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

I parked my car and it was sitting for about an hour I came back to the car and heard a humming noise found that weird but I had to drive home about 10 mins later I parked car, sound was still going even while car was off. So I thought to let it sit for another while. Came back to car sound was still on I started car and the abs, traction, & brake light came on and not even 2 mins later my car starts smoking. So immediately I shut it off and have to leave my car parked in another city because I didn’t want to risk driving it home. Fast forward to next day. I got to my car and notice the speedometer had went out. i called Kia because I read about the HECU ABS recall. the service rep assured me my car would be covered so I pay a tow to get it towed to Kia dealer where they then tell me the recall had been repaired in a year that I didn’t even own the car and they refuse to look at it or fix without a fee. With this problem being a fire hazard and a manufacturing problem I should not have to come out of pocket for Kia mistake. I will be escalating this to corporate level.

NHTSA ODI 11749754

2015 Kia Sorento fire on the 7th I was drive lost brakes and steering and as soon as I stop to get out to check the whole truck went up in flames

NHTSA ODI 11744083

The entire car failed as it caught fire. I wasn't able to break or put the car into park and it rolled to a stop while smoke was coming through the vents. Because of this, my passenger and I exited the vehicle and crossed the expressway while a highway patroller was directing traffic away from the car. Within 2 minutes the car was engulfed in flames. The car is not available for inspection as it was towed away and disposed of. The safety of myself and the passenger were at risk because the entire car broke out in flames and soon exploded. If we stayed in the car for any longer than we did, we would have died. UNKOWN. I do not believe that the vehicle has been inspected. The warning lights all turned on at exactly the same time, about 3-5 seconds before the car completely stopped.

NHTSA ODI 11655958

The contact owns a 2015 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that his vehicle had burst in flames while parked in his drive way. The contact called the fire department, however he was able to extinguish the flames using hand held extinguishers. The contact stated that the damage was contained to the front end of the vehicle, the engine compartment, the fire wall and the passenger front side. The fire department issued a report. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed and was not repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle was towed to an impound lot. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The contact had searched online and related the fire to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V331000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) which was associated to his VIN. The failure mileage was approximately 155,000.

NHTSA ODI 11595002

The contact owned a 2015 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that the vehicle was driven to a store, and when the vehicle was turned off, the contact saw smoke and fire coming from the hood. The contact went into the store to get a fire extinguisher and bystanders used their fire extinguishers and attempted to extinguish the fire. The Fire department extinguished the fire. There were no occupants in the vehicle. No injuries were sustained. The contact stated that all vehicles were moved away from the fire, however, one vehicle was not moved. The contact stated that the vehicle was not on fire and it was unknown if there was damage to the vehicle. There were no occupants in that vehicle. There was a fire department report filed. There was a police report filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The contact discovered the NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V331000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic), however, the contact was not notified that their VIN was included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 147,000.

NHTSA ODI 11587406

The contact owns a 2015 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal knocking sound emanating from the engine compartment. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to the remedy for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V331000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); the VIN was included, and the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 68,000.

NHTSA ODI 11579810

rear brake lights stay on while car is running. Go off when car shut off

NHTSA ODI 11567563

Check engine light started coming on at about 39,000. miles took to local mechanic who preformed lots of repairs and called Kia for information concerning engine issue. Received notice of recall from Kia on the HECU -instructing me to park truck away from home due to fire. Check engine light back on again at 41,000 miles, took to dealership where they replaced the HECU and fuel pump and fuel lines. Picked up truck and noticed when braking the truck shook all over and seem to almost stall when taking off. Check engine was back on and the alert of the system telling me I had an engine failure. Took truck back next day, again repairs of the PVB valve was done. Someone drove the truck of 180 miles on a check engine light and unplugged the battery. Got truck back and within 10 minutes the check engine light was back on and the system telling me engine failure and truck was unsafe to drive. Truck now at another Kia dealership, after many conversation with Kia the representative instructed me to tell the dealership where the truck was that the truck had a recall (supposedly) fixed. Called the dealership now tells me there is no fix for the HECU issue and they can not tell me the truck is safe to drive. I have not had the truck for now 4 months and Kia doesn't know how to fix it. I have filed 4 cases against Kia, they have not offered me a rental car or loaner and they do not have any expected date for me to get the truck back. I have files but it won't let me upload them for the receipts/ information from Kia

NHTSA ODI 11565432

The contact owns a 2015 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the brakes and the steering wheel seized inadvertently, and the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The contact stated that she attempted to roll up the windows, but the vehicle failed to respond. The vehicle failed to restart after several attempts. The check engine warning light, ABS warning light, and other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence, and then to a Triple A certified mechanic, where the battery and the alternator were replaced; however, the failure recurred. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the failure was related to the electrical system; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. Additionally, the contact stated that the sunroof failed to open or close unless the sunroof switch was depressed several times. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V331000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 127,000.

NHTSA ODI 11530648

The contact owns a 2015 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle failed to restart after several attempts. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V331000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The vehicle was towed to a local dealer, where it remained awaiting diagnostic test and repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 93,000.

NHTSA ODI 11522284

brake caliper failed and destroyed brakes, rotors and caused vehicle to shake when brakes applied

NHTSA ODI 11511910

The contact owns a 2015 Kia Sorento. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V331000 (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 dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ODI 11504065

The contact owns a 2015 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle overheated with the temperature gauge indicating that the engine was hot. The contact also stated that smoke was coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and was diagnosed with engine failure; the vehicle was no longer operable. The contact then received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V331000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) which she linked to the failure. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the issue and the contact was informed that the recall was not related to the engine failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was towed back to the residence. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.

NHTSA ODI 11485398

The abs brake system malfunctioning. The vehicle component was inspected by the manufacture. Because light came on. They first said it was the brakes; so, we had the brakes repaired in February. In April the ABS light came back on again. This time the emergency brake light came on too. The KIA manufacturer said since our car was not listed with the other ABS recall, repairs of the system is on us. The cost for repair is $1,000 plus to fix the ABS system and EBS light issue. Although we explained about this being a known safety issue, the manufacturer refused to address and stated repair cost was on us.

NHTSA ODI 11466333

The contact owns a 2015 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle overheated and the wheels were shaking. The vehicle also experienced brake failure. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and diagnosed with engine failure. The engine was replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V331000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulics). The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.

NHTSA ODI 11466442

The contact owns a 2015 Kia Sorento. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V331000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the ABS and oil warning lights illuminated. The vehicle then lost motive power. Upon inspection, the contact noticed there was no oil in the oil reservoir. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and diagnosed with camshaft position sensor failure. The mechanic replaced camshaft position sensor; however, the failure recurred with a rattling sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer and diagnosed with engine damage and connecting rod failure. The dealer performed a Product Improvement Campaign: PI1802 (Knock Sensor Detection System - ECU Logic Improvement) software update. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and directed the contact to take the vehicle to a dealer. The manufacturer declined the engine replacement since the contact did not have the product improvement campaign software update prior to the failure. The failure mileage was 99,702.

NHTSA ODI 11455933

There is a recall for part of my vehicle that says a fire could start. Need it fixed

NHTSA ODI 11451102

vehicles lost due to certain engine fires. In some instances, the Settlement also provides a cash rebate if you lost faith in the vehicle after experiencing engine troubles related to the defect and you purchased another Kia vehicle within a specified timeframe. To qualify you must have bought or leased a “Class Vehicle,” which are 2011–2018 and certain 2019 Kia Optima, 2012–2018 and certain 2019 Kia Sorento, and 2011–2018 and certain 2019 Kia Sportage vehicles equipped with or replaced with a genuine Theta II 2.0 liter or 2.4 liter gasoline direct injection engine within OEM specifications. For 2019 model year vehicles, the Class shall include those vehicles that were manufactured before the Knock Sensor Detection System technology was incorporated into their production.

NHTSA ODI 11434756

The contact owns a 2015 Kia Sorento. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number 21V331000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not 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 had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ODI 11431100

The contact owns a 2015 Kia Sorento. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 21V331000 (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 dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ODI 11428044

The contact owns a 2015 Kia Sorento. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 21V331000 (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 contact attempted to schedule a recall repair appointment with the local dealer however, the dealer had to reschedule each time because the part was not available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ODI 11428063

The contact owns a 2015 Kia Sorento. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V331000 (Service brakes, Hydraulic). The contact stated that while attempting to turn on the vehicle, the vehicle would not start. The dealer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the next available appointment was in September. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact to not drive the vehicle as it could catch on fire. The failure mileage was unavailable.

NHTSA ODI 11426825

Motor shuts down completely disabling the car electronically. I lose my brakes and my steering. In February 2020, I almost died driving the vehicle the car engine seized while driving and was replaced by KIA. I never received an itemized bill from Dealership they stole the rental from my private driveway to and stole $5,000 and my belongings from the vehicle. One June 29.2021 I almost died again driving the car. The New Engine shuts down and I lose breaks and steering and hit an animal trying to get off the road for safety since I no longer have breaks to my vehicle. The animal ripped off my undercarriage and dented my radiator. The car was smoking and the engine would start and when driven 50 feet keep shutting down and locking no breaks no power no steering becoming a hazard to myself and others. I have had no resolve with any dealership I have been to 4 different Kia dealerships and The Hyundai Certified Pre Owned Used Car Sales Dealer I purchased the car from. Instead of helping me and not placing my life and other lives in danger. I was threatened, antagonized, slandered, Defamed, and Had the police called to remove me because I refused to commit a crime and set my car on fire like the Dealership told me to do. I need help.

NHTSA ODI 11426547

The contact owns a 2015 Kia Sorento. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 21V331000 (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 local dealer and the manufacturer were made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ODI 11426037

THE BRAKING SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED. I HAD TO PRESS DOWN EXTREMELY HARD TO GET THE VEHICLE TO STOP.0507

NHTSA ODI 11416565