2016 Kia Sorento
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 1,251 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 2nd highest complaint count among 23 Sorento model years with reports.
Of the 2016 reports, 29 involved a crash and 49 involved a fire. 19 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Trailer hitchesPark outsideSep 19, 2022
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2016-2022 Sorento, 2021-2022 Sorento Hybrid (HEV), 2022-2023 Sorento Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV), and 2017-2022 Sportage vehicles equipped with a tow hitch harness installed as original equipment, or purchased as an accessory through a Kia dealership. Debris and moisture accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (PCB) may cause an electrical short, which can result in a fire.
A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will inspect the vehicle, and, as necessary, replace the fuse and/or tow hitch harness module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 11, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC249.
Campaign 22V703000 on NHTSA.gov
Power train, automatic transmission, lever and linkage, column shiftAug 10, 2022
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2016 Sedona and Sorento vehicles. The vehicles may have been manufactured with faulty automatic transmission shift lever assembly components, preventing the shift lever from locking, which can allow the vehicle to rollaway.
A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of a crash and injury.
Dealers will inspect and replace the automatic transmission shift lever assembly components, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 7, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC246.
Campaign 22V612000 on NHTSA.gov
Fuel system, gasoline, delivery, hoses, lines/piping, and fittingsDec 19, 2018
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2011-2017 Optima, 2012-2017 Sorento and 2011-2018 Sportage vehicles that previously received an engine replacement under recall number 17V-224, warranty, or the Knock Sensor Detection System (KSDS) Product Improvement Campaign. The high pressure fuel pipe that connects to the fuel pump outlet may have been damaged, misaligned or improperly torqued during the engine replacement procedure, possibly causing a fuel leak.
A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.
Kia has notified owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the fuel pipe, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 17, 2019. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC172.
Campaign 18V907000 on NHTSA.gov
Trailer hitchesNov 30, 2016
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Sorento vehicles manufactured October 27, 2014, to August 25, 2016, and 2017 Sportage vehicles manufactured December 10, 2015, to August 26, 2016. The affected vehicles are equipped with an accessory trailer hitch wiring harness that, due to a malfunction of the tow hitch module, may result in the trailer brake lights being constantly illuminated. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, " Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
If the trailer brake lights stay illuminated while being used, other drivers may be confused, increasing the risk of a crash.
Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the trailer tow hitch harness, free of charge. The recall began January 18, 2017. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC142.
Campaign 16V862000 on NHTSA.gov
SeatsOct 24, 2016
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2016 Kia Sorento vehicles manufactured March 3, 2016 to March 21, 2016. The driver's seatback frame may have been produced with inadequate weld joints and, as a result, the seatback may not function as designed in the event of a rear-end collision.
In the event of a crash, the driver seatback frame could break and fail to restrain a seat occupant, increasing the risk of injury.
Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the welds and replace the driver seatback frame, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on December 9, 2016. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC140.
Campaign 16V770000 on NHTSA.gov
Suspension, rearJun 29, 2016
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2016 Sorento vehicles. A component of the rear suspension may not be properly welded.
The improper weld may break, affecting the rear suspension alignment, thereby increasing the risk of a crash.
Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the welds at the rear suspension cross-member, replacing the rear cross-member assembly, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began July 27, 2016. Owners may contact Kia Customer Service Department at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC137.
Campaign 16V480000 on NHTSA.gov
Seat belts, front, buckle assemblyJul 14, 2015
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2016 Kia Sorento vehicles manufactured October 23, 2014, to December 10, 2014. The affected vehicles have a front passenger seat belt whose buckle latch assembly may prevent the front passenger from fastening the seat belt.
If the front passenger seat belt cannot be latched, an occupant sitting in the front passenger seat has an increased risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger seat belt buckle cover, free of charge. The recall began on August 18, 2015. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC123.
Campaign 15V446000 on NHTSA.gov
Vehicle speed control, accelerator pedalFeb 13, 2015
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2016 Sorento vehicles manufactured October 27, 2014, to January 29, 2015. Due to an improperly soldered component in the accelerator pedal assembly, the driver may not be able to accelerate the vehicle.
If the vehicle is unable to be accelerated, there is an increased risk of a crash.
Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the accelerator assembly, free of charge. The recall began on February 19, 2015. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC115.
Campaign 15V089000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: engine
718 reports, newest first. Show all
Engine, Dec 24, 2021, fire
We drive, a lot. Across state. On highways. Our car engine caught fire and everything shut off. Prior to that. I kept hearing a knocking noise, it was hard to accelerate. Jerky to brake. I was advised by Kia we were in that awful theta 2 claim, but now they won’t reimburse us for this mess. Don’t they have a responsibility after putting my entire family in danger?
Engine, Dec 19, 2021
On December 18, 2021, my 2016 Kia Sorento with approximately 20,100 miles, 2.4L Gasoline Direct Injection ("GDI") engine suddenly lost power on an eight lane Washington, DC area highway. The Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) began to blink continuously. The first opportunity for an exit navigating through the construction zone, with the vehicle rapidly failing, was taken and the dealer, Ourisman Chantilly of Virginia, was contacted immediately. This confirms that the Kia Motors America, Inc. Product Improvement Campaign for the Electronic Control Unit (ECU) Knock Sensor Detection System (KSDS) was installed on January 12, 2019, with a mileage reading of 13,726 in the Commonwealth of Virginia at Ourisman Chantilly of Virginia. The NHTSA Recall ID: 18V907000 for the high-pressure fuel pump leakage, Kia recall number SC172, includes 2012-2017 Sorentos. This could be a major fire hazard and pose a serious threat for injury or death. This vehicle has no safety recalls with the NHTSA; the list of affected Sorento 2016 VINS excludes my vehicle. This dangerous defect of engine failure in a well-maintained, low mileage vehicle sold to me as a five-star safety rated "Pre-Delivery Inspection" (PDI) certified with no mechanical issues and examined as safe, may have had the apparent defects from the purchase date with the mileage delivery of nine (9).
Engine, Dec 19, 2021
I own a 2016 Kia Sorento with the 2.4L that is supposed to have a lifetime warranty on the engine due to the class action law suit apparently Kia which refuses to honor. I was driving on the interstate one day when my car started to go into limp mode and started to knock really bad my car eventually shut off completely and wouldn’t crank again after that I had it towed to Kia and they informed me that I needed a new engine and that Kia will not cover it for the fact that the car never received a knock sensor update( which I never record a notice in the mail for either by the way ) so now I have a car that isn’t drivable and I have to keep making payments on Kia should be required to honor the lawsuit and recall these vehicles due to this being a safety issue because the car gives you no warning what so ever and seems like more and more of these vehicles are having the same issue this is just ridiculous and I will never buy another Kia again after this
Power train, Electrical system, Engine, Dec 16, 2021
I was driving my vehicle up a hill. I accelerator a little. The car picked up speed then my oil light flickered and then stayed steady, along with the battery indicator. At this point my engine shut down and the car began to slow down. I came up on a side street that I turned into, because at this point the car was slowing down and loosing power and the breaks were not functioning, I would have either stalled and rolled backwards, or myself and my child would have been rear-ended. All the lights still work and everything come on, so I know its not the battery. My oil light flickered a little when I went around a turn a few times prior to this day, but never steady. No other indicator lights came on. The car is at my mechanics, who advises me the engine has seized and the vehicle has no oil. My last oil change was 3.5 months ago and according to the counter I'm only 99 miles over, which should not have caused this. Even though I was told I had up to 4,000 miles before I needed an oil change again. All of my fluids were checked at this appointment and this is the first major issue with my vehicle.
Electrical system, Engine, Dec 16, 2021
There are two major issues with my 2016 Kia Sorento LX (that I’ve just bought less than a year ago). 1- There seems to be some sort of electrical problem going on as my radio and headlights randomly go off when driving. While driving at 70 mph on the interstate AT NIGHT, my headlights when off and I couldn’t see anything! Thankfully I was able to get them back on because I had my children in the car with me. This could have caused us to drive right off the road or worse, hit/be hit by another vehicle. Unfortunately, I have not had a chance to get this looked at due to a bigger issue at hand. Which brings me to… 2- The most expensive and frustrating issue. The engine has seized up, which has been confirmed by a local service center. I have kept up the maintenance on my vehicle since I got it at the beginning of this year. Regular oil changes with full synthetic oil. While driving, again on the interstate, RPM jumped over 4 then down to 0, oil and battery lights came on, and vehicle was disabled. Waited 3 weeks to have it looked at to find that I’m just out of luck. Vehicle is not covered under warranty and there seem to be no open recalls, which I don’t understand given this is a painfully common issue with these models. So I either get to foot the $7,000+ bill for a new engine (which I can’t afford) or continue paying for a vehicle that I can’t even drive. To say that I am dissatisfied with my KIA would be a GREAT understatement.
Engine and engine cooling, Engine, Dec 15, 2021
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while reversing out of the garage, she noticed there was a puddle of oil on the ground. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed with an engine oil pressure switch leak. The oil pressure switch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The manufacturer informed the contact that they would contact her back in 3 - 5 days. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Action Number: DP21002 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling). The failure mileage was approximately 78,000.
Engine, Dec 12, 2021
The engine is burning oil per the dealership. This is a known problem with the vehicle, but the dealership claims it is not covered by warranty, nor has a recall been issued. I have to constantly add oil every 500-1000 miles. Other Kia engines have been recalled for this exact issue.
Electrical system, Vehicle speed control, Engine, Dec 7, 2021
While my Kia Sorento had a chattering noise. When leaving home for an appointment l took the interstate and the chatter sound got louder about 10 minutes into driving. As I increased acceleration, the check engine light began to flash quickly and immediately The SUV started losing power and the engine stalled coasting long enough for me to pull to side of road. I tried to re-start the engine but it would not turn over to start. Twice in the past my husband took the SUV to Kia of Dayton Because car was losing oil with no warning light indicating it was low on oil. The mechanic explained there was a problem, he said that it had to be proven after a couple of oil changes and same problem occurred, which it has repeated twice. They said then they had to contact Kia for further instructions on how to proceed. The danger that affected my 91 year old Dad and myself is that we were stranded on a busy highway with no heat on a cold winter day. I had to find transportation to get my Dad home, because he takes blood thinner which causes him to get cold very easily.
Engine, Dec 3, 2021
have a 2016 kia Sorento, 4 cylinder, 2.4 L engine with 74.5k miles. The ecu upgrade was performed in 2019. This month while driving, the engine lost power and the car would shudder. The oil dipstick showed no oil and the oil light and check engine lights were illuminated. The car was towed to the local dealership. The dealership mechanic found that cylinder #2 had only 30psi of pressure and 90% leakage and a possible burnt exhaust valve. Error code P030200 was also present. Their recommendation was to replace the engine. HOWEVER, they say these repairs are NOT covered by my extended warranty OR the lifetime warranty coverage resulting from the Kia Theta II class action lawsuit. I feel this engine failure is covered by the Kia engine class action lawsuit and the dealership and warranty company are not honoring the class action settlement.
Engine, Dec 3, 2021
Oil burns fast into catalytic converter. Dealer and corporation know of problem bit won't recall. Many people are complaining about the same thing. It's a safety fire Hazzard
Engine, Dec 2, 2021
My wife was driving to work when the engine lost power and started making a rattling noise. I took the vehicle to my trusted mechanic who informed me that the engine needs to be replaced due to excessive oil consumption. Not once did I receive any type of oil warning light on my dash informing me of an oil issue. My vehicle has almost 1,000 miles left before the next scheduled oil change. My engine is destroyed and it is going to cost 4,500 dollars to replace with a [XXX] engine from a SALVAGE YARD. But I have no other option because I cannot afford anything more. In December, three weeks before Christmas. This is unreal that this vehicle consumes that much oil. My car has 57,000 miles on it. It's basically new. Now I have to depreciate its value and probably reliability with an engine from a totaled car. Despicable. There NEEDS to be a recall on this and reimbursement to those who had to buy a new engine. Safety concerns: My wife drives my children to school every day in that car. Luckily it failed when they weren't inside. My wife had to drive the car miles home at an unsafe slow speed causing a road hazard. Components have not been inspected by the manufacturer yet but will be sent to Kia by my mechanic. NO WARNING LAMPS UNTIL MY ENGINE WAS TAKING ITS LAST BREATH ON THE WAY TO THE MECHANIC. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Engine, Dec 1, 2021
The 2016 Kia Sorrento we drove for 6 months, odometer reading under 82 000 mi had complete engine failure with no warning. It started to rattle when shifting to a new gear and completely broke down on the way to the dealership the next day. The Kia Dealer has confirmed the engine failed. We had no warning of engine issues.
Vehicle speed control, Engine, Nov 26, 2021
My children and I were on the freeway, and when I pushed the accelerator, nothing happened. No rpm increase, no engine change…nothing. I have had my car looked at and diagnosed, and nothing alerts to being wrong. The screen said Engine Control System, the engine light came on, and I had to pull all the way over across 4 lanes of traffic on the freeway, without being able to accelerate. I pulled over, put the car in park, and waited about 10 minutes. I turned the car back on and everything was fine. I do not understand. This is a safety hazard!
Engine, Nov 26, 2021
My vehicle without any warning whatsoever, completely shut down while driving in interstate traffic. This was a very dangerous thing to happen while driving on a busy interstate. I was able to get to the side of the road but the vehicle would not start. I had my vehicle towed to my mechanics shop where he determined that the motor had failed due to cylinder/piston damage. I was denied coverage by KIA so my only choice was to pay my mechanic to replace the motor with a remanufactured motor at a cost of $9000.
Engine, Nov 17, 2021
I just bought my car in March of this year. It started overheating so I brought it to the mechanic where I was quoted $9,000 for a new motor. I still owe $17,000 on it. Was completely disrespected at the dealership by the service department. So now I’m stuck with a car that doesn’t drive and a huge loan I have to pay out. I was told that the oil level in my car was extremely low. I just recently had it changed and wasn’t due for over a month for another. No light sensor or anything went off.
Engine, Nov 12, 2021
I was driving 85 MPH on the interstate and my engine lights started flashing (no engine light or oil light prior to this) and started slowing down. I got to the shoulder of the interstate and my car was making a terrible knocking noise. I have owned this car for 3 months. There is a little over 87K on my car. I had the car towed to the nearest Kia dealership where I was told my engine was totaled. After paying 140.00 for a diagnostics report and being without a car for a whole month (keep in mind this is just for the report). I was quoted a total of 6,800 for them to fix my car. After further research I have found other people with the same issues with the engine. My engine is a 3.3L V6. In the previous lawsuit for Kia it only covers 2.4L engines where my engine is having the SAME issues. I should not have to pay for a new engine when this is a big issue with other consumers with the same car and engine type. Now im stuck paying on a car I CANT DRIVE until the 6800 is paid. I owe to much on my car for me to pay it off in full. This put me as well as everyone else on the interstate at risk and would have also put my children at risk if they were in the car. I am beyond irritated. As well as a given a whistleblower just coming out to state that these engines are not safe and kia and hyundai's neglect in keep their consumers safe. SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE!
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Nov 10, 2021
I just purchased my Kia Sorento in March of 2021. It doesn’t notify you when oil is LOW or OUT. Even with proper oil changes. Also the engine randomly started to overheat regardless that it’s barley got 107 miles on it. Of course there’s several recalls for this particular vehicle for the same issues but not for mine specifically. Insurance won’t cover wear and tear so now my cars in the shop for who knows how long with an extremely high bill expected.
Engine, Nov 9, 2021
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the contact was notified about a knocking in the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 103,000.
Electrical system, Engine, Nov 8, 2021
Engine failed while driving. No warning lights. Have to purchase a new used engine. Fan blower resister: only blows at high or not at all. Has been fixed once and is now an issue again.
Engine, Nov 7, 2021
Car failed while driving and now has a rod know and low oil
Engine, Nov 5, 2021
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and an independent mechanic on separate occasions. The dealer and an independent mechanic diagnosed the vehicle with engine failure. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 128,459.
Engine, Oct 24, 2021
On Saturday 10/23/2021, I picked up my car at Kia Ron Bouchard Lancaster MA. They explained to me that warranty coverage is only extended if the problem was presented in PI1802. That wasn't my problem. I contacted another Dan O'Brien Kia dealership in Norwood MA, and found that one of the problems that might have caused my car to malfunction was a safe recall that was not made and therefore I lost my warranty. But I went to Kia several times and they always said they didn't have the parts to recall. In the document it says that my car would have the rod bearing warranty if it were failing. Asking another dealership he explained to me if when I presented the oil consumption problem on 07/23/2021 the part could already have problems. What are the symptoms of a bad rod bearing: Low Oil Pressure - Many times when a bearing is beginning to fail (or has failed), you will noticed signs of decreased oil pressure. This is usually more evident upon first starting the vehicle. In many cases, a bad rod bearing will lead to a "check engine oil" light being displayed on the dash. (Problems that were happening in my car when I was at Kia on 07/23/2021). Another explanation that the dealership gave me is that my car was showing excessive oil consumption and burning of oil and a problem that may have been caused by the defect of the part of the safe recall (E-CVVT COVER AND MOTOR PLUG REPLACEMENT) that was not made, which as a result occurred the Misfire and the cylinder lost compression. E-CVVT Cover defect could cause Late valve timing will keep the intake valve closed too long after the intake stroke has started, and will increase the vacuum in the cylinder. The high vacuum will have a tendency to suck oil up past the piston and rings into the upper part of the cylinder where it will be burned.
Engine, Oct 23, 2021
Basically my car stalled on me while driving on the feeder of the freeway. I had all three of my children inside the car so luckily nothing bad happened when my car died. I had to tow my car to a mechanic who later informed me that my engine had pieces of metal inside it. He then explained that the dealership should replace our engine since there has been recalls for this same issue on Kia Sorento. At this point, I called the dealership and they refused to replace our engine and stated that I should of done a previous recall (an upgrade). I advised them that I never received any information in regards to a previous recall and I actually had went online a few months ago and checked for any recalls. My Mom had ran across a website and we all checked all of our vehicles for recalls. My Kia Sorento had no recalls. What is my next step to get the Kia Dealership to fix my vehicle? Ive already called the main number to Kia and they were no help either. Thank you for your help!!!
Engine, Oct 19, 2021
After accelerating from a stop, the engine started making a loud clunking noise and was losing power. The vehicle was towed to a certified Kia dealership where it was determined to be a rod bearing failure in the engine. The engine needs to be replaced and is not covered under any warranties due to a sensor not being updated. I was never notified of any recalls which the sensor update was. I have owned this vehicle for two years and was never notified of any recalls.
Engine, Oct 19, 2021
My car had no warning light on the vehicle. However while my husband was driving 80 MPH on the engine started making a loud noise and stalled on the interstate. After research and taking it in for a diagnosis test its came back that the engine is rapidly burning oil and did not notify us when we were low on oil. Since then I have researched and found a TON of other 2016 kia Sorento having the SAME EXACT ISSUE! However there is no recall for this! This is not only EXTREMTLY unsafe but also extremely expensive to fix for something that is not our fault but rather the manufacture. My husband knows how to react in situations like that but if it was me it would have not only put me in danger but also my children and any other drivers that were near me. This needs to be recalled especially due to the abundant amount of people with the same year and make of vehicle having the same exact problem. Do something to protect us as this is absolutely ridiculous that this big of an issue is not under recall. I am now coming out of pocket to fix this issue which is alot of money.