2016 KIA SORENTO Complaints

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.

Engine stalled while driving on highway. Took it to a Kia dealer and had it diagnosed as an engine block/head gasket failure. I have documentation of service. Service document reads “owner states vehicle runs rough when first started and a/c doesnt cool properly, started vehicle, a/c is currently working normally, upon inspection, found coolant about 3/4 gallon low and has bubbles coming up in reservoir tank, topped coolant, performed engine block test, photo of yellow fluid in tester indicates combustion gases are getting into cooling system and not going out exhaust as it is supposed to, took video of bubbles coming up into tank, advise more than likely due to overheating of engine either has crack in block or warped heads or a combination of the 2, advised recommended long block replacement as tear down is not cost effective , gave estimate, owner declined repairs at this time”. I have been made aware of other customers and people experiencing exact same issue with their Kia sorento models. We have only had this car for over a year from a reputable dealer.

To whom it may concern, I recently came across an article stating the NHTSA is investigating KIA about the faulty engine. I personally found out the hard way when my family vehicle, a 2016 KIA Sorento EX V6 3.3L V6 lost power on I75 while driving back from a trip to Disney World Orlando. I was able to pull aside but almost got hit by a speeding car. I looked in the engine bay and the coolant was overflowing from the reservoir and was very hot. I towed it back home and then followed up with my mechanic who said the head gasket was blown and that it needed to be replaced. The car is only shy of 50,000 miles and I got it with 4000 miles. I tried to get the engine replaced but KIA doesn’t have any engines for replacement. I have been looking to buy a car to get the engine from a newer KIA because I’m 100% sure this is a factory defect that they won’t fix on their own. I just received a letter stating to take the car to the dealer for a diagnostic on this exact issue and that they would fix it if they found the fault. Well, they said the issue was not about the head gasket and that the motor of the cooling fan was at fault. Yet I talked in person to the tech that diagnosed the car and only VERBALLY they would acknowledge the issue is the head gasket but not only that, they even said the entire engine needed replacing. Are they trying to get away from taking responsibility? Why they wouldn't state it in the paperwork? But if I send you the diagnostic they produced it would only say yellowing tires and wiper replacement to be necessary. This confirms there is a “cat in the bag.” But what they don’t know is that there was a prior inspection at another dealer that stated the head gasket was indeed blown. You are welcome to contact me at any time. My name is [XXX] . The vehicle is under my wife’s name [XXX] . My direct number is [XXX] . Thank you for your help and I hope you make KIA accountable for this really bad experience. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

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

Has a steering control issue. I am now on my 3rd steering columm replacement. They do not correct the sticky on center steering control issues. Kia has not come up with a workable solution for this. I have had it to 3 dealers so far. They all say the steering column needs to be replaced. Now out of warranty. This car is difficult to drive and control . I have had this problem since I bought it brand new. It now has 118000 miles on it with a lot of misery driving it.

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at 20 MPH, the front passenger’s side door was unintendedly unlocked, causing the door to open independently. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on several occasions. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The manufacturer has not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 50,000.

I purchased this car in august of this year 2023. Since purchasing it has spent about half of the time I’ve had it at the dealership being repaired (all listed in carfax) Things that have been fixed are thermostat, car has been pressure tested multiple times due to hidden coolant leaks, Oring replaced, thermal module where coolant pipe connects & now it is having oil consumption issues & im in the process of testing. This car only has 60k miles and I’ve only put about 3500 of them on it. It has a good carfax showing it has been maintained properly. The dealership has told me that they are unsure if approval would be given for oil consumption. However this hadn’t been happening before all the coolant issues occured which leads me to believe this is somehow related. & now it is a huge concern to me as the idea that my engine could blow or catch on fire with two little kids in the car is extremely scary. Also there was no engine light on when car started having oil loss, luckily I was just checking fluids regularly and noticed & when we started this process the dealership had to put 3 qts of oil in.

Oil Consumption issue in which the oil is burning in in the engine. It's a known issue KIA acknowledges however; will not recall to replace the engine. My car has gone through the oil consumption test which they acknowledged it is consuming oil but would cost 1600 to correct a 92% success rate. I don't have the money to fix. Solution from the service dealer was to wait for the engine to go so it can be replaced in its entirety. I am having to check my oil every 1000 miles to top the oil off-quart low and change the oil every 3k. So unsafe to say wait for the engine to go. I am scared to drive my car any further than in the city limits. Is there anything that can be done. Where is the accountability on their end?

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.

On the morning of October 31st, 2022 I used my remote starter to warm the engine in my driveway for approximately 10 minutes, when I got into the car I noticed the air blowing was ice cold and when looked at the temperature gauge the needle was in the red. I allowed the engine to cool down for about an hour, checked the coolant level and found it empty. I looked all around and under the engine for signs of leaks, none were found. I purchased a gallon of coolant, topped off the system and brought the car to my local garage to check the problem. They replaced the thermostat and bled the cooling system. About a week later it started overheating again so I topped off the coolant again and took the car to the nearest Kia dealer. After keeping my car for a week they concluded that the head gaskets were leaking and the repairs would be more than the value of the car and they'd be happy to trade what's left of my car for a new Kia. I had my car towed to a reputable independent shop and ended up paying a total of $12, 274.84 for a re-manufactured engine and for labor involved in stripping down the old engine for the extended warranty who inspected the engine and denied the claim. I purchased this vehicle on 1/9/2021 with extended warranty from and authorized Kia Dealer for $20,522.78. I have since found out that this is an ongoing issue with the Kia/Huyndai V6 engines from 2016-2019. As a Mercedes-Benz employee for 30 plus years I am appalled at Kia for their unwillingness to stand by their products.