What 1,236 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Kia Sorento

My car started jumping while driving we had put oil in my car 3 weeks prior. It also smelt like my car was burning while the heat was on I had 2 babies in the back seat and I was scared to death. I haven’t received anything in the mail about any recalls what so ever. I had to hear by a family friend the day of the incident that he thinks they’re recalls on my call so I looked it up. My car is currently not working now and I have work and doctors appointments for babies I got to Kia tomorrow they’re saying I don’t have any recalls on my car and I looked it up on here and I do. I’m pretty sure they’re just not wanting to pay for it. They said if I have a warranty they could do. I just don’t know what to do I have no car and I ave 2 children I can’t afford to not have a vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11556363

due to low oil pressure the timing chain failed causing immediate loss of power. The call was then rolled off the highway at idle speed creating a hazard while this was being done. There were no warning lamps prior to incident. This was inspected by the dealer "Team KIA El Cajon".

NHTSA ODI 11556022

Engine light come on and had someone to check it and they said recall on motor car has been using a lot of oil I put in one quart every two weeks the car is stalling and missing also

NHTSA ODI 11556085

A lot of oil in the floor. Oil Pressure Sensor Fail Lock of all doors are crazy (lock and unlock so many times)

NHTSA ODI 11556134

While driving car sputtered, was able to get to side of road. Turned car off, waited and then turned on again and was able to proceed, engine light on - got occasional performance issues. Kia dealer checked out and servicing, informed me of the oil was depleted issue and in need of substantial engine repair. (Provided written estimate, approx $4800). Able to continue driving but risk of stalling, told eventually timing belt will fail. Got estimates for repairing, and total engine replace to compare options. (Have not done either option as yet).

NHTSA ODI 11555799

Engine began regularly overheating. Problem began in May 2023. No warning lights, other than the temperature gauge going up. Thermostat was replaced, radiator was cleaned and checked, without defects found. No leaking hoses. Problem continued to get worse, requiring coolant be added every time the car was driven. Mechanic decided the head gasket was failing. Due to the nature of the head bolts, the recommendation was to replace the engine. This has not been done and the car is unusable and unsellable due to the failure.

NHTSA ODI 11555446

The engine has not worked properly in over a year and has problems accelerating and skipping. Engine light remains on at all times.

NHTSA ODI 11555546

2016 Sorento 3.3L with approximately 136,000 miles on it. Did not have heat. Diagnosed with low coolant and possible head gasket leak due to loose head bolts. No warning lights. Seems to be a common manufacturing issue with these engines.

NHTSA ODI 11555309

17-year-old daughter driving 65 mph down the highway when engine just gave out. Loss drive power but was able to make it to the side of highway, once stopped coolant find blowing out. There was no overheating warning or light luminated on dash. Once towed to shop and inspected told head gasket blown out dur to loose head bolts & possible head crack due to lost coolant.

NHTSA ODI 11555333

Engine stalled when merging in the freeway. Mechanic said that the engine stalled because there was not enough oil. I did an oil change a month prior, and no oil light indication came on until after the car broke down.

NHTSA ODI 11555039

2016 Kia Sorento SX 3.3l engine failure at 87k miles. Head bolts backed out. Kia dealership verified the issue. The engine could have seized why driving which is a safety risk. No warning lights at all.

NHTSA ODI 11554608

I was taking my mom to her knee appointment after her surgery, and my temperature gauge started to rise. No lights or warnings came on in the car what so ever. I pulled over before it reached the red, let it cool and checked fluids. From what I could see the oil, and coolant were fine. The heat in the car stopped working, and the car kept wanting to over heat in the lower gears. I got it to Lion Country Kia in St.College and diagnosed it as finding a cylinder head gasket. My car could no longer be driven, from St.College to my home in St.Mary’s. I had to have it towed, as well as checked here as well to find they were right with a cylinder head gasket issue. I was under the assumption I had the power train warranty as well because it’s under 10/100,000 but unknown to me I didn’t. I could’ve been in an awful accident if I wasn’t paying attention to my gauges and my car overheated and locked up while driving. If anything would’ve happened to my children and my mom in the car that day, all because of a fault in the car manufacturing, Id be knocking on doors! To see all the recalls on the years previous to this for the same issue, you would think it would’ve either been taken care of, or a recall put on this year as well. From what I’ve been reading it’s been happening all too often. Something needs done.

NHTSA ODI 11554119

I noticed one day when filling up my wiper fluid that the engine was just slightly below the coolant low level. I topped off the coolant and tried to see if there was any leaks under the car. I couldn't see any. I started the vehicle and noticed there was bubbling in the coolant reservoir.I called my local mechanic and scheduled an appointment to bring the car in. The car wasn't driven until the day it was going in to be looked at. When driving the car in it started rough and slugish but then went back to normal. I drove it to my mechanics and on the way the car started running very rough engine shaking and the check engine light started flashing. I was only a few blocks away from the shop so I coasted in. They took the car in said it had a code for a cylinder misfire and started the car saying it was blowing white smoke out of the exhaust. They ran a test on the car and said they didn't want to take anything apart and to tow it to Kia. The car was towed to Kia in Wheat Ridge, CO. Car was inspected and the diagnosis was that the engine had overheated. The block is made of aluminum and so is the head. The headbolts that hold the two pieces together are a different type of metal. This manufacturing defect caused the threads in the aluminum block to strip or pull and loose tension on the head gasket. This allowed coolant to enter into one of the cylinders. Kia is recommending the engine be replaced for $11,910 and change. Car was regularly serviced and drove perfectly fine up until the day it went into the shop. Dealer service dept says this is very common on Kia and Hyundai 3.3L engines. Multiple cases around the same mileage.

NHTSA ODI 11553130

The engine threw a rod while driving on a flat stretch of US HWY 285. The vehicle is available for further inspection if needed. The engine has 61,300 miles on it. We were forced to stop on a small 2-lane highway and wait for hours for a tow. This was inspected by the dealership and needs to be replaced for the vehicle to be safe to drive again. This is not covered under warranty as I am the second owner with a warranty up to 60,000 miles. No warning lights or messages occurred prior to the rod being thrown.

NHTSA ODI 11552514

Vehicle is burning excessive amounts of oil. The check engine light nor low oil light has came on and vehicle was (4) quarts low (according to independent mechanic). Was told by KIA dealership that they would not repair unless the engine was completely blown up. I was told to add oil, get more frequent oil changes, trade vehicle, or come up with $8,500. The engine only has 61,000 miles on it and is a 2016 model. This is a widely known issue and KIA needs to admit the failures and fix the problem.

NHTSA ODI 11552265

My car has been having high oil consumption. I have taken it to my Kia dealership. They informed me this is a problem with the make and model. They told me this is the beginning of an engine problem that will ultimately cause engine failure affecting connecting rods and bearings. My options are to drive the car until it fails then Kia will replace the engine. I a,so co tacted Kia corporate Customer service a d was told the same thing. I ask her to file a complaint and accelerate it. She said 5hat was. Ot he process. I am 77 year old widow. I'm active and drive my car day a night almost every day. I am usually alone. The solutions are not acceptable. There is a danger for me getting suddenly stranded alone at my age. I think the engine should be replaced now. Can you help me with this? Thank you

NHTSA ODI 11551321

In November last year, my car caught fire while I was driving on a highway at a rate of about 70 mph. Some good Samaritans flagged me down and I was able to pull off the road and escape injury. My car was a total loss as were the contents of it. The fire department tapped out the fire. Kia admitted responsibility saying it was a manufacturing defect (I have the email conversation saved) but only wanted to pay my insurance company back and refund me my deductible. Kia would not pay for my lost iPhone and belongings because they said they could only do so if I provided a receipts for those items. Who has a receipt for everything in their car? I didn't claim to loss a Rolex or anything crazy. I refused the offer and am out for the loss of my car, deductible and its contents (though insurance cut me a check for the blue book value of my car minus the deductible). Kia is the worst.

NHTSA ODI 11550764

Car started making a knocking noise and before I could pull over the car shut off. Told now engine needs to be replaced. Kia could not look at it until November 1st and will not give us a car to use. We only have this car as a mode of transportation.

NHTSA ODI 11550698

car has been burning oil, I'm filling it every other week and i barely drive it (less than 30 miles a week). Was driving to the dealer to have it looked at and it failed - I suddenly could not accelerate on a busy highway over 3mph! No warning lights came on at all and it is not throwing any codes. I was almost rear ended. One Kia dealership told me "just keep topping off the oil and drive it till it fails" That seems like an unsafe solution. Will Kia be responsible if I get into a collision if my car suddenly fails?

NHTSA ODI 11549395

Excessive oil consumption, concerned about engine seizing while driving due to this.

NHTSA ODI 11549072

Engine burned oil with no warning lights. Engine failed on highway with no warning lights. Regular maintenance and oil change done to vehicle, this was not negligible.

NHTSA ODI 11548860

premature engine failure due to excessive oil consumption, without indication from warning light of low oil. Checked my oil and registered 0 on the dip stick. the engine knock became present pulling into my driveway

NHTSA ODI 11548569

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The contact stated that the engine consumed 2 quarts of oil for every 1,000 miles driven. The dealer was made aware of the failure and performed an oil consumption test. The vehicle failed the oil consumption test twice. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 71,000.

NHTSA ODI 11548144

Car got caught on fire while driving with my 5kids

NHTSA ODI 11547542

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to CarMax, where the mechanic retrieved DTC code: P017 (Crank Shaft). The contact stated that unknown repairs were made to the vehicle; however, the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who replaced the battery; however, the failure recurred. The dealer informed the contact that the engine had misfired, and that the engine had a crack in the manifold that had been glued together. Additionally, the dealer informed the contact that the transmission had previously been replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the top of the engine needed to be taken apart. The warranty company requested the records of all the oil changes. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 32,000.

NHTSA ODI 11547085