What 788 owners told NHTSA about the 2017 Kia Sorento Plug-in Hybrid

continuous issues with "sticky" or "notchy" steering. Steering is not smooth and almost caused several accidents.

NHTSA ODI 11562582

Steering wheel sticking when driving. Kia replaced the steering column assy-steering and the gear and linkage assy. Steering is some better but still the sticking

NHTSA ODI 11555622

I have a 2017 Kia Sorento in which the steering has been feeling sticky. It feels like the steering has been getting stuck and hard to turn at times. I’m scared that one day it will get stuck and I can’t undue the stickiness at all. It’s very scary and unsafe to drive. I had contacted a Kia dealership to get this problem looked at because I feel this vehicle is dangerous and I have a young child that I drive back and forth in this vehicle. I even contacted Kia consumer services on plenty of occasions and they were no help.

NHTSA ODI 11527607

I was driving on a highway where maximum speed limit was 65miles. Suddenly my car stalled and restarted again and post that i had a warning for Check AEB, auto hold was disabled and Traction control was enabled. For a brief moment, i lost steering which may be a result of the stall but then i regained steering. This has happened 4 times in the last 6 months. I stopped the car by the road, turned off the engine and restarted the car. The dashboard still showed the same warnings. I again turned off the car, opened my drivers side door and closed it and then restarted the car. The warning signs went off and then there were no issues post that.

NHTSA ODI 11527264

My Kia I purchased had 39,000 miles and it has a steering problem which I wasn’t 100% aware of. Today it is at Kia where they stated they’re gonna have to replace the steering column did not give me a price but this is a safety issue, and I want to recall done on this issue For the steering column. How can you help me?

NHTSA ODI 11522615

Kia Sorento are being stolen like crazy. I took my Sorento to Russ Darrow Wauwatosa to get the anti-theft software updated. When I got there, the supervisor told me that 80% of cars on which the update was applied ended up having the steering wheel have all buttons on it not working. This scared me and I ended up not getting the software for my Sorento. Why would Kia fix one problem and create 10 other ones? Or did the car dealer's supervisor lie to me? Thanks, Ahmed.

NHTSA ODI 11519570

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that an unknown steering part needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 44,000.

NHTSA ODI 11510587

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became firm. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

NHTSA ODI 11508534

I was driving at approximately 35mph when my vehicle loss power and the steering wheel locked and gas pedal did not work almost causing me to be rear ended. I put my hazard lights on and started my vehicle back up and tried to continue driving but my vehicle delayed in acceleration and has now continued to delay ever since that incident. I have parked my vehicle and have not moved it due to the danger.

NHTSA ODI 11504224

While driving at highway speeds, steering is notchy and sticky. Steering is hard to control and it is difficult to drive straight. Overcorrection is a result and the car is unsafe to drive. The dealership drove the car and felt the same steering issue. They updated the software, but that didn't help. In fact, the sticky, notchy steering seems worse. The steering problem has been ongoing for about 5 years, and there has never been any warnings or messages from the car's electronics.

NHTSA ODI 11503780

This is a continuing problem. The steering “Notches” when driving down straight and curves as well. I’ve had the vehicle into dealerships 4 times since 2019. The vehicles warning never came on. ECU’s been updated with the revisions of group CHA, Number 084., and the problem goes away for awhile, however, it’s back again in January 2023. There was extension for the MDPS issued on January 7, 2022 to 15yrs/150,000 miles, but it says the the warning has to come on. This is not right, I believe now something needs to be replaced. My Sorento now has over 70,000 miles. Do we with same problem have to hit something and possibly kill an innocent person or ourselves.

NHTSA ODI 11503471

The steering wheel seems to get stuck with prolonged straightforward driving such as highway trips. When attempting to make slight correction in steering the steering wheel seems to stick requiring increased force to move the steering wheel which results in over correction. Power steering malfunction, it is available for inspection upon request. Potential steering problem resulting in crash. No. Problem described to dealer service center, no problems found upon routine service screening. No.

NHTSA ODI 11501892

The steering is "Sticky" or feels like it gets stuck in a "Notch" while driving down the road. It is most noticeable at highway speeds and happens every trip to town. When the steering sticks is causes an overcorrection. This overcorrection is getting worse with time. I have yet to take it to the shop for inspection. No warning lamps or codes are currently present.

NHTSA ODI 11500839

Steering has a sticky or notchy feel. When going around bends/curves the vehicle proceeds to turn without the need of hands on the wheel. Steering feels like you have to break it out of place, which leads to oversteering out of lane. The issue is constant . Vehicle is not only putting myself at risk, but other drivers if not able to turn or avoid traffic. Problem has been reproduced and confirmed by dealer. Dealer advised to replace entire steering column which is about $2,600. There are no warning lights but issue was noticed after first buying the vehicle. Vehicle has no history of accidents nor indications of damage.

NHTSA ODI 11498009

Steering is sticky, it holds then releases.

NHTSA ODI 11496175

I was picking up my daughter from school. I drove there a considerable distance. I parked because I got there early. Once it was time to get my daughter I put my car in reverse and it made a loud clanking sound and the wheel became hard to maneuver. As soon as it made the sound a steering wheel with an exclamation point red light came on. I looked it up on Google and found that there was a technical bulletin issued for my year car regarding the MDPS/EPS system extending the warranty to 15 years on 01/05/2022-01/07/2022. When I took my vehicle to Kia of Hollywood service center in Hollywood FL, they were able to reproduce the problem. However after looking at the bulletin and parts covered under that particular bulletin, they told me that the issue that is causing the noise was not covered by that technical bulletin for the MDPS warning light and the actual cause of the noise in my vehicle was my car needed a new rack and pinion. Once they told me the repair would not be covered by the extended warranty I asked for the price. Kia is selling the rack and pinion for $3280. The same part after market is $339. I of course took my vehicle to a different mechanic and did not pay the total cost of parts and labor that they quoted me which was $4460. I believe Kia is aware that this particular part is defective and are taking advantage of some sort of loop hole. Maybe not enough consumers knowing they can file complaints. There's a reason why they are selling this particular part 10 times its after market value. The part was also readily available and wasn't back ordered which means they have plenty in stock probably due to demand. I was not able to control my steering wheel which is a danger while driving. My car has had previous structural damage but nothing that affected the power steering in my vehicle at any time. This problem just came out of nowhere.

NHTSA ODI 11481686

When steering the vehicle at speeds between 40 and 70 mph the steering will feel sticky or get a notch feel to it. When making minor adjustments to the wheel to keep the vehicle going straight there will be resistance, then when enough force has been applied it will move. This sudden movement of the wheel causes the vehicle to over steer on the direction the steering wheel was being moved. This can result in an overcompensation the other direction. Although these are small movements the driving experience is unsettling for the driver, and for others around. The dealership is aware of the issue, confirmed it, and applied a software fix to the vehicle per KIA TSB 060 Rev 5. This has made the issue intermittent at best, instead of correcting it. Upon my second visit the dealership they reset the vehicle computer and I believe applied the software again. Upon testing they could not recreate the issue. On the third visit they were not able to recreate the issue yet again. After every visit I could feel the vehicle exhibiting the problem on the drive home - it's is a 2.5 hour drive to the dealership. The vehicle currently has less than 20K and this issue has been occurring since about 8K miles on the odometer. There has been no indicators or trouble codes, only the driving experience. The first occurrence was during the winter and more pronounced. The sticky feeling and the way that affected my steering on icy roads was somewhat scary. KIA's TSB states if the vehicle fails the recommended course is replacement of steering components. After multiple visits I have found a serious reluctance for them to do anything more than software fixes. I simply want a safe vehicle to transport my loved ones in.

NHTSA ODI 11468561

I reported earlier that my steering became "sticky" at highway speeds. Now, the problem is occurring at lower speeds. Today it began at 35 mph. Was just driving down the country road from my house and the steering started to stick.

NHTSA ODI 11462617

At highway speeds, the steering appears to "stick." Think of it as as a flat spot on a wheel. That's what it feels like. The higher the speed, the more it sticks. Using cruise control makes it worse. This sticking causes overcorrection. Had a bit of an issue going through a construction zone over the Nueces River in Corpus Christi, TX. I have researched this issue, and you do have complaints. I am scheduling service for the car next week. I do have a notice from Kia on steering issues. A type of extended warranty for steering. The "sticky steering" issue has no warning lights/lamps.

NHTSA ODI 11461931

The steering wheel sticks, which causes over correction.

NHTSA ODI 11461867

While driving the steering wheel gets stuck in the direction you turned it. This is especially true when steering in a curve. I have to constantly make minor adjustments while negotiating a curve. I have to constantly pull cw and ccw because it sticks after each adjustment. I ask the dealer to look at it during an oil change and the attendant told me they didn't have enough service people because of COVID. I called several months later and the service person said it has motorized steering assist and that is the way it is. If you are going around a curve close to the center line it would be very easy for the power assist steering to make you cross into oncoming traffic I noticed it after buying the car and kept putting off having it looked at. I've had heart surgery and covid came along with lock-downs and I've just neglected to have the problem resolved. I've searched for similar reports and problems and there are many more owners with the exact same problem. KIA should have a recall to remedy the situation before someone is killed.

NHTSA ODI 11460243

I purchased a new 2017 Kia Sorento LX AWD and have been having an issue with the steering for a few years. When attempting to keep the car traveling straight at highway speeds, there is a need to force the wheel. This results in overcompensation in steering and can be dangerous. I have seen this issue described as Notchy and Sticky steering. Initially in an effort to correct the problem I had the tires rotated and an alignment done however this did not make a difference. The issue seems to only occur if driving 50 MPH or higher and traveling in a straight direction.

NHTSA ODI 11459410

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel seized upon depression of the accelerator pedal without warning. The contact stated that the failure did not occur while turning the steering wheel but rather while driving straight. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer on three separate occasions and was recently informed that the failure was normal vehicle operation. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was 59,000. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ODI 11457870

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost power steering assist intermittently. The vehicle was still drivable during the failure. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer however, the mechanic was unable to retrieve a fault code. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but offered no assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000.

NHTSA ODI 11455558

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering assist and seized without warning. The contact was able to safely guide the vehicle off the roadway. The contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that there was a mechanical defect in the steering assembly and had to be addressed by a dealer. The contact drove the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the battery and a faulty ball joint replaced. The dealer stated that the failure was not due to the steering. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

NHTSA ODI 11454563