What 130 owners told NHTSA about the 2020 Kia Sorento Plug-in Hybrid

This morning, I had the software upgrade patch applied to my 2020 Kia Sorento that was supposed to fix the potential theft issue. After that service appointment, I started a 2 hour road trip. We stopped for gas and when we went into the store, I noticed that my car was not sounding the horn when I hit the key FOB twice like normal. I went back to the car and saw that the car was in fact not locked. I was able to lock the car manually, but had I not paid attention, someone could have snuck into my unlocked car. Later in the roadtrip, I needed to clean my windshield using wiperfluid and wipers. I sprayed the wiper fluid, but to my surprise the windshield wipers did not activate. I tried all the settings on the stick to activate the wipers, but they did not activate. I was driving 70mph on a highway and could not see. This was a huge safety problem. Luckily this was momentary as the speed cleared the wiper fluid. But had it been raining, I would not have been able to see which is unsafe for me, my passengers and those around me. Third, I noticed that my headlights were not working as expected. The Auto setting did not seem to be activating as normal. After playing with it, it appears that the Auto and Off settings on the lights seem to be switched. This is unsafe because drivers rely on that Auto setting to turn the lights on when it is necessary. They may think the lights are on when they are not and are not able to be seen by other drivers. By the time I realized these things, the service department at the dealership was already closed. I have tried to leave them a voicemail, but their phone is not set up to accept that. I have sent an email and will be calling them as soon as they reopen on Monday. There are no warning messages to tell the drive about these issues.

NHTSA ODI 11520786

The contact had rented a 2020 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, both the front passenger and rear passenger's side windows exploded. The contact stated that there was no external cause to the failure. There were no warning lights illuminated. The dealer and the manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired, and was returned to the vehicle rental company. The failure mileage was 4,537. The VIN was unavailable.

NHTSA ODI 11514011

Friday 12/16 car was being driven at 55 MPH on a rural road with no traffic around it when the Panoramic Sunroof exploded. Very loud boom and my wife thought she had a blow out. Immediately pulled over to check the vehicle. No tire or body damage was found until she looked on top of the vehicle. Total back panel of the Sunroof (over the back seat area) had shattered and appeared to be raising up in the middle of the glass. She had no other options so she drove the car on home. As she drove home glass fell down onto the sunshade as the glass came apart. I have reported the incident to Kia Consumer Assistance and Power Kia of Salem where we bought the vehicle but neither are responding to my request for them to fix the problem through the warranty program. Car only has a little more than 20,000 miles on it. Dealer Service Manager says he has never heard of such a problem but it only takes a google search to see that this happens often. Very dangerous if that sunshade had been open and I think this needs to be looked into.

NHTSA ODI 11498521

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 KIA SORENTO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TRIM PIECE LOCATED UNDER THE WINDSHIELD REFLECTED A DISTRACTING GLARE FROM THE VENTS ONTO THE WINDSHIELD. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REFLECTION OBSTRUCTED HIS VISION WHILE DRIVING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE BUT OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO BE INSPECTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 0.

NHTSA ODI 11412791

RIGHT REAR PASSENGER WINDOW CATASTROPHICALLY EXPLODED. RESIDENTIAL STREET APPROX 10MPH. BREAKING FOR STOP SIGN. TEMPERATURE 63F. OVERCAST. WINDS RELATIVELY HIGH(APPROX 20+ MPH). NO SIGN OF IMPACT. IVE HAD THE VEHICLE 7 MONTHS. COULD HAVE CAUSE OPTICAL INJURY IF A SMALL PASSENGER OR CHILD SEAT WAS IN THAT LOCATION. WINDOW SHATTERED INTO THOUSANDS OF SMALL PIECES COVERING 1/2 OF THE REAR SEAT AREA. NO PREVIOUS DAMAGE TO VEHICLE.

NHTSA ODI 11400254