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

Following an engine replacement performed at Billion Auto Kia in Rapid City, SD, I began experiencing persistent electrical system failures in my 2017 Kia Sorento. The vehicle alarm would activate randomly without cause, including while I was inside the vehicle with the engine running. Additionally, the door locks would engage spontaneously, trapping me inside the vehicle and preventing me from exiting. The only way to exit was to forcibly pull the door handle, which triggered the alarm. I have video documentation of these incidents. I presented the vehicle to Billion Auto Kia in Rapid City, SD — an authorized Kia dealership with these exact symptoms. The service department was unable to identify a root cause and provided no repair path, returning the vehicle to me unrepaired. 7 months later, Courtesy Kia of Brandon in Brandon, FL, another authorized Kia dealership diagnosed the root cause as a failed Body Control Module (BCM). During the service visit, a Kia dealership technician personally witnessed the alarm activating spontaneously while operating the vehicle, further confirming the defect. The BCM failure was present and active at the time of the prior authorized dealer visit and was not detected. The failed BCM has also caused the gear shifter to become completely stuck, unable to shift out of Park, leaving the vehicle fully inoperable. This vehicle has had 6 recall actions performed since purchase — 4 completed after my purchase in August 2023, and two completed prior to my purchase. Despite this recall history, the vehicle has experienced an engine failure and a BCM failure within less than 3 years of my ownership. Being trapped inside a vehicle with a malfunctioning lock system represents a serious safety hazard, particularly in the event of an accident or emergency requiring rapid exit. I am requesting NHTSA investigate whether a safety defect exists in the Body Control Module of 2017 Kia Sorento vehicles and whether additional recall action is warranted.

NHTSA ODI 11744922

Vehicle has a recurring P0018 fault code (Crankshaft Position - Camshaft Position Correlation Bank 2 Sensor A). Dealer diagnosed loose cam pins on Bank 2 requiring major engine repair. This fault creates a safety risk as improper camshaft timing can cause unexpected engine stalling while driving, resulting in sudden loss of power, power steering, and brake assist. The manufacturer has denied warranty coverage despite the vehicle being within the 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty. This appears to be a known widespread issue on the 3.3L V6 engine. Vehicle has 96,000 miles and is still within warranty coverage period.

NHTSA ODI 11741308

I found that he ignition key can be removed from my 2017 Kia Sorento while the transmission is not in the Park position. This is a shift interlock failure. Under FMVSS 114, the key must be trapped in the ignition unless the transmission is confirmed in Park. This defect caused the vehicle to roll down my driveway after my wife & daughter exited the car & were unloading groceries. The vehicle was purchased in April 2026 from a used car dealer lot. The defect was discovered shortly after purchase. No dealer repair has been performed yet. I am contacting Kia Consumer Affairs requesting a goodwill safety repair under FMVSS 114. Component affected: Power Train — Automatic Transmission — Shift Interlock System

NHTSA ODI 11740115

The car started sticking when driving then a knocking in the engine. Upon investigation/ diagnostics we found that the engine is blown and needs replacing. I have owned this car for 3 years to date and have keep up on all maintenance which you can find on carfax there is no reason at 136,000 an engine should blow. I would like this fixed asap

NHTSA ODI 11736662

Car is losing power, won't go into gear, slipping

NHTSA ODI 11703528

I am reporting a serious defect involving my 2017 Kia Sorento 2.4 Liter GDI engine (VIN [XXX] ) At approximately 84000 miles, while still under the powertrain warranty, I brought the vehicle to the dealership from which I purchased it (Hutchinson Kia in Macon GA) due to engine hesitation and abnormal performance. I was initially told the engine might need replacement, but the dealer later claimed the issue was only a relay/software problem and performed a software update (likely the KSDS knock sensor update) At approximately 94000 miles, the engine suffered a SUDDEN CATASTROPHIC FAILURE while driving on the interstate, The failure was abrupt and created a dangerous situation in traffic. The Vehicle is now inoperable. The engine is equipped with the THETA II GDI engine, which has a documented history of bearing and connecting -rod failures, fires and sudden engine seizure. KIA is refusing to cover the failure, even though the symptoms began during warrantly and the KSDS update was reportedly completed. This appears to be consistent with the widespread THETA II engine safety defect previously investigated by NHTSA. The sudden failure of the engine posed a significant safety risk to myself, passengers and other motorists. I am requesting the NHTSA review the incident and evaluate whether KIA is properly honoring required safety-related engine replacements for Thet II GDI equipped vehicles. Thank You. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11701896

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle was shifting extremely roughly. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission due to the vehicle not receiving a required software update. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 141,128.

NHTSA ODI 11699421

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that the gear shifter was stuck in park(P). The contact stated that once the vehicle was parked, the gear shifter remained stuck in park(P). The contact manually depressed the button under the gear shifter to move the gear shifter. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that after the first failure, the vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that an unknown part in the gear shifter had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The failure mileage was approximately 94,000.

NHTSA ODI 11650105

The engine failed at a little over 73,000 miles. The vehicle was towed to the dealership where the warranty company refused to cover the engine. The engine had burned through the oil and that was why the engine failed. There was carbon build up inside the engine, causing it to fail. The oil had just been changed 1000 miles before it failed. There were no warning lamps before the engine failed. Once the engine failed, the check engine light appeared. The oil in the vehicle had been changed routinely and can be verified by the Carfax report. This could've caused a wreck. The manufacturer and warranty company are not taking responsibility for the engine failure.

NHTSA ODI 11624632

We purchased the vehicle with 45000 miles, within a year, the vehicle started to run very badly, car idle vibrates the whole vehicle. It stalls out on her sometimes, burns all the oil by the it is time to change oil, the mechanic says there is less than a quart left, but no leak as per mechanic! The vehicle will blow soon I’m sure, and my wife drives our children everyday. I was made aware of lawsuit settlement, which Kia was only required to send notice to first owner, so we had no idea! The suit was settled and Kia gave lifetime warranty/new engine replacements/new vehicles to owners. The law suit was going on/settled around the time we purchased the vehicle so dealership knew about it and still sold it to us! We can not afford another vehicle, and dealership says unless the engine gives off certain code, they can not do anything! They are avoiding liability, and putting my family in danger! I do not know what to do or who to speak to!

NHTSA ODI 11572669

Lost power on the freeway, flashing check engine light. Dealership said my fuel injectors failed causing my engine to fail. At 133k miles the car needs its second new motor. It is currently at Phil Long Kia in Colorado Springs waiting a voluntary repossession as I cannot see paying 10k for repairs on a vehicle that has such obvious defects

NHTSA ODI 11566789

Kia lost power on the interstate. I was able to pull to the side of the road and then the car completely shut off and is now Unable to drive and requiring a motor replacement. I have an estimated 121,000 miles in the engine

NHTSA ODI 11565099

Consistent excessive oil consumption from about 90k until it died at 127k while on the highway going 65+mph. Oil Light flashed. Check engine light flashed. Made it onto the exit ramp and exited the vehicle very shook up. Vehicle would not start unless using two feet. One to flutter the gas while other on the break to be able to throw it into gear and chug the 2 miles home from the highway. Towed it to the Kia dealership in vestal Ny in June 2023. They had my vehicle for over 2 months before we had a plan. We called Kia with no response. No email followup no snail mail followup. Called again in October to be told my vehicle did not have any compression in 2 cylinders but it couldn’t pass or fail the test therefore they couldn’t determine the cause. Because they could not determine the cause my vehicle would not be covered at all. My Sorento had regular oil changes and maintenance done at the dealership as that’s where I purchased the Sorento new in 2017. After we rolled over 100k when the warranty was up we began shopping around for oil changes due to the dealership being outrageous. My vehicle has been sitting dead while I lay $555 a month on the existing loan. I will never buy a Kia again and will be telling everyone else the same. Thank you.

NHTSA ODI 11561021

We bought this vehicle on September 23, 2023 It had 72,935 miles. On October 15, 2003 After three weeks of having it, the check engine light came on. We took it a mechanic to diagnose the problem, he said it was the intake camshaft position sensor. We had it replaced o, and the engine light disappeared. We though that was the end of it but no. About a month later (mid November) the check engine light came on again, We contacted a local mechanic who said it might be the crankshaft or the time chain, he was supposed to call back with an estimate, but he didn't. We continued to drive it while trying to figure out what to do next, and two weeks later, on Dec 6 while driving home after picking my son from school, I heard a laud rattle noise, the vehicle slowed down, I though it was going to die completely, many lights on the dashboard came on, I don't remember which ones, (only the battery light) I knew it should not be the battery since we had just bought one brand new. Anyway, I pulled over to the side of road. I turned it off. After a minute or so, I turned it on again, and was able to make it home. The loud noise continued so turned on the hazard lights on and slowly drove it home. I was not that far. Next Saturday I had it towed to a mechanic we trust and he said the engine had plain failed and that it would be better to replace it. We decided to have it towed back to us. We made an appointment with a Kia dealership to have them confirm what our mechanic said, but they gave us an appointment until January 22, 2024 In the mean time it just sitting there in our garage. We know it had two previous owners. From the Carfax report we know it was serviced regularly. I don't think a vehicle with only 73,000 miles should have a failing engine.

NHTSA ODI 11560779

My name is [XXX] and live in Topsham, ME. I purchased a 2017 Kia Sorrento from Bill Dodge Auto Group Westbrook a few years ago with a warranty that covers it to 100K miles (I am now at 83.699K). About 9 months ago I noticed that the vehicle started to go through large amounts of oil when I by chance decided to check it. I began to notice that it would go through a quart in about 500 miles of normal around town driving. After extensive effort I was able to make an appointment at Bill Dodge where they did a test and determined this was the case. They did do a cleaning and did improve it slightly but I brought it back to them for a thousand mile check although half of this was a highway trip. They measured and said that it was just under a quart after a little over a thousand miles and stated Kia states that this is normal oil consumption. I retested myself and found that I easily burn over a quart within a thousand miles of driving around town. I contacted the warranty administrator and they stated unless there is a failure of some kind then this is not covered under the warranty. I am sure I have no oil leaks. It is obvious to me that the engine is defective and Kia is not taking ownership as I have read online forums that many people have similar problems including engines blowing, sometimes without the warning lights coming on. (Only once has my engine light come on by the way). INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11559370

Cars burns a qt of oil every 200 miles oil smells just like gas

NHTSA ODI 11551599

High consumption of oil (5 qrts in a week and a half). It failed the recommended test set forth by manufacturer and no one will fix it until it stalls or seizes. Major safety risk since they know of the problem and will not fix until it is too late.

NHTSA ODI 11519691

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was jerking. While shifting from first to second gear, the transmission was shifting hard. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer five times however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. While driving, there was an abnormal ticking noise detected. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who changed the oil. The vehicle was taken to another local dealer, Fredy Kia 11711 Gulf Fwy, Houston, TX 77034 where it was diagnosed there was no oil in the vehicle. The dealer informed the contact that the engine was consuming an abnormal amount of engine oil. There was a leak coming from the engine and it was diagnosed that the transmission and engine needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was contacted but there was no additional assistance provided. The failure mileage was approximately 113,000.

NHTSA ODI 11513591

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would hesitate or jerk while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired and remained in the possession of the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.

NHTSA ODI 11504758

Car is jerking into 2nd gear while driving which causes tension on neck and back. Transmission also slips while accelerating. TCM needs to be updated but dealership can't do it without a notice.

NHTSA ODI 11495645

1.Engine is consuming 2-3 quarts of oil every 1,000 miles. Kia consumer services instructed me to pay for an oil diagnostic test- of 4 visits every 1,000 miles- cost of oil changes, engine flush, rental car for 2 days= $800 to date. 2. I am a therapist and travel Ohio for insurance purposes. My vehicle is a converted handicapped accessible vehicle as my significant other had multiple sclerosis, and the purpose of purchasing the car 4 years ago. 3. Yes, the service dept of a local dealer has confirmed the issue. They state that Kia refuses to do anything to resolve the issue of oil running out, engine seizing to work, driver will be killed driving when engine stops and is run into by semi-truck on highway. 4. No warnings. I literally ran out of oil 2 times before I knew it is a problem. The problem started in August of 2022. Under 96,000 miles. Now 102,000. Kia states that due to me being the 2nd owner (purchased at 23,000 miles) that they will not warranty the car at 100,000 as I was let to believe when I purchased it from Freedom Motors in BattleCreek Michigan.

NHTSA ODI 11491587

Rear Differential Coupling Assembly leak, to where it needs to be replaced. Loud noises coming from the back of the vehicle, especially during braking. Brakes still have 5 and 7 mm remaining.

NHTSA ODI 11489187

While on a road trip down south, at my first gas stop, the vehicle's gear shift was stuck in park and refused to move. After removing the small cap cover marked Shift Lock Release, I manually inserted a screwdriver into the hole and was able to release the shifter. This has been the only way to release the gear shifter from Saturday, 09/10/2022 until present time. I have an appointment for service with Premier Kia dealership in Branford CT.

NHTSA ODI 11485095

The 4 wheel drive coupling assembly is leaking oil covering the rear differential actuator motor. Kia TSB #086 November 2019 spells out the situation.

NHTSA ODI 11481306

The oil light came on and started blinking. I checked the oil and it was full. I then called the Kia dealer and told them what was going on and the said it was a sensor. I needed to make appointment to get a new sensor but they had none and they were on back order. They would call me when it came in. I started seeing oil in garage under my car. I called The kia dealership back and they said just keep adding oil to it. 4 weeks after initial call the part came in. I took my car in to be fixed but it was more extensive than they were assuming. They had to order more parts and it took 2 more weeks. It turned out to be the Oil pressure switch that was leaking and spewing oil all over the engine. Could have been a disastrous situation. It cost me 1750.00. The car has 84,000 miles on it has been well taken care of and they didn’t cover it under any warranty.

NHTSA ODI 11470867