What 875 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 Kia Sorento Plug-in Hybrid

MY PAINT COLOR IS PEARL WHITE. I HAVE AT LEAST 2 SPOTS OF RUST ONE ON THE RIGHT REAR QUARTER PANEL. AND ONE ON THE LEFT SIDE REAR DOOR. NEITHER ONE IS DENTED OR SCRATCHED BUT THE PAINT IS PEALED AND RUST IS SHOWING THROUGH.

NHTSA ODI 10865287

WENT OUT FROM WORK TO START MY CAR AND NOTICED THE AIRBAG LIGHT WOULD NOT GO OUT. I SHUT THE CAR OFF AND RESTARTED TO SEE IF IT WOULD GO OUT. IT WOULD NOT. THE VERY NEXT DAY, I WENT TO OPEN THE FRONT DOOR ON THE PASSENGER SIDE TO PUT SOMETHING IN THE CAR. THE HANDLE FELL OFF IN MY HAND. THE PASSENGER SIDE DOOR IS HARDLY USED AS I AM THE ONLY OCCUPANT OF THE CAR. IT HAD NOT BEEN HIT OR DAMAGED, THE COVER JUST BROKE OFF. I TOOK THE VEHICLE IN TO THE KIA DEALER. THE ADVISED ME THAT I WOULD HAVE TO LEAVE THE VEHICLE, PAY $85 FOR A DIAGNOSTIC TEST SO THEY COULD SEE WHY THE LIGHT WOULD NOT GO OUT. THEY SAID IT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY THAT THE WARRANTY FOR IT RAN OUT AT 60K MILES. SAME WITH THE HANDLE. I HAVE TO PAY OVER $40 JUST FOR THEM TO REPLACE THE HANDLE'S COVER. THEY SAID ONCE THEY FOUND OUT WHY THE AIRBAG LIGHT WAS ON, IF I PAID TO HAVE IT REPAIRED THAT THEY WILL WAIVE THE DIAGNOSTIC FEE. SO I HAVE TO RENT A VEHICLE OUT OF POCKET FOR NO TELLING HOW LONG, AND PAY FOR WHAT EVER IS WRONG WITH THE AIRBAG LIGHT. THEY CLAIM THAT IT WILL NOT DEPLOY IF I GO INTO AN ACCIDENT. I'VE READ SEVERAL OTHER COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE 2012 KIA SORRENTO AIRBAG NOT DEPLOYING. ANOTHER LAW SUIT IN THE MAKING JUST LIKE THE GAS MILEAGE ONE THEY JUST WERE SUED FOR.

NHTSA ODI 10743439

TODAY, SUNDAY NOVEMBER 23, 2014 I WENT TO OPEN MY TRUNK...IT FELT REALLY HEAVY AS I WENT TO LIFT IT...TO MY AMAZEMENT THE STRUTS THAT HOLDS UP THE TRUNK WOULD NOT KEEP THEM UP. I'M GLAD IT DID NOT COME DOWN ON ME WHILE I WAS GETTING MY GROCERY OUT OF THE TRUNK...NOW WHAT DO I DO TO GET THIS FIXED...I ONLY HAD THIS VEHICLE FOR FOUR MONTHS AND NOW THIS HAS HAPPENED. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION!!! IT COULD HAVE COME DOWN ON MY BACK AS I WAS REACHING INTO THE VEHICLE. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10660378

THE STRUTS ON MY BACK LIFT GATE ARE ALREADY WORN OUT ON A 2012 KIA SORENTO. I HAD A 2007 KIA SPORTAGE PRIOR TO THIS VEHICLE AND NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE BACK STRUTS ON THE LIFT GATE. ON THE SPORTAGE THE GLASS OPENED SEPARATELY FROM THE BOTTOM HALF OF THE LIFT GATE. HOWEVER, THIS NEWER VEHICLE WORE OUT THE BACK LIFT GATE STRUTS IN JUST OVER 2 YEARS WITH ONLY 35,000 MILES ON THE VEHICLE. THE BACK LIFT GATE IS NOT SEPARATED BETWEEN THE DOOR AND THE GLASS SO THE ENTIRE BACK LIFT DOOR IS EXTREMELY HEAVY TO OPEN AND HOLD WITHOUT THE STRUTS TO KEEP THE TRUNK DOOR LIFTED AND HAS THE POTENTIAL TO HURT SMALL CHILDREN OR EVEN ADULTS WHO ARE NOT ANTICIPATING A SUDDEN FAILURE OF THE STRUTS ON A VEHICLE WITH SUCH LOW MILEAGE. AT THIS POINT, THE ENTIRE TRUNK AREA CANNOT BE USED UNTIL THE PROBLEM IS FIXED, BUT REPAIR SHOPS WANT OVER $500 TO FIX A PART THAT SHOULD NOT HAVE WORN OUT THIS QUICKLY TO BEGIN WITH. I WILL ATTEMPT SEEK REMEDY FROM KIA DIRECTLY, BUT WANTED TO BRING THE ISSUE UP IN CASE OTHERS ARE EXPERIENCING SIMILAR PROBLEMS FOR TREND ANALYSIS AND POTENTIAL RECALL. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10649568

THE POWER SUN ROOF BLEW OUT WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED OVERNIGHT.THOUSAND OF SMALL GLASS PIECES WERE SCATTERED IN AND OUTSIDE OF THE CAR.OUTSIDE FL TEMPERATURE WAS ABOUT 65 DEGREES. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10563779

MY 6 YEAR OLD CHILD GOT INTO THE VEHICLE TO GET A DRINK. SHE HIT THE GEAR SHIFT AND IT WENT FROM PARK TO GEAR AND ROLLED DOWN THE HILL UNTIL COMING TO A STOP BY HITTING A TREE. MY NEIGHBOR TRIED TO STOP THE CAR FROM ROLLING BUT HE COULD NOT GET THE DOOR OPEN BECAUSE IT LOCKED. MY CHILD WAS IN THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE CAR AND THE KEYS WERE NOT IN THE IGNITION. KIA SERVICE MANAGER TOLD ME THAT THE CAR SHOULD NOT GO OUT OF PARK UNLESS THE KEYS ARE IN THE IGNITION AND THE BRAKE IS PUSHED. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10532081

SEAT TRIM ON DRIVERS SEAT BREAKS ALLOWING SEAT CONTROLS TO MOVE SEAT WHILE VEHICLE IS MOVING. IT CAN MOVE SEAT FORWARD OR BACKWARD WITHOUT DRIVER DOING ANYTHING. THIS TRIM HAS BROKEN 4 TIMES WITH THE SEAT MOVING TWICE (2) OUT OF THE FOUR (4) TIMES. KIA DEALER HAS REPLACED TRIM ALL FOUR (4) TIMES AND ACKNOWLEDGED IT IS A DEFECT IN THE TRIM DESIGN, HOWEVER KIA HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL. TRIM IS HELD ON BY PLASTIC, AS IT MOVES THE PLASTIC BREAKS, ALLOWING SEAT CONTROLS TO MOVE AGAINST DOOR OR FLOOR MAKING SEAT MOVE. THIS HAS OCCURRED ON 8/27/11, 06/16/12, 08/04/12 AND 11/09/12. TALKING TO KIA DEALERS IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM THAT HAS NOT BEEN ADDRESSED. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10483975

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 KIA SORENTO. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL BUT THE BRAKES WOULD NOT RESPOND. THE FAILURE RECURRED WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. THE CONTACT HAD TO APPLY EXCESSIVE PRESSURE TO THE BRAKES FOR THE VEHICLE TO STOP. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING THREE TIMES. THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE A FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 20. ..UPDATED 11/01/12 *BF UPDATED UPDATED 11/02/2012 *JS

NHTSA ODI 10476871

PLEASE MAKE BLIND SPOT SCORES PART OF VEHICLE SAFETY RATINGS. IT NEEDS TO BE AN ACTUAL SCORE. MOST TERRIFYING TEST DRIVE OF MY LIFE. 2012 KIA SORENTO WAS MY DREAM CAR. I HAD BUILT IT ONLINE 10 TIMES & WALKED IN -SPECS IN HAND- READY TO BUY. THE TEST DRIVE TO ME WAS A FORMALITY. THAT CHANGED DURING THE TEST DRIVE. NEW SUVS ARE ADDING HUGE PILLARS TO THE REAR OF VEHICLES, SHRINKING REAR THIRD WINDOWS, SHRINKING REAR TRUNK DOOR WINDOWS, PUSHING DRIVER SEATS TIGHTLY UP AGAINST THE DRIVER DOOR- TO SHRINK THE CAR AND BOOST GAS MILEAGE. ON TOP OF THAT, THEY ARE PURSUING "QUIETNESS" & PART OF THAT IS SHRINKING THE EXTERIOR MIRRORS. ADD THIS ALL UP & YOU CAN HIDE A SEMI IN THE BLIND SPOT OF THIS CAR. IT WAS LIKE DRIVING A WINDOWLESS CARGO VAN W/O THE BIG CARGO VAN MIRRORS. THE MIRROR ARE SMALL LIKE WHAT BELONGS ON AN ECONOMY CAR. YES, MY DRIVER SIDE MIRROR WAS WELL ADJUSTED TO ONLY SHOW A SLIVER OF THE VEHICLE. I JUST COULDN'T SEE. AS I CONTINUED SUV SHOPPING, I FOUND THIS NEW DESIGN IN MANY NEW SUVS. GIGANTIC BLIND SPOTS ARE NOW THE NEW DESIGN. I COULDN'T SEE TO CHANGE INTO THE LEFT LANE. WHEN I LOOKED OVER MY SHOULDER MY FACE WAS SO CLOSE TO THE WINDOW, ALL I COULD SEE BEHIND ME WERE THE SEPARATING PILLARS. CHANGING LANES WAS A GUESS. I DID NOT BUY MY DREAM CAR, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY I REALIZED THERE IS A NEW HIGHLY DANGEROUS DESIGN TREND IN MANY SUVS THAT NEEDS MONITORED. CONSUMERS SHOULD BE INFORMED OF THE SEVERITY OF THIS RISK AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE. WE NEED A VISIBILITY RATING SCORE ON THE LABEL OF VEHICLES. I WALKED AWAY FROM DREAM CAR. BELLS AND WHISTLES DON'T MATTER IF YOU CAN'T EVEN SEE TO DRIVE. I CONTACTED CONSUMER REPORTS AND REQUESTED A REPORT THAT SHOWS WHICH SUVS HAVE THE BEST VISIBILITY AND THEY HAD NOTHING ON THE TOPIC. IT IS NOT EVEN MONITORED. HOW CAN THIS DANGER BE BEING INSTALLED IN SO MANY VEHICLES AND GO UNCHECKED BY THE WHOLE SAFETY INDUSTRY? *TR

NHTSA ODI 10445254

THE PANEL ASSEMBLY UNDER COVER IS BROKEN OFF EASY AND OBSTRUCTING THE WHEELS MOVEMENT, CAN CAUSES OVER TURN OR FLIP OVER. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10430700