What 248 owners told NHTSA about the 2018 Kia Sorento Plug-in Hybrid

My wife and I were Driving when I tried to stop and the brakes failed. Within seconds the vehicle caught fire in the engine compartment. I had to slam the transmission into park cause the doors would not open. When my wife tried to escape out the passenger side the flames came into the cabin towards her. I then opened my door and then had to help my wife escape out the driver's side door. Within minutes the car was engulfed in flames. The fire department arrived and it took a while to extinguish. The vehicle is totaled.

NHTSA ODI 11748348

I have replaced my rotors and my brakes soon as I got the car I’ve had the car for a month now I was in a major accident. Someone walked in front of my car. My emergency brake system did not work my rotors and my brakes, have been scrubbing ever since I got the car. And I don’t know how to fix the situation. The brakes are still going out and sound very horrible. I can’t keep replacing them because I don’t think they need to be replaced. Is something wrong with the car. My Insurance adjuster name is Brandon Brooks [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11743523

I've never had a problem staying awake driving. I don't have this problem in my vehicles or other vehicles. Every time I drove the car. I could not stay awake. I ve driven the car about 5xs. I would fall asleep and not even realize it. Now fell asleep driving the car two nights ago. No warnings went off and I drove over one lane and off into the center medium. No lane change warnings went off. But I truly believe there's something more going on with the car that's making people fall asleep. My neighbor rode with me to the store in it (14 miles ) she was falling asleep. She wasn't one bit tired when we left my house. Once we got out of the car and we're changing the oil on it, we walked over to the store a couple blocks away. We were fine. Got back in the car. Started driving it home and both of us were falling asleep. There was something wrong with this car

NHTSA ODI 11729316

The contact owned a 2018 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH, another vehicle had abruptly attempted to merge into the opposite traveling lane and caused the front end bumper to crash into the Front Driver-side door of the other vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was towed away to a local tow yard. A Traffic Accident Information form was filed by the local police department. The vehicle was deemed a total loss by the opposite insurance provider, and the contact was not deemed at fault. In addition, the contact was taken out of the vehicle safely by paramedics and was taken to a nearby UgentCare where he sought medical attention for neck and hand pains and severe mental distress. The local dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 18,000.

NHTSA ODI 11719842

I was driving from richlands coming home and my vechial kept trying to die on me like i didnt have any gas and then i had to suddenly pull off the side of the road without any power and i sat their and even try to restart the vechial and it wouldn't start back then a woman come out of nowhere in an ambulance and i was trying to tell her that it was alright and she was trying to tell me that the vechial was on fire underneath the vechial and i didnt see that it was a fire at all i though i was overheating so i was sitting in the vechial waiting on it to cool down thank god i was not hurt really bad if this would have happened somewere else i know i would be dead i already have smoke in my lungs from breathing in all that smoke i though was just steam but i still dont know what in my engine caught on fire but i do know it started from either in the engine or under it somewhere then everything caught fire and it was all melted the whole thing is completely gone even the tag melted i have never seen that kind of fire before ever and i have own alot of vechicle and they usally break down but this was the first time one caught on fire and thus happens to kia alot even the day this happened the fire dept told me they just put another kia out just the week before how is it that kia are keeping these vechicle on the road it is awful and im trying to do something about it but noone will help me and i dont know what i need yo do to make kia pay for this i only had this vechial almost 6 months and it didnt have alot of miles on it 100000 thats not alot but the kia everything i have read have flew apart after the warranty has expired so its great for them i say they are happy and they have had a few recalls on this vechial and know about the fire but have something stupid like a tow hitch its saying my vechial has that recall but i didnt see a tow hitch anywere but it still caught fire so i would love for someone to take these vechial off the road they are not safe not what kia

NHTSA ODI 11700588

In January 2024 I started getting power steering issues and multiple warning lights related to the electrical systems. I took my vehicle to Car Pros Kia for inspection and repair on 2/1/2024. They took it for a test drive at which time it caught fire.

NHTSA ODI 11647007

I was driving my daughter to school and heard 2 popping noises under the car. The car started smoking as I was driving. I pulled into the parking lot and the car wouldn’t stop. I pressed the break multiple times before it eventually stopped. The car was completely smoking from the hood and then caught fire as I got me and my children out of it. The fire department came and successfully put the fire out after about 30 minutes of continuous flames. It was a total loss

NHTSA ODI 11646704

The contact owns a 2018 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at 55 MPH, the vehicle lost all power while depressing the accelerator pedal without warning. The contact also stated that white smoke began to emit from underneath the hood of the vehicle. Upon inspection of the vehicle, the contact saw flames coming from underneath the vehicle as oil began to leak from the vehicle. The flames eventually dissipated and authorities were not called to the scene. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed initially to the contact's home and later to the dealer. Once in the dealer's possession, the contact was informed that there was a hole in the engine block which had led to engine failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but had yet to offer any assistance. The vehicle remained in the possession of the dealer and had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 81,000.

NHTSA ODI 11584707

My car went into Sudden Unintended Acceleration when I shifted from neutral to drive. I was in a gas station that was perpendicular to highway traffic. When I attempted to come out of the car wash tunnel to get my car dried off, the car accelerated out of control, the gas pedal was stuck and the brakes would not engage. The car flew out of the tunnel and into traffic. The car hit a curb before entering into traffic and went airborne. I in the third lane of southbound traffic. The vehicle then continued on through a grass median and across three lanes of northbound traffic, hitting another curb. At sone point during this accident, three of the tires popped and drivers side airbags did deploy. The popped tires appears to be the reason why the car finally came to a stop. It is only by the grace of God that I made it out alive. The airbag burned my torso. This accident occurred on 5/19/2023 at approximately 4:15 pm. X-rays and cat scans revealed no additional injuries. Currently, I am waiting to be seen by an orthopedic doctor for pain in ankles, lower back and stiffness at base of neck. My insurance company concluded the car as a total loss.

NHTSA ODI 11525144

The contact owned a 2018 Kia Sorento. The contact received notification of an unknown NHTSA Campaign Number regarding the Trailer Hitches however, the contact stated that while the vehicle was unoccupied in a parked position, he noticed that the rear end of the vehicle inadvertently caught fire. The contact then stated that the fire started to spread igniting the whole vehicle. As a result, the side of the contact house caught fire. No injuries were sustained. No medical attention was required. The fire department was notified, and the fire was extinguished. A fire report was filed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The origin of the fire had yet to be determined. The vehicle was deemed a total loss by the insurance company. The dealer was not notified. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened but no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 87,000.

NHTSA ODI 11499324

This is with regards to a major safety incident that could have been fatal for my wife and others on 2/2/2022. My wife parked her 2018 Kia Sorento on our driveway picked up her belongings and closed the door of the car. As she was about to enter the house it felt to her that the car was still running. So, she went to the car again opened the drivers side of the door and reached out and pressed the "Start/Stop" button thinking if the car's engine is still "ON" it will turn it "OFF". As soon as she hit the button the car started rolling backwards and my wife got entangled in the door. She got knocked down to the ground sustaining a concussion on her head and deep bruises on her legs and shoulder. The car went to neighbor's front yard across the street and was stopped by the curb and the snow bank on neighbor's yard. After I tended to my wife I went to fetch the car I double checked and saw that the gear shifter was in "Parking" position. The mystery is how the car moved backwards while the car was in "Parking". It's not a steep hill and the way car rolled it felt to my wife as the car was in "Neutral". There is no warning lights or any other failure indications. We took the car to local Kia dealer for thorough inspection but they couldn't find anything. We are quite scared to drive the car. I am hoping a very through investigation of the car and get to the bottom of the issue. We complained to Kia, they reached out once after almost a month and now radio silence on the issue.

NHTSA ODI 11458130

My breaks would not push down for me to stop and I collided into the car in front of me causing a serious accident. It is being investigated for malfunctioning breaks.

NHTSA ODI 11450984

I was in a weather related accident where I hit the guardrail twice head on and none of my airbags deployed. My vehicle is currently at a tow yard and will be towed to the autobody shop 12/8/2021. No warnings or indications on why the airbags wouldn't have worked properly prior to the accident.

NHTSA ODI 11441981

My 2018 Kia Sorento keeps going into limp mode. It can’t be duplicated by any shop so I keep paying for diagnostic and not having anything repaired besides things that could “possibly be the problem” but aren’t covered by the warranty like a positive battery cable or a software update. Now I’m $1000 out of pocket and had the most terrifying experience of my life and the car is still not repaired. Driving 75mph down the freeway, the car violently tried to stop and shut off and turned back on all on its own. It went into limp mode. Felt like a grenade went off. Still nothing can be found as to what the problem is! It is not safe and I refuse to put my children back in this car.

NHTSA ODI 11432621

MY SON WAS TRAVELING DOWN A HIGHWAY BETWEEN 45-55 MPH WHEN HE OVERCORRECTED AND MADE FULL IMPACT OF THE FRONT OF THE CAR WITH A SOLID SNOW BANK IN THE MIDDLE MEDIAN. THE RADIATOR WAS SLAMMED BACKWARDS, THE FRONT END WAS DEMOLISHED WITH AROUND $12,000 IN DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE. THERE IS NO REASON WE CAN FIND THAT THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. WE BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE BECAUSE OF THE SAFETY RATING BUT NOW I AM CONCERNED THAT WE HAVE ISSUES WITH OUR AIR BAGS. WILL THEY PROTECT US IF THIS SHOULD EVER HAPPEN AGAIN?

NHTSA ODI 11397573

I WAS TRAVELING TO FLORIDA AND SAW SPARKS IN THE MIRRORS IN THE BACK. I QUICKLY PULLED OVER AND WENT TO THE BACK AND SAW FIRE, THE CAR WAS ON FIRE EVERYBODY GOT OUT, WE TRIED TO PUT IT OUT BUT IT SEEMED LIKE THERE WAS AN ACCELERRENT OR SOMETHING CAUSE IT WAS ENGULFED WITH FIRE VERY FAST ONCE WE STOPPED THE WHOLE CAR WAS BURNING.+WE WERE ON 65 SOUTH IN KENTUCKY JUST DRIVING ,NO RAIN ROADS WERE DRY.

NHTSA ODI 11378575

I WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MILES PER HOUR ON A CITY STREET WHEN ANOTHER VEHICLE PULLED OUT IN FRONT OF ME. THE IMPACT TOTALED THE OTHER VEHICLE AND CAUSED $7,500 IN DAMAGE TO MY VEHICLE, AND MY AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. WHILE I WAS NOT SERIOUSLY INJURED, I DID SUFFER SIGNIFICANT WHIP-LASH TYPE INJURIES, AND INJURED MY KNEE WHEN IT HIT THE DASH BOARD.

NHTSA ODI 11375594

FRONTAL IMPACT WITH A DEER ON INTERSTATE 81 NORTHBOUND IN PA., CRUISE CONTROL SET AT POSTED SPEED LIMIT OF 65MPH, NO AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT AT TIME OF IMPACT OR AFTER COLLISION CHEST IMPACTED STEERING WHEEL AND ARM PAIN FROM HOLDING STEERING WHEEL.

NHTSA ODI 11363855

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 KIA SORENTO. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE HER HUSBAND WAS DRIVING AT 35 MPH, WHEN ANOTHER VEHICLE INTERSECTED HIS LANE ON THE RIGHT SIDE. THE DRIVER ATTEMPTED TO PREVENT A CRASH BY SWERVING BUT CRASHED INTO THE GUARD RAIL ON THE FAR LEFT SIDE. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE DRIVER DID NOT HAVE ANY INJURIES. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DRIVABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AUTO BODY SHOP. THE CONTACT CALLED LOCAL DEALER (PREMIER KIA SERVICE CENTER LOCATED AT 205 N MAIN ST, BRANFORD, CT 06405, (203) 315-2070) AND WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED AS OF YET. THE MANUFACTURER HAD BEEN INFORMED OF FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 55,000.

NHTSA ODI 11363457

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 KIA SORENTO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE HER SON WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STALLED AND LOST ALL POWER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SON CALLED HER AND INFORMED HER THAT THE VEHICLE WAS SMOKING. HE WAS ABLE TO PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, UPON EXITING THE VEHICLE HE SAW FLAMES COMING FROM UNDER THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE OPENED THE HOOD AND THE FLAMES IMMEDIATELY ENGULFED THE WHOLE VEHICLE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED AND EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. A FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORT WAS MADE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES OR MEDICAL ASSISTANCE NEEDED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED AND TOTALED. THE CONTACT CONTACTED THE DEALER SUNTRUP KIA SOUTH (6263 S LINDBERGH BLVD, ST. LOUIS, MO 63123 PHONE: (314) 254-8955) WHO STATED THAT THEY WERE NOT LIABLE AND TO CONTACT KIA CONSUMER LINE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE A CASE WAS OPENED AS WELL AS AN INVESTIGATION WAS CONDUCTED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

NHTSA ODI 11324235

ON 8-23-19 AT APPROX. O805HRS I ARRIVED AT MY DESTINATION AND PARKED MY KIA SORENTO. I HAD DRIVEN THE KIA SORENTO FROM MY RESIDENCE TO VANCOUVER, WA AND DURING THIS TRAVEL PERIOD THE KIA SORENTO FUNCTIONED AS USUAL WITH NO INDICATION OF MECHANICAL, ELECTRICAL OR FUNCTIONALITY OF THE VEHICLE. I PARKED THE KIA AND ENTERED THE BUILDING. AT APPROX. 0840 A CO-WORKER INDICATED THE KIA HAD SMOKE COMING FROM THE KIA'S ENGINE COMPARTMENT. I EXITED THE BUILDING TO SEE A SMALL HAZE OF SMOKE COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT, WHICH BEGAN TO INCREASE. I USED A FIRE EXTINGUISHER IN AN ATTEMPT TO NEUTRALIZE THE FIRE, WHICH ONLY SUPPRESSED IT FOR A SHORT TIME AND I DIDN'T OPEN THE ENGINE HOOD DUE TO POTENTIAL EXPOSURE TO FIRE OR EXPLOSIONS. THE ENGINE FIRE CONTINUED TO INCREASE IN SIZE AND I ATTEMPTED WITH ANOTHER FIRE EXTINGUISHER, WHICH WASN'T EFFECTIVE DUE TO SIZE, HEAT AND ACCESSIBILITY OF THE FULL ENGINE COMPARTMENT. VANCOUVER FIRE LATER ARRIVED AND EXTINGUISHED THE ENGINE FIRE CONTINUED WITHIN THE KIA'S ENGINE COMPARTMENT.

NHTSA ODI 11246461

OUR CAR HAS A THIRD ROW WITH TWO SEATS IN THE BACK AND WE PUT 2 PEOPLE ON EACH ROW. WE HAD A STEEL TRAILER HITCH CARGO CARRIER HANGING ON THE BACK OF THE CAR. WE HAVE USED THIS DEVICE MANY TIMES WITH OUR OTHER 2007 KIA SORENTO WITH NO PROBLEMS OF ANY KIND. WE HAD FOUR LARGE TUBS WITH LIDS AND EACH OF THE 4 KIDS WOULD GET A TUB TO HOLD THEIR SUITCASES. THESE TUBS WERE CONNECTED TO THE CARGO CARRIER WITH BUNGIE CORDS. WE HAD PLANNED TO SPEND THE NIGHT IN LAS VEGAS AND AFTER A 5-HOUR DRIVE, WE ARRIVED AT THE HOTEL & WE NOTICED THAT THE TUB ON THE BOTTOM STARBOARD SIDE HAD BEEN BURNED SIGNIFICANTLY. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION, WE LEARNED THAT THE EXHAUST PIPE WAS PART OF THE BUMPER SYSTEM AND THAT IT HAD HEATED THE ONE TUB AND THE CARGO CARRIER TO SUCH HIGH TEMPERATURES AS TO CAUSE A FIRE INSIDE THE TUB. IT HAD MELTED THE TUB TO THE CARGO CARRIER AND BURNED A BIG HOLE IN THE SIDE OF THE TUB. THE SUITCASE INSIDE THE TUB HAD A HUGE BLACK HOLE IN THE SIDE AND ALL OF ITS CONTENTS WERE BURNED OR SCORCHED. SINCE THE FIRE WAS NO LONGER BURNING, WE DECIDED TO NOT CALL THE LAS VEGAS FIRE DEPARTMENT AS THE THREAT WAS OVER. THE NEXT DAY, BEFORE WE LEFT LAS VEGAS, WE WENT TO HOME DEPOT AND FOUND SOME MATERIALS AND CRAFTED AN ALUMINUM SHIELD TO BLOCK THE EXHAUST FROM HITTING THE CARGO CARRIER. THEN WE WERE ABLE TO REACH OUR DESTINATION IN SEAL BEACH CA. WHEN WE TOOK THE CARGO CARRIER OFF THE CAR, WE SAW THAT SEVERAL OF THE BUNGIE CORDS HAD BEEN MELTED RIGHT TO THE CARGO CARRIER. THROUGH OUR ASSESSMENT, WE DETERMINED THAT THE DAMAGES DONE TO THE CARGO CARRIER, THE BUNGIE CORDS, THE TUB, THE SUITCASE AND ALL OF ITS (MOSTLY BRAND NEW) CONTENTS TO BE ABOUT $1547.15. THIS DID NOT COUNT THE COST TO BUILD A DEFLECTOR SO WE COULD CONTINUE OUR TRIP. IT IN NO WAY COUNTS THE DISCOMFORT AND TRAUMA MY FAMILY SUFFERED FROM THIS EVENT.

NHTSA ODI 11175791

I WAS DRIVING ON A STATE HWY ABOUT THREE MILES FROM HOME GOING 50 MPH. I WAS THE SOLE OCCUPANT IN THE VEHICLE WHEN I BEGAN TO SMELL SMOKE. I WAS ABLE TO PULL OFF THE HWY. AND TURN THE VEHICLE OFF. I OPENED MY DOOR AND OPENED THE HOOD FROM THE INSIDE. WHEN I DID, FLAMES AND SMOKE BEGAN TO SHOOT OUT FROM THE HOOD AND I HEARD A LOUD POP. I EXITED THE VEHICLE AND WITHIN SECONDS, THE WHOLE CAR WAS CONSUMED WITH FIRE. I CALLED 911 AND REPORTED A VEHICLE ON FIRE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND EMS BOTH RESPONDED WITHIN MINUTES. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS ABLE TO PUT OUT THE FIRE BUT NOT BEFORE IT WAS A COMPLETE LOSS. AFTER THE FIRE WAS EXTINGUISHED, I NOTED ALL THE DOORS AND THE HATCH HAD LOCKED AT SOME POINT DURING THE FIRE. I CONTACTED CUMBERLAND KIA WHERE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE TO NOTIFY THEM OF WHAT HAPPENED AND THEY TOOK POSSESSION OF THE VEHICLE THAT AFTERNOON.

NHTSA ODI 11152866

DRIVING ON HIGHWAY, HIT DEER. FRONT AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. CAR SWERVED ONTO MEDIAN AND FRONT PASSENGER SIDE CRASHED INTO GUARDRAIL. SIDE AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY. UNCLEAR WHY SIDE AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY. FRONT PASSENGER HIT HEAD ON PASSENGER DOOR WINDOW AND SHATTERED WINDOW, SUSTAINED CONCUSSION.

NHTSA ODI 11150708

I WAS BACKING UP WHEN MY CAR JUST ACCELERATED LIKE CRAZY AND RAN OVER A HUGE BRICK MAILBOX. IT WAS LIKE MY CAR WAS POSSESS, IT BECAME A CRAZY 4 WHEEL DRIVE.

NHTSA ODI 11092757