2013 KIA SORENTO Complaints

CAR HAS 45K MILES. TOTAL LOSS DUE TO ENGINE FIRE. OIL PAN FAILURE. CAUSE AND ORIGIN REPORT PENDING

WHEN BEGINNING A RIGHT-HAND TURN AFTER STOPPING FOR RED LIGHT, THE ENGINE QUIT AND IT TOOK TWO ATTEMPTS TO RESTART IT. THE CAR WAS FULLY WARMED-UP AND HAD 3/4 TANK OF GAS,THE WEATHER WAS ABOUT 82 DEGREES AND HUMID..

ON JULY 11TH 2017, MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK IN HIS 2013 KIA SORENTO ON INTERSTATE 35 GOING 65 MPH WHEN HE HEARD A LOUD NOISE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. HE CONTINUED TO DRIVE TO GET TO THE REST STOP WHICH HE DID NOT MAKE IT THE ENGINE JUST DIED , NO WARNING LIGHTS OR ANYTHING, SO HE HAD TO PULLED OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND CALLED FOR A TOW TRUCK, THE KIA WAS TOWED TO THE NEAREST MECHANIC WHICH UPON EXAMINATION OF THE CAR DETERMINED THAT THE ENGINE SEIZED UP AND WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED, THEY COULD REPLACE IT FOR $5000-6000 SINCE THEY ARE A GM DEALER WE DECIDED TO HAVE IT TOWED TO A KIA DEALER WHO CAME TO THE SAME CONCLUSION AND WOULD CHARGE US $5875 FOR A USED ENGINE WITH 120,000 MILES ON IT WHICH IS MORE THAN OUR CAR HAS ON IT OR $7100 FOR A NEW ENGINE. WE HAVE A 2.4 LITER MPI WHICH IS NOT PART OF THE RECALL BUT SHOULD BE, THERE IS NO REASON A 4 YEAR OLD CAR WITH ROUTINE OIL CHANGES SHOULD BLOW AND ENGINE!

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 KIA SORENTO. WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. KIA OF SLIDELL, LOUISIANA WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND REPLACED THE MOTOR IN THE ENGINE, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED BY THE DEALER THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN A RECALL. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 35,000.

VEHICLE STALLS SUDDENLY WHILE DRIVING 72 MPH IN TRAFFIC, THRUSTS ME OVER STEERING WHEEL. I WAS ABLE TO GET IT TO RIGHT LANE. PUZZLED FOUND OUT TIRES ARE FINE. UPON RETURNED TO HWY, VEHICLE WILL NOT ACCELERATE OVER 60 MPH. TOWED CAR. MECHANICS RUNS CODE AND FIND NO INCIDENTS. THEY DRIVE CAR AND FIND NOTHING. TEN DAYS, LATER CAR MIMICS SAME BEHAVIORS. VERY DANGEROUS AS I AM IN TRAFFIC AND CARS ARE BEHIND ME. TOWS CAR AGAIN. MECHANIC RUNS CODE AND FIND NOTHING. THEY DECIDES IT IS SOLENOID IN TRANSMISSION. THEY RELEASE IT ME. I AM DAYS LATE PICKING IT UP. THEY CONTINUE TO TEST DRIVE IT. CAR MIMICS SAME PUZZLING BEHAVIORS HOURS BEFORE I PICK IT UP. I HAD SEVERAL INCIDENTS OF VEHICLE STALL IN HWY BEFORE IT WAS TOWED TO DEALERSHIP. THERE WAS NO SMOKING, NO SPILLING LIQUIDS, NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, NO SMELLS, THE CAR WOULD MAKE A "THUMP" NOISE AND STOP. THIS IS FRIGHTENING AND DANGEROUS.

ENGINE LOCKD UP MAKING A CLICKING SOUND WHEN STARTED. IT LOCKED UP STEERING AND GEAR SHIFT A COUPLE TIMES BEFORE IT STARTED THE NOISE. WAS TOLD BY DEALERSHIP NOT COVERED BY RECALL BECAUSE MANUFACTURED IN DIFFERENT PLANT THAN OTHER SORENTOS WITH EXACT SAME PROBLEM.

MY HUSBAND AND I WERE DRIVING NORTH ON I-49 IN LOUISIANA WHEN OUR 2013 KIA SORENTO (APPROXIMATELY 86,000 MILES) BEGAN MAKING A CLICKING/KNOCKING NOISE UPON ACCELERATION, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT BEGAN BLINKING, AND THE ENGINE IMMEDIATELY SHUT DOWN. WE PULLED OVER TO THE SHOULDER, TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF, AND ATTEMPTED TO RESTART THE VEHICLE; HOWEVER, THE ENGINE FAILED TO RESTART. WE TURNED OUR EMERGENCY LIGHTS ON FOR CAUTIONARY PURPOSES, BUT AFTER APPROXIMATELY 30 MINUTES, THE LIGHTS COMPLETELY STOPPED WORKING. THERE WAS EVIDENCE OF OIL LEAKAGE UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE, AS WELL AS OIL SPLATTER UNDERNEATH THE HOOD OF THE VEHICLE NEAR THE ENGINE AND OVER THE ENTIRE EXTERIOR OF THE VEHICLE, FROM THE FRONT HOOD TO THE BACK WINDOW. WE HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE NEAREST KIA DEALERSHIP AND WERE TOLD BY THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT THAT THE BEARINGS IN THE ENGINE HAD FAILED, WHICH RESULTED IN "CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE," AND THAT ENGINE WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED. WE WERE ALSO INFORMED THAT THE ENGINE IN OUR VEHICLE IS A 2.4-L MPI ENGINE, WHICH IS NOT PART OF THE CURRENT RECALL; HOWEVER, INDIVIDUALS AT THE DEALERSHIP AND WITH KIA CUSTOMER SERVICE CONFIRMED THAT THE PROBLEMS WE EXPERIENCED ARE THE EXACT SAME PROBLEMS THAT HAVE BEEN REPORTED WITH THE 2.4-L GDI ENGINES THAT ARE PART OF THIS RECALL. WE HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY DILIGENT WITH OIL CHANGES, AND HAD APPROXIMATELY 2000 MILES UNTIL OUR NEXT OIL CHANGE, WHICH WE CAN SUPPORT WITH DOCUMENTATION. KIA HAS DENIED OUR REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE BECAUSE OUR VEHICLE IS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY.

THIS A CORRECTION TO POST ON JULY 9, 2017. OUR 2013 SORENTO HAS THE THETA II MPI (MULTI-POINT INJECTION) AND NOT THETA II GDI (GASOLINE DIRECT INJECTION). NOW I KNOW WHY I HAVEN'T SEEN A RECALL LETTER. I STILL HAVE A BLOWN ENGINE.

OUR KIA SORENTO HAD 46963 MILES. WE ARE THE SECOND OWNERS AND HAVE PUT 34K MILES ON IT AND HAVE HAD THE OIL CHANGED AT APPROXIMATELY EVERY 5K MILES. THE KIA SORENTO STOPPED RUNNING WHILE IT WAS BEING DRIVEN AT 55 MPH ON A TWO-LANE ROAD. I WAS BEING FOLLOWED BY A DUALLY PICK UP TOWING A LARGE BOAT. THE CAR LOST POWER AND THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT CAME ON. I HAD JUST ENOUGH TIME TO TURN ON MY EMERGENCY FLASHERS AND FIND A SAFE PLACE TO PULL OFF THE ROAD. WE HAD IT TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOP IN KINGSLAND, TX, THEY CUT THE SERPENTINE BELT, COULDN'T GET THE ENGINE TO TURN, TOLD US THAT THE OIL PUMP HAD FAILED AND THE ENGINE SEIZED. WE THEN HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALER IN AUSTIN, WHERE THEY HAD A TECHNICIAN LOOK AT IT AND CONFIRMED THAT THE ENGINE WAS BLOWN. THEY SAID THAT THE ONLY WAY TO KNOW IF THERE WERE METAL SHAVINGS WOULD BE TO PULL THE OIL PAN ($195) AND THAT WOULD ONLY CONFIRM THAT SHAVINGS WERE IN THE OIL. TO ACTUALLY KNOW WHAT HAD CAUSED ENGINE FAILURE THEY WOULD HAVE TO PULL THE MAIN AND ROD BEARINGS ($400). THEY SAID THAT EVEN IF WE DID FIND THAT THE ENGINE FAILURE WAS DUE TO METAL SHAVINGS THAT IT WOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS PART OF RECALL SC147 BECAUSE IT WASN'T MANUFACTURED AT A "CERTAIN PLANT" IN A "CERTAIN MONTH". HE WAS UNABLE TO TELL ME WHAT PLANT AND MONTH. WE HAVE NOW FOUND, THROUGH DECODING OUR VIN, THAT THIS CAR WAS BUILT IN GEORGIA AND HAS THE THETA II ENGINE. THEY DID OFFER TO PUT IN AN ENGINE FROM A WRECKED KIA WITH 100K MILES ON IT AT A COST OF $6700-$6800. THE KBB VALUE IS $9800. WE WERE TOLD THAT THE BASIC WARRANTY HAD ENDED ON APRIL 24, 2017 AND THAT THE 5YR/60K WARRANTY WAS NOT TRANSFERABLE TO THE SECOND OWNER. WE THEN FOUND THIS: HTTPS://WWW.NHTSA.GOV/VEHICLE/2013/KIA/SORENTO/SUV/FWD#MANUFACTURERCOMMUNICATIONS SHOWING THAT THEY HAD MODIFIED THE WARRANTY. NO ONE AT THE KIA CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER OR AT THE DEALERSHIP TOLD US THIS.

CAR THRUSTED FORWARD, BRAKE PEDAL TO THE FLOOR, CAUSING UNCONTROLLED MINOR DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE!! WAS STOPPED AT MY MAILBOX WHEN THIS HAPPENED!! $3000 WORTH OF DAMAGE TO MY KIA SORENTO