2016 Kia Sorento UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
my vehicle is exhibiting symptoms of a defective gas pedal as described in kia recall SC115 for the 2016 kia sorento. however my vehicle is not part of the recall group. i took my car to the dealer to request this recall (SC115) be done on my vehicle but they would not make an exception. my vehicle is unsafe to drive because the accelerator pedal will randomly stop working causing the vehicle to go into "forced idle" mode for several minutes while driving on the road. this is dangerous because the car just idles and will not accelerate. kia dealer has inspected the vehicle but will not assist me with this recall issue.
Paint chipping in large areas occurring rapidly over the course of 6-7 months with no external damage or accidents to cause this.
Gear shift unable to put into drive, and unable to reset. I have to use a screwdriver to maneuver gear shift
The oil pressure switch is leaking and has leaked oil into the engine harness. The engine harness and PCM need to be replaced. I was told it’s not safe to drive. This issue has been flagged as a warranty issue 3.3L engine, but is yet to be approved for the 2.4L engine. My car only has 46,875 miles on it and this issue should be approved to be covered under new vehicle limited warranty coverage.
Vehicle displayed intermittent overheating on temp gauge. Fans would run for extended period on shutdown. White smoke from exhaust on first start up in the morning. No check engine light. Had vehicle towed to dealership. Failed hydrocarbon test, meaning seal between combustion and coolant compromised. Many complaints online regarding stripped threads in engine block causing bolts to loosen and and seal to fail. Kia is aware of issue and fixes or replaces engine for original owners. Company is knowingly defrauding the public by not issuing service bulletin or recall to original owners to have problem corrected before subsequent ownership. Subsequent owners are left with a $7000 liability on the purchase of a used $15,000-25,000 car, along with an uneasy feeling the same thing may happen to the replacement engine. I am starting a class action law suit in Indiana.
Paint of my 2016 is chipping off
Car does not want to go when push gas pedal. It jumps around and the engine light is on
I was driving, when my car started making an unfamiliar sound. I have never heard of it before because I have never had problems with my car so I decided to pull over on the side of the road. Before I was able to do so, another driver rolled down her window and yelled, “you know your car is on fire!” Realizing my safety was at risk, I immediately merged to the right side of the road and noticed flames igniting from under the hood. I put the car in park and jumped out of the car and called 911. Within minutes, the Whitley County Sheriff’s and Fire Department arrived. I am unsure the specifics on what caused the fire. Luckily enough, no other vehicles were involved. My car was inspected by Geico Insurance Fire Adjuster and his lack of communication with Kia Motors of america, they were unable to inspect the car. According to Kia Settlement, I am unable to receive money but I do not understand because this was a situation that I had no control of and I am at a loss of money because I was not been able to get all of my personal belongings recovered and had to put an additional down payment on another car.
When I am driving at night the dashboard, media system/radio, and headlight go out randomly. It is really scary at night because I cannot see where I am driving. My kids are in the car with me and this has been happening for the past 3 years. If I take it to the dealership they cannot find the issue or refuse to even look. They said it is out of warranty and too bad. Why build vehicles so dangerous?
THE PAINT NEAR THE TOP OF MY WINDSHIELD IS PEELING OFF.
Excessive heat has caused the trunk latch to fail. It suddenly stopped latching, which creates an obvious safety issue as the car cannot be driven safely with a trunk that flops open every time you accelerate.
I parked the car to wait for my daughter and after she got in the car I couldn't shift out of park.
Paint is rapidly peeling
My 2016 Kia Sorento is pearl white and the paint is chipping. All over the engine hood and roof of my car. Paint bubbles, cracks and peels off. It’s getting worse rapidly.
NOT SURE !!! We were on the Interstate and all of sudden smoke starting coming out of rear end of our vehicle.Our Car started sounding slow and not sounding good, It was me and my husband in the Car. My husband was driving, I started panicking and told my husband about the smoke coming out of the back of our vehicle. Suddenly we saw "Good People "who were on the Interstate right behind our vehicle. They immediately drove passing our car and shouting loud "Get out, Your Car is on Fire". They stopped ahead of us and started calling 911. We both jumped out in a shock. God was with us on this day!!!
Rear hatch locked and would not open from outside of vehicle. Released hatch with emergency release from inside of car per manual page 4-27. Hatch could then be manually opened and traveled up and down full range on automated open from exterior switch, key and driver's switch. However the hatch will not latch and opens when the vehicle is in motion.
I have always had my car serviced regularly for oil changes. starting in July 2021 my mechanic told me that I was EXTREMELY “dangerously” low in oil, without low oil warning ever turning on. Researched and saw this is a common problem leading to engine failure/ needing replacement. Called local Kia dealership about the issue was told to come in for an oil consumption test, left today and was told oil consumption is not covered in the extended coverage for my engine. I was basically told in order for the repairs to be covered my engine would have to blow up while driving. So every day I’m putting my self and others at risk while driving for my engine to fail at any given time. After seeing other complaints on this site of very similar problems, why has there not been a recall on this engine? It is obviously a very well known problem!! Why am I like a sitting duck every time I drive praying my engine doesn’t blow? Kia dealership told me they have a $500 fix that “might” work but with no guarantee and no refund will be given if it doesn’t work.
The driver's side rear exterior door handle fell off in my hand. In the event of an emergency, this prevents me from accessing the backseat without going to the opposite side of the vehicle. Upon a google search, there are countless others who have experienced this same issue. I have contacted my local Kia dealership to have this replaced, pending the part is in stock.
DRIVER DOOR WILL NOT UNLOCK OR OPEN FROM THE OUTSIDE. YOU CAN ONLY O PO ON THE DOOR FROM THE INSIDE THEN WHEN HITTING THE LOCK OR UNLOCK ON KEY FOB YOU HEAR A CLICK, CLICK, CLICK NOISE.
WHEN DRIVING UP HILL THE CAR WENT INTO LIMP MODE ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS AND THE REPLACE ENGINE LIGHT BEGAN FLASHING IMMEDIATELY AS I LIMPED OF THE FREEWAY BARELY SAVING MY LIFE, HAD MY CAR TOWED WHERE I AM UNDER WARRANTEE AND KIA REFUSES TO REPLACE MY ENGINE WHICH BURNS ALMOST EVERY DROP OF OIL IN UNDER 5000 MILES, 66,000 MILES
I OPENED THE LEFT REAR DOOR AND THE HANDLE CAME OFF. I OPENED THE RIGHT REAR DOOR AND THE HANDLE CAME OFF ALSO. THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY. I PUT THEM BACK ON WHICH WAS DIFFICULT AND UPON ARRIVING AT MY DESTINATION WHICH WAS 20 MINUTES AWAY THE SMALLER PART OF THE HANDLE CAME OFF.
THE DRIVERS DOOR WILL NOT OPEN FROM THE OUTSIDE. WHEN INSIDE VECHILE I CAN PUSH THE UNLOCK BUTTON ON MY DOOR AND KEY FOB BUT THE LOCK WILL NOT UNLOCK. THE BUTTON FOR THE DRIVERS WINDOW BUTTON ISN'T WORKING PROPERLY EITHER THE DRIVER WINDOW BUTTON STAYS SLIGHTLY UP LIKE IT'S OUT IF PLACE THIS HAPPENED THE SAME MOMENT THAT THE DRIVERS DOOR WOULDN'T UNLOCK. I CAN OPEN IT WITH THE INSIDE HANDLE WHEN I EXIT THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY WHEN THIS FIRST HAPPENED.
THIS MORNING 5/8/19, WHILE DRIVING TO WORK, THE SUNROOF IN MY 2016 KIA SORENTO EXPLODED WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY. I WAS COVERED IN GLASS ALONG WITH THE INSIDE OF MY CAR. LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER FROM A HIGH RATE OF SPEED AND GET OFF THE FREEWAY. I HAD TO TURN INTO A PARKING LOT AS GLASS KEPT SHATTERING AND BREAKING ON ME. ONCE I GOT HOME, MY HUSBAND CONTACTED PEORIA KIA WHO TOLD US THERE WAS NO RECALL ON THE CAR AND WE HAD TO CALL KIA OF AMERICA.
I WAS DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE HOME FROM WORK AND HEARD A POPPING SOUND AND THEN A SUDDEN EXPLOSION COMING FROM THE TOP OF MY CAR. WHEN I STOPPED AND CHECKED THE ROOF I FOUND THAT MY MOONROOF HAD A HUGE HOLE IN IT AND THE GLASS WAS SHATTERED IN THE FIRST PANEL. I SAW NOTHING KICKED UP FROM ANY VEHICLES WHEN I WAS DRIVING AND UNLESS A METEOR HIT MY CAR THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF ANYTHING BEING DROPPED ON IT WHILE I WAS DRIVING. I FEEL LIKE THE MOONROOF JUST SHATTERED. IT WAS A HOT DAY BUT THERE WAS NO CHANGES IN TEMPERATURE THAT WERE DRAMATIC.
MY VIN CANNOT BE FOUND WHEN USING HTE NHTSA RECALL FORM.
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Quick Summary
The 2016 Kia Sorento has 84 UNKNOWN OR OTHER complaints on file. 1 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.