2017 KIA SORENTO Complaints

THIS IS A EARLY 2017 BOUGHT IN AUGUST 2016 ON DECEMBER 22 2021, MY DAUGHTER AND TWO YOUNG GRANDSONS WERE TRAVELING WEST BOUND ON I68 JUST PAST CUMBERLAND MD. HER CAR LOST POWER AND SHE CALLED ME IMMEDIATELY AND I HEARD THE ENGINE RATTLING. I TOLD HER IMMEDIATELY TO PULL OVER AND TURN THE ENGINE OFF, I ASK HER IF SHE HAD A LOW OIL PRESSURE OR LOW OIL LIGHT SHE DIDN'T UNTIL ALL THE OIL LEAKED OUT. SHE HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO A KIA DEALER IN CUMBERLAND, MD WHERE HE TOOK A PICTURE OF A POP CAN SIZE HOLE IN THE BLOCK. SO YOU HAVE THE SAME PROBLEMS IN SOME 2017s. SHE HAS 115000. MILES ON THE VEHICLE. IF YOU ARE WONDERING WHY SHE CALLED ME, SHE WAS ON THE WAY TO MY HOME AND I WORKED AT TMMWV TEST CELLS AND LISTENED TO MANY ENGINES.

I WAS LEAVING MY COUSINS APARTMENT COMPLEX WHEN THE VEHICLE STALLED. I ATTEMPTED TO TRY TO START THE VEHICLE AGAIN BUT IT WOULD NOT TURN OVER. ALL THE LIGHTS IN THE VEHICLE WERE ON AND THE RADIO WAS STILL PLAYING SO IT DID NOT APPEAR TO BE THE BATTERY. I ATTEMPTED TO TRY AND START THE VEHICLE AGAIN AND NOTICED GRAY SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. I THEN BEGAN TO SMELL SOMETHING BURNING, SO I EXITED THE VEHICLE AND POPPED THE HOOD. I THEN NOTICED A FIRE COMING FROM THE ENGINE BEHIND THE AIR FILTER COMPONET. ABOUT 10 SECONDS LATER I HEARD A POP AND TOOK OFF RUNNING TO A SAFER LOCATION AND CALLED 911. THE FIRE THEN BEGAN TO GROW BIGGER AND THE WHOLE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE WAS IN FLAMES. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT RESPONDED AND PUT THE FIRE OUT. THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS THAT CAME ON. IF I HAD NOT EXITED THE VEHICLE WHEN I DID I PROBABLY WOULD HAVE BEEN SEVERLY BURNT AS THE WHOLE FRONT WINDSHIELD SHATTERED AND THE DASH WAS MELTED AND FRONT SEATS WERE BURNT.

My car was fine, then all of a sudden (after an oil change) it started knocking really loudly. I pulled over and the noise stopped- so I got back in the car a drive home. When I pulled into the driveway, I heard the noise again- knocking. I popped the hood and had daughter press the gas, sure enough- knocking again. I told husband and we parked it, he towed it to the dealership the next day. They said that because my car did not get the "campaign" update- ROD KNOCKING SENSOR- that the extended warranty was null and void. I asked to place a complaint at how the whole situation was handled- they said they mailed us letters, but they must have been the most non-descriptive letters in history. It's not safe- they know about this problem and they are not doing anything about it- they are doing the bare minimum, that is how people get hurt. We owe more to repair this vehicle than it is worth, and there is no "Goodwill" assistance on a car that wasn't "kept". I kept my car within it's normal limits, it's not right how the company chose to notify. They have all my contact info- I am the original owner. Thank goodness my teen daughter wasn't driving.

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 mph when the vehicle began to lag in acceleration when attempting to go uphill. The driver noticed a spark within the instrument panel directly behind the steering wheel. The driver then immediately pulled over and both the driver and the passenger (the contact) exited the vehicle. The vehicle then caught fire. The fire department showed and distinguished the fire. A report was made. There were no injuries. The vehicle was towed and deemed totaled. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was contacted and made aware of the failure. A case was opened regarding the matter. The approximate failure mileage was unknown

The oil pressure switch sensor is going bad. Common problem with the 3.3 Lambda V6 engine. The oil light comes on when the vehicle is at idle. I now have an oil leak which is another symptom of the sensor going bad. Costly repair, sensor located deep in the engine between the two cylinder banks. This is a fire hazard with oil pooling on top of the engine if not repaired.

While driving 40mph+, steering appears to "stick" and driver has to make a more forceful jerk with the steering wheel to "unstick" the steering. Driver ends up over compensating for stuck steering and is jerking the car on the road. Steering appears to not "stick" as much when going under 40mph. Steering sticks more often going around bends or small turns on the open road.

Steering began sticking at about 55K miles. Got worse over time. Causing difficulty with accurate lane changes or straight steering. Car has electric motor assisted power steering. Found multiple similar cases on line where solution was to replace entire steering column assy. Took car in to dealer (Peoria Kia, Peoria AZ) 15Oct2021. Dealer said had to replace entire column assy- steering. Was covered by 3rd party extended warranty on car, 2 months later, steering stopped working completely. We were able to get the car to the side of the street and stop. Had car towed back to Peoria Kia. They now report broken steering gear, which appears to be related to previous repair. Solution pending back ordered parts. Work order for first repair attached.

The horn on my Kia became very faint causing a safety risk as it was so quiet, that it was no longer a viable safety tool. At 57,711 miles. On 5/13/21 I paid a local certified mechanic to replace the horn. (I was informed there were actually 2 horns). My vehicle was purchased 10/8/16. Since it was under warranty, in June 2021, I provided KIA the receipt to get reimbursed for the horn replacement. After 5 months of my persistent communication with KIA, they denied reimbursement. Early on one of the KIA emails asked for proof of payment (which I provided) and it also stated reimbursements can take up to 60 days. I have the defective horns in my possession.

The contact owns a 2017 KIA Sorento, which he purchased new. The contact stated within the last few months that after driving the vehicle the highway or expressway for an extended period (approximately 60 mins to 90 mins), the steering wheel would bind when turning on the road to change lanes or maintain the vehicle on the road. This binding occurs in the turning position without warning. The contact had initially taken the car to the dealership (Gunther KIA), where he purchased the vehicle as new. The service adviser told him because the steering wheel has electronic components, the problem could occur when the battery needed replacement. The contact agreed to have the battery replaced; however, the binding of the steering wheel re-occurred. After the second failure, the vehicle was returned to the dealership’s service dept. They performed a software update on the car. Unfortunately, a couple of days after the second repair, the same failure recurred for the third time. The contact had taken the vehicle back to the dealership, where a case was filed and opened; however, after a few days in their possession, the dealership could not diagnose or duplicate the failure. At one point, the master adviser at the dealership told the contact that he himself had the same experience with his own Sorrento. And he learned to deal with it and said to the contact (car owner) should learn to deal with it because the dealership would not give him a new vehicle. The contact replied by stating that he didn’t want a new car; he wanted his car fixed because he fears for his family’s, and grandchildren’s safety. The adviser also mentioned that a recall should happen, but the manufacturer has never issued one. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. As a result, the vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 43,490.

my car went from running perfectly fine to completely breaking down in less than 10 miles. Complete engine failure. I was lucky it did not catch fire. I am writing this because Kia needs to change the status of their "product improvement campaign" PI1802 to a full blow recall. This is a wide spread issue that affected thousands of Kia vehicles, but because they refuse to call it a recall, it does not show up on nhtsa or on Kia's website. Kia states that numerous notices were mailed, but I did not receive anything. They cannot prove that I received them any more than I can prove that I didn't. They are now refusing to cover or help cover the cost of a whole new engine.