NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
What owners actually said
426 reportsMileage unknown · Aug 14, 2025
Engine
Engine started to knock, had it towed to KIA dealership it's been there for 6 weeks. Dealership stated needs new engine, Warranty company refuses to honor coverage and replace engine. 2019 KIA Sorento known for engine failures. Have provided oil receipts which is not needed. (Nothing stated in our contract) If we continued to dr…
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Engine started to knock, had it towed to KIA dealership it's been there for 6 weeks. Dealership stated needs new engine, Warranty company refuses to honor coverage and replace engine. 2019 KIA Sorento known for engine failures. Have provided oil receipts which is not needed. (Nothing stated in our contract) If we continued to drive the car the engine would have seized or caught fire. There were no lights on the dash for oil change or engine lights on. There are reports on the internet/social media of many people having the same issue with this engine. There should be a recall on this engine. And it shouldn't be this hard to get KIA or the warranty company to step up and fix a known problem. We paid for the warranty and expect it to work for us. Right now the car is still at KIA of Huntington. We have made a complaint with the BBB and with KIA Headquarters in CA hopefully this will be resolved soon.
NHTSA ODI #11680637
Mileage unknown · Aug 8, 2025
Back Over PreventionUnknown Or Other
I bought this car back in January 2024. I had it for about a week and the check engine light came on. When I had it read it was a torque converter clutch solenoid. I took it to Kia they said it needed reprogrammed, it was fine. Then a few months go by and I take it back in and they told me I needed to spend $5,000 for a new Tran…
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I bought this car back in January 2024. I had it for about a week and the check engine light came on. When I had it read it was a torque converter clutch solenoid. I took it to Kia they said it needed reprogrammed, it was fine. Then a few months go by and I take it back in and they told me I needed to spend $5,000 for a new Transmission at less than 100,000 miles. When doing research a lot of others have had this issue as well. They said there maybe a recall eventually but until then I had to pay for it. I paid for it there is still no recall. Also the rear cross traffic goes off as a car is behind you, there’s not really a warning before the car is behind you
NHTSA ODI #11679293
71,000 miles · Aug 6, 2025
Fuel System, Gasoline
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal fuel odor inside the cabin of the vehicle. The fuel odor was also outside the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. An appointment with the dealer was scheduled for the vehicle to be inspected. The vehic…
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The contact owns a 2019 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal fuel odor inside the cabin of the vehicle. The fuel odor was also outside the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. An appointment with the dealer was scheduled for the vehicle to be inspected. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 71,000.
NHTSA ODI #11678812
Mileage unknown · Jul 30, 2025
Engine
Excessive oil burning Burns an insane amount of oil every week, 2-3 quarts of oil has to be added every week. Started noticing slightly low oil a year ago wasn’t a lot but it has gotten worse.
NHTSA ODI #11677137
Mileage unknown · Jul 28, 2025
Engine
Car burns oil excessively. It is an ongoing problem. I also had a kia soul before this that also burned oil excessively
NHTSA ODI #11676822
74,750 miles · Jul 25, 2025
Engine And Engine Cooling
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle abnormally shuddered, with the low oil warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with engine failure due to excessive oil consumption. The contact was informed …
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The contact owns a 2019 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle abnormally shuddered, with the low oil warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with engine failure due to excessive oil consumption. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the diagnostic result was confirmed. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The approximate failure mileage was 74,750.
NHTSA ODI #11676281
100,000 miles · Jul 25, 2025
EngineVehicle Speed Control
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated to 95 MPH. The check engine and hazard warning lights were illuminated. The brake pedal was depressed; however, the brakes failed to respond as needed, and the steering wheel seized. The contact turned off the …
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The contact owns a 2019 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated to 95 MPH. The check engine and hazard warning lights were illuminated. The brake pedal was depressed; however, the brakes failed to respond as needed, and the steering wheel seized. The contact turned off the vehicle and was able to stop the vehicle on the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer to be diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the throttle shaft was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred the following day, and while driving at 55 MPH, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated to 80 MPH. The contact pulled over to the side lane and turned off the vehicle, and the vehicle gradually slowed to a stop. The check engine warning light and hazard light were illuminated. The vehicle was restarted and slowly driven back to the same deale,r and the contact was informed that additional diagnostic tests were needed to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.
NHTSA ODI #11676178
Mileage unknown · Jul 22, 2025
Engine
The oil was changed with no leak, and less than 1000 miles later, it all disappeared. Now, it has gone into limp mode and thrown a knock code due to no oil. Having it sent to a shop four times in a week is not okay. If there's no leak and no gasket problems, where did all the oil go? I have more posts about this daily. I have 96…
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The oil was changed with no leak, and less than 1000 miles later, it all disappeared. Now, it has gone into limp mode and thrown a knock code due to no oil. Having it sent to a shop four times in a week is not okay. If there's no leak and no gasket problems, where did all the oil go? I have more posts about this daily. I have 96,000 miles on this engine with full synthetic changes every time. It was healthy, and now it's not because it's overeating oil. Make it make sense, please.
NHTSA ODI #11675286
Mileage unknown · Jul 17, 2025
Structure
2019 Kia Sorento White Pearl Paint began peeling. Spoke with Kia Dealership about issue due to sister company Hyundai having the same issue which resulted in an extended warranty. I began communication with dealership on June 2, 2025. During this time, it had been told that other Kia White Pearl Paint has been defective, but not…
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2019 Kia Sorento White Pearl Paint began peeling. Spoke with Kia Dealership about issue due to sister company Hyundai having the same issue which resulted in an extended warranty. I began communication with dealership on June 2, 2025. During this time, it had been told that other Kia White Pearl Paint has been defective, but nothing has been done on Kia's side as of now. My dealership has "attempted" to get a Goodwill coverage due to paint warranty expired after 36 months of the vehicle which was in 2022. I have been put back and forth and not given specific answers on how to move forward with getting my car fix for a manufacturing/defective paint error. I have also priced out other body shops and the price estimate was over $2500. I am frustrated as I do not believe I should have to take care of an error based on Kia's issue.
NHTSA ODI #11674237
Mileage unknown · Jul 17, 2025
Engine
Oil Consumption: flickering intermittent oil light at various times. Occurred after routine maintenance and oil changes. Various reasons were given when serviced including leak at the cap or via a screw. Multiple trips to the dealer for service. Engine has no oil and light did not remain illuminated, only flickering occasi…
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Oil Consumption: flickering intermittent oil light at various times. Occurred after routine maintenance and oil changes. Various reasons were given when serviced including leak at the cap or via a screw. Multiple trips to the dealer for service. Engine has no oil and light did not remain illuminated, only flickering occasionally. Performed combustions clean out 4 weeks ago with top off of oil. Light came on, notified that the vehicle is very low on oil since that time again with light flickering.
NHTSA ODI #11674193
Official recalls
2Sep 15, 2023
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2019 Sorento vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error, water may leak into the rearview camera, which can cause the rearview camera image not to appear on the display. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A rearview camera that does not display an image can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the rearview camera and add additional water proofing to the camera harness, or replace the camera as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 8, 2024. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC282.
Sep 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.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
Remedy: 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.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1DP22003 · Loss Of Motive Power
Opened Sep 12, 2022 · Closed Dec 12, 2023
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Engine
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a letter dated July 13, 2022, petitioning the Agency to initiate a safety defect investigation into loss of motive power allegations attributed to oil drain pan assembly failures on certain Hyundai Motor America, Inc. and Kia America, Inc. vehicles spanning Model Years (MY) 2005-2021. The Petitioners cited examples of complaints indicating that the subject vehicles were experiencing rapid loss of engine oil due to oil drain plug back outs, resulting in loss of motive power and/or catastrophic engine damage. Additional complaints were provided which alleged that the oil drain pans lack sufficient structural integrity and are susceptible to cracking. The petition itself can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI number 11481745. On September 12, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Defect Petition (DP22-003) to evaluate the Petitioners’ request. The Petitioners have provided additional complaints within four supplemental letters dated January 31, 2023, March 21, 2023, May 23, 2023, and August 4, 2023. ODI’s evaluation included the review and analysis of the complaints and supporting information submitted by the Petitioners, as well as additional complaints submitted directly to NHTSA which referenced either the oil drain plug or a crack in the oil pan. After reviewing the available data, ODI has not identified evidence that would support opening a defect investigation into the oil drain pan assemblies of the subject vehicles. Based on a review of the available information, a loss of motive power resulting from an oil drain plug back out has not occurred between the initial sale of a vehicle and the completion of its first oil change. If during an oil change service, a technician fails to remove the existing drain plug gasket before installing a new gasket, it is likely that a proper seal between the drain plug and the oil pan will not be made. An improper seal between the drain plug and oil pan could lead to the backing out on the drain plug, resulting in the sudden loss of oil while driving. Additionally, the provided examples of oil pan cracks were localized to the immediate vicinity of the oil drain plug and/or appeared to be the result of direct-contact with a tool during servicing. There is no information to support that a vehicle-based defect exists relating to the oil pan assembly, and instead the documented incidents are related to the failure to follow the proper maintenance procedures during oil change service. In October 2023, Hyundai published a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) that provided detailed instructions for oil change service on its gasoline powered vehicles, specifically highlighting the need to remove and replace the existing drain plug gasket prior to reinstalling the drain plug. After a thorough review of the material submitted by the petitioner, the information already in NHTSA's possession, and the potential risks to motor vehicle safety implicated by the petitioners' allegations, NHTSA does not believe that a formal investigation is warranted. Therefore, the petition is denied. A Federal Register Notice (FRN) further detailing NHTSA’s reasons for denial of the petition will be published. The reference numbers for the complaints to NHTSA cited by the petitioner can be found in the petition submission documents in the public file for DP22-003. To review those complaints and the additional complaints ODI added to its evaluation which are cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.