2012 KIA SORENTO Complaints

View complaints related to 2012 KIA SORENTO. The complaints found here are submitted by actual consumers with first hand experience. There are more than 850 complaints submitted for the 2012 KIA SORENTO. You can submit your own complaint to the NHTSA or call the Hotline, Monday-Friday 8am to 8pm at (888) 327-4236, TTY: (800) 424-9153.

  • 2012 KIA SORENTO
    - Gorham, ME

    The abs brake light, traction control, and downhill assist lights all came on at the same time. This is being caused by a faulty speed sensor. This item was recalled on the two wheel drive kias, but not the all wheel drive models... hiwever.. looking for answers in the forums show that there is a systemic problem in the kia system, just Google search it and watch all the other car owners stories pop up.

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2012 KIA SORENTO
    - Salado, TX

    The paint on the body between the windscreen and sunroof is rapidly delaminating, literally overnight. The vehicle color is Pearl White. I wish to add my case to what I understand is an ongoing effort by other Kia owners with similar delaminating paint issues for the NHTSA to get Kia to act on this and issue a recall.

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2012 KIA SORENTO
    - Wilmot, AR

    The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while parking the vehicle and shifting into reverse, the back over prevention camera displayed a black screen. The contact discovered that the failure was like NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V703000 (Trailer Hitches). 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 VIN was unavailable

    Source: HOTLINE VEHICLE OWNERS QUESTIONNAIRE
  • 2012 KIA SORENTO
    - Red Bank, NJ

    The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle failed to properly accelerate with the check engine warning light and the temperature gauge warning light illuminated. The contact was able to pull over on the side of the road and had the vehicle towed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who stated that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 165,000.

    Source: HOTLINE VEHICLE OWNERS QUESTIONNAIRE
  • 2012 KIA SORENTO
    - baton rouge, LA

    After about 30 minutes of driving the vehicle through the city and letting and sit in the parking lot, oil started leaking heavily. Eventually, the engine became completely seized and the starter began to release smoke nearly starting a fire. I looked inside the engine compartment and saw that the bearing had come loose and made a hole through the block. Before purchasing the vehicle, I used my scan tool to check for codes. No codes came up. No lights were on the dash. Luckily, the engine seized on the parking lot and not in the middle of the highway. The engine and vehicle are available for inspection upon request. I checked to see if the vehicle had any recalls and sure enough, this exact problem showed up as an open recall. The Kia dealership has denied repairing the problem. They said that its not eligible for repair because the "KSDS software" update was not completed. However, the notice was not sent to me as I am not the first owner. Upon speaking with the Kia manufacturer, I was advised that the vehicle is in fact eligible for repair and engine replacement. The dealership obviously will not take my word for it and I'm having trouble getting the manufacturer to contact the dealership and have them replace it.

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2012 KIA SORENTO
    - Chisholm, MN

    I was driving on highway when without warning it just died and I was almost rearended. I noticed that the Ecoboost wasn't working anymore so I was just in shock.

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2012 KIA SORENTO
    - Sandy, UT

    The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that coolant was leaking onto the ground of the garage. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that while attempting to replace the head gasket, the thread had pulled out from the block. The contact was informed that the engine short block and additional parts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the engine was not the engine included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V750000 (Engine). The failure mileage was 118,871.

    Source: HOTLINE VEHICLE OWNERS QUESTIONNAIRE
  • 2012 KIA SORENTO
    - Casa Grande, AZ

    The vehicle slows unexpectedly while driving and will not go above 2 RPM causing me to slow to below 40 mph on the highway without any warning. I took the vehicle to Kia for an airbag recall and suddenly I started to have these engine problems. They never informed me there was a recall on my vehicle or that this issue could occur. I am not the original owner and acquired the vehicle from my dad, which he purchased from someone else. I had the vehicle checked out by AAA and the knock sensor was replaced, yet the issue continued to happen. I took the vehicle back to Kia because AAA could not figure out why the car continues to have this engine issue. Kia cannot seem to figure out the issue as well but stated the engine needs to be replaced. We asked them about the recall because I suddenly received notice about the class action lawsuit, but the vehicle has 185,472 miles on it and they refused to correct the issue and said the new engine will cost $7200. The issue has almost placed me in several accidents because the vehicle abruptly slows down and I have to pull to the side of the road use a code reader to clear the code in order to drive again but it continues to happen multiple times while driving and I need to get to work. The problem has been confirmed by Kia, but they won't replace it. We were encouraged to file a complaint and see if Kia will take responsibility for their engine since it has been recalled for this issue and a lawsuit ensued. The engine light appears when the car fails to drive properly.

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2012 KIA SORENTO
    - Peoria, AZ

    The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while at a stop light the vehicle stalled. The contact shifted the vehicle into park(P) and was able to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the ECM needed to be updated and that the vehicle was experiencing the failure listed in TSB: SC106. The contact was advised to contact the manufacturer for assistance. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle could not be repaired under TSB: SC106. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 203,000.

    Source: HOTLINE VEHICLE OWNERS QUESTIONNAIRE
  • 2012 KIA SORENTO
    - Manning, SC

    My regular lights on pasenger side keeps going out. The harness keeps melting. And my sunroof rubber pieces keep coming undone hitting the glass of sunroof causing very loud noises while driving sounds like the glass is going to break.

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE