What 746 owners told NHTSA about the 2015 Kia Sorento Plug-in Hybrid

TOOK MY CAR TO THE MECHANIC FOR A SECOND OPINION REGARDING LOW BEAM LIGHTS SHUTTING OFF WHEN I TURN ON THE HIGH BEAMS. THIS OCCURRED FREQUENTLY WHEN USING HIGH BEAMS. ALSO, MY HEADLIGHTS (LOW BEAMS) CONSISTENTLY BURNT OUT. HAD TO INSTALL 2-3 NEW BULBS IN EACH HEADLIGHT (WITHIN 1 YR.). MECHANIC SAID PROBLEM IS MORE THAN JUST THE LIGHTS, THE KNOCK SENSOR WAS BAD AND NEEDED MORE WORK THAN WHAT THEY WERE WILLING TO DO AND RECOMMENDED ME GOING BACK TO KIA. DRIVING HOME FROM MY MECHANIC, I WAS ON THE SURFACE STREETS TO GET ON THE FREEWAY, A KNOCKING NOISE OCCURRED WHEN ACCELERATING, SOUNDED LIKE IT WAS GOING TO THROW A ROD, WHICH LED ME TO CHECK THE OIL. MY OIL CHANGES ARE COMPLETED ON SCHEDULE AND WAS NOT DUE FOR ANOTHER OIL CHANGE FOR 3,000 MILES. THE OIL WAS BONE DRY. I PUT IN 4 QUARTS OF OIL AND DROVE ON SURFACE STREETS, BACK TO MY MECHANIC. MECHANIC SAID IT IS ABOUT TO THROW A ROD AND THAT I NEEDED TO DRIVE IT SLOWLY AND GET IT TO KIA. AS I DROVE THE CAR HOME ON THE FREEWAY, I WAS IN THE NUMBER ONE LANE, PASSING A SEMI-TRUCK IN THE NUMBER TWO LANE, CAR STARTED SHAKING, ALL THE LIGHTS STARTED BLINKING, THE ORANGE STEERING WHEEL WARNING LIGHT WENT ON AND THE ENTIRE CAR COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN. I HAD TO COAST TO THE SHOULDER ON THE FREEWAY. I HAD NO HAZARDS OR BLINKERS. TOW TRUCK ARRIVED AND CHECKED MY OIL, HE SAID THERE WERE METAL SHAVINGS AND BARELY ANY OIL. TOWED THE CAR BACK TO THE MECHANIC AND THEY SAID I NEEDED A NEW ENGINE. HAD THE CAR TOWED TO MY HOME AND IT NOW SITS IN MY DRIVEWAY. PRIOR AND DURING ALL OF THIS, NOT ONE TIME DID ANY WARNING LIGHTS ON THE DASHBOARD GO ON (OTHER THAN THE ONE STEERING WHEEL LIGHT WHEN THE CAR SHUT DOWN).

NHTSA ODI 11402955

I LOGGED INTO CREDIT KARMA LOOKING AT MY CAR DETAILS AND SAW THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE TRACTION. IVE NOTICED MY TRACTION LIGHT ON IN THE CAR; HOWEVER, DID NOT THINK ANYTHING OF IT AS THE BUTTON WAS PUSHED IN AS NORMAL. THE LIGHT IS ON CONSISTENTLY.

NHTSA ODI 11397221

WHEN DRIVING AT NIGHT, THE HEADLIGHTS ARE VERY DIM AND DO NOT PROJECT FAR ENOUGH AHEAD TO SEE THE ROAD TO BE ABLE TO SEE. THE BRIGHT LIGHTS MUST BE ON IN ORDER TO PROPERLY SEE, HOWEVER THEY TOO ARE NOT WHAT THEY SHOULD BE. THE BRIGHT LIGHTS WHEN ON, ARE MORE OF WHAT THE DIMS SHOULD BE. ALL NEW HEADLIGHTS(BULBS) WERE INSTALLED AND DID NOT MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE. THE CAR HAS BEEN LIKE THIS EVER SINCE IT WAS PURCHASED. IT IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE IT AT NIGHT, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT IS EXTREMELY DARK AT NIGHT AND/OR DRIVING IN WET/FOG OR SNOWY WEATHER. LIGHTS ARE SO DIM YOU WOULD BE UNABLE TO SEE DEER FAR ENOUGH IN ADVANCE TO SAFELY SLOW DOWN AND AVOID THEM. THIS PROBLEM IS THE CASE ON ALL ROADS EXCEPT CITY STREETS THAT ARE LIGHTED. I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE ON 11/22/2019

NHTSA ODI 11397006

CAR WAS DRIVEN A NIGHT AND HEADLIGHT WERE TERRIBLE. VAGUELY LIGHTS A A ROAD SIGN ON A DARK STREET AT 100 YARDS. BOTH BULBS HAVE BEEN RECENTLY REPLACED. SEEMS TO BE VERY COMMON WITH THESE CARS. CONTACTED KIA AND GOT NO HELP OTHER THAN TAKE TO DEALER AND PAY SERVICE FEE. OTHERS HAVE RECEIVED NO HELP. USUAL ARE TOLD IT IS JUST THE WAY THESE LIGHTS ARE. THESE LIGHT WILL NOT LIGHT A CLOSED GARAGE AT NIGHT.

NHTSA ODI 11395068

LOW BEAM LIGHTS GO OFF/ON RANDOMLY. SOMETIMES WILL WORK FOR A WHILE AND THEN ONE OR BOTH LIGHTS WILL GO OUT. WHEN THE DUST COVER IS REMOVED AND THE LIGHT SOCKET ASSEMBLY IS TOUCHED, THEN LIGHT WILL COME ON. HOWEVER, MOVING THE WIRES OR SOCKET ASSEMBLY DOES NOT CAUSE LIGHT TO GO OUT. THEN THE LIGHT LATER RANDOMLY GOES OFF. ALSO, I HAVE REPLACED MANY LOW BEAM BULBS. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM.

NHTSA ODI 11390238

LOW BEAM LIGHTS ARE DANGEROUSLY DIM. CONSTANTLY HAVE TO USE HIGH BEAMS WHEN SAFE TO DO SO. HAVE TO CHANGE THEM EVERY SIX MONTHS OR SO BECAUSE THEY ONE OR THE OTHER STOPS WORKING. HAVE HAD IT CHECKED OUT FOR THIS PROBLEM AND THEY CANNOT FIND AN ISSUE. MAY HAVE TO TRADE THIS CAR IN DUE TO THIS DANGEROUS SITUATION. VERY FRUSTRATING!

NHTSA ODI 11384507

HEADLIGHTS ARE VERY DIM. WE HAVE SWITCHED TO NEW BULBS AND THEN LED AND NEITHER IMPROVE THE DIM HEADLIGHTS. THE GLASS IS NOT FOGGY OR DAMAGED.

NHTSA ODI 11375128

VERY DIM LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS. CANNOT SEE ROAD.

NHTSA ODI 11365561

THE HEADLIGHTS HI AND LOW ARE NOT BRIGHT ENOUGH TO PROVIDE FOR A MORE SAFE VISIBLE DRIVE.

NHTSA ODI 11362121

LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT BULBS FREQUENTLY BLOW OUT. HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY DUST CAPS HAVE BEEN REPLACED, BUT THE ISSUE REMAINS A PROBLEM. WE HAVE HAD TO CHANGE HEADLIGHT BULBS MORE THAN A DOZEN TIMES IN THE LAST FOUR YEARS. THESE ARE THE H7 BULBS THAT FIT THE STANDARD 2015 SORENTO LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT FIXTURE.

NHTSA ODI 11355720

POOR VISIBILITY FROM THE HEADLIGHTS AT NIGHT, PASSENGERS CONSTANTLY ASKING ID HEADLIGHTS ARE ON. IN ADDITION HAVE TO REGULARLY REPLACE HEADLIGHT BULBS EVERY SIX MONTHS.

NHTSA ODI 11352936

KEEPS BLOWING OUT LOW BEAM HEAD LITES. REPLACED FOUR TIMES IN THE LAST YEAR. TOOK IN TO DEALER TO LOOK AT. WAS TOLD NOTHING THEY COULD DO ABOUT IT. I FOUND OUT BY ONLINE RESEARCH THAT THIS IS NOT JUST A COUPLE REPORTS. IT IS DANGEROUS AT NITE WE HAVE TO DRIVE WITH DAYLITES. NOT BRIGHT ENOUGH FOR DRIVING. IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE. KIA WILL NOT DO ANYTHING TO FIX PROBLEM THAT IS A SAFETY ISSUE.NEEDS GOVERNMENT INVESTIGATION BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED.

NHTSA ODI 11342839

I HAD TO REPLACE MY DRIVERS SIDE HEADLIGHT UNIT ON MY 2015 KIA SORENTO AT 62,000 MILES. COULD NOT REPLACE JUST THE LAMP.

NHTSA ODI 11342027

I HAVE CHANGED THE HEADLIGHTS IN MY 2015 KIA SORENTA OVER 6 TIMES. I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER AND SELDOM DRIVE AT NIGHT BECAUSE I AM ELDERLY. HOW CAN I GET THIS PROBLEM FIXED. LAST NIGHT WE DROVE FROM OHIO TO VIRGINIA WITH DIM AND NO HEADLIGHTS. AGAIN. TIME AFTER TIME, NO HEAD LIGHTS. AND YES I BUY THE HIGHER PRICED HIGH QUALITY RECOMMENDED LIGHT BULBS. THIS IS UNSAT THIS IS A MAJOR PROBLEM

NHTSA ODI 11341803

THE HEADLIGHTS ON MY CAR ARE DANGEROUSLY DIM. I HAVE RESORTED TO HAVING TO RUN MY FOG LIGHTS JUST TO GET ENOUGH LIGHT ON THE ROAD. I'VE TRIED NUMEROUS TYPES OF AFTER MARKET LIGHTS AND NOTHING MAKES THEM BRIGHTER. I BELIEVE THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD THAT KIA SOMEHOW MISSED.

NHTSA ODI 11316891

MY LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT HIT A KEEP BURNING OUT PREMATURELY. I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE WITH 47000 MILES, AND IT NOW HAS 106000. IN NOT QUITE 60K MILES I HAVE REPLACED THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS 7 TIMES. WHEN REPLACING I HAVE FOLLOWED THE OWNERS MANUAL PROCEDURE EACH TIME. A QUICK INTERNET SEARCH OF VARIOUS ONLINE FORUMS REVEALS THAT I AM FAR FROM THE ONLY PERSON EXPERIENCING THIS PROBLEM. WHEN I BROUGHT THE ISSUE UP TO THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AT MY DEALER, THEY REFUSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE IS ANY ISSUE, AND THAT REPLACING THE LIGHTS THIS MANY TIMES IS JUST NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR. I HAVE HAD MULTIPLE OCCASIONS WHERE BOTH LOW BEAMS BURNED OUT SIMULTANEOUSLY, MAKING IT NECESSARY TO USE HIGH BEAMS JUST TO GET TO A STORE AND BUY REPLACEMENTS. THIS IS A VERY UNSAFE CONDITION.

NHTSA ODI 11315394

WHEN MY WIFE GOT THIS VEHICLE SHE TOLD ME SHE COULDN'T SEE THE ROAD AT NIGHT I DROVE THE VEHICLE AND I COULDN'T SEE THE ROAD EITHER SO I WENT TO KIA AND THEY PLACED NEW BULBS IN THERE AT FIRST WE THOUGHT EVERYTHING WAS GREAT BUT AFTER A MONTH IT WAS BACK TO BEING VERY DIM AT NIGHT. SO I TOOK IT BACK TO KIA AND THEY SAID IT'S YOUR BULBS I'M LIKE THESE ARE KIA BULBS AND SO THEY RECOMMENDED ME TO CHANGE THE BULBS OUT SO I DID. WELL ONCE AGAIN AFTER A MONTH THEY WERE DIM. I NOTICED THE BULB BURNT OUT . SO I WENT TO ADVANCE AUTO PARTS AND BOUGHT NEW BULBS. THE LIGHTS KEEP BURNING OUT SO I BELIEVE THERE IS SOMETHING HERE THAT NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED WHETHER IT BE ELECTRICAL OR SOMETHING ELSE. THANK YOU.

NHTSA ODI 11311319

LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS ARE DANGEROUSLY DIM. ON MOUNTAIN ROADS IN VERMONT I NEEDED HIGH BEAMS CONSTANTLY TO HAVE REASONABLE SIGHT DISTANCE. ON INTERSTATE ROADS THE LOW BEAMS BARELY LIGHT 2-3 CAR LENGTHS AHEAD OF ME.

NHTSA ODI 11302776

THE LOW BEAM BULBS KEEP BURNING OUT IN THE FRONT HEADLIGHTS. I'VE REPLACED THEM FOUR TIMES IN THE LAST YEAR. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A DEALERSHIP TO SEE IF THEY COULD DIAGNOSE WHAT WAS WRONG WITH IT. THE LOOKED AT IT AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY FOUND A BURNT HARNESS IN THE LAMP ASSEMBLY AND THAT THE WHOLE HEADLAMP ASSEMBLY WOULD NEED REPLACED AT AN ESTIMATED $1100.

NHTSA ODI 11297816

THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS ARE DANGEROUSLY DIM. THEY ALSO BURN OUT ABOUT EVERY 6 MONTHS.

NHTSA ODI 11291807

THE LOW BEAMS HEADLIGHTS ARE NOT BRIGHT AT ALL YOU CAN'T SEE WHEN DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD, IT'S REALLY DANGEROUS WHEN YOU YOU'RE TURNING CORNERS BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT BRIGHT SO YOU CAN'T SEE PEOPLE CROSSING THE STREET. ALSO IF YOU TURN OFF YOU HEADLIGHTS WHEN DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD THE DASHBOARD IS STILL VISIBLE SO YOU CAN'T TELL IF YOUR HEADLIGHTS ARE ON OR OFF.

NHTSA ODI 11281454

THE HEADLIGHTS ARE EXTREMELY DIM AND ARE NOT REPARABLE WITH BULB REPLACEMENT. WE WERE TOLD THE HOUSING IS FLAKING.

NHTSA ODI 11278904

I WAS DRIVING THE CAR AND THEN IT SLOWED DOWN TO 40 MPH AND CUT OFF ON THE HIGHWAY. I CRANKED IT BACK UP AND IT MADE A WEIRD NOISE. I CALLED A TOW TRUCK. TOOK IT TO THE SHOP AND THEY SAID THE ENGINE NEEDS TO BE REPAIRED. THERE IS NO WAY THAT IT SHOULD BE HAVING MOTOR ISSUES. THE OIL HAS ALWAYS BEEN CHANGED ON TIME. ALSO I HAVE TO CHANGE THE HEADLIGHT BULBS ON THE LEFT AND RIGHT

NHTSA ODI 11267003

THE LOW-BEAM HEADLIGHT HAS A LOOSE CONNECTION. THE BULB IS GOOD, BUT THE CONNECTION IS NOT. YOU CAN MOVE THE CONNECTION AND THE LIGHT COMES ON, BUT THE BULB/CONNECTION MOVES AGAIN AND THE LIGHT GOES OUT. THIS CAN CREATE A DANGEROUS SITUATION. I HAVE SEEN NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS.

NHTSA ODI 11241650

THE DIM HEADLIGHTS IN THE 2015 KIA SORENTO HAVE BURNT OUT MULTIPLE TIMES. I HAVE REPLACED THE HEADLAMPS 4 TIMES IN A 15 MONTH WINDOW. I AM UNCERTAIN WHEN THE ACTUAL LAMPS BURN OUT, BUT I DO NOTICE AS I AM DRIVING. I DO NOT HAVE AN AUTO FEATURE ON MY CAR FOR THE HEADLIGHTS SO I MANUALLY TURN THEM ON BEFORE I DRIVE. THE FIRST OCCURRENCE OF THIS HAPPENED IN MARCH OF 2018 AND HAS BURNT OUT MULTIPLE TIMES SINCE.

NHTSA ODI 11230890