KIA Complaints

I purchased my 2014 kia sorrento 3.3 SX in February of 2016. I was not informed at all about any issues with the engine or that there were any recalls concerning my vehicle. I have email correspondence from the dealership where years following my purchase of any safety recall notices. I had regular oil changes and normal maintenance. In March of 2024 my engine was stalling out and it smelled like burning plastic and wasn't turning over appropriately. I took it to the kia dealership and was told that the recalls had expired and that my vehicle had no oil, the engine was going to seize and I needed a new engine. Again I wasn't told at that time of any safety recall information that could lead to engine failure and or fire. I then took it to another local mechanic and had it diagnosed. I was told that I needed a nee engine that my hand gasket had blown due to premature bearing wear and severe leaks. I brought it home and I was too afraid to drive it. Then in 2025 I received another recall notice. I contacted Kia customer care and was advised that I might ne eligible for a engine rebuild, that I should have it towed to the local dealership for diagnostics to be ran yet again. The kia adviser in the service department said she was filing a claim with kia engineers and that she needed my registration and drivers license. After a week she contacted me saying my claim was denied and that my choices were to pay $13, 000 for an engine replacement or accept a trade in of $500. Again information was withheld from me concerning this vehicles recalls. At this point I am completely dumbfounded as to what to do next. My sorrento was paid off and only had 118,000 miles on it and they refused to cover anything under the 10temr or 150,000 miles extended warranty.

Oil consumption has rapidly been increasing causing the loss of several quarts of oil. Inspection by service center confirmed this is a known Kia issue and recommended a flush to help combat some of the issue. Service center did note that this issue would not fix the problem, but put off needing to replace the engine. Oil light was not flashing on the dash unless coming to a quick stop, but then would disappear. The value of these cars has resulted in quite a bit of negative equity for folks due to the theft issue. Now add on a fear of blowing an engine cause your vehicle is burning through oil like no tomorrow.

I was driving down the highway going 65mph when my car would not accelerate any more in the middle of the highway where the speed limit is 65. At one point I could not get it to go above 30mph. I pulled off to the side and when I tried driving off again my car would not accelerate. Towed to Kia, they did a software update thinking it was fixed. Picked my car up and drove 10 miles before it broke down on me again. Towed to a second Kia dealership, new transmission was put in. Picked it up 4 days ago, and it is stalling, and jolting when accelerating and the check engine light is on. It is at the 3rd Kia dealership, where I was just told I may need ANOTHER transmission replacement. I asked about the engine recall after getting an email from Kelly Blue Book about it. Kia said they did not know how to fix the recall yet and there was nothing they could do about it right now. I have been without my car for almost 2 months, and this is the 3rd Kia dealership trying to fix the issue at hand and not getting anywhere.

The contact owns a 2024 Kia Niro. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V024000 (Seat, Electrical). The contact stated that on one occasion while driving at approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle crashed head-on into a pole. The air bags did not deploy and the seat belt did not retract. The contact sustained shoulder, collarbone, neck, head, and back injuries. Medical attention was not needed. A police report was filed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where an Event Data Recorder was completed and it was informed that the air bags should have deployed. The vehicle's cosmetic damages were repaired. The contact stated that on another occasion while driving at 35 MPH, another vehicle crashed into the driver's door rear of the vehicle and the air bags did not deploy. The contact sustained back, chest, and left hip injuries. Medial attention was needed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and repaired for cosmetic damages. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 3, 000.

Headlights have become very yellow and cracking formed on them. This effects evening /night time driving and you see ads to purchase cleaners that I have tried and it has done nothing. Not sure why this has not been remedied or made a recall to replace these as defective materials or what one can do to solve this with positive results or recommendations people can do with out equipment. This seems to be a big problem with a lot of vehicles mine included. Thx you for listening and thought I would report this issue as another safety concern

Unknown. Vehicle serviced since 2010. Oil changes based on recommend miles. Only 80,000 miles. Wife [XXX] only uses it mostly for store runs. Since recently inspection and oil change motor has a loud knocking at start up and gets quiet shortly after but while idling you can here a ticking noise. We have all paper work to maintenance. Fear if my wife is stranded or worse and thought I would report this. I will take it in to see what is said. Doesn't seem normal for only 80,000 and well maintained INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2024 Kia Sportage Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, the vehicle came to an abrupt stop. There were no warning lights illuminated. The seat belt failed to secure her grandson, who was occupying the front passenger seat, and he flew out of the seat. The driver's seat belt failed to secure her, and she was thrust forward over the steering wheel. The contact called the local dealer, but there was no response. While driving at approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle came to an abrupt stop. There were no vehicles around. While driving at 30 MPH, the vehicle suddenly stopped, and an unknown pickup truck crashed into the rear of the vehicle. The contact was concerned about driving the vehicle. The contact sustained injuries to her neck, back, and left shoulder, which was torn, and medical attention was provided. There was no reported fire or airbag deployment. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to another local dealer, Raceway Kia 4044 US-9, Freehold, NJ 07728, who determined the vehicle was working as designed. There were no codes displayed during diagnosis. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, who opened a case, but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 3,200.

The contact owns a 2014 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 55 MPH the check engine light suddenly illuminated and the vehicle experienced a loss of automotive power and reduced speeds. Smoke and flames were also present coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was driven to the side of the road before it stalled. The fire department was called to the scene and extinguished the flames. No injuries were reported. The vehicle was later towed to the home. Fire report information was unavailable. The cause of the failures was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 147,000.

Catalytic converter overheated. Motor stalled. Wallace Kia, Stuart, Florida ran diagnostics on my vehicle. I brought it into Wallace Kia, Stuart, to get it fixed via the recall. They refused to do it. They said that the catalytic converter overheated and the motor has damage. I don't understand why they won't honor the recall and fix my car. They wanted me to pay for the diagnostics, but they won't send me an invoice.

The contact owns a 2019 Kia Forte. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the Lane Keep Assist system activated briefly, taking control of the vehicle and the vehicle started pulling to the right lane. As a result of the failure, the contact completely lost control of the vehicle and spun out into oncoming traffic narrowly avoiding a crash. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.