2017 Kia Sorento
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 804 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 6th highest complaint count among 23 Sorento model years with reports.
Of the 2017 reports, 13 involved a crash and 32 involved a fire. 17 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
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
Engine and engine cooling, engineSep 21, 2017
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2017 Sorento vehicles equipped with 3.3L engines. The engine crankshaft may have been improperly heat treated and may fail.
If the crankshaft fails, the engine will stall, increasing the risk of a crash. A failed crankshaft also increases the risk of a fire.
Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the crankshaft, and, as necessary, replace the engine sub assembly, free of charge. The recall began November 6, 2017. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC153.
Campaign 17V586000 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
Representative owner complaints
804 reports, newest first.
Exterior lighting, Engine, Oct 22, 2022
2017 Kia Sorrento burns excessive amounts of oil between oil changes, more than 4 quarts. Eyebrow and rear parking lights come on their own, even after the car has been off for several hours without touching Kia or keys.
Engine, Oct 20, 2022
"Oil pressure light" appears while starting and driving vehicle, oil maintains in vehicle no drop in oil level. KIA dealership is aware of issue and has not informed consumers before purchase that a flush of the engine, is a "potential" fix for issue, KIA dealership is unsure that issue will be resolved, on low mileage vehicle.
Engine, Oct 20, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact was able to pull over on the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed by an authorized dealer. The failure mileage was 102,000.
Exterior lighting, Oct 18, 2022
When the headlights are on "auto", they shut off at night while I'm driving. This has happened when I have been traveling out of state on dark highways and it is very dangerous. It is available to be inspected. I have not taken it in to get checked. I have not been able to use the "auto" feature because I do not want to take that kind of risk.
Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Oct 18, 2022
While I was driving on the interstate my head lights and dashboard lights went out. My lights were in auto mode. The next morning my park lights were on with the light switch in auto mode.
Engine, Oct 18, 2022
The car started leaking oil. Took the car in for inspection at local Kia dealership. The component that failed was the "oil pressure switch". This leak put my engine at risk of not working and fire. There was no warning lamp, engine oil was low. There is a NHTSA notice for this same issue sent out for Kia Sorento 3.3L GDI engines.
Power train, Oct 13, 2022
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.
Exterior lighting, Oct 13, 2022
The auto lights turn off randomly during night operation
Structure, Oct 11, 2022
Paint delamination on hood.
Exterior lighting, Oct 6, 2022
While driving at night down an unlit roadway, the headlights turned off. I was the passenger and my wife the driver. She touched the light control arm and they came back on. She said this has happened about 5 times, all at night. It takes about 3-5 seconds to get the lights to come back on. We were on a back country road driving about 55 mph which means we drove anywhere from 240 feet to 400 feet down the highway in the dark. This is a safety concern. I have also discovered some of the vehicle's lights come on at random while parked in the garage. I have also discovered the battery dead on 3 occasions. I assume these issues are related.
Exterior lighting, Oct 6, 2022
On 3 different occasions, my headlights have gone out during driving at night. My switch is always set to auto. I have noticed at times during the day they will shut off as well. Shutting off during night driving is very dangerous as i'm not always in areas that are lighted. On a few occasions my eyebrows and tail lights have randomly come on when my car is off during the night. These issues are happening without warning.
Engine, Oct 3, 2022
We were driving on a highway that was currently under construction. I had called my mechanic to get the vehicle in to get it plugged in to see why the service engine light came on that morning. While driving it, the vehicle stalled out on the now one lane highway. Stalled to the point of not being able to move or restart. There was no other sounds, smoke, anything! It. Just. Stopped. The semi behind us took out three construction barrels when he swerved to miss hitting the back of the vehicle! After seeing our lives flash before our eyes, we had to have some of the construction workers help us push it out of the way of any other traffic. It was towed to our mechanic who told us that there were metal shavings in oil and that intake and exhaust cams are two degrees off. They would not repair this type of engine issue, so we had it towed to our local Kia dealer/service center. There they have diagnosed the vehicle having catastrophic engine failure. Not covered under warrantee and we are required to pay for new engine.
Engine, Oct 3, 2022
2017 kia Sorento has been burning oil like crazy. It is going through at least 3 quarts of oil every week to 2 weeks. The oil light does not come on to say it is low on oil, I have to continually check oil level manually to see if I need to add oil. Check engine light comes on and goes back out constantly. Biggest problem is there is no indication that the oil is getting low.
Engine, Sep 27, 2022
I have to refill my oil with 5 quarts every 2k miles like clockwork between periodic oil changes. Oil light comes on taking left turns and slowing down to a stop. Dealership said nothing about the issues associated with this car.
Exterior lighting, Sep 26, 2022
Headlights were in auto mode and twice have shut off when it was completely dark at around 0600 on 9/22 and 9/26. Dashboard and all exterior lights went out. I had turn them to the on position for see. In both cases the vehicle was stopped at a stop sign and it happen just as was pulling out.
Engine, Sep 26, 2022
My engine is consume too much oil. On 2 occasions when taking car for oil change I was told no oil in my engine. I had to put 3 quarts of oil in between oil change around 900 miles. My engine light flickers on and off but last time no warning given. I am concerned that this may cause engine fire. Noticed the issue at approx 98000 miles. I drive on highway for 45 mins to go to work and afraid I will consume all the oil in my engine and cause an accident or cause a fire. I go through a tunnel and it cause a lot of anxiety knowing my car is consuming too much oil. I called Kia dealership and they told me I have to wait till November for car to get service. I am trying to avoid the run around since I am at 103000 miles since warranty ended at 100000. I purchased car brand new. Thank you
Exterior lighting, Sep 22, 2022
The headlights spontaneously shut off while driving at night. This has happened multiple times since we have owned the car. Mostly happens when lights are in AUTO mode. Also the headlights will turn on while parked and shut off.
Engine, Sep 21, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, his wife noticed an abnormal sound coming from the engine. Additionally, his wife also noticed that the vehicle was not accelerating as needed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the high-pressure fuel pump follower was replaced; however, immediately there was a knocking sound coming from the vehicle. The mechanic diagnosed the vehicle and stated that the knocking noise was coming from the engine and might be the rod bearing. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were contacted and stated that the vehicle was out of warranty and that the VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was 70,000.
Electrical system, Sep 21, 2022
There is an electrical problem with the Kia Sorento. I had the battery and Alternator replaced when the vehicle shut down and locked up on me. This is the second time in a few months it just shut down while I was driving.
Engine, Sep 20, 2022
Vehicle has 64000 miles, I was driving at 70 mph on highway with no warning the engine cut out lost power, engine light was now on. Had it towed to Kia dealership was told engine failure is a problem with this vehicle as well as excessive burning oil and I had to pay $500 to have engine cleansed, told it would not fix the problem but engine cleanse was the recommended step. Told to drive car for 1000 miles bring it back to have oil checked then I am to drive it, not to check the oil or add oil and drive it until the engine goes out again then have it towed back to the dealership. Didn’t even make it to 1000 miles check engine light came on, now being told it is the intake manifold that needs replaced not covered under warranty and this will cost me $1000 and still refuse to replace the problematic engine. Asked technician if the lower engine issues could cause damage to other parts of my engine not covered by lifetime warranty for lower engine to which I was told he didn’t think so but couldn’t say for sure. Contacted Kia customer center received an apathetic response to my concerns and merely offered to mail me a hard copy of the details of the warranty told not sure why the technician told me not to check or add oil as that would be owner negligence and engine would then not be covered by lifetime warranty. Kia is consciously putting my family at risk by refusing to resolve the clear problem with this engine. Their actions are negligent. They willingly took my money for a vehicle that they know he problems but refuse to remedy the issues.
Exterior lighting, Sep 19, 2022
While headlight switch is in Auto mode, it will frequently turn off the headlights at night while indicating that I changed the headlight mode even though I haven't touched it. This happens on dark rural roads with no other vehicles around so oncoming headlights isn't the issue. This happens multiple times a week and I am forced to quickly turn the headlights manually to the "always on" position before I crash into something. I am quick, but it is dangerous and scares my wife to death. Searching online forums shows this to be an extremely common problem. This happens all of the time so there is not one specific date to select. It has been happening multiple times a week for about a year now. Kia pretends they haven't heard of this issue before but any simple search online will show they are lying.
Exterior lighting, Sep 18, 2022
My 2017 Kia Sorento, While driving (at night) the head lights will shut off in auto mode. turn the switch off and back on lights come ON, SAFETY TO ME AND OTHERS WHEN YOUR HEAD LIGHTS GO OUT ON A DARK ROAD
Power train, Sep 18, 2022
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.
Engine, Sep 15, 2022
Engine was burning oil very quickly. We were filling it with oil between oil changes which we always got on schedule. With any problems or warning from check engine light it shut down in the middle of the highway. Our mechanic checked it and said the engine it locked. I’ve only had it for 10 months and it only has 106k miles.
Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Sep 14, 2022
While in Auto Lights mode, the headlights will randomly turn off while driving. Also, while in auto mode, while the car is parked the lights will randomly turn on- causing the battery to die within a few days of the car not being used. It appears to be the Auto lights mode that causes the problem. This is extremely dangerous to this car and other cars on the road, for obvious reasons. Issue has been noted to Kia dealer 2-3 times over the last 2 years. They are not able to replicate the issue. No errors in the computer.