2016 Kia Sorento Other Problems

I was leaving my home and was pulling out of my driveway when my vehicle suddenly caught fire. I was able to exit the vehicle with no injuries and called the fire department to put out the fire. the vehicle was a total loss.

On [XXX], our 2016 Kia Sorento (VIN: [XXX] ) caught fire while being driven on a public highway in Houston, Texas. The vehicle had been operating normally and displayed no warning lights, alerts, or diagnostic trouble codes prior to the incident. The driver was forced to pull over immediately for safety.

The top padded dash of the instrument panel and the lower crash panel of the instrument panel, which the mechanic identified, have been developing cracks since the car was three years old. I made 3 calls to corporate customer service after the dealership said that the warranty had expired.

As I was driving on the highway, my car began to lose speed. I attempted to accelerate but nothing happened when I pushed the gas pedal. There were no weird noises or RPM changes as if revving.

In April 2022, I received a letter dated April 7, 2022, informing me of an extended warranty coverage for the Oil Pressure Switch leak in 2014-2018 Sorento vehicles equipped with the 3.3L GDI Engine, extending from 5 years/60,000 miles to 15 years/150,000 miles.

The engine (I think engine) stalls out, and several times the engine has completely died. Almost causing me and the other car involved a very serious accident. The vehicle stalls when sitting at the traffic light and I go to turn to accelerate and it stalls and after pushing/tapping the gas pedal repeatedly it will eventually stop and I'm able to then drive on.

The engine of the vehicle and other parts had a problem which had caused the vehicle to not accelerate fast enough. It also made the car shake when it was stopped. The component that is malfunctioning is available for inspection.

Paint for this car has been delaminating and peeling off from regular use of the car. No accidents or scratches caused the paint to begin peeling, it just started on it's own. I am reporting this because I found it was a common issue for Kia owners with a pear white paint.

UNKNOWN Possible head gasket, radiator or water pump damage. Light smoke from engine. Constantly have to fill car up with antifreeze & water every few miles.

The roller for the headliner falls when I open the sunroof and this causes me not to be able to see out of my mirrors when driving. There has not been an accident or anything to the vehicle and the vehicle has been taken care of the entire time.

1.Kia installed Trailer hitch. Fire hazard. 3.Dealer says they do not have a repair for it.

The engine was going through over 5 quarts of oil about once a month. There were no visible leaks. For months, there was no check engine light illuminated so the dealership couldn't help determine and fix the problem without charging over $10,000 to open the engine, which I couldn't afford.

In March of 2023, my 2016 Kia Sorento was stolen in Shorewood, Wisconsin as several teenagers broke the window and ripped open the ignition system. Due to a design flaw in the ignition system and no immobilizer in Kia vehicles that were created from 2011-2022, theft became very easy and a widespread problem ensued in the Milwaukee area as well as other cities in the Midwest.

While driving on a major high my vehicle suddenly caught fire. There were no warning lights and my vehicle was not in a collision. The road was clear and I was in a steady flow of traffic.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? A tow hatch could catch on fire when driving which is terribly dangerous and saying it could cause fire while being parked as well. How do you expect people to keep driving and be stressed about being burned?

The car is burning through a lot of oil and I see smoke from the engine bay (back of engine) though I don't see leaks under the car. It smells like burning oil.

There is an URGENT FIRE RISK that they aren't fixing! How can there just NOT be a remedy? Please make Kia fix it?

Sunscreen spontaneously exploded. Open highway, no surrounding debris, no trees, etc.

The car engine was using excessive amounts of oil at 80,000 miles. The dealer in an attempt to save the engine did a major flush. Several components failed within 10,000 miles of that service.

After 30 minutes parking in driveway rear underneath rear hatch erupted in flames. Flames engulfed entire rear of vehicle. Only outside no damage from fire inside vehicle. Started in trailer hitch rear area. Hitch was installed by Kia dealership when we purchased vehicle. Hitch was never used.

I was driving, when my car started making an unfamiliar sound. I have never heard of it before because I have never had problems with my car so I decided to pull over on the side of the road.

NOT SURE !!! We were on the Interstate and all of sudden smoke starting coming out of rear end of our vehicle.Our Car started sounding slow and not sounding good, It was me and my husband in the Car. My husband was driving, I started panicking and told my husband about the smoke coming out of the back of our vehicle.

Vehicle displayed intermittent overheating on temp gauge. Fans would run for extended period on shutdown. White smoke from exhaust on first start up in the morning.

This morning 5/8/19, while driving to work, the sunroof in my 2016 kia sorento exploded while I was driving on the freeway. I was covered in glass along with the inside of my car. Luckily I was able to pull over from a high rate of speed and get off the freeway.

The sunroof exploded while driving on the highway

While travel in right most lane north on 15 in jefferson township, nj, I heard a loud bang from car. Immediately all power was lost. Given road had no shoulder, I stop the car in the travel lane.

Dear Sir or Madam, I am submitting a formal safety complaint to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration regarding my Kia Sorento. Over the past six months, this vehicle has required replacement of the engine, transmission control module (TCM), and the entire transmission.

For about 23,000 miles our mechanic has mentioned that the engine is burning oil. The exhaust pipe is covered in black soot. I monitor the oil level and it is always low even after oil changes with no oil leak.

Driving on the frwy when car started loosing power/acceleration, no warning lights or indicators on dashboard. Safely able to merge off the frwy. Turned off vehicle, engine would not turn back on.

I was driving my Sorento SXL on a highway, at approximately 50 MPH. With no warning, the engine began to run rough. The check engine light immediately began flashing.

UNKNOWN Possible radiator or water pump damage. Constantly have to fill car up with antifreeze & water every few miles. Car is never driven over 45 MPH.

My 2016 Kia Sorento was parked in my garage. When I went out in the morning to start the car, I turned on the ignition and the red warning light indicating a power steering failure went on and the power steering wasn't functioning. It was much harder to turn the wheel in either direction than it had been previously.

My engine stalled while Driving, There was no warning it just cut off. The car would not turn over to start only a click. I held the key in the start position it started, the engine shook and it cut off immediately.

My vehicle broke down on 12/23/2022, it seemed engine failure. It happened while I was arriving to my job in the evening. I parked my car on parking lot and did not move it.

October 30th 2022 I was driving with my 3&4 yr old son's after dropping my fiance off to fish. I had run to the store and on the way back to pick him up the car completely died without ANY waring at a Stop sign. Everything just shut down Completely!

I was driving the car at approximately 40 MPH. The engine light flashed on briefly. I immediately lost power and had no acceleration.

My Kia recently stopped and cut off on me and my engine started shaking and making a knocking noise I’m up to date with all my oil changes and I had just got one when I checked the oil it was barely any and I didn’t have any check engine light on I had my car towed to the Kia dealership to see what’s wrong I only had the car since 2019 February and it’s never gave me any problems til now the dealership claims they can’t help because the recall was from 2018 I didn’t have the car yet and I didn’t receive anything in the mail my engine is basically not good

When driving up hill the car went into limp mode on two separate occasions and the replace engine light began flashing immediately as I limped of the freeway barely saving my life, had my car towed where I am under warrantee and kia refuses to replace my engine which burns almost every drop of oil in under 5000 miles, 66,000 miles

Car stalls out after a red light stop or a stop sign. Does this on city streets after coming to a complete stop. This has happened about 8 different times.

Shifter Lock is engaged and would not shift from park unless I bypass the lock by pressing the release. It was a recall item, I had it replaced, but if failed a few days later. I called the dealership, I told them about the problem.

Our 2016 Kia Sorento had 96k miles on it, my 2.4 Liter, V4 GDI engine. I was driving it to my house on the streets, when the vehicle it completes died on me in the middle of the streets, it won't turn on, had it tow to my house. Made an appointment to take it to body shop on 2/12/2026, when it died while driving it to the auto shop, won't turn on, had it tow to auto shop.

Head gasket leaking, yes Causes engine to overheat. Radiator looses coolant and backs up into overflow. Makes heat and AC flow coolant fumes into vehicle.

Paint is bubbling and peeling off. Been to the dealership and they don’t seem to want to help. I have an extended warranty on the paint until 12/29/2025.

The had the same oil leakage recall fixed two times by a dealership which it is still leaking BAD! That was said to be an oil pressure switch. My trunk also will not open.

I want to report the incident occurred on July 30, 2024 when I turned on the ignition. I pressed the brake to shift the transmission to the drive/reverse mode from Park mode. The shift stick was stuck at one position Park and did not move.

Engine overheating, no warning lights. Changed thermostat, no change, new radiator- some improvement but still getting hot. Oil and coolant levels were fine.

While driving through a rain storm on 8/13/23 the paint on my vehicle started to peel off. I have since discovered that this is an issue with KIA, especially the Pearl White color. My vehicle looks like it has been vandalized.

Primary Emission test Performed:OBD - Fail OBD SYSTEM - READYNESS STATUS Fuel System not ready My 2016 Kia Sorento repeatedly fails for above cause. Kia dealer proposed driving the car varying speed (Highway, City etc.) Their first recommendation was to drive car for 100 miles and problem will clear. Then they recommended 300 miles, then 600 miles and they continued to escalate the mileage.

My vehicle is still leaking oil bad after paying over $700 to get the oil pressure switch and gasket replaced on March 1, 2023. I was promised a reimbursement of my funds spent to fix the issue and have not heard back for over a month nor have they addressed the issue with the vehicle still leaking badly.

Local neighborhood mechanic (s) after many checks determined head gasket blown and unable to repair. Requires complete NEW engine. Car has 120k.

The oil pressure switch is leaking and has leaked oil into the engine harness. The engine harness and PCM need to be replaced. I was told it’s not safe to drive.

My 2016 Sorento started using oil in between oil changes last summer. Per Kia dealership's instructions, I performed an "oil consumption test" which resulted in being told that it was using oil, but not enough to qualify for any type of repairs or assistance from Kia. I continued getting the oil changed on schedule and adding additional oil in between changes, checking the oil almost daily.

I purchased my 2016 KIA Sorento in October of 2018. Oil changes and everything has always been up to date along with regular maintenance. I never had any issues with it then in April 2022 I was driving to work and had complete engine failure with only 88k miles on it.

My kia started making knocking noise. NO warning light came on while driving car home check engine light came on and car just quit. Engine is seized up for no reason .checked recalls but says none. But there was a major recall on these engines but I just bought this car from dealer 3 years ago . And, when I give it gas it don't always accelerate..I can have gas pedal to floor and go nowhere then all the sudden it will finally lunge forward. I have almost been hit a few times in my car. There has to be something wrong

During a mpi, valve cover gasket was brought to my attention as needed. I was told that I had a very small leak. During scheduled service maintenance, service advisor requested spark plugs and fuel assembly part to be done to since getting gasket cover replaced. I was told that I could wait due to it being a minor leak and it wouldn't cause any problems yet after discussing concern of oil leak and an upcoming road trip that I'd rather be safe than sorry. Previously had knock sensor replaced(recall item). Since having the gasket cover, plugs, fuel assembly, and topping off oil, I have noticed a white smoke today( near oil dip stick and oil cap), oil consuption still burning fast (very light travel since repair) and louder idling noise. There has never been a low oil light coming on or any other lights since I've had the knock sensor(check engine light near the end of last year) recall part fixed. I don't want to be stranded nor lose an engine with only 123k plus miles. I'm afraid that this issue may be related to all the other kia engine complaints and cause more unseen damage. I do have pics on my phone and videos. My vehicle is still being paid on via a very high interest rate and is my only source of transportation. I also have my receipts for oil changes not documented under carfax....car fax is not correct with the vehicle maintenance information. The shop that did the repairs isn't the same shop that pointed out the valve gasket cover but the are part of the same car shop..different locations

Problems with parking lock, no release. Possible body control module.

I was driving on Route 78 (an interstate highway) when I heard a loud "POP" and suddenly my sunroof's glass was raining down on me. The front window of my sunroof totally shattered leaving a huge hole in the roof. Luckily, I did not lose control of the vehicle as I tried to figure out what happened to the sunroof. I recently had to have the car towed and I did not want to wait for another tow truck so I drove home with the huge hole in the roof. Upon my arrival home, my husband met me with the shop vac and he cleaned up the glass. His notes about the situation - there were no scratches or dents on any part of the car, there was no foreign object in the car that may have fallen through the roof, and he thought that the amount of glass he vacuumed out was not all of the glass missing from the roof. He believed that a lot of the glass must have burst out of the window and onto the highway. The next day when I drove home (in another car as mine was unable to be used for several days), I looked to see if I could see an unusual object on the side of the road that could have perfectly missed my windshield but hit my sunroof. There was nothing out of the ordinary on the road. FYI - The day's weather was fair, in the high 50-s to low 60-s. It was a cloudy but dry day. I posted my harrowing experience on Facebook, and a friend told me about the NHTSA.gov website. Upon searching, I found that several other 2016 Kia Sorentos had exploding sunroof issues. I reported the issue to my insurance company as I wanted to know how much my deductible was. Unfortunately, the cost is coming out of my pocket. I have since had the window fixed. I did not file a police report as I honestly believed that somehow something got kicked up off the road and onto my roof. I do not believe that to be the case anymore. I did call my local Kia dealer and he was shocked to hear what happened. He did not say he had any experiences like this.

my vehicle is exhibiting symptoms of a defective gas pedal as described in kia recall SC115 for the 2016 kia sorento. however my vehicle is not part of the recall group. i took my car to the dealer to request this recall (SC115) be done on my vehicle but they would not make an exception. my vehicle is unsafe to drive because the accelerator pedal will randomly stop working causing the vehicle to go into "forced idle" mode for several minutes while driving on the road. this is dangerous because the car just idles and will not accelerate. kia dealer has inspected the vehicle but will not assist me with this recall issue.

Paint chipping in large areas occurring rapidly over the course of 6-7 months with no external damage or accidents to cause this.

When I am driving at night the dashboard, media system/radio, and headlight go out randomly. It is really scary at night because I cannot see where I am driving. My kids are in the car with me and this has been happening for the past 3 years.

I have always had my car serviced regularly for oil changes. starting in July 2021 my mechanic told me that I was EXTREMELY “dangerously” low in oil, without low oil warning ever turning on. Researched and saw this is a common problem leading to engine failure/ needing replacement.

The Pearl White paint is chipping off the hood. It looks horrible and needs to be fixed ASAP! The sunroof, back latch and BSD have all been “fixed” by Master Mechanics but they are still not working correctly.

I parked the car to wait for my daughter and after she got in the car I couldn't shift out of park.

Engine started “knocking” while driving. Checked the oil, there was no oil, added oil, and car wouldn’t start back up. Engine smelled like something was burning (electrical burning smell) now I’ve been informed my engine will need to be replaced

For about a week my car had a terrible smell of fumes, nor air or heat. It then started over heating. I parked it and had it towed go the dealer. It was still under warranty and we were told it was a head gasket issue. Then they tried moving the car and the entire engine blew. The dealer has already had my car a month and told me they have no received a new engine and don't know when they will. After looking into I see many cases where 2016 kia Sorentos are over heating catching fire and blowing up

The driver's side rear exterior door handle fell off in my hand. In the event of an emergency, this prevents me from accessing the backseat without going to the opposite side of the vehicle. Upon a google search, there are countless others who have experienced this same issue. I have contacted my local Kia dealership to have this replaced, pending the part is in stock.

THE PAINT NEAR THE TOP OF MY WINDSHIELD IS PEELING OFF.

Problem occurred around 115000 miles. The problem surfaced as the heater failing to provide heat. Initial diagnosis from repair shop was a cylinder head gasket leak.

MY AC/HEATER FAN IS NO LONGER BLOWING OUT AIR. IN ADDITION, WHILE BRAKING, THE BRAKES HAVE ALWAYS SEEMED TO HAVE NOT BEEN PERFORMING AS IT SHOULD.

DRIVER DOOR WILL NOT UNLOCK OR OPEN FROM THE OUTSIDE. YOU CAN ONLY O PO ON THE DOOR FROM THE INSIDE THEN WHEN HITTING THE LOCK OR UNLOCK ON KEY FOB YOU HEAR A CLICK, CLICK, CLICK NOISE.

S10 direct reply - a letter from a constituent who sent in a complaint regarding enterprise rental. Not congressional. *ld the consumer stated the vehicle jolted into a ditch.

Panoramic sunroof malfunctioned a third time. The first two times they stated it was fixed but this third time they decided to say my car was somehow vandalized causing the sunroof not to function properly. So that means they won't fix it anymore.

When driving check engine light comes on an my vehicle will just stop or go into an idle mode. Then my vehicle will not accelerate. We were on a 65 mile an hour hwy and my family could have been killed it was very scary.

Rough idle/ piston slap on start up. Dealer stated drive till it fails now the car will randomly stop(has happened 3 times at random it seems) everything off while driving on highways or city streets, doesn't matter.

2016 Kia Sorrento Ex paint is coming off in panels and different areas of car. I called KIa and they cant do anything about it

The shifter is not working have to use shift lock release

I have a pearl white painted Kia (2016) and the paint has severely flaked off where no damage has caused this. I believe the paint is defective, exposing the car to rust.

My 2016 Kia Sorento has a paint peeling on the hood and roof. I have reached out to Corporate but they will not help due to expired warranty. Learned on FB group chat that the paint is defective also the same color paint white pearl.

Car paint peeling

Headlights turn off by themselves at night

white paint chipping fast

The Snow White Pearl paint is coming off of the vehicle due to issue of the paint is not adhering to the sealant coat on the car. This is causing big chunks of paint being removed when it rains heavily. KIA knows about this issue, when I talked to a manager at their body shop he informed me that this is a ongoing issue with this paint color.

the Paint is starting to peel at top of windshield. I have the Snow White Pearl paint (SWP). At first it seemed like a simple spot (from small pebble) then continued to peel as if it were not properly painted at all.

The gear post has been stuck in park for at least 3 days. I have to keep using the screwdriver method jut to get it in reverse. Everytime I make a stop and get back in the car have to use the screwdriver.

The paint is coming off in chunks. We have a white 2016 kia sorento. We noticed a few areas shortly after bought it but now bigger pieces are missing.

Paint peeling and bubbling. Started at 45,000 miles and is now very bad on good, above windshield this makes my car look terrible I see many other pearl white ones with this issue. Kia stated paint is not in warranty.

The shift suddenly locked when put in park...need to use the shift lock release to unlock it.

White Pearl paint peeling significantly

The headliner in the truck does not roll back properly and just out the blue falls down when I open the sun roof.

I was driving, pulled over to the side of the street, put the car on park. When I was getting ready to leave, my car would not shift back from park to drive. Shift linkage was detached and was stuck in park.

My kia Sorento 2016 uses excessive amount of oil resulting in engine failure. At the moment my car need an engine replacement. I took my car to get a diagnostic at the auto shop, I was informed that my car engine was dying.

My Kia Sorento 2016 use alot of oil, resulting in my car needing a new engine. The contact stated to cancel the complaint because the wrong vehicle was entered.

Power Latch Assy. The rear hatch does not open Problem was reproduced at Tameron Kia, 10611 Boney Avenue, D'Iberville, MS. 39540 (228)679-5200 Problem was diagnosed as internal open/short making rear power tail gate inoperable.

Car will not shift out of Park

2016 kia sorento. Consumer writes in regard to paint peeling on vehicle.

I have a 2016 Kia Sorento with Pearl White Paint. My paint started chipping/pilling off. I would really call it pilling because it comes off while going down the road.

Gear shift unable to put into drive, and unable to reset. I have to use a screwdriver to maneuver gear shift

My car is facing a huge amount of oil consumption in a short time period of a month after change the oil. I have an appointment this morning and see what they can do.

Desconocido

I noticed a little spot on the hood of my car. It has since continued to peel. It was not hit by anything.

Paint Peeling, Chipping, and Delamination from faulty paint job using Pearl white paint. Car in danger of body rusting and continued severe peeling. My car has low mileage and I live in Northern Virginia.

2021 on my passenger side paint literally peeled off. I’ve had a small small chip on my roof and this was few years back. Though was just a chip.

Paint chipping in multiple spots

My 2016 pearl white Kia Sorento started to chip and peel. It started on the front edge of hood (both sides) and now is starting to peel on the roof line at windshield.

Paint is chipping off in large chunks on various places on my vehicle. I did see another Kia Sorento (white and same year) that had the same issue happening on their vehicle. There is clearly an issue with the white paint from that year.

White pearl paint finish is flaking off on hood and along roof line at windshield. No impact or abrasion caused this. From reading other complaints this appears to be from incompatible primer used at factory

My car has the Pearl White paint, it started peeling in 2021 and now is increasing. It mostly on the hood of the car.

Car does not want to go when push gas pedal. It jumps around and the engine light is on

Rear hatch locked and would not open from outside of vehicle. Released hatch with emergency release from inside of car per manual page 4-27. Hatch could then be manually opened and traveled up and down full range on automated open from exterior switch, key and driver's switch.

Excessive heat has caused the trunk latch to fail. It suddenly stopped latching, which creates an obvious safety issue as the car cannot be driven safely with a trunk that flops open every time you accelerate.

Paint is rapidly peeling

My 2016 Kia Sorento is pearl white and the paint is chipping. All over the engine hood and roof of my car. Paint bubbles, cracks and peels off.

Paint of my 2016 is chipping off

I opened the left rear door and the handle came off. I opened the right rear door and the handle came off also. The vehicle was parked in my driveway.

The drivers door will not open from the outside. When inside vechile I can push the unlock button on my door and key fob but the lock will not unlock. The button for the drivers window button isn't working properly either the driver window button stays slightly up like it's out if place this happened the same moment that the drivers door wouldn't unlock.

I was driving on the interstate home from work and heard a popping sound and then a sudden explosion coming from the top of my car. When I stopped and checked the roof I found that my moonroof had a huge hole in it and the glass was shattered in the first panel.

My VIN cannot be found when using hte NHTSA recall form.

Complete engine failure a lot of smoke

When the ignition is started with the car in park, the vehicle vibrates really hard as if it wants to cut off. This has occurred with 3/4 tank of gas and 1/4 tank of gas. With the vehicle vibrating, the car is placed in "d" drive and the foot is applied to the accelerator for acceleration but the vehicle does not move.

The vehicle while traveling at various speeds will violently and suddenly try to momentarily move either left or right from its normal straight ahead forward moving position. The movement is much like when a car experiences a very strong gust of wind from the side when traveling at higher speeds, except in these cases there is no outside forces involved.

With keyless entry/on/off when engine turned off car rolls away as there is no interlock assuring me that trans was put into park properly.