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

The Engine failed at 79,000 miles due to the known defect with their 2016 Kia Sorento engines. Kia is unwilling to honor their recall due to not completing what they refer to as a Product Improvement prerequisite. Kia admitted these Product Improvements are only communicated to original owners and not published through any recall so a consumer that purchased a pre owned vehicle would have no way of knowing about this unless they ask for it specifically at a Kia dealership.

NHTSA ODI 11574167

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that the engine was empty of engine oil a week after an oil change. After oil was added, the contact's husband observed that a quart of oil had been consumed in a few days. The vehicle was initially taken to an independent mechanic, and it was discovered that excessive oil sludge and hard carbon build-up was in the valve and stems. The contact was also informed that the piston rings were worn and that there was scoring on the cylinder walls. The contact also stated that while driving at 55 MPH, the engine oil warning light flashed on the instrument panel and the vehicle stalled. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with piston failure and a misfire in cylinder #2. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 142,000.

NHTSA ODI 11574267

Engine failed Kia decided that part is Not covered under warranty and dealer expects us to pay $6500 This car is only 8 years old, 88,500 miles. How can Kia sell faulty engines and still expect someone to pay outrageous price to repair their junk cars?!

NHTSA ODI 11573972

turbo feed pipe, high pressure fuel line, oil feedline gaskets, oil return line gaskets, turbo oil feed line. problems started happening in 2016 with turbo. 2020-2024 seem to be having problems with turbo lines and oil lines and nothing seems to be connected. in 2020 something happened and lost oil but no lights came on. also, have had more recalls on this vehicle than any other one i have owned. if there is a problem with this engine or turbo, i just wanted to have my concerns recorded.

NHTSA ODI 11573648

Driving loud pop and crunch white smoke loss of power vehicle would not start after found prices of head underneath vehicle. Known issue with the 3.3 leaking coolant into engine and failing

NHTSA ODI 11573264

It was determined by a local mechanic that the engine was damaged due to a internal rod busting through the block of the engine. This caused an immediate shutdown of the vehicle in the middle of traffic on a cold night with my 7-month old daughter in the vehicle. I suppose it could have been worse if the engine had caught fire or if we were on the highway, thankfully we were barely accelerating from a stop light. The engine has not been inspected by Kia as they claimed it would cost over $300 to just look at it, and it is well known from the original mechanic what the issue was. We did contact Kia about it but they were unwilling to fix the issue. We were quoted over $10000 for a replacement engine but that was all the help we got. Prior to this sudden destruction of our engine all normal oil changes and maintenance had been done and there were no warning lights on the dash.

NHTSA ODI 11573491

The engine of the vehicle and other parts had a problem which had caused the vehicle to not accelerate fast enough. It also made the car shake when it was stopped. The component that is malfunctioning is available for inspection. If the car does not accelerate on the road, then it can cause a crash which can lead to injuries or even death. Especially if the car has to turn left and other cars are incoming, it can lead to serious issues if the car does not go fast enough. It can lead to injuries to the driver and the passengers. The vehicle was initially put for inspection to the manufacturer in Lou Sobh Kia, "fixed", and then was given back in a condition where the effects stated above continued to occur. We then took the vehicle back to the manufacturer where they further reviewed the car. They reviewed it again and did not tell us enough information about the issues going on with the car. Since we did not think they were reviewing the car properly, we took it Rick Case Kia where they were able to spot out the engine problem. It was also reviewed by a Korean service center and Good Year where they both told us that it was an engine and timing belt/chain problem, whereas Lou Sobh Kia weren't able to properly capture the issue. Both the engine light and oil light were on which is why we took it to Kia Lou Sobh, and they first appeared around October-November 2023.

NHTSA ODI 11573189

Son's vehicle began overheating, so he took to his mechanic. Determined that the thermostat in the cooling system was bad and replaced it. About a week later (2/2/24), sitting at a stoplight, car began to overheat again. Took back immediately to mechanic and determined that the head gasket needed to be replaced. Waited 17 days only to find out when mechanic went to replace head gasket, discovered the threads in the block were pulled out. Now looking at replacing engine block for a lot more time and money. Seems to be common issue with this model and should be a recall.

NHTSA ODI 11572838

I bought this vehicle 2/1/24. I have taken to Valvoline for the past 5 oil changes. On each receipt it showed an engine oil leak. on 2/16/24 I smelled something burning. So I checked the oil level and found that it was almost empty. There was Not an engine oil light warning that the oil is low. I took my vehicle back to Valvoline to have them check it. They told me that they noted on each of the invoices that there was an engine oil leak. I had only driven 2000 miles since my last oil change and the oil level should not be this low. This should not be happening.

NHTSA ODI 11572666

We were driving on the [XXX] on [XXX] with a speed of around 70 miles per hour. We started to see a small amount of white smoke coming from under the hood and at the same time the truck started to slow down by itself unexpectedly and then started to jerk back and forth. No indicators showed up on the dashboard. The speed reduced quickly and hitting the gas pedal did nothing to accelerate our speed. The white smoke started to increase and it became difficult to see. We then saw the temperature gauge go all the way up to hot out of nowhere. There were vehicles all around us and the passengers in the car started to yell to try to get to the shoulder. We had to maneuver very quickly through traffic with the car continuing to jerk at a very slow speed, which was very scary and dangerous. We were finally able to slowly get over to the shoulder. We turned off the truck. When we opened the hood, white smoke was everywhere coming from the engine and the coolant in the plastic receptacle was bubbling. The coolant looked like it was about to explode and the driver got burned trying to remove the cap. There was significant heat coming from the engine. The coolant then drained out of the receptacle. When we tried to start the truck again it would not start. We spend hours trying to get a tow to a shop in NJ miles from where we live in NY. Several days later, the mechanic in NJ took a look at the car and he reported this week that the head gasket is blown and that we need a new engine. We plan to tow the truck back to NY to KIA where we have the car serviced normally to have it looked at. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11572483

Car was stalling like it was going to shut off. Took to a licensed mechanic where I'm being told that I have a faulty engine. Was told to take my Kia back to the dealership that I brought it from and if they give me kick back call corporate. Now they saying they can't fix my car due to my warranty being out.

NHTSA ODI 11572273

The paint on my car start peeling out of nowhere… the hood of the car 12/26/2023 and the roof of the car 2/09/2024 peeled off in the rain I have pictures and videos… Kia said warranty only covers 36000 miles or 3 years on the car so they couldn’t help me …plus as the paint peels u can see the car was painted with no primer for the paint to stick …. I paid my car off to have it fall apart on me this is not acceptable..my car only has 63000 miles it shouldn’t be falling apart already … I’m having issues with the engine burning excessive oil .. Please help a very concerned client

NHTSA ODI 11572406

I was driving 78 mph on the interstate when my car did a hard snatch and I thought I hit something in the road I didn't see. I looked in rearview mirror and saw white/blue smoke and I looked down and all the dash lights started coming on. I slowed down and pulled off the side of the road and the engine turned off before I put it in park. Oil is pouring out of the bottom of the motor area. No warning lights, no limp mode or any warnings at all.

NHTSA ODI 11571987

While accelerating on the turnpike after going through the tollbooth the engine seized with no warning. We were stranded. My family including my two small children were in the vehicle at the time. It has been confirmed by the repair shop. No lights appeared on the dash in relation to the vehicle stalling.

NHTSA ODI 11571330

The coolant system depressurizes due to steel head bolts into the aluminum block. While driving, the coolant system released all pressurized coolant out of the coolant overflow tank. The engine began to overheat without warning in the middle of traffic while transporting children. Kia has sent out an Extended Warranty to all 2016-2017 Sorento owners to attempt to remedy the issue. Our dealership was able to reproduce the issue. We're being advised a 60-90-day wait on the engine/parts to resolve the claim. This should be filed as a recall and resolved promptly. 2-3 months for a nationwide extended recall is an absurd amount of time without a vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11570767

Blown head gasket.. needle went to H .. no warning lights came on dash.. white smoke from tail pipe.. coolant smell inside car.. about 8 months ago.. talked to Kia then.. 108000 miles.. warranty expired.. has been parked secondary Kia wanted a lot of money ..told to hang on to it cause lots of complaints about head gaskets..thank you..warranty extended.. at Kia dealership in ft smith ar.. probably be there a year cause they don’t seem to known much and have that reputation.

NHTSA ODI 11570117

Oil consumption with no low oil light.

NHTSA ODI 11569681

The engine died as I was driving on the freeway at 70 mph. My safety was at risk. I thank God the other drivers on the freeway were paying attention and as I slowly made it to the side of the freeway before it completely stopped rolling. The vehicle is still at the Kia dealership. The vehicle had been burning through oil very badly.

NHTSA ODI 11568566

WE WERE DRIVING ON US 40 WEST BOUND,ENGINE SLOWED,AND STOPPED,ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON,FULL OF OIL WAS JUST CHANGED, WAS NOT LOW,TEMP WAS NOT HOT, TOWED HOME AAA. WE WERE IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC,JUST LUCKEY WE WERE NOT KILLED IN THAT HEAVY TRAFFIC

NHTSA ODI 11567166

I am experiencing coolant leaks possibly due to head gasket or engine bolt malfunction. I have received and extended warranty letter from kia but the dealers are saying kia has not provided a solution. The extended warranty is for 15 year/180,000 miles. I am currently at 172,000 miles and am concerned by the time a solution is provided to the dealer i will be out of the warranty period.

NHTSA ODI 11567263

Complete engine failure. Palmen Kia of Kenosha mechanics say it is an ongoing issue with this type of engine that Kia is fully aware of and that it should be covered by the factory Powertrain warranty but the company refuses to fix it. I also own an additional extended warranty through Educator’s Credit Union which won’t fix it for me.

NHTSA ODI 11566882

There are many complaints about head gasket leaks. I have a head gasket leaks with 150,000 miles.

NHTSA ODI 11566981

Head bolts come lose causing head gaskets to leak. Vehicle is losing coolant internally. My safety is at risk for now I have no vehicle to drive to get me to and from work, in order to afford food and housing, causing me to have a poor mental state, of which may or may not have a negative effect on my well-being. Poor design and quality is to blame and a large corporation such as Kia needs to be held accountable. I have no idea what other domino effects this poor design may have on other engine parts/failures. The contact is respectfully asking for this complaint to be listed as part of the investigation PE23019.

NHTSA ODI 11567116

Cruise control was set on 60, went up a non steep incline I drive everyday and vehicle suddenly stopped functioning properly. Took off the cruise, step on the accelerator, no power and no response. Also no warning lights are on, no dash lights came on until I was able to stop the vehicle and shift to park. Turned off the engine and it never turned over again. My safety was put at risk and others on the road due to there being no warning to this happening and lack of control I had over the vehicle. I have had it inspected by my mechanic and he is telling me it was a catastrophic failure and the engine blew. Cost of repair isn't much less than a new vehicle. I have no trade in value on a car I purchased brand new 7 years ago. I have to scrap a vehicle I should be able to trade in for 5K at least. According to an article I found from Nov 2023 this has recently been found to be an issue with these models. I took really good care of this vehicle, it still blew up on me, and put me in danger.

NHTSA ODI 11566460

On January 17 2024 as I am making my usual drive to work on a very busy interstate highway my 2016 Kia SORENTO EX V6 FWD AUTO 3.3 liter engine completely seizes up and so begins my nightmare. The same nightmare I am seeing time and time and time again reported on this site, and every site you do a simple search on 2016 KIA Sorento's for. As a result of the catastrophic engine failure, I (a female, original owner of the KIA,) was left in a very dangerous position to try and maneuver through and not be killed by oncoming cars and further not get jumped in a very bad part of the metro. (this is not my personal assessment, this is the highest crime area in our city) Car was towed to dealership where I originally purchased it and today I received the diagnosis report indicating Alternator Replacement $1,283.94, Head Gasket $4,276.92, Body Control Module/ ECU $1,030.35 (an issue that I raised when the car was under the manufacturer warranty, and was ignored by the service team and results in me using a screw driver to even get the car out of park) I want answers as do all of the other impacted customers as to WHAT MORE IS NEEDED TO PROVE THAT KIA ENGINES ARE DANGEROUS AND NEED TO BE TAKEN OFF THE STREET!

NHTSA ODI 11566569