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

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 KIA SORENTO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING WITH THE AUTO HEADLIGHT FUNCTION ACTIVATED, THE HEADLIGHTS BECAME INOPERABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HEADLIGHTS INDEPENDENTLY ACTIVATED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS WHICH CAUSED THE BATTERY TO DRAIN WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF. AIR PORT KIA (3325 WESTVIEW DR, NAPLES, FL 34104, (239)732-8910) WAS CONTACTED HOWEVER, THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 34,000.

NHTSA ODI 11329595

2 PROBLEMS: 1. OVER THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS THE LIGHTS WILL TURN OFF WHEN DRIVING AT NIGHT IN THE AUTO POSITION. IT DOESN'T MATTER IF IT'S A LIGHTED STREET OR DARK ROAD. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS. IT HAS HAPPENED AT LEAST 7 TIMES. 2. NOW THE THE EXTERIOR LIGHTS RANDOMLY TURN ON MINUTES TO HOURS AFTER THE CAR IS OFF WHEN LIGHTS ARE IN THE AUTO POSITION. THIS HAPPENED THREE TIMES IN THE LAST 4 DAYS. THE VEHICLE IS NOW AT THE DEALER BUT SO FAR THEY HAVE NOT FOUND ANYTHING. THE DATE IS THE MOST RECENT THAT THE LIGHTS TURNED ON.

NHTSA ODI 11309090

HEADLIGHTS ARE IN AUTOMATIC AND WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT/EVENING THEY WILL RANDOMLY CUT OUT. 5-10 SECONDS AT A TIME. ALWAYS WHILE MOVING. THIS HAS GOTTEN WORSE OVER TIME. AFTER SOME RESEARCH THIS APPEARS TO BE THE SAME PROBLEM KIA ISSUED A RECALL FOR ON OTHER VEHICLES 2015-2016 K900 VEHICLES. THERE ARE PLENTY OF ONLINE FORUMS STATING THIS ISSUE WITH OTHER SORENTOS IN VARIOUS YEARS.

NHTSA ODI 11300029

WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT THE HEADLIGHTS WILL TURN OFF AND ON USUALLY LAST 10 TO 15 SECONDS, DOES THIS AT ALL SPEEDS AND AND ALL ROADS. WILL CAUSE YOU TO LOOSE SIGHT OF ROAD ON NON LIT ROADS. THIS HAS HAPPENED ABOUT 10 TIMES IN THE LAST FEW MONTHS

NHTSA ODI 11297150

HEADLIGHTS TURNED OFF WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY TWICE THIS WEEK. THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED I GOT THEM BACK ON BY SWITCHING THEM OFF THEN BACK ON. THE SECOND TIME THEY WENT OFF FOR A FEW SECONDS AND CAME BACK ON WITHOUT ME DOING ANYTHING.

NHTSA ODI 11288102

HEADLIGHTS TURN OFF AND ON INTERMITTENTLY AT NIGHT. THIS OCCURS IN THE AUTO HEADLIGHT MODE. THIS WHILE TRAVELING. NO EXTERNAL LIGHT SOURCES OF CONSEQUENCE TO TRIGGER SHUT OFF. SOMETIMES 30 SEC OTHERS A MINUTE OR MORE. SCARY ON WINDING COUNTRY ROADS.

NHTSA ODI 11270972

WHEN THE HEADLIGHTS ARE IN THE AUTO SETTING, THEY WILL RANDOMLY TURN OFF WHILE DRIVING. I MOST OFTEN NOTICE THIS AT NIGHT, BUT I CAN SEE IT HAPPENS AT TIMES DURING THE DAY IF THE LIGHTS ARE ON BECAUSE I NOTICE THE DASHBOARD INDICATORS CHANGE. THIS SOMETIMES OCCURS AFTER USING THE TURN SIGNAL, BUT THAT'S NOT ALWAYS THE PRECURSOR. IT HAPPENS WHEN GOING 65 MPH ON A HIGHWAY, GOING 45 MPH ON EXIT RAMPS, ON 25 MPH ON LOCAL STREETS. I REPORTED THE ISSUE TO KIA CUSTOMER SERVICE, AND THEY SAID I HAD TO TAKE TO A DEALER. I TOOK IT TO A DEALER IN OCTOBER 2018. THE TECHNICIAN DROVE IT 50 MILES ROUND TRIP TO AND FROM HIS HOME, BUT COULD NOT REPRODUCE THE ISSUE. THE ISSUE CONTINUED INTERMITTENTLY AND I TOOK IT TO A DIFFERENT DEALER IN SEPTEMBER 2019. THEY DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS A BAD ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT AND ORDERED THE PART. I RETURNED TO THE DEALER ON OCTOBER 12, 2019, TO HAVE THE PART INSTALLED. WHILE DRIVING LATER THAT NIGHT, THE HEADLIGHTS TURNED OFF WHILE I WAS GOING 65 MPH ON INTERSTATE 270. I TRIED TO QUICKLY JIGGLE THE LEVER, AND THEN THE LIGHTS TURNED BACK ON. MANY OTHERS HAVE REPORTED THIS SAME ISSUE. IT'S OBVIOUSLY DANGEROUS, AND KIA SHOULD FIGURE OUT THE PROBLEM AND ISSUE A RECALL.

NHTSA ODI 11268289

DISCREPANCIES: 1. [HIGH DANGER TO SAFETY THAT COULD RESULT IN VEHICLE DAMAGE, PERSONAL INJURY, OR LOSS OF LIFE] HEADLIGHTS SHUT OFF RANDOMLY WHILE VEHICLE IS DRIVING OR STATIONARY AND CAN NOT BE RECOVERED VIA MANUALLY SWITCHING THROUGH "AUTO: ON: OFF"; LIGHTS MAY RECOVER RANDOMLY WHILE LEFT IN "AUTO" POSITION; HIGH BEAMS STILL WORK WHILE THIS HAPPENS (THIS HAS HAPPENED ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS) 2. EXTERIOR LIGHTING HAS TURNED ON RANDOMLY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT ON 2 OCCASIONS, KILLING THE BATTERY BY MORNING.

NHTSA ODI 11257920

WHILE DRIVING, THE VEHICLE'S HEADLIGHTS TURN OFF WITHOUT WARNING. THIS HAS HAPPENED ON HIGHWAYS AND ON SURFACE STREETS. IN ALL CASES THE LIGHT CONTROL SWITCH WAS ON "AUTO." AT LEAST TWICE, THE LIGHTS WENT OFF AFTER USING THE TURN SIGNAL TO INDICATE A LANE CHANGE. AT LEAST ONCE, THE DASHBOARD DISPLAY CAME UP AFTER SEVERAL SECONDS, AS IF THE DRIVER WAS MANUALLY CHANGING THE LIGHTS FROM AUTO TO ON OR OFF, BUT THE DRIVER WAS NOT TOUCHING THE CONTROLS. IN ALL CASES THE HEADLIGHTS CAME BACK ON AFTER SEVERAL SECONDS. LIGHT INDICATORS HAVE COME ON DURING DAYLIGHT HOURS AS WELL, MAKING IT APPEAR THE ISSUE HAPPENS DURING DAY AND NIGHT. WHEN RETURNING TO THE VEHICLE AFTER IT WAS DRIVEN, THEN PARKED FOR AN HOUR OR MORE, WE HAVE ALSO FOUND THE HEADLIGHTS AND TAILLIGHTS ALL ON. THE LIGHTS WOULD NOT GO OFF WITHOUT MANUALLY TURNING THEM OFF AND THEN BACK TO AUTO. THE LIGHTS HAVE ALSO ALL COME ON IN THAT SAME MANNER, WHEN THE CAR WAS PARKED AND SOMEONE LEANED UP AGAINST IT.

NHTSA ODI 11257563

MY HIGH BEAMS DON'T WANT TO TURN ON AND WHEN THEY DO THE ONLY WAY TO GET THEM OFF IS TO TURN MY LIGHTS ALL THE WAY OFF AND BACK ON. IF YOU PULL THE BAR TOWARDS YOU TO BRIEFLY LOOK AT SOMETHING, THE HIGH BEAMS WILL NOT COME ON. ALSO MY CAR IS IN THE SHOP, IT KEEPS KICKING BACK WHEN I GO TO STOP. THEY SAY NOTHING IS WRONG WITH MY HIGH BEAMS OR MY BRAKES, THEY SAY EVERYTHING IS FINE.

NHTSA ODI 11255091

WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AT NIGHT AND THE HEADLIGHTS SET TO AUTO, THEY WILL RANDOMLY TURN OFF ON THEIR OWN. I HAVE ALMOST BEEN IN A HEAD ON COLLISION BECAUSE OF THIS. TURNING THE LIGHT CONTROL MANUALLY TO EITHER OFF OR MANUAL ON AND THEN BACK TO AUTO GETS THEM BACK ON. HOW CAN SUCH A SAFETY ISSUE NOT BE ADDRESSED? I SEE POSTS ABOUT THIS ALL OVER THE INTERENT - ESPECIALLY FOR THE 2017 MODEL. THE DEALERSHIP WANTS TO CHARGE ME $500 TO REPLACE THE WIRING! THE VEHICLE HAS UNDER 35K MILES. PLEASE APPROACH KIA AND HAVE THEM ISSUE A RECALL FOR THIS ISSUE. PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN RURAL AREAS WITHOUT LIT ROADS CAN BE SERIOUS INJURED - ESPECIALLY IF ITS THE FIRST TIME IT OCCURS AND THEY ARE NOT PREPARED TO FIDDLE WITH THE LIGHT CONTROL TO GET IT OPERATING AGAIN. DATE PROVIDED IN THE FORM REPRESENTS THE MOST RECENT OCCURRENCE OF THE ISSUE - NOT THE ONLY.

NHTSA ODI 11253395

HEAD LIGHTS TURN OFF WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD

NHTSA ODI 11234040

WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT WITH THE HEADLIGHTS IN THE AUTO MODE, THE HEADLIGHTS WILL PERIODICALLY GO OFF FOR 4 TO 5 SECONDS BEFORE COMING BACK ON AGAIN. THIS HAS HAPPENED 10 TIMES OVER THE PAST 10 MONTHS. WE WERE TOLD BY KIA DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPARTMENT THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE ISSUE AND RECOMMENDED DRIVING AT NIGHT WITH THE HEADLIGHTS TURNED ON IN THE MANUAL POSITION. THE ISSUE HAS OCCURRED WHEN THE CAR IS IN MOTION ON THE HIGHWAY, ON CITY STREETS, ON STRAIGHT ROADS AND ON CORNERS.

NHTSA ODI 11184165

HEAD LIGHTS GO OFF WHEN DRIVING,THEN COME BACK ON WHEN SET IN THE AUTO MODE

NHTSA ODI 11180022

DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD MY HEADLIGHTS HAVE CUT OFF ON THEIR OWN 5 TIMES. I HAVE TO TURN THE AUTO OF AND PUT IT ON MANUAL FOR THEM TO WORK.

NHTSA ODI 11172681

WHILE DRIVING MY HEADLIGHTS WILL RANDOMLY JUST SHUT-OFF SOMETIMES THEY WILL COME RIGHT BACK ON AND OTHER TIMES IT TAKES A FEW MINUTES FOR THEM TO COME BACK ON. THIS HAPPENS SEVERAL TIMES A WEEK.

NHTSA ODI 11162826

I ALWAYS USE AUTO HEADLIGHTS MODE TO OPERATE MY CAR. THE HEADLIGHTS COULD GO DARK FROM 2 TO 6 SECONDS AND THEN THEY WILL GO BACK ON AUTOMATICALLY. IT HAS HAPPENED ABOUT 7-10 TIMES IN THE PAST TWO MONTHS WHILE I WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE. I DO NOT KNOW IF THIS PROBLEM EXIST DURING DAYTIME BECAUSE IT IS BRIGHT OUT THERE. BUT WHEN IT IS DARK AND THE LIGHTS SUDDENLY GO OFF IT BECOMES A SAFETY HAZARD. I CALLED THE MANUFACTURER BUT THE ONLY THING THEY TOLD ME IS TO TAKE MY CAR TO THE DEALER. I DO NOT WANT TO DO THIS BECAUSE I FEEL THAT IT WILL BE SO HARD FOR THE DEALER TO REPLICATE THE PROBLEM AND FIND OUT POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS, SO MY TIME WILL BE TOTALLY WASTED AT THE DEALER.

NHTSA ODI 11160729

THE HEADLIGHTS ARE DANGEROUS! THERE IS A DARK SHADOW LINE DIRECTLY IN THE SIGHT LINE OF THE DRIVER THROUGH THE ENTIRE WINDSHIELD THAT I FIND MYSELF DUCKING DOWN TO TRY AND SEE OUT THE WINDOW BUT THAT DOES NOT HELP. I CANNOT DRIVE THE VEHICLE AT NIGHT IT IS VERY DISTRACTING AND DANGEROUS. IT HAS SEVERELY IMPACTED MY CHILDREN'S LIFESTYLE AS WE CANNOT GO OUT AS THE DARK ROADS IN NEW JERSEY ARE EVEN MORE DANGEROUS WITH THE HEADLIGHTS NOT WORKING PROPERLY.

NHTSA ODI 11154503

I WAS DRIVING MY 2017 KIA SORENTO ABOUT 30MPH EARLY TODAY GOING ABOUT 30MPH WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN I HEARD A LOUD CLUNK FROM THE REAR END AND THE ENGINE, ALL LIGHTING, ELECTRICAL, POWER STEERING AND BRAKES JUST SHUT OFF. I WAS ABLE TO COAST TO A STOP PUT THE CAR IN PARK. I THEN RESTARTED IT AND IT WAS FINE. THE DEALER COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG WITH IT. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS. WHAT HAPPENS IF I AM GOING 70 MPH AND THE CAR SHUTS DOWN LIKE THIS. SINCE THE DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE EVENT THERE IS NO SOLUTION.

NHTSA ODI 11144444

WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT WITH HEADLIGHTS IN AUTO POSITION, LIGHTS WILL RANDOMLY TURN OFF FOR SECONDS BEFORE TURNING BACK ON. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, YOU CAN SEE THE CHANGE ON THE DASHBOARD ALMOST LIKE IT WAS MANUALLY BEING TURNED OFF, BUT IT WAS NOT BEING TOUCHED. THIS HAS HAPPENED 4 TIMES IN ONE MONTH. SO FAR THE DEALER HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO REPLICATE THIS ISSUE. IT IS AT THE DEALER NOW FOR THE SECOND TIME.

NHTSA ODI 11140745

THE HEADLIGHTS TURN OFF DURING NIGHT-TIME DRIVING WITHOUT WARNING. THE DASHBOARD INDICATOR SHOWS THAT THE HEADLIGHTS ARE OFF. THIS HAS HAPPENED A TOTAL OF 6 TIMES WHEN THE LIGHTS ARE IN THE "AUTOMATIC" POSITION. THIS HAS HAPPENED AT HIGHWAY SPEED ON A COMPLETELY DARK ROAD, AT HIGHWAY SPEED ON A LIT HIGHWAY, IN PARKING LOTS, AND IN THE VILLAGE AT 30 MPH. WE ARE USING MANUAL HEADLIGHT MODE AT NIGHT UNTIL THE PROBLEM IS RESOLVED. THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM IS UNKNOWN.

NHTSA ODI 11110962

WHILE ON AUTO, HEADLIGHTS TURNED OFF WHEN THEY SHOULD NOT HAVE. TWO TIMES DURING DUSK/TWILIGHT, AND ONCE DURING THE NIGHT WITHIN A THREE WEEK PERIOD. THE TIME IT HAPPENED AT NIGHT, AND THE ONE TIME DURING TWILIGHT WAS ON AN UNLIT RURAL ROAD . THE OCCURRENCE DURING DUSK WAS AT A LIGHTED RURAL INTERSECTION.

NHTSA ODI 11075088

THE HEADLIGHTS HAVE GONE OUT ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS, WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE AT NIGHT WITH THE HEADLIGHT CONTROL IN THE AUTO MODE. THE HEADLIGHTS COMPLETELY SHUTDOWN FOR APPROXIMATELY 2 TO 3 SECONDS DURING THIS ISSUE AND AUTOMATICALLY CAME BACK ON. BOTH TIMES THIS OCCURRED AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS WITH NO OTHER LIGHT SOURCE IN THE AREA. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN CHECKED BY THE LOCAL KIA DEALER. THE ISSUE COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED BY THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND NO TROUBLE CODES WERE FOUND. WE HAVE BEEN INSTRUCTED TO ONLY OPERATE THE VEHICLE WITH THE HEADLIGHTS IN THE MANUAL MODE.

NHTSA ODI 11048772

THE HEADLIGHTS DO NOT SHINE FAR ENOUGH FOR SAFE STOPPING IN AN EMERGENCY. DEER RAN ON TO ROAD AND ALMOST HIT IT.

NHTSA ODI 11015780