair the vehicle. The mechanic disabled the Electronic Parking Brake (EPB) System, and the vehicle operated as needed while driving; however, the Electronic Parking Brake warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the Electronic Parking Brake (EPB) System had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

My car started jumping while driving we had put oil in my car 3 weeks prior. It also smelt like my car was burning while the heat was on I had 2 babies in the back seat and I was scared to death. I haven’t received anything in the mail about any recalls what so ever. I had to hear by a family friend the day of the incident that he thinks they’re recalls on my call so I looked it up. My car is currently not working now and I have work and doctors appointments for babies I got to Kia tomorrow they’re saying I don’t have any recalls on my car and I looked it up on here and I do. I’m pretty sure they’re just not wanting to pay for it. They said if I have a warranty they could do. I just don’t know what to do I have no car and I ave 2 children I can’t afford to not have a vehicle.

A lot of oil in the floor. Oil Pressure Sensor Fail Lock of all doors are crazy (lock and unlock so many times)

Engine light come on and had someone to check it and they said recall on motor car has been using a lot of oil I put in one quart every two weeks the car is stalling and missing also

Been dealing with oil issues for over a year. With a closely monitored oil level the car engine blew a hole and is now not drivable. There was never a low oil light or any warning.

17-year-old daughter driving 65 mph down the highway when engine just gave out. Loss drive power but was able to make it to the side of highway, once stopped coolant find blowing out. There was no overheating warning or light luminated on dash. Once towed to shop and inspected told head gasket blown out dur to loose head bolts & possible head crack due to lost coolant.

Daughter was traveling at highway speeds (60 mph) when engine loss all power and hard to merge over in lanes due to loss of speed and other traffic. Once to side of road found coolant blowing out of reservoir under hood. Towed to service station where they said head gasket blown on back cylinder bank. Replacement motor needed to make repairs as 7 of 8 head bolts found loose and 3 threads striped from aluminum block which they said is common issue with Kia engines.

I was unable to to get my gear out of park. I took to Kia immediately to inspect this issue. My safety is at risk if a collision occurs because I can’t change gears or if I have my children in the car and I get stuck in a remote location. The problem is currently being inspected by a Kia dealership & no one else has been notified just yet. I was given no warning or message before this began on Nov. 7, 2023. After a thorough internet search it seems there are several KIA owners that have experienced the same problem.

Car when into a low power mode,could not keep it running ,took 5 times to go thru a very busy intersection and motor was making a knocking noise,smells like burnt oil-motor ,misses out..The car was towed into a KIA dealership,3 weeks later they said it was fixed,drove off and didn’t even make it a mile until it started knocking and having the same smell like burnt motor,went into a reduce power.now it’s been 3 more weeks or more and still nothing is getting resolved. Yes the dealership knows about this issue. Yes warning messages came on when it went into low power mode. This is motor number two as the motor was replaced less than 12 months ago.

When taking 2016 Kia Sorento in for oil changes, I'm being told vehicle is low on oil. On Nov 6, check engine light came on, with code P0010 Camshaft position Sensor, so my mechanic replaced both Camshaft position sensors. December 3, check engine light came back on, same code, when mechanic did a further diagnostic he said it is the variable valve timing actuator which happens to be causing the oil consumption. Indicated to take to Kia dealer because they are well aware of the issues with the Gamma motors. I haven't taken it yet to the dealership, I have done some research and seen where there are thousands of Kias and Hyundais with the same issues and it seems the corporations are not doing anything about this.I am really scared to drive now not knowing if I am going to be in the middle of the interstate and my vehicle just quits and then I am in an accident. I am waiting for all documentation of all oil changes and repairs from the shop.