2022 KIA SORENTO Complaints

Vehicle purchased August 2022. July 13, 2023: Vehicle experienced sudden loss of acceleration while driving. The vehicle would not properly accelerate with traffic flow and another vehicle nearly struck me due to the unexpected loss of propulsion. Vehicle was towed to Kia dealership in Duluth, GA. I was told the issue was repaired and an electrical recall was completed. December 8, 2025: Acceleration failure reoccurred while driving. Vehicle drifted and would not accelerate. A vehicle behind me nearly collided with my car because I could not accelerate normally. After restarting the vehicle multiple times, I was able to reach home. December 11, 2025: Vehicle again failed to accelerate while stopped on an incline. The vehicle would not move forward properly and created a rollback hazard. A vehicle approached from behind and I was placed in a dangerous position due to inability to accelerate. Vehicle was towed by insurance. Dealership diagnostics reportedly cannot detect an issue. I have been instructed to operate the vehicle with a monitoring device installed to capture driving data. Repeated loss of acceleration and multiple near-collision events present a significant safety hazard and risk of serious accident. The issue remains unresolved.

The contact owns a 2022 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, the contact experienced the death wobble. There was no warning light illuminated. Additionally, the vehicle unexpectedly accelerated. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer informed the contact that the failure could not be duplicated. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 78,000.

There is a safety recall concerning fire hazard during normal operation. Kia is refusing to buyback the inoperable vehicle

Vehicle: 2022 Kia Sorento EX VIN: [XXX] Date Defects Discovered:[XXX} A Kia dealership confirmed multiple instances of airbag tampering in this vehicle: • Driver knee airbag missing • Driver A-pillar airbag missing • Wiring harnesses cut • Electrical resistors spliced into the circuits to bypass SRS fault detection • Technician warned there may be additional missing airbags pending further disassembly • Estimate for known SRS repair is $11,294.30 Carfax shows this vehicle was involved in an airbag-deploying crash on [XXX] prior to my purchase. No airbags were replaced before resale. This is a serious safety hazard. The airbag indicator light was prevented from illuminating due to the resistor splice, masking critical SRS faults. Additional mechanical tampering was found: • Stop-leak blocking heater core • Improper coolant bypass fitting This complaint is being filed to report the airbag safety violation and request investigation. Attachments: Exhibits A, B, D, G. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

My reverse camera bracket broke off leading to the camera dangling on the license plate and unusable for rear backup safety.

Radiator has had a leak twice in the past three months. This has cause me to have to get it fully replaced at my own cost. This is a design flaw and is at no part my fault.

I am reporting a serious safety defect regarding my 2022 Kia Sorento Hybrid (Mileage: 91,661). The vehicle was diagnosed with an internal short in the EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) Control Unit (Error codes P0404, P049D). Upon inspection, significant engine oil intrusion was found inside the EGR unit. The EGR system is designed to handle exhaust gases only; the presence of liquid engine oil indicates a critical failure in the powertrain system (likely the PCV system or turbocharger seals) which is forcing oil into the intake/exhaust tract. Safety Risk: This defect causes the EGR system to short-circuit, which can lead to unpredictable engine performance, reduced power, or sudden engine stalling while driving. Any sudden loss of power on a highway poses a severe risk of a rear-end collision. Furthermore, oil intrusion into electrical components increases the risk of thermal incidents or localized fires within the engine bay. Despite the vehicle being within the 10-year/100,000-mile Powertrain Warranty, the dealership (Suntrup Kia South) is refusing coverage, claiming the EGR is not a powertrain component, while ignoring the fact that a powertrain failure (oil bypass) is the root cause of the damage. I request NHTSA to investigate this "oil intrusion into EGR" issue as it appears to be a systemic defect in Kia’s hybrid powertrain that compromises vehicle safety.

In August 2025 my 2022 Kia Sorento S began having the Electronic Power Steering (EPS) Malfunction Indicator light flashing. It comes on, flashes for a while, then goes off again. Shortly after the first time this happened (a week or so), my steering began losing all power steering intermittently at random. I took it to the local Kia dealership, but they did nothing even though I am still under warranty. It has progressively become worse - now the light does not even have to be flashing for me to lose all power steering - I almost wrecked twice this past week with my 3 small children, due to loss of all power steering at random, unpredictable, times during turns - WHILE I am turning the vehicle. I took it to the dealership again today, and they still don't fix anything. I am terrified for the safety of my children and myself. Something must be done. I am paying $30,000 for a car that is trying to end our lives.

All 2020 through 2022 Kia Nightfall Edition vehicles (top-trim packages) are experiencing premature and widespread exterior trim fading, indicating a manufacturing or material defect rather than normal wear and tear. This issue is consistent across multiple model years, strongly suggesting a systemic problem with the product used on these vehicles. Despite repeated complaints, Kia has not issued a recall nor provided a permanent remedy. Dealerships are inconsistently addressing the issue and are actively denying or resisting full corrective action, leaving many owners without resolution. When repairs are approved, the only offered solution is replacement with the same defective trim, which predictably fades again—often within one year—demonstrating that the problem is unresolved and ongoing. Kia has provided conflicting and illogical explanations, including claims that the fading is caused by vehicles being washed too frequently or not frequently enough. These explanations are contradictory and inconsistent with proper vehicle use and maintenance. Owners have followed standard care guidelines, yet the defect persists, further reinforcing that this is a product defect, not consumer misuse. This situation places an unreasonable financial burden on consumers, diminishes vehicle value, and undermines consumer trust. More importantly, Kia’s refusal to acknowledge the defect and provide a permanent fix reflects a failure to meet manufacturer responsibility standards. Kia representatives and dealerships have acknowledged the issue but have instructed affected owners to contact NHTSA instead of addressing the root cause. Because: The defect affects multiple model years The failure is predictable and repeatable The manufacturer offers no permanent repair Responsibility is being shifted onto consumers Dealerships are blocking consistent corrective action this issue meets the criteria for federal investigation and recall consideration.

My vehicle has a recall that says potential fire could occur yet there’s no solution for the recall. I think that is something that should be replaced immediately considering it’s 15 degrees outside and I have to run my heat in my vehicle.