2012 Kia Sorento Power Train Problems
- 43
- Owner complaint records in our dataset
Records are owner complaints, not a measured failure rate.
Owner complaint recordsComplaint records reflect reports in our dataset and do not measure how frequently the problem occurs across all vehicles.
Among these 43 stored complaint records:
- 6 indicate a crash
- 3 indicate injury
- 0 indicate fire
What owners report
- automatic transmission · 6 records
- shift park · 4 records
- brake pedal · 4 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 1–30k mi | 20 |
| 100–150k mi | 7 |
| 30–60k mi | 4 |
| 60–100k mi | 4 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Electrical System · Engine · Power Train
Last july my husband had changed my brakes and then went for a test drive just to make sure everything was working properly. Well, the engine shut off in the middle of driving. Called kia and had it towed there(unreimbursed) replaced engine told them that sometimes the transmission would hesitate to shift into gear. Kia said nothing was wrong. Now, a year later still trans problem. Took to master mechanic that has a…
ODI 11242679
Power Train · Suspension
Steering wheel shaking when driving also the boot is cracked and affecting the ball joints engine is leaking oil from underneath engine
ODI 11228546
Engine · Power Train · Unknown Or Other
My wife and i have been driving this vehicle for over 2 years now. About two years ago, this banging noise started which felt like we hit something or an object the road (just one big bang noise). The second time it happened we took it the aaa and they serviced it and made some repairs to it and replaced some parts. The noise went away and now (feb 2019), i am driving on the highway at 60 miles per hour and it came…
ODI 11176439
Power Train · Service Brakes · Unknown Or Other
I purchased this vehicle used with 98k+ miles on it from stevens creek subaru. They did not disclose any recalls nor any issues with the vehicle. This week, i began hearing a clicking noise in the gear shift console every time i braked. Its sounds like something hitting piece of plastic. It hasn't changed the performance of the car that i can easily tell. However, this evening, my maintenance light came on and is…
ODI 11174900
Electrical System · Engine · Power Train
Car repaired by recall due to noises in the motor. Motor changed. Noises continued. Car broke down in the highway. Lost power and it was in fumes and smoke. Lives in danger. Car towed to kia service in libertyville , il. Staff indicated that pistons blew up.. Whole motor changed again. After three weeks car did not work at and.. Broke in the night while my wife was going to take care of an emergency call to a…
ODI 11119874
Fuel/Propulsion System · Power Train
My vehicle is consuming oil. Every 1000 miles i am having to top it off to keep it from running dangerously low and seizing up. There is no indication of a leak so it is an internal problem. The vehicle is also sluggish upon acceleration. Sometimes the rpm gauge is a zero when i am driving at 40 plus speeds.. Presently i am the kia dealer is conducting an oil comsumption test. I will upload results.
ODI 11112218
Engine · Power Train
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia sorento. The contact stated that there was an extremely loud and abnormal noise coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that the brake and engine indicators illuminated, and the vehicle drove roughly. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing or repairs. The vehicle was included in nhtsa campaign numbers: 17v224000 (engine and engine cooling) and…
ODI 11084913
Air Bags · Power Train · Seats
Hello, i am 2nd owner @51,000 k with no known accidents to this suv. From 51,073k i discovered the 2nd row seat latch was faulty and i couldn't fold the seat down. I had the latch replaced and it was fine and only used it about eight imes. Then @ 68,000k found it was using/ burning oil. The repair cost quoted for this is $3,600. Ever since i've had to add up to four quarts of 5w20 between oil changes. At 85,000k the…
ODI 11082346
Power Train · Service Brakes
When you are slowing down from any speed greater than 20 mph to make a stop, while pressing the break there is a clicking sound coming from gear shifter area. Every time when under appro 10 mph this clicking happens. This happens every day since the day i bought it.
ODI 11063839
Power Train
I happened upon this website and discovered there is a safety recall from october, 2015 and i was never notified. I read to file a complaint if i hadn't been notified.
ODI 11054024
Power Train
Automatic transmission. Vehicle is locked in 4th gear while in drive. Can not manually shift up or down.
ODI 11001619
Engine · Power Train
I noticed that upon starting , my kia let out blue smoke. I saw no warning lights, no oil on the ground, no indication of a serious problem other than the smoke. I have a little over 95,000 miles on the car and a 100,000 mile warranty i made an appointment to service the car and have it looked at. Everything was running fine and driving fine. Three days later, the check engine light came on. No other indicators were…
ODI 10940101
Power Train
Car can shift out of park without breaks being engaged. I can move my gear shift into reverse or drive without pushing my break. This includes with my car running or not.
ODI 11114995
Engine · Power Train
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia sorento. While driving on the highway, the motor seized. The vehicle was unable to be driven and was towed to an independent repair shop who indicated that the vehicle needed to be serviced by an authorized dealer. The contact was included in nhtsa campaign numbers: 17v224000 (engine and engine cooling) and 15v626000 (power train), but the contact was unable to receive the remedy and…
ODI 11000841
Power Train
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia sorento. The contact stated that there was a random progressing failure in which the vehicle randomly stalled. The vehicle would not restart and was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the pcm may need to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and stated that there was no manufacturer recall repair. The contact was advised to take the vehicle to the…
ODI 10865244
Power Train
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia sorento. The contact stated that while exiting the vehicle, the vehicle rolled away independently causing the vehicle to crash into a front gate. The contact entered the vehicle and depressed the brake pedal to stop the vehicle from continuing to accelerate. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact sustained leg and knee injuries that needed medical attention. A police…
Crash reported · 1 injury
ODI 10810148
Power Train
Letter from senator fischer on behalf of constituent asking for assistance with his 2012 kia sorrento recall issues and class action settlement as described in the attached email; attn: brandi mccaslin direct respond to constituent services. *smd the consumer stated the nearest dealer was three hours away. The consumer requested compensation for time and fuel expenses to get to the dealer. Recall # 15v626000. *jb
ODI 10826161
Power Train
On august 23, 2015, a 2012 kia sorento was parked on the side of the highway and stationary after being involved in a minor accident. Without the driver's knowledge and without the driver taking any intentional action, the vehicle shifted out of park and into nuetral or reverse, causing the vehicle to move backwards. As it moved backwards, it knocked over and dragged the owner of the vehicle, who at the time was…
Crash reported · 2 injuries
ODI 10811773
Engine · Power Train
Vehicle began leaking oil, oil light came on. Refilled with oil to try and find the leak without success. Mechanic found a bad oil pressure switch. The oil pooled up in a valley in the engine. This valley had a manufactured hole in the top of it and that's were the oil was dumping out onto the ground. Made it appear that it was a rear main seal leak. *tr
ODI 10658815
Power Train
My 10-year old son, without my knowledge, was playing in our 2012 kia sorento one sunday afternoon. It's the pushbutton start type and he didn't have the key fob. That was in the house. Regardless, without the car started and without his foot on the brake, he was able to shift the vehicle out of park and into neutral. Because the sorento was parked on an incline, it began to coast backward down the driveway. Our son…
Crash reported · 1 injury
ODI 10650090
Power Train · Service Brakes
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia sorento. The contact stated that the vehicle independently shifted into park. The contact also mentioned that excessive force was applied to the brake pedal in order for the vehicle to shift into park on several occasions. Additionally, while exiting, the vehicle attempted to roll away and the brake pedal was applied. The failure recurred intermittently. The manufacturer was notified…
ODI 10615421
Power Train · Wheels
For several weeks a noticeable clunk in rear axle. Obvious at initial start and upon deceleration from speeds above 30. When decelerating right at 30mph a click and clunk occur. Took it in to dealership in bradenton, florida, sunset kia. They kept vehicle overnight. I explained the problem was not normal and had only recently begun but was concerned since a mechanic friend thought it involved rear axle. I informed…
ODI 10607679
Electrical System · Engine · Power Train
I never received a recall notification for my vehicle. I was deployed from 2013-2015 and didn't have a physical address and i would like to get the issue fixed.
ODI 11143412
Engine · Power Train
My 2012 kia sorento completely stalled in a parking lot. I had just gotten off the highway(speeds of 55-60) pulled into my jobs parking lot and all the lights electronics stayed on but the brakes locked up, the steering wheel locked up and the car would not drive. Put the car in park after a few minutes and it turned on fine. Now its at the dealer and they can not duplicate the problem and the car is driving fine.…
ODI 10574904
Engine · Power Train
My kia sorento stalled in the middle of road while crossing a stop sign. The engine shutoff and all the lights on the panel lighted on. This has now happened three times. Last two times we went to the dealer and they said they could not find anything wrong. There are not error codes saved in kia so they don't have a proof that this condition happened. This is very serious. We were lucky that this happened on the…
ODI 10596302