What 978 owners told NHTSA about the 2014 Kia Sorento Plug-in Hybrid

My car was at Kia for a key fob issue. A day later the engine started ticking. I’m told I need a new engine. My car had no issues. I want to know if it can be related to this recall or if my car should’ve been recalled for the 2017 engine recall sc147. I am not convinced that they didn’t cause this when they had it as it started the next day it was driven. They will not take responsibility for it of course.

NHTSA ODI 11573419

Was driving on highway when suddenly the vehicle lost power and couldn't maintain speed. Once stopped smoke came out from under hood which turned out to be from coolant. Had car towed to independent shop where it was determined that the engine head gasket/s are bad and engine head bolts and block. Fix is it needs a new engine. Always had maintenance done at dealer and this happened just out of warranty 106k miles.

NHTSA ODI 11570069

I received a recall notice from Kia dated 11/14/2023. The notice said that the HECU hydraulic electronic control unit could short circuit and catch the car on fire whether driving or parked. They suggest parking away from anything that could catch fire. There is currently no remedy for this serious safety issue. It has been 3 months already and there is no time line for a remedy. They offer no options such as a loaner car to help mitigate the risk to personal safety while driving this car. I would like to have some interim solution until there can be a remedy of this serious safety risk. This is an unacceptable safety risk. Thank you for your time and attention. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11569693

Engine died with no sign. Was told engine had no oil

NHTSA ODI 11569592

Engine seized while driving. Had to be completely replaced.

NHTSA ODI 11566493

No lights went on the dash. N warning that the engine was damaged. Now 2 mechanics have agreed that the engine is bad Just got the car used from dealer in March and no one knew anything about it. I’m devastated

NHTSA ODI 11566511

The contact owns a 2014 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the contact heard an abnormal ticking sound. The contact was able to pull over safely. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined there was a hole in the engine block. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that the repairs were not covered under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 103,000. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ODI 11566267

With no warning the Kia suddenly started shaking and shuddering and white smoke started coming out of the exhaust while driving down the freeway. There were no symptoms of the problem prior to the failure. Took it to a mechanic and he said the car has a blown head gasket. A second mechanic confirmed the diagnosis.

NHTSA ODI 11565955

Kia smelled of electrical burning/fire after driving. burning smell permeated into dwelling. Notified KIA Customer Care Center at 1 (800) 333 4542. Case [XXX] initiated day of engine burning/fire [XXX]. No response from Kia. Called to inquire on update January 16th, 2024. Spoke with Mary. Mary had no update. Asked to speak with her manager, She transferred me and call dropped. Unprofessional conduct with life-threatening Kia engine bomb sitting in my driveway. Initiated complaint on Kia's website and another case number was generated - [XXX]. Tried calling back to no avail. Call dropped five times. Initiated this NHTSA complaint immediately after last call dropped by Kia. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11565841

The contact owns a 2014 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment, and the vehicle then lost motive power. The contact was able to coast to the shoulder of the roadway; however, the vehicle failed to restart. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 162,000.

NHTSA ODI 11565223

The shop I took it to tested the compression and 3 cylinders were out. They said I need A new engine at 120k miles on it.

NHTSA ODI 11564813

The contact owns a 2014 Kia Sorento. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the check engine, the MIL, and the ABS warning lights were illuminated. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11564902

The contact owns a 2014 Kia Sorento. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to coast off to the side of the highway and then noticed smoke coming from underneath the vehicle. The contact did not open the hood and had the vehicle towed to an unknown dealer. The contact stated the dealer advised that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11563257

Fuel pump/engine began failing before the engine locked up. I was driving down a country road and lost power. When I floored it the top speed was approx. 7 MPH. I did not have anywhere to pull over. It has been inspected by the manufacturer and they said it needs a new engine. There were no warning signs or anything. I don't know how to answer if the problem has been reproduced. Via Kia forums, this is a common issue that is usually handled with the extended warranty. I've contacted Kia and they admit I'm having issues. Quote from their email "We apologize about the issues you are having with your engine and fuel pump in your 2014 Kia Sorento."

NHTSA ODI 11560910

The vehicle shows that it is running hot but when I check there is coolant in the reservoir but then when I check the radiator there is little to no coolant in it

NHTSA ODI 11559434

The contact owns a 2014 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine oil light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed with excessive oil consumption and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was advised that the engine would not be replaced until the rod bearings had failed unless she wanted to pay for the replacement of the engine. The contact stated that she had recently experienced an additional failure with the vehicle. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the service engine light, ABS, traction, and tire pressure warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed rear wheel speed sensor. The contact was informed that the rear wheel speed sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that soon after the repair the check engine warning light illuminated and had been illuminated for several weeks. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 174,530.

NHTSA ODI 11559158

The engine randomly around 45,000 miles started using large amount of oil. The engine started ticking. It is available for inspection, upon request. The safety of myself and others is put at risk as the engine is a ticking time bomb to blow up. When it first starts happening, you do not notice, as you get regular oil changes at the dealership and they never once say that your oil was dangerously low when you brought it in. The problem has been expressed to me by independent service shops as a gdi issue. I called the dealership and they said the only thing they can do is an oil consumption test for $600. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer. There are no warnings lamps that come up at all, not for low oil or anything.

NHTSA ODI 11556926

Car timing failed on the 3.3 and stalled car in the road. This is a very common problem and these need to be fixed. These cars randomly jump timing with no warning what so ever. Kia knew these were an issue and should replace the engine in my car along with everyone else that has this issue. Car is at a shop now with a confirmed jumped timing.

NHTSA ODI 11555560

Engine seized again after the last recall and engine replacement leaving me stranded in an intersection and $416 in towing expenses transported to the mechanic and back home when told engine is seized

NHTSA ODI 11554573

I have a 2014 Kia Sorento with a 3.3l engine. There was a catastrophic blow of the head gasket that resulted in engine temperatures spiking while driving on the interstate. This led to excessive deceleration and stopping on the side of the interstate. After researching, this is an ongoing problem with this vehicle. It even has a nickname, "Soft Block", from KIA using substandard materials to build their engines. I submitted a complaint against Kia through the NHTSA website on November 10th. Since that time, I have come to realize that Kia has issued a warranty extension for 2016-2017 Kia Sorento's with the 3.3l Lambda engine for cooling leaking and head gasket issues. What would be the process for expanding your open investigation (NHTSA Action Number: PE23019) to include the 2014 and 2015 model years of the Kia Sorento with the 3.3l engine? This is the exact same engine, and these exact same issues are prevalent in these years as well.

NHTSA ODI 11554600

Replaced engine 1/31/23 had open recall per 21v331was not repaired even though they wasn’t suppose to return vehicle according to recall. They said It would be safe to drive.Said they had no remedy to fix they would call me. Few days car stalls alternator was hanging had to replace. They didn’t replace properly. With in a month cars brakes were acting weird took in for diagnostic back brakes no remedy. Call Kia still no parts for recall. Sept 11,23 was pulling off expressway during 5 o'clock traffic my brakes locked up I had no control. Towed to Kia they wanted 75. to look at it then 2700. to fix the brakes. And stated I had no brake fluid. Which was just checked. They said recall did not cover the repairs Neither the engine recall nor the brake, hecu, abs, stability control recall. I contacted Kia they told me they would get back to me. As of Oct.31,23 they had not done any repairs or response from Kia. So I traded my car back to Kia so I would have a vehicle for school and work. I’ve tried to get reimbursement from Kia. For rental car etc. And keep getting the run around. I have towing, rental, and repairs that they are refusing to reimburse me. I drove the recalled vehicle for 9 months and could have been killed myself, my daughter, as well as others. Kia could care less! I traded vehicle 10/31 the recall was cleared on my 2014 Sorento on 11/4 according to Nhtsa.gov 3 days they clear it so they could sell it. I m really disgusted with Kia. I’m out thousands of dollars for their neglect. They couldn’t repair the recall for longer than 9 months for me . But as soon as I trade it to them it’s repaired or they are lying just so they can sell it. Just like when they sold it to me with 2 open recalls without telling me it had them. What do I need to do? Suggestions? I do have more receipts and documents

NHTSA ODI 11553665

ENGINE FIRE, NO WARNING, VEHICLE WAS PARKED OUTSIDE AND OFF WHEN IT CAUGHT FIRE

NHTSA ODI 11549694

The contact owns a 2014 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving at approximately 25 MPH and making a turn, the engine seized. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was an internal engine failure, connecting rod damage, and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case, but no additional assistance was provided. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.

NHTSA ODI 11548389

Engine continues to leak oil. Cannot be driven. 2014 Kia Sorento SUV which is under recall for engine fires yet they state her particular vin is not under the recall.

NHTSA ODI 11547016

The engine on my 2014 Kia Sorento has failed. I brought the vehicle in to Bob Sight Kia to have them diagnose the problem. They claimed that when they drained the oil, they only found 3/4 of a quart of oil and for that reason, Kia was denying the claim for a new engine. I find it hard to believe that there was only 3/4 of a quart of oil in the car as we conducted regular maintenance on the vehicle and provided all service records. When I contacted Kia, they stated that they had not received any documentation from Bob Sight Kia, and specifically no technical details why the engine had failed, or provide an estimate for repair costs. In the last three weeks that our Sorento has been at Bob Sight Kia (brought to dealer on 9-9-23), when I call to speak with the service center point of contact, I get his voicemail or someone says he is away from his desk or on leave and nobody responds to my voicemails or emails, even though I have volunteered to provide more information if necessary. There is a Facebook page with 976 followers stating why Kia has denied their claims for replacement of failed defective engines. Fortunately, in my case, I was able to drive the car to the dealership before the engine stopped working but in many cases the engines failed while people were in busy traffic, exposing them to dangerous situations. In my case specifically the engine light started flashing and the vehicle was being very sluggish, struggled to make it up hills and would occasionally stall.

NHTSA ODI 11547013