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

SUA July 3, 2020, driver was exiting a Kroger fuel station located at 7380 Spout Springs Road, Flowery Branch, Georgia 30542 in the subject 2011 Kia Sorento SUV vehicle. Suddenly and without warning, the subject Kia vehicle began accelerating without throttle input from the driver. The Kia Sorento then struck the rear of a 2014 RAV 4, pushing it across the street and into a Waffle House parking lot. The 2011 Kia Sorento continued accelerating and gained significant speed before striking a nearby curb and fencing, colliding with an embankment of a retention pond, and ultimately coming to rest in the base of the retention pond. The injured driver was transported from the scene by ambulance, where they began receiving the first portion of many treatments for her injuries. Driver believes they are victim to a runaway throttle control malfunction that caused a sudden uncommanded acceleration (SUA). Manufacturer notified. NHTSA has received 54 Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs), aka U.S. consumer complaints to DOT, regarding Vehicle Speed Control problems with the 2011 Kia Sorento; including NHTSA ID No. 10473983: On August 19, 2012, in Iowa/Missouri, state police footage showed Lauri Ulvestad’s, 47, of Ames, Iowa, 35-minute ride of terror after the accelerator of her Kia Sorento jammed, causing her to careen down a highway at speeds up to 120 miles per hour for 59 miles. The accelerator in this other 2011 Kia Sorento SUV became stuck. A dash-camera video captured by the Missouri State Highway Patrol officers who soon began following her shows the 35 minutes of terror that Ulvestad endured as her car traveled 59 miles at speeds as high as 115 mph. Apparently Kia "technicians were unable to duplicate the issue and this appears to be an isolated incident," per the South Korean company’s statement. "KMA will continue to investigate and analyze the facts of this situation." Source: ABC News. Petition for Defect Investigation. Special Crash Investigation.

NHTSA ODI 11436935

I BROUGHT MY VEHICLE INTO KIA FOR SEVERAL RECALLS. ONE WAS THE DOOR LOCKS BEING FAULTY. I SAID I HAD NO PROBLEMS BUT THEY DECIDED TO REPLACE THEM ANYWAY. NOW MY REAR DOOR LOCK IS BROKEN. THE OTHER ISSUE IS WHEN ACCELERATING THE ENGINE REVS. IT ONLY HAPPENED A COUPLE OF TIMES AT FIRST, BUT NOW IT HAPPENS EVERY TIME I DRIVE. IT SEEMS LIKE THE PEDAL IS GETTING STUCK. MY LAST ISSUE IS THE AIR BAG. I WAS REAR ENDED ON THE HIGHWAY AND PUSHED INTO THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. THE WHOLE FRONT END WAS BANGED UP AND THE AIRBAG NEVER OPENED.

NHTSA ODI 11254451

RECALL!!!WHEN ACCELERATING MORE THAN 60-80 MPH ON THE INTERSTATE, THE ECO SENSOR LIGHT POPS ON AND MY SUV JERKS BACK THEN PICKS UP SPEED CAUSING THE BACK OF MY HEAD TO HIT YOUR HEAD RESTRAINT. IT IS VERY SCARY!!!!

NHTSA ODI 11157246

MY KIA WAS BEING DETAILS, THE PERSON DETAILING THE VEHICLE GOT INTO THE VEHICLE. HE PUSHED THE START BUTTON DIDN'T START THE VEHICLE. HE STARTED IT BY INSERTING THE FOB IN THE CONSOLE. THE VEHICLE STARTED AT HIGH RPMS, DRIVER HAD HIS FOOT ON THE BRAKE, PLACED THE CAR INTO REVERSE AND THE CAR EXITED THE GARAGE AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED, DRIVER APPLIED BOTH FEET ON THE BRAKES THE BRAKES DID NOT WORK HE TRIED TO STEER THE VEHICLE AWAY FROM THE CREEK THE STEERING DID NOT WORK.. THE VEHICLE DID STOP AFTER IT CRASHED INTO THE CREEK THAT WAS NEAR THE BUSINESS. THE DRIVER SUSTAINED INJURY TO HIS HEAD WHEN HE TRIED TO EXIT THE VEHICLE AFTER IT ENTERED THE CREEK. VEHICLE WAS PULLED FROM THE CREEK. DRIVER DID SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION AT A LOCAL HOSPITAL.

NHTSA ODI 11074522

WHILE RETURNING FROM MY AUNTS FUNERAL IN KANSAS, MAKING MY WAY TO GEORGIA. THE CAR BEGAN TO SLOW DOWN AND STOP, ON THE HIGHWAY. THEN IT CUT OFF, WOULDN'T START OR MOVE. THERE WAS THIS WHINING AND CLANKING SOUND, WHITE SMOKE AND FIRE SHOT OUT FROM UNDER THE CAR, AS I WAS TOLD BY A PERSON THAT WAS PASSING BY, HE STOPPED TO MAKE SURE THAT I GOT OUT OF THE CAR. IT JUST GOT TO 130,000 MILES. HAD IT TOWED TO A SHOP AND WAS TOLD THAT THE ENGINE WAS GONE.

NHTSA ODI 11073341

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

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 KIA SORENTO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DEPRESSING THE BRAKES AND REVERSING FROM A RESIDENTIAL DRIVEWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED INTO A BUSY STREET WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE ABNORMALLY ACCELERATED TO APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH AND CAME TO A STOP AFTER CRASHING INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE POLICE WERE CONTACTED AND A REPORT WAS FILED. THE DRIVER SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES TO VARIOUS PARTS OF HER BODY AND LATER WAS TRANSPORTED TO THE HOSPITAL. THE DRIVER OF THE SECOND VEHICLE WAS TRANSPORTED TO THE HOSPITAL VIA AMBULANCE FOR TREATMENT OF UNKNOWN INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS LATER TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND WAS PENDING AN INVESTIGATION. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT ONCE THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, THEY WOULD PERFORM A WARRANTY CHECK. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 25,000. UPDATED 12/21/12*LJ UPDATED 1/9/2013 *JS

NHTSA ODI 10485104

MY HUSBAND WAS ON PRIVATE PROPERTY. HE GOT IN THE CAR, PUT THE CAR IN REVERSE AND BACKED UP. HE HEARD A LOUD POP. HE PUT THE CAR IN DRIVE, AND HIS FOOT WAS STILL ON THE BRAKE. THE CAR BEGAN TO ACCELERATE ON ITS OWN WITH HIS FOOT ON THE BRAKE UNTIL THE VEHICLE GOT UP TO 60 MILES PER HOUR. TRYING NOT TO HIT THE HOUSE, OR THE PERSON OUTSIDE OF THE PROPERTY HE MANEUVERED THE CAR INTO THE BACK YARD. THE CAR WAS STEADILY PICKING UP SPEED AND HIS FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKE THE ENTIRE TIME. HE COULD NOT GET THE GEAR TO SHIFT OR THE BRAKES TO WORK. THE VEHICLE STRUCK A TREE AND THAT IMPEDED THE MOVEMENT OF THE VEHICLE. HE TURNED THE CAR OFF AND GOT OUT OF IT. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10470459

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 KIA SORENTO. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH IN REVERSE AND THE VEHICLE UNEXPECTEDLY INCREASED ACCELERATION AND CIRCLED AROUND THE SIDEWALK AND THEN UNCONTROLLABLY TRAVELED ONTO THE LAWN, CRASHING THROUGH A PLASTIC FENCE. THERE WAS NO PERSONAL INJURY. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED, BUT THEY WERE NOTIFIED. THE CONTACT PLANNED TO HAVE THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE DEFECT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 7,410. UPDATED 12/28/11*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED THERE WAS DAMAGE TO THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONSUMER HAS SINCE SOLD THE VEHICLE. UPDATED 03/12/12

NHTSA ODI 10430856

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 KIA SORENTO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS, THE ESC AND DBC LIGHTS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE CONTACT APPLIED THE BRAKES AND THE VEHICLE SURGED FORWARD UNTIL CRASHING INTO A TREE. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED AND NO INJURIES WERE SUFFERED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS PENDING AN INVESTIGATION. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT AN ENGINEER WOULD BE SENT TO EXAMINE THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE UNKNOWN.

NHTSA ODI 10415164