2017 KIA SORENTO Complaints

On January 26th, 2024, the 2017 Kia Sorento was parked outside in an uncovered parking lot (in the rain) for about 8 hours with the ignition off when suddenly the tow hitch harness caught fire and I saw the smoke coming from the car. The fire department was called and we were able to put the fire out with a fire extinguisher before they arrived. Once they arrived, I notified the fire department of the open recall and they were able to pull the fuse to reduce the risk of future fires. I had been into the dealership since the recall was announced and had numerous services performed, but they did not remove the fuse at that time. I had also called a local Kia dealership in December about having the recall remedied, but they were unable to fit me in until mid February. After the fire was extinguished and the fuse had been pulled, I had the vehicle towed to the nearest Kia dealership and contacted them. Since then, the dealership has indicated they cannot work with me and I must work through corporate Kia, but they have not been forthcoming about fixing the recalled issue, repairing the fire damage, or returning my car for nearly 60 days now. I have been back and forth with both email and phone calls with Kia and still haven't even received a date I can expect my car back or information about a loaner/rental car.

While driving our 2017 Kia Sorento, it began exhibiting power struggles. Something was just wrong, but we didn't know what. There were no signs on the dashboard. No sensors, symbols, lights, no sounds, no leaks, nothing. Figuring it was just our imagination or whatever, because we continually have issues with this vehicle, we continued driving (looking back at it now, we know it wasn't as powerful as it should have been). One day we start it up and it begins knocking, and viciously. Checking the oil, we notice it's dry. Bone dry. We were terrified at that point because we know, that's not a good sign. We take it to diagnosed (700$) to be told the engine is seized, a rod in the engine is bent and put a hole in the engine. Oil and fluids everywhere. Like I previously stated, there were no signs. No symptoms. Nothing to question. The oil was seeping through the system and going out my exhaust. My car is still under a loan. It was only 6 years old when it experienced engine failure and completely died (won't even start). 146K miles. I now have to spend thousands if I want to continue owning this vehicle. It breaks my heart.

The steering has at times become sticky for lack of s better term. Turning the wheel, even slightly, feels hard to turn and then will release and cause slight over-correcting. It feels like something is preventing the steering column from turning and then it will let go and turn freely. When this happens it will happen repeatedly on the same outing and is not just a one time occurrence.

When driving my Kia the steering wheel is sticking. At first it was just ever now and then. But now it it’s happening everyday. There is a recall for 2018 models doing the same thing. I pretty sure this is the same part and should be covered under the recall.

On March 14, 2024 at approximately 11:40, while driving on a private driveway, which had no other cars or pedestrians on or near it, my vehicle performed its own emergeny braking effort to bring the car to a stop. The standard KIA Emergency Braking warking text displayed on the dashboard declaring the incident. However, no other vehicles or pedestrians were in hundreds of feet of the vehicle or presented a potential obstical that may be crossing in front of the vehcile.The car was traveling approximately 25 MPH and came to a complete stop. It felt as though the engine had frozen and all the wheels locked.

Me and my family were traveling on the interstate on a rainy December 10, 2024 and my engine started to lose power. I was driving approximately 75-77 mph when my car started losing power. No lights or warnings! I tried to give more gas but nothing happened. It then started to jerk as it was still losing power. I was able to safely exit the highway before the vehicle completely stopped. I tried to restart the car but it wouldn’t stay on. By then the engine light was on. I was 50 miles from home and had to call a tow truck to pick up the vehicle as well as a family member to pick us up from the side of the interstate. The vehicle was towed 50 miles to my local mechanic. On that Monday, he checked the Sorento and told me the motor was gone! He stated he could tell by the spark plugs that it had been burning oil. This was a total shock being that I had previously taken my vehicle to the Kia dealership in June of 2023 because the car was burning oil. I had checked my vehicle in between services to find out no oil was in it. The Kia dealership performed an oil consumption test. Their findings were there wasn’t anything wrong with the rate the vehicle was burning oil. Which now I find hard to believe once the engine failed. I had purchased the extended warranty which covered me until 100,000 miles. Of course my engine failed at 100,399. But I feel those extra 399 miles were from taking my vehicle back and forth to the Kia dealership for the consumption test which obviously they didn’t perform correctly or just didn’t want to admit it was something wrong because I live approximately 75 miles from the dealership. Kia is supposed to be the best but I definitely think otherwise after this. After calling Kia they were no help and this seems to be a common issue with 2017 Kia Sorentos.

I lost power from the engine while going up a mountain in Georgia. Thought we were going to run off a cliff due to engine failure. We were at about a 45 degree incline going up a mountain. Car stopped due to loss of compression. Family of 3 were 6 feet from edge of cliff when this happened. If breaks failed we would have crashed for sure down the cliff. Total loss of power. It was misfiring per Service department at Halls Service Center in Knoxville , Tn said, Compression in 2 and 3 cylinders were at 60 and 90 PSI. 1 and 4 compression were at 115 and 150. Car is drinking oil like water. Regular maintenance was always completed. Car is available for inspection if needed. I did get a check engine lite on my dash but only after the incident. Other than what the auto service department mentioned above no one else has inspected the vehicle.

The airbag light stays on and the Tunersville NJ dealership charged me $169 for a diagnostic of the problem. The error code was a B1448 OC sensor MAT defect and they need to replace the cushion because the Occupant Detection System (ODS) Sensor Pad is located inside the seat and quoted me around $2000 to replace it. I was told by the dealership that if the passenger mat detection is not working then the airbag will not work if an accident happens. I found that Kia Sorento from 2011- 2015 has the same issue and the company replaced it without a charge and extended the warranty for this airbag sensor to 15 yr with unlimited miles. This is a known defect for Kia corporation and they don't address this issue until somebody gets hurt in an accident and the airbag malfunctions.

January 14, 2024. I was driving on the highway, up a mountain, when the engine abruptly failed. All dashboard lights came on, including the check engine light. My safety, and the safety of those driving near me, was put at risk because of the sudden decrease in speed. When the car was inspected by a Kia dealership, they confirmed it needed a new engine, but that the engine was not covered, even though there is a long history of these engines failing and needing replacement.

No codes/lights or warnings. Engine started making loud clinking sound randomly, then smoke and car was disabled with oil and metal pieces everywhere in the roadway. Only then was there an engine light on the dash.