Home · 2016 Kia Sorento · Complaints

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

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (1,236)Crash / fire / injury (78)Engine (686)Transmission & drivetrain (119)Body & structure (107)Electrical system (106)Steering (80)Lights (66)Speed control (62)Fuel system (55)Engine & cooling (30)Brakes (23)

55 of 1,236 complaints match · Fuel system · clear filters · page 3 of 3

Sep 11, 2018Fuel systemFire

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2016 KIA SORENTO. WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED BY AN ONCOMING MOTORIST THAT THE VEHICLE WAS ON FIRE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED BY ONE OF THE FIREFIGHTERS THAT THE FIRE ORIGINATED AT THE FUEL LINE BY THE FIREWALL. A FIRE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A TOWING FACILITY. KENDALL KIA OF NAMPA (LOCATED AT 15700 N IDAHO CENTER BLVD, NAMPA, ID 83687, (208) 467-7000) AND THE MANUFACTURER WERE MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 67,000. *JS

NHTSA ODI 11128731

Aug 28, 2018Fuel system

WHILE ENTERING HIGHWAY VEHICLE WOULD NOT PICK UP SPEED. ENGINE WOULD REV SLOWLY. PULLED OVER SHUT VEHICLE DOWN AND RESTARTED IT AND THE PROBLEM RESOLVED. CONTACTED DEALER AND WAS TOLD TO BRING IT IN. TOOK TO DEALER AND IT HAD A HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP HISTORY CODE. WAS TOLD THAT IF THAT PUMP FAILS IT WOULD CAUSE WHAT I EXPERIENCED. SINCE PUMP WAS NOW WORKING THEY COULDN'T REPLACE IT PER KIA POLICY. I ASKED AGAIN WHY THEY WOULDN'T JUST REPLACE IT IF WAS SUCH A SAFETY PROBLEM AND THEY STATED THEY COULDN'T UNDER WARRANTY UNLESS IT FAILED, WHICH WOULD MEAN BEING STRANDED ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD OR CRASHED INTO.

NHTSA ODI 11123090

Jul 13, 2018Fuel systemFire

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2016 KIA SORENTO. THE CONTACT HEARD AN ABNORMAL NOISE WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY. AFTERWARDS, FLAMES EMERGED FROM THE FUEL TANK AND THE VEHICLE BLEW UP. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED AND EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 10,555. *TT

NHTSA ODI 11111110

Jul 10, 2018Transmission & drivetrainSpeed controlFuel system

I WAS DRIVING AROUND 30 MPH ON A LOCAL SIDE STREET AND THE CAR SHUT OFF WITH NO WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED ON THE DASHBOARD. THE DASHBOARD WENT BLACK AND THE CAR STOPPED RUNNING. I HAD TO PULL THE CAR OVER, PUT IT IN PARK, TURN THE KEY TO THE OFF POSITION. I WAITED A FEW SECONDS AND STARTED THE CAR AGAIN AND DROVE IT HOME (~1 MILE FROM HOME). I HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP AS I DID NOT FEEL IT WAS SAFE TO DRIVE IT THERE.

NHTSA ODI 11110474

May 14, 2018EngineFuel system

WHILE MERGING ON TO A HIGHWAY, THE VEHICLE LOST PROPULSION, WHEN GAS PEDAL WAS PRESSED VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESPOND AND ACCELERATE. THIS HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING ON A BUSY HIGHWAY OUTSIDE OF BOSTON AND MY WIFE NARROWLY AVOIDED A SIGNIFICANT CRASH WITH MULTIPLE VEHICLES DUE TO THE QUICK ACTIONS OF OTHER DRIVERS. WHEN VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT TO DEALERSHIP THE ISSUE IS NOT ON A PUBLIC LIST OF RECALLS BUT RATHER A KNOWN SAFETY ISSUE THAT DOES NOT SHOW ON AN ACTIVE RECALL LIST. WE ARE NEW OWNERS TO THE CAR AND THE DEALERSHIP WE PURCHASED FROM WAS NOT A KIA DEALERSHIP SO ALERTS DID SHOW ON VEHICLE REPORT. I FEEL A KNOWN ISSUE WITH A SAFETY CONCERN THIS SIGNIFICANT SHOULD BE SHOWN ON A RECALL LIST, WE WERE VERY LUCKY MANY PEOPLE WERE NOT INJURED OR WORSE.

NHTSA ODI 11093688

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Working with the data? Download all 1,236 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 10, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2016 Kia Sorento verdict →