What 1,237 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Kia Sorento Plug-in Hybrid

I was driving on the highway going 70 mph when my 2016 Kia Sorento 3.3L lost power and could not accelerate. I had to navigate to the side of the highway carefully and got my car towed to the closest Kia Dealership. Upon their investigation, it was a blown head gasket that required the whole engine to be replaced. I am the 2nd owner of the car and bought the car in late 2019 with 45, XXX miles on it and it currently only has 66, XXX miles. I was not covered under warranty as it expires once you pass 60,000k miles. Estimation from Kia would cost close to $10K with a new engine/labor. Contacted Kia Consumer to see if they can help and was denied. Now stuck with a dead car trying to figure out what I can do.

NHTSA ODI 11475221

-I was driving my vehicle in a parking lot, stopped at the stop sign to let a car pass and hit the gas pedal and the car did not move. - My concern is what could have happened if the transmission died while I was driving. -The problem has been confirmed by the dealer that the transmission needs to be replaced. The car has less than 31,000 miles on it. I am a 2nd owner, and I only put 7,000 miles on it in 3 years but it was out of warranty. KIA even denied a Good Will replacement. - There were not any warning signs, message or symptoms. Unfortunately I have to pay 3200.00 to have it replaced and I spoke to KIA and they said that there was nothing they could do. It seems strange that a vehicle with less than 31,000 miles would have a transmission just die without any warnings.

NHTSA ODI 11464818

The gear shift will not come out of park. I had to stick something in the manual brake release hole to shift out of park.

NHTSA ODI 11454256

Vehicle has always been serviced through KIA service center so upon taking the vehicle into service for a sudden severe oil leak repair and to service the water pump as fluid was not circulating through the radiator, and while all the services were done they found the vehicle still over heating so they did a compression/block test and found blown head gaskets. As stated on the invoice of the service done : Vehicle Needs Engine Replacement. I paid for Labor and Parts for Services done for a total of $1539.49 and had to tow the vehicle from the KIA service center back to my residence Inoperable. It should be noted after this event I have research that the KIA 3.3L v6 engine has had this same occurrence for many KIA owners with this engine. They also have filed complaints, with no recalls from KIA on this defective engine. In all this stated above, there were no indicator lights or engine light indicating any problems with any of these situations, only my own visual inspections that noticed the sudden severe oil leak and coolant/heating problem that I brought the vehicle in for service.

NHTSA ODI 11450043

Car uses oil frequently, even after I get an oil change. The oil light does not come on when oil is low. It is low before my oil changes. On 1/22/22 my check engine light is on and it says P303 with cylinder 3. Replaced the coil and the check engine light is still on. The engine is sputtering and it takes 2-3 times to start. This started all of a sudden. It is frustrating because I took it to a Kia dealership last year and told them the problem. They told me it was a recall but it was only for up to 100,000. So they only put oil in it and basically sent me my way. So there are two issues going on and It doesn't matter the mileage because several Kias are having identical issues.

NHTSA ODI 11448566

I was sold a 2016 Kia Sorento, VIN# [XXX], by salesman [XXX] and [XXX] from " Ride 4U Level up auto sales located at 5599 34th street north, Saint Petersburg FL 33714. Upon Purchase, I took the car to get an oil change and have been consistent with top offs every other week at the local Jiffy Lube. On December 15, 2021, I Was on the interstate with my kids in the vehicle. Out of nowhere, no ignition warnings or alerts, Stopped. I noticed I was pushing the gas but the car wasn't accelerating. Scared beyond measure with my kids in the car ranging from ages 16 to 11 months old, I panicked but got us over to the median lane. Once the car came to a complete stop, I called a tow company. Once they arrived, they checked the car for any codes, which showed nothing. I called [XXX], and he apologized and told me to have it towed back to them and it would be looked at the next day. Kia manufacturers have serviced and said the engine blew due to the dealership not getting a recall serviced before selling me the car. I only had this vehicle up and running for three months due to Ride 4u/ Level up failure to get Manufacturer recall did before putting me in my innocent kids in a faulty vehicle that could have been demolished by a semi truck on the interstate on December 15 when it gave out on a busy highway during high traffic hours. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ODI 11448717

Oil leak brakes out stopped running makes knocking noise when pushing gas pedal

NHTSA ODI 11446984

The car was well maintained and oil was full but the engine started knocking over a short period and then came to a stop when switched to reverse. It can be turned off and on but the sound would continue. The gear shift and the steering would lock.

NHTSA ODI 11446917

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that the gear shifter would not shift out of PARK. The contact had to use a screwdriver to override the gear shifter. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the diagnosis was unknown. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000. The VIN was unavailable.

NHTSA ODI 11446447

I was driving my vehicle up a hill. I accelerator a little. The car picked up speed then my oil light flickered and then stayed steady, along with the battery indicator. At this point my engine shut down and the car began to slow down. I came up on a side street that I turned into, because at this point the car was slowing down and loosing power and the breaks were not functioning, I would have either stalled and rolled backwards, or myself and my child would have been rear-ended. All the lights still work and everything come on, so I know its not the battery. My oil light flickered a little when I went around a turn a few times prior to this day, but never steady. No other indicator lights came on. The car is at my mechanics, who advises me the engine has seized and the vehicle has no oil. My last oil change was 3.5 months ago and according to the counter I'm only 99 miles over, which should not have caused this. Even though I was told I had up to 4,000 miles before I needed an oil change again. All of my fluids were checked at this appointment and this is the first major issue with my vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11444072

Shifter cannot be moved out of PARK without pushing down on the SHIFT LOCK RELEASE. I must do this every time I want to go forward or backward. A reliable service center informed me this is a frequent problem with the 2016 Kia Sorento and he suggested a recall may be forthcoming. Owners manual states that when using the RELEASE, depress the brake pedal so vehicles does not lurch forward or back. The additional step to move the car may be hazardous when attempting to get out of the way. Service center isolated the problem to Body Control Module which is expensive and OEM only. This happened without warning when I parked briefly in the road adjacent to a friend's driveway. I blocked the road until I discovered how to use the RELEASE button.

NHTSA ODI 11429415

We had issues with the TPMS in 2020. Took it to Tempe Kia on 7/30/2020. The following was done on vehicle. 1. Installed 37110 H7A00U 2. Complete Transmission service W/BG Cleaner installed Um013, KBG3020-Cooling system kit, UM040 antifreeze/coolant, 58101 C6A00 Pad kit- Front disc b, Replaced air filter 28113 A9100 Total amount paid $1,019.96. At that time oil was checked off as green. 11/25/2020 four new tires from Costco were put on. TPMS issue came back in May of 2021 when vehicle was parked outside. We live in AZ so the temperatures get hot but when the TPMS light come on it shuts the car down where it could not go into gear until it cooled down. Moving forward to July the TPMS light stayed on and the check engine light came on and vehicle began to sputter. We took it to our mechanic and he diagnosed that we needed a new engine. There was sludge build up, knock sensor codes came up, miss fires on bank 1, and internal engine noise. We had the vehicle towed to our dealer Tempe Kia. They concurred that a new engine would be necessary. Many codes were found P0300, P0306; P0304; P0302; P0018. Had a conversation with Debby 10:00 a.m. for 55 minutes 7/20/21from Kia and was told that due to lack of maintenance on the vehicle that Kia would not cover this engine under warranty. We were told that our oil changes were out of the time frame that Kia specifies in the owners manual that the 2016 Kia Sorento should have an oil change every 7,500 miles. We had oil changes every year from purchase to failure. Some at 8,000 miles to 15,000 miles. There are MANY complaints and cases open for the 2016 Kia Sorento engine failure. We have a 2012 Kia Sorento that the engine failed but a recall was issued for finding metal shavings in the engine. We purchased a 2021 Telluride in June but, moving forward we will not be purchasing anymore Kia vehicles. We are truly disappointed that Kia found a way out of our case and will not warranty our engine.

NHTSA ODI 11425691

leaks oil like crazy and constantly adding oil but no obvious leak engine shaking very bad, idling very hard and not shifting properly

NHTSA ODI 11419460

I'M HIGHLY DISAPPOINTED IN MY 2016 KIA SORENTO EX AWD. JUST YESTERDAY I BROUGHT THE VEHICLE IN FOR AN OIL CHANGE TIRE ROTATION AND COOLANT FLUSH. ONE OF THE SERVICE ADVISORS HAD LET ME KNOW THAT THE VEHICLE IS LEAKING OIL AND I'M GOING TO NEED A NEW OIL PRESSURE SWITCH AND A NEW DRAIN PAN SINCE THAT'S WHERE IT'S LEAKING FROM. FOR A PRICE OF $425. UPON LOOKING AND SCOURING THE INTERNET IT LOOKS LIKE THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH KIA AND JUST THE STEP BEFORE OF ENGINE FAILURE. I DON'T KNOW WHY NHTSA DOESN'T MAKE THIS A STANDARD RECALL CONSIDERING THE SPORTAGE HAS THE SAME RECALL AVAILABLE. I MEAN IT'S A KNOWN FACT KIA ENGINES ARE LACKING IN OIL ,CATCHING ON FIRE AND FAILING. I BOUGHT THIS CAR AS A CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED TO BE REST ASSURE WITH MY UNEASINESS ABOUT BUYING A USED CAR AND I'VE BEEN AT THE DEALERSHIP GETTING REPAIRS LEFT AND RIGHT. I'M NOT EVEN AT 60,000 MILES AND THAT'S HOW LUDICROUS THIS IS! GRANTED THE FIRST PERSON WHO OWNED THE VEHICLE OR AT LEAST IT RATHER PUT 19,000 MILES ON IT. IT'S ALREADY BEEN IN FOR SERVICE WITH THE TRANSMISSION I NEEDED A TORQUE CONVERTER AND THAT WAS COVERED UNDER THE WARRANTY THANK GOODNESS AND NOW THIS OIL LEAK FROM THE OIL PRESSURE SWITCH AND OIL PAN NEEDS TO ALSO BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY BUT I'M OUT OF LUCK. THERE'S THOUSANDS OF COMPLAINTS ONLINE ABOUT THE SAME DARN PROBLEM.

NHTSA ODI 11405196

STARTED GOING UP A MOUNTAIN HIGHWAY AND MY CAR STARTED JUMPING AND IMMEDIATELY DECREASED SPEED. IT WOULD NOT GO AND KEPT SKIPPING, LIKE A STOP AND GO TYPE OF DEAL. MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STARTING FLASHING AND I HAD TO PULL OVER. AFTER I GOT MY CAR TOWED IT WAS FOUND THAT THE CAR HAD ZERO OIL IN IT. LIKE BONE DRY BUT WITH ZERO LEAKS ANYWHERE. THE MECHANIC CHECKED EVERYTHING TWICE TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING ELSE WAS INTACT AND IT WAS. MY OIL LIGHT NEVER CAME ON AND IT NEVER SMOKED OR OVERHEATED. I HAD ZERO INDICATION THAT THE CAR DIDN'T HAVE OIL. I WAS 900+ MILES FROM MY NEXT OIL CHANGE. IT WAS LIKE THE OIL EVAPORATED INTO THIN AIR. WE ARE COMPLETELY BAFFLED AS TO WHAT HAPPENED AND WHY THE CAR DIDN'T HAVE ANY OIL IN IT. BECAUSE OF NO OIL, A PISTON BROKE AND THE ENGINE THREW A ROD AND IT IS RUINED. MY CAR NEEDS A WHOLE NEW ENGINE NOW. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE ONLY THING WRONG WITH THE CAR WAS NO OIL AND THAT IT WAS LIKE IT JUST DISAPPEARED BECAUSE THERE WAS NO OIL RESIDUE ANYWHERE.

NHTSA ODI 11399005

HELLO I AM GOING TO BE BLUNT AND STRAIGHT TO THE POINT. YOUR $30,000 VEHICLE, FINANCED, APPROVED AND PAID FOR BY ME NEARLY STOLE MY LIFE ON JAN 16, 2021 : ON MILE POST 46 ON I-40, EAST BOUND LANES IN KINGMAN, ARIZONA AT APPROXIMATELY 3:00 PM ON WHAT WAS A BEAUTIFUL TRIP THROUGH ROUTE 66, WHICH SOON BECAME A DEATH TRAP MY PARTNER: ANTHONY [XXX], CO-FINANCER AND SIGNER OF THIS DEATH-TRAP AS WELL AS OUR TWO INNOCENT PARSON RUSSELL TERRIERS WERE NEARLY BURNED TO DEATH IN WHAT COULD AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN AN EXPLOSION LIKE THAT OF THE PRESS KIA & THE LIKES ARE BEING SUED FOR. NUMEROUS INNOCENT LIVES HAVE BEEN EXCRUCIATINGLY ENDED DUE TO GREED, DECITE AND BLATANT DISREGARD FOR LIFE TO ADD TO AN ALREADY GLUTTONOUS BANK ACCOUNT, AS YOU SUCK AND DRAIN ME DRY ALL THE WHILE AWARE OF THE DANGER YOU KNOWINGLY MAKE US LEGALLY PAY FOR. I FILED AN EXTENSIVE REPORT AND COMPLAINT WITH KIA AND NOW YOU. MY CASE NUMBER IS AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS LETTER, I SUGGEST B YOU GET A HOLD OF KIA CUSTOMER CARE, JUST AS I HAD TO AFTER NEARLY LOSING MY SOULMATE, DOGS AND LIFE TO BE STRANDED IN THE MIDDLE OF A STATE WE HACE NEVER BEEN, NO MONEY, FOOD OR VEHICLE NYIU JUST CHARHED ME FOR. I HAVE PROVIDED MY CASE NUMBER AND I EXPECT ALL PAYMENT TO CEASE AND BE RETURNED IMMEDIATELY TO AVOID INVOLVEMENT IN THIS DISGUSTING ACT OF DISTASTE OF HONESTY. I AM NEVER PAYING A PENNY MORE FOR YOUR DIRECT, IGNORANT AND ABHORRENT YET BLATANT ACTIONS. WE WERE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT REGULAR HIGHWAY SPEEDS. REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *CC

NHTSA ODI 11390697

SHIFTS ARE GOING INTO 2ND. DOWN SHIFTS HARD WHEN STOPPING. WHEN I SAY IT SHIFTS ARE IT JERKS. TYPICALLY STOPPED AFTER SHUTTING CAR OFF AND RESTARTING. NOW WILL NOT STOP

NHTSA ODI 11378242

MY VEHICLE STARTED RUNNING HOT AFTER DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AND KEPT CUTTING OFF OUT OF THE BLUE. THEN I CHECKED ALL THE COOLANT AND RADIATOR TO SEE IF FLUID WAS LEAKING NO SIGN OF A CRACK. THEN TOOK IT TO O'REILLYS AUTO PARTS BECAUSE CHECK ENGINE LIGHR SHOWS CODES P0087, DEFECTED TRANSMISSION FLUID TEMPERATURE SENSOR, DEFECTED PCM/TCM. POOR CONNECTOR AND THE FUEL RAIL PRESSURE SENSOR. AFTER HAVING IT TOWED TO KIA THEY OPEN IT UP AND SAID I NEEDED A NEW ENGINE AND MY HEAD GASKET WAS CRACKED. AND

NHTSA ODI 11376778

THE ENTIRE VEHICLE SHAKES ON THE TRANSITION FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR. IT PREVIOUSLY WOULD ONLY DO THIS ONCE AT THE BEGINNING OF EVERY DRIVE, BUT NOW IT HAPPENS DURING EVERY ACCELERATION FROM A STOP. IN OTHER WORDS, AFTER EVERY STOP SIGN OR LIGHT, THE SUV WILL KICK WITH A SIGNIFICANT JOLT AS IT SHIFTS FROM 1ST UP TO 2ND GEAR.

NHTSA ODI 11372715

CAR KICKS WHEN DRIVING. OIL BURNS OUT AFTER OIL CHANGE. EVERY WEEK OR 2 I HAVE TO PUT OIL IN. PROBLEM STILL CONTINUES AFTER KICKING PROBLEM WAS SOMEWHAT FIXED. CAR STILL KICKS BUT NOT AS HARD TODAY. ENGINE OIL IS STILL BURNING UP QUICKLY

NHTSA ODI 11361338

MY KIA SORENTO DOES NOT SHIFT OUT OF P (PARK). THE LOCK RELEASE BUTTON DOES NOT ENGAGE UNLESS I ACTIVATE THE SHIFT-LOCK OVERRIDE. I AM EXTREMELY CONCERNED FOR THE SAFETY OF MY CHILDREN, TODDLER, AND ENTIRE FAMILY. PLEASE HELP US REPAIR THIS AND ENSURE THE MANUFACTURER IS HELD ACCOUNTABLE.

NHTSA ODI 11351686

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 KIA SORENTO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN A STAND STILL, AN ABNORMAL CLICKING NOISE WAS HEARD. THE VEHICLE ROLLED BACK ON IT'S OWN, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO HIT A TWO POST AND A STAIRCASE OF THE NEIGHBOR'S HOUSE. THE CONTACT STATED NO WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED AND NOTED THE VEHICLE WAS IN PARK AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE CONTACT DID SUSTAIN INJURIES TO THE LEFT LEG AND BACK INJURES THAT DID NOT REQUIRE MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DRIVABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT AUTO BODY FACILITY. THE CONTACT STATED SEVERAL LOCAL DEALERS WERE CONTACTED, HOWEVER NO ASSISTANCE WAS OFFERED AND REFERRED THE CONTACT TO THE MANUFACTURER. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED AS OF YET. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THEIR FAILURE WAS RELATED TO NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V626000 (POWER TRAIN). THE MANUFACTURER HAD BEEN INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 58,000.

NHTSA ODI 11349078

THE KIA WILL NOT SHIFT OUT OF PARK. TOOK IT TO A SHOP AND THEY SAID IT WAS A SOLENOID

NHTSA ODI 11343266

LOSE OF POWER. MECHANICAL PUT IN COMPUTER. TURBO DEFECTIVE. TOLD SHOULDN'T DRIVE, AS LOSE OF POWER WHILE DRIVING, SEVERE SAFETY ISSUE. THIS ISSUE IS APPLICABLE TOWARD DRIVER AND ORHER VEHICLES AND ITS DRIVER/PASSENGERS ON THE ROAD.

NHTSA ODI 11338644

I HAD POWER LOSE WHILE I AM DRIVING ON HIGH WAY OR ON STREET WHERE YOU GO A LITTLE UPHILL. EVEN AFTER THEY REPLACED ENGINE ON MY 2016 KIA SORENTO. IT DOES NOT HAPPENS ON THE STRAIGHT ROAD, ONLY IF THERE IS UPHILL. *TR

NHTSA ODI 11327573