What 977 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Kia Sorento Plug-in Hybrid

Paint peeling off all over body of car

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Paint is chipping off the hood and around the windshield in larger chunks.

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My white snow Kia Sorento paint is peeling and has really bad Delamination. It’s been peeling little by little over the last 4 years. It is awful.

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My car is white pearl and my paint is pilling really bad

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My car is painted pearl white and has peeled and exposed the metal for a few years. We have patched it the best we can but it happens at another spot. I have included a picture. There has been a recall on Toyota and I believe 2014 Kia with the same issue regarding white paint problems.

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SWP paint peeling on hood and roof

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I have a pearl white 2013 Kia Sorento and the paint keeps peeling off. I had the roof repaired and now it is on the top of the doors

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Paint peeling on roof and right front pillar.

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Pearl white paint is peeling bad especially above windshield. Now it’s starting to rust. Several other spots on car body. Started out small now it has gotten worse

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White pearl style paint is peeling off car. Peeling off roof and side door panel. Electrical does not work in steering wheel to control radio volume etc. electrical doesn’t work to control automatic seat adjustment option.

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Paint has been peeling in multiple areas of exterior of car. I have seen other Kia Sorentos of my year and color (snow pearl white) that are peeling as well. Paint is defective, it’s a latent defect.

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My 2013 Kia Sorento SX (Paint Color: Pearl White) began to to peel pain around August 2021 with around 90,000 miles on the car. I am the original owner and it has been kept in the garage most of the time. The paint peeling happened rapidly on the painted section between the Windshield and Sunroof. I Googled the issue and apparently it is widespread since 2011 on a lot of Kia and Hyundai models especially with Pear White paint. I took it to a Kia dealer who referred me to their paint contractor (Dent Magic) co-located with them. I spoke with the team and asked for an estimated. As soon as the estimator saw it he said "Oh yes the is paint delamination, it was pretty wide spread on the vehicles a few years back. I am surprised yours took so long to peel. It was likely because you have garage kept it and it looks like you keep it in great condition. There was a manufacturing defect when they painted these cars and essentially the factory forgot to prime certain panels of the vehicles so the paint is not sticking properly. Unfortunately, Kia has not recalled this most likely because it is not a safety issue and the government has not forced them. However, if you leave it and it rusts it could cause lots of issues down the road." The gentleman then provided me with an estimate of $725.63. I then got 2 other estimates that were both over $1000. I ended up going with the Kia recommendation of Dent Magic for $725. I am hoping none of the other panels start to peel, I feel it is inevitable.

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I own a 2013 Kia Sorento with 39,000 miles on it. It has Pearl White paint that is rapidly peeling off. It started peeling around a year and half ago when mileage was around 34,000 miles. I have contacted KIA Consumer Assistance Center and they asked for 2 estimates to repair the paint problem. When received they the estimates they said it’s out of warranty and refused any responsibility for the defective paint. Kia has sent me extended warranties on the Engine, Air bags and other items. I assume the only reason for extra warranties is that the car was built with unreliable parts. The paint is a big item that Kia should stand behind with some type of warranty. It too is defective to where it just peels off. This makes the car worthless.

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The paint on the hood, and top of the vehicle is chipping and peeling in 1-2" spots. No one was put at risk No one has inspected. No warnings or lights- first appeared 18 months ago.

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The paint is peeling off of the roof as well as on the hood. Was told by a body shop that the primer used by Kia is incorrect and will cause the paint to not adhere properly.

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Dear Kia, 1st of all I Love my Kia Sorrento. The only problem I have is that the original paint is peeling off the vehicle. Now my car is 8 yrs old and the original paint is starting to peel and the metal is showing, on the passenger side of the front windshield. Now to me it seems that the original paint that was used for my car must have a defect. When, have you heard of the original paint peeling from the vehicle to where the metal is showing, that does not happened unless the paint is faulty I have 2002 dodge caravan (White) and that has never happened, I also have a 2004 ford truck 150 (White) and that has never happened. As you can see how old these vehicles are and their original paint of the automobiles is still there. Now I know it’s the original paint, but if you need for me to take it to a Kia expert I will so they can analyze it. I have had a lot of great compliments on my Kia Sorrento the people think is a brand-new car because the color looks well treated. When I tell them that it’s a 2013 they complement me on how well the color is kept and what it is equipped with. Now what am I going to tell them when they that ask me about my Kia, that the car is great but the paint they use is not of good quality, that after a couple of years it starts to peel down to the metal. Now I could tell you my car’s paint is not warned out or faded it still looks new. I have attached photos of my cars so you can see what I am talking about.

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Paint is Chipping off cat Rapidly and it’s getting worse.

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I have a 2013 Kia Sorento SX Snow White Pearl. This vehicle has been garage kept its entire life. In spite of this, the paint has begun delaminating above the windshield (just yesterday 08/17/21). Many spots are down to the bare metal. I have never heard of paint doing this on a car....my 20-year-old truck paint is in great condition. I now must get this vehicle painted to avoid rust.

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Pearl white paint chipping and delaminating on the roof of the cars body

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Paint peeling and chipping off my car and my insurance stated they will not cover a Manufacture defect…

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I own a 2013 Kia Sorento with Pearl White paint. It started peeling huge chunks of paint off of the top of my car. There is no reason the paint should just be peeling off, often in huge peeling strips. I am aware of other makes and models with this paint around my production year that have had recalls to fix this defective paint. I believe Kia should be included in this recall. I have included pictures, the last picture is of three average size paint chunks that are coming off daily.

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Paint delimitation rapidly along top of windshield allowing rust. Safety concern with water damage. No reports to dealer.

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The paint on my roof is chipping and peeling. I purchased the vehicle used with ±65K miles. After about a year, ±12K miles I noticed some small chipping just above the windshield. I assumed it was normal road debris causing it. Then the paint started to peel back. Just recently a patch about 8" x 6" peeled off. There are other concerned KIA owners suffering the same issues. Now small areas of where the paint chipped/peeled off is starting to rust. The color of the vehicle is Pearl White, which is the most common KIA paint to chip or peel. I purchased a 3 year extended warranty when I bought the car. The dealer I purchased the vehicle from was not a KIA dealer so may not have known about the peeling paint issue with the Sorento and Pearl White paint.

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I was sitting in my car before work as I always do. It was running but it was parked. All of a sudden I hear a huge bang that sounds like a shotgun blast. I jump and duck thinking someone is shooting a gun at my car. I then see little shards of glass all over my windshield. I exit my vehicle and see that my sunroof is completely shattered. In the pictures it’s clear it wasn’t from a point of impact (nothing hit my car). Luckily my shield was pulled so no glass got on me and I wasn’t driving. This could have caused me to crash with how loud the boom was. I see online that there’s been several instances of this happening with no recall.

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paint started pealing in 2020 and progressed to many other areas including hatchback and roof

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