What 1,515 owners told NHTSA about the 2011 Kia Sorento

12-29-2023, the Kia Sorento started smoking on the way home. When I got home I opened the hood and saw fire. I put the fire out with a fire extinguisher. On 1-9-2024, I made an appointment with Archer Kia and had the car towed there for a diagnosis. After a month with no response, the service manager at Kia advised me to contact Kia Corporation. I spoke to a representative and was assigned a case number. The representative stated that I should have gotten a software update but could not produce any information that I received a recall notice for the software update. All recall notices that I received were addressed and oil changes were regularly done at a major retail store. I was told that an investigation would be done and that I would be contacted. I didn’t receive a response for two months. I called Kia Corporation and was told that they sent information to an address that belonged to my mother which was calling her number instead of calling me. It was never determined why the information was sent to my mother. The car had been registered to my address for over 10 years. Once we established the correct information, I was asked to send service records. I was sent a letter before the representative received the service records stating that the cause of the fire was normal wear and tear. I went to the Archer Kia dealership to talk about the next step. The service manager stated that Kia didn’t send him anything so I waited. This was May 2023. January 2024, I contacted Archia Kia for information. They had received a decline notice to replace the motor. I called Kia Corporation again. I discovered that the original representative no longer worked there. The new representative wanted to call the dealership on a three way call. The service manager was not available and the representative told me he would call me back. In February 2024, I received a recall notice concerning the software issue and a notice stating that the car could catch on fire. In March 2024, I rec

NHTSA ODI 11584614

Exhaust system flex pipe was repaired and the next day the exhaust muffler/ resonator failed at the seam, causing hot gases to escape into the undercarriage and melt the lower bumper cover assembly on the right passenger side. See photos attached.

NHTSA ODI 11572849

My 2011 Kia Sorento caught fire while parked outside in parking lot overnight while I slept the police an fire department said my vin had two active recalls on it it started fire on its own without even being driven now I’m out of a car

NHTSA ODI 11500967

I DROVE MY 2011 KIA SORENTO ABOUT 9:15 AT NIGHT. BY 12:45 AM A PASSERBY HAD CALLED 911 DUE TO MY CAR BEING IN FLAMES. I WAS WOKEN UP TO THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVING AT MY HOUSE AND MY CAR ENGULFED IN FLAMES. AFTER THE FLAMES WERE EXTINGUISHED, THEY CHECKED IT OVER AND DETERMINED THAT IT HAD STARTED IN THE ENGINE AREA. I BOUGHT THE CAR IN 2017 AND IT CURRENTLY ONLY HAS 120,750 MILES ON IT. THEY INVESTIGATED IT AND DETERMINED IT HAD STARTED ON THE PASSENGER SIDE NEAR THE ENGINE. MY CAR IS A TOTAL LOSS AND IT WAS HEARTBREAKING TO WAKE UP TO THAT AT ALMOST 1:00AM. KIA NEEDS TO GET IT TOGETHER AND TAKE CARE OF MY EXPENSES.*DT

NHTSA ODI 11403794

I WAS LEAVING MY MOM HOUSE AROUND TEN O'CLOCK AT NIGHT. AS I WAS FIVE MINUTES AWAY FROM MY APARTMENTS MY CAR MADE A LOUD SOUND AND STARTED TO SLOW DOWN. I STOP MY CAR AND PUT IT UN PARK AND I SEEN SMOKE COMING FROM INSIDE THE HOOD. I GET OUT THE CAR AND GRAB MY SON AND , I KNOCK ON SOMEONE'S DOOR FOR HELP AND AFTER THAT FIRE STARTS. I CALL THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND THEY CAME IN ABOUT 3-5 MINUTES AND THEY FORCED MY HOOD OPEN DUE TO MY HOOD LATCH MISSING . AFTER THE FIRE WAS PUT OUT I FOUND PIECES OF METAL ON THE GROUND FROM MY KIA.

NHTSA ODI 11351493

VEHICLES CAUGHT FIRE, HAD PULLED IN THE PARKING LOT AT WORK AND SMOKE BEGAN TO COME FROM UNDER THE HOOD ON THE VEHICLE. WITHIN SECONDS FLAMES HAD ERUPTED AND FRONT END OF CAR WAS COMPLETELY ENGULFED BY THE TIME THE FIRE DEPARTMENT HAD ARRIVED. VEHICLE WAS A TOTAL LOSS.

NHTSA ODI 11133458

MY WIFE WAS DRIVING DOWN THE STREET WHEN THE CAR SUDDENLY LOCKED UP(STOPPED) AND THE ENGINE SHUT OFF. SHE NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD AND THEN WITHIN MINUTES THE ENGINE WAS IN COMPLETE FLAMES. PRIOR TO THIS THERE WHERE NEVER ANY SIGNS OF THE CAR RUNNING OR DRIVING LIKE THERE WHERE GOING TO BE PROBLEMS. I'VE NEVER HAD ANY MECHANICAL ISSUES AT ALL ASIDE FROM THIS INCIDENT. THIS HAS COME COMPLETELY OUT OF NOWHERE UNEXPECTEDLY.

NHTSA ODI 11128568

AFTER DRIVING ABOUT 6 MILES TO A LOCAL STORE NEARBY AND BACK HOME AS I PULLED MY CAR INTO MY PARKING SPOT BLACK SMOKE STARTED COMING FROM THE HOOD SO I TURNED THE CAR OFF WAITED UNTIL THE SMOKE STOPPED AND LOOKED UNDER THE HOOD TO SEE IF I COULD TELL WHAT WAS SMOKING. EVERYTHING APPEARED FINE AND I MADE SURE TO CHECK ALL OF MY FLUID LEVELS AND OIL WHICH WERE ALL FULL. LATER THAT DAY MAYBE 4 HOURS LATER I DROVE ABOUT 15 MILES TO MY SISTERS HOUSE AND AGAIN AS I WAS PARKING MY CAR THE BLACK SMOKE STARTED AGAIN FROM UNDER THE HOOD. I PROCEEDED TO TURN THE CAR OFF AND LOOK UNDER THE HOOD AGAIN AFTER THE SMOKE CLEARED. LESS THAN 5 MINUTES LATER THE WAS A LOUD POPPING NOISE FROM UNDER THE HOOD AND BY THE TIME I RAN OUTSIDE TO SEE THE ENTIRE FRONT PART OF MY CAR WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES HOWEVER THE WINDOWS WERE UP SO THE FLAMES WERE CONTAINED INSIDE THE CAR AND UNDER THE HOOD. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT CAME MINUTES LATER AND PUT THE FIRE OUT AND I HAD TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED DUE TO THE FRONT TIRES MELTING FROM THE FIRE. I HAD IT TOWED BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I'D PURCHASED IT ONLY 5 MONTHS BEFORE AND LET THEM AND FINANCING COMPANY KNOW. NO ONE COULD EXPLAIN WHY MY CAR SPONTANEOUSLY COMBUSTED LIKE A BOMB WHILE PARKED AND TURNED OFF. I'M REPORTING THIS INCIDENT BECAUSE I DO NOT BELIEVE IT WAS A FREAK ACCIDENT I BELIEVE THESE VEHICLES SHOULD DEFINITELY BE INVESTIGATED BEFORE SOMEONE LOSES THEIR LIFE.

NHTSA ODI 11114289

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 KIA SORENTO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CHROME ON THE DOOR HANDLE WAS PEELING AND CAUSED A PASSENGER TO SUSTAIN CUTS TO THE HAND WHEN ATTEMPTING TO OPEN THE DOOR. IT WAS UNKNOWN WHICH DOOR HANDLE EXPERIENCED THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 88,200. THE CONSUMER STATED THE DEFECTIVE DOOR HANDLE, WAS ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE REAR PASSENGER DOOR. UPDATED 11/05/15.*JB

NHTSA ODI 10762687

A VEHICLE ABRUPTLY STOPPED TO TURN LEFT AND I HAD TO SWERVE TO AVOID REAR-ENDING IT RESULTING IN HEAD ON COLLISION WITH A UTILITY POLE. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10676576

WHILE DRIVING ON LIGHT, NEW SNOW MY CAR HAD SUDDENLY SKIDDED SLIGHTLY, NO OVER-CORRECTING, I SIMPLY GOT THE CAR BACK IN CONTROL WHEN THE CAR SUDDENLY SHOT FORWARD, STEERING WHEEL SEIZED AND STARTED RACING DOWN THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE STREET INTO THE EMBANKMENT! I HAD PULLED THE CAR TO THE LEFT AND HAD THE BRAKES PUSHED ALL THE WAY DOWN (AND BOTH FEET INCLUDING ALL MY WEIGHT ON THEM) UNTIL MY CAR CRASHED COMPLETELY INTO A TREE! THE TIRES WERE STILL SPINNING WHEN THE CAR STOPPED AND MY FEET WERE ON THE BRAKES! IT WAS ALSO HARD TO GET THE CAR OUT OF DRIVE AND INTO PARK --- WHEN I WAS ABLE TO PUSH THE CAR INTO PARK I QUICKLY TOOK THE KEYS OUT. THE 2011 KIA SORENTO AND SUDDEN ACCELERATION SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM AND SHOULD SERIOUSLY BE LOOKED INTO. YES, I WAS INJURED AND THANKFULLY A TREE STOPPED THE VEHICLE AND NO ONE ELSE WAS HURT! *TR

NHTSA ODI 10663971