2016 KIA SORENTO

1568 complaints filed with NHTSA.

1568
Complaints
41
Crashes
71
Fires
31
Injuries
0
Deaths

NHTSA Safety Rating

5/5
Overall
5/5
Front Crash
5/5
Side Crash
4/5
Rollover

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
ENGINE666
UNKNOWN OR OTHER157
POWER TRAIN113
STRUCTURE:BODY102
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM99
STEERING77
EXTERIOR LIGHTING60
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL56
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM49
SERVICE BRAKES21
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING20
VISIBILITY/WIPER16
AIR BAGS14
SUSPENSION12
SEAT BELTS10

Recalls (8)

16V86200030/11/2016

TRAILER HITCHES

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 tha

16V48000029/06/2016

SUSPENSION:REAR

Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2016 Sorento vehicles. A component of the rear suspension may not be properly welded.

16V77000024/10/2016

SEATS

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 coll

18V90700019/12/2018

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS

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 pi

22V70300019/09/2022

TRAILER HITCHES

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 a

15V44600014/07/2015

SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY

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.

15V08900013/02/2015

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL

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.

22V61200010/08/2022

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:LEVER AND LINKAGE:COLUMN SHIFT

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.

Recent Complaints

20260204CrashAIR BAGS

On [XXX] I was in a car accident. When it happened the airbags did not deploy and the seatbelt not locking. This resulted in me hitting my head in on the dash and chest on the steering wheel multiple times and having to go to the er to receive care and be put out of work. This is a major safety risk INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

20260204CrashSEAT BELTS

On [XXX] I was in a car accident. When it happened the airbags did not deploy and the seatbelt not locking. This resulted in me hitting my head in on the dash and chest on the steering wheel multiple times and having to go to the er to receive care and be put out of work. This is a major safety risk INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

20260130FireUNKNOWN OR OTHER

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. There were no warning signs, the car just caught on fire in the engine and spread fast.

20260127FireUNKNOWN OR OTHER

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 fire caused catastrophic damage and resulted in a total loss of the vehicle. Law enforcement authorized towing and impound. Photographs and third-party documentation confirm extensive fire

20251208FireFUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

Vehicle: 2016 Kia Sorento, VIN [XXX] Incident Date: November 13, 2025 Incident Location: Durham, NC (3828 Guess Rd) Cause of Loss: Engine Fire, confirmed by Durham Fire Department Report (Incident #253663) as "originated from under the hood." TECHNICAL NARRATIVE & SYMPTOMS (CRITICAL FOR LIABILITY): I am filing this complaint to report a catastrophic vehicle fire that I believe is directly linked to multiple acknowledged manufacturing defects that create a fire risk in Kia vehicles. ABS/Traction

20251208FireENGINE

Vehicle: 2016 Kia Sorento, VIN [XXX] Incident Date: November 13, 2025 Incident Location: Durham, NC (3828 Guess Rd) Cause of Loss: Engine Fire, confirmed by Durham Fire Department Report (Incident #253663) as "originated from under the hood." TECHNICAL NARRATIVE & SYMPTOMS (CRITICAL FOR LIABILITY): I am filing this complaint to report a catastrophic vehicle fire that I believe is directly linked to multiple acknowledged manufacturing defects that create a fire risk in Kia vehicles. ABS/Traction

20251208FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Vehicle: 2016 Kia Sorento, VIN [XXX] Incident Date: November 13, 2025 Incident Location: Durham, NC (3828 Guess Rd) Cause of Loss: Engine Fire, confirmed by Durham Fire Department Report (Incident #253663) as "originated from under the hood." TECHNICAL NARRATIVE & SYMPTOMS (CRITICAL FOR LIABILITY): I am filing this complaint to report a catastrophic vehicle fire that I believe is directly linked to multiple acknowledged manufacturing defects that create a fire risk in Kia vehicles. ABS/Traction

20250809FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM

This scenerio happened and fire resulted with total loss. Fuel system, gasoline: Delivery: Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings Recall date 2018-12-18 Recall no. 18V907000 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 pu

20250809FireENGINE

This scenerio happened and fire resulted with total loss. Fuel system, gasoline: Delivery: Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings Recall date 2018-12-18 Recall no. 18V907000 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 pu

20250809FireFUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

This scenerio happened and fire resulted with total loss. Fuel system, gasoline: Delivery: Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings Recall date 2018-12-18 Recall no. 18V907000 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 pu

20250724CrashPOWER TRAIN

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at 15 MPH, she attempted to park the vehicle in her driveway. As the contact tapped on the brake pedal, the vehicle independently accelerated as the contact slammed on the brake pedal and steered the vehicle out of the way of her home. The contact ran over a gutter and a bird feeder before applying the emergency brake, which stopped the vehicle. The contact was uncertain if any warning lights had appeared on the instrumen

Mileage: 83,000

20241217FireENGINE

The engine was smoking. I had smoke coming through the vents in my car. The turbo is leaking and now it’s dangerous to drive. The dealership isn’t even recommended fixing it. The car is not safe to drive and has not been since I purchased it.

Mileage: 102,016

20240715CrashPOWER TRAIN

The button on the gear shift will not push in to move the shifter out of park.

20240217ENGINE

We were driving on the [XXX] on [XXX] with a speed of around 70 miles per hour. We started to see a small amount of white smoke coming from under the hood and at the same time the truck started to slow down by itself unexpectedly and then started to jerk back and forth. No indicators showed up on the dashboard. The speed reduced quickly and hitting the gas pedal did nothing to accelerate our speed. The white smoke started to increase and it became difficult to see. We then saw the temperature

20240217POWER TRAIN

We were driving on the [XXX] on [XXX] with a speed of around 70 miles per hour. We started to see a small amount of white smoke coming from under the hood and at the same time the truck started to slow down by itself unexpectedly and then started to jerk back and forth. No indicators showed up on the dashboard. The speed reduced quickly and hitting the gas pedal did nothing to accelerate our speed. The white smoke started to increase and it became difficult to see. We then saw the temperature

20240217ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

We were driving on the [XXX] on [XXX] with a speed of around 70 miles per hour. We started to see a small amount of white smoke coming from under the hood and at the same time the truck started to slow down by itself unexpectedly and then started to jerk back and forth. No indicators showed up on the dashboard. The speed reduced quickly and hitting the gas pedal did nothing to accelerate our speed. The white smoke started to increase and it became difficult to see. We then saw the temperature

20231208FireENGINE

The contact owned a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that as he had parked and shut the vehicle off, he saw smoke emitting from under the hood. The contact exited the vehicle and saw flames from under the front of the vehicle. As the contact was stepping away from the vehicle he saw that flames were issuing from the rear passenger side wheel well where the fuel filler door was located. The contact stated that there was no warning light. The fire department was called and extinguished the fla

Mileage: 99,000

20231019FireENGINE

In November last year, my car caught fire while I was driving on a highway at a rate of about 70 mph. Some good Samaritans flagged me down and I was able to pull off the road and escape injury. My car was a total loss as were the contents of it. The fire department tapped out the fire. Kia admitted responsibility saying it was a manufacturing defect (I have the email conversation saved) but only wanted to pay my insurance company back and refund me my deductible. Kia would not pay for my lost iP

20230930FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Car got caught on fire while driving with my 5kids

20230930FireENGINE

Car got caught on fire while driving with my 5kids