2012 Kia Sorento Engine Problems
- 278
- 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 278 stored complaint records:
- 1 indicate a crash
- 2 indicate injury
- 28 indicate fire
What owners report
- check engine · 18 records
- engine light · 13 records
- engine seized · 11 records
- side road · 11 records
- warning lights · 9 records
- without warning · 9 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 60–100k mi | 91 |
| 100–150k mi | 90 |
| 1–30k mi | 37 |
| 30–60k mi | 26 |
| 150–400k mi | 13 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Engine
Shortly after the analytic converter light came on, the engine started surging and then died when i slowed for a turn. I put the care in park, restarted the engine, put it in drive and it died again. I tried again with park, restart and then drove into a parking lot. I found recall sc106 on line but the dealer can't find this for my vehicle.
ODI 11180258
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
Engine
Losing oil..no indicator lights come on. They tell me i have drop oil pan and and get new seal. Why doesntindicator come on? .have appointment march 4th at dealer to have this fixed. Sounld not have to ay for it. Indicator light do not work.now my engine knocks
ODI 11183137
Engine
My 20 year old son was driving his 2012 kia sorento on the highway at approximately 60 mph when the engine started to make a knocking noise and lost acceleration (he was pressing the gas pedal, but it felt like it wasn't doing anything.) the knocking noise continued and grew louder. We took the car to a nearby garage, and the mechanic who looked at it said the crank bearing was bad and the engine was shot. He said…
ODI 11175885
Engine
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia sorento. While driving approximately 30 mph, the engine made a knocking noise and the check engine indicator illuminated. The vehicle was towed to jeff wyler springfield auto mall [redacted], located at [redacted], springfield, oh 45504). The dealer stated that the vin was not included in a recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or…
ODI 11173393
Engine
My kia's engine seized up on the highway while driving i have not even owned it for a year. I still owe quite a bit on this and can not seem to get any help from my local kia dealer where i purchased it. I lost my job because of this and cannot try to find another one with out my vehicle - it is causing great distress to my family. I cannot afford to by another vehicle or purchase an engine. I really need help and…
ODI 11183966
Engine
Last friday i was on my way going to work and i stopped at the stoplight and when the light turned green and i gave it gas i noticed a little knocking for my engine in the first gear the once the car picked up speed and went in the other gears it goes smooth only when i come to a complete stop and first take off the bearings in my motor is knocking
ODI 11170985
Engine
Took 2012 sorento in for engine/bearings recall at 92k miles (which included an oil change by dealership). Next oil change at 98k there was apprx 1 quart of oil left. Never burned oil prior to this recall check. Thought dealership made mistake. I usually change the oil every 5k miles. Oil was changed and checked again at 2,500 miles, it was 4 quarts low. No warning lights were ever displayed. Took to dealership,…
ODI 11205516
Engine
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia sorento. While driving approximately 10-15 mph, there was an abnormally knocking sound in the engine. Without warning, the vehicle stalled and was unable to be restarted. The vehicle was towed to south shore kia (1128 sunrise hwy, copiague, ny 11726, [redacted]) and they stated that a comprehensive investigation was necessary to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not…
ODI 11165961
Body · Engine
Engine spontaneously caught fire while driving the vehicle.
Fire reported
ODI 11163941
Engine
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia sorento. While driving approximately 65 mph, an abnormal noise was coming from the engine that caused the vehicle to stall without warning. The vehicle was not able to restart. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vin was not included in nhtsa…
ODI 11218142
Engine
While driving down a very busy interstate the motor started making a lot of noise and then it seized up leaving my family stranded during a very cold winter night. We had to sit on the interstate and wait on a tow truck while hoping we didn't get hit by a truck. Kia has told us that the our motor is not covered by any recal that they have for the other kia sorentos, but the recall is for the exact same thing that…
ODI 11217904
Engine
All this happened on christmas day, 2018. My family and i were driving on the interstate to visit family for the holiday, when the engine out of no where made a squeaking noise and then started knocking. It was like i immediately lost a lot of power of the engine and it was hard to steer off the road. It died and when restarted it was knocking and barely wanted to go. We drove it 4 miles to the exit and parked it at…
ODI 11175131
Engine
As i was driving down the freeway the engine stalled. As i made my way to the shoulder and came to a stop i noticed smoke coming out of the hood. Once i came to a stop i got out of the car. As soon as i came to a stop i got out. When i closed the drivers door the hood burst into flames. By the time that the firefighters got the there the entire car was up in flames.
Fire reported
ODI 11170597
Engine
Vehicle has started consuming high amounts of oil as it passed 90,000 miles. Received an oil low light and needed to add 3.5 quarts of oil. Took to a ki dealership who noted that there were no visible leaks, but plugs were burning white. Kia corporate forces the dealer to install knock detection sensor update which voids all previous engine recalls. In the past, high oil consumption was enough to lead to engine…
ODI 11163686
Engine
Restrict oil flow to the bearings causing bearing wear. A worn connecting rod bearing will produce a cyclic knocking noise from the engine. This issue happens when the car is on and driving in a city street and highway
ODI 11162442
Engine
ENGINE HAS ROD KNOCK
ODI 11162440
Engine
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia sorento. While driving 70 mph, all of the instrument panel indicators illuminated and the vehicle began to shake. Afterwards, there was an explosion underneath the vehicle and all power was lost, including the power steering. The contact was able to steer the vehicle down an exit ramp off the highway. The vehicle was then pushed off the roadway into a parking lot. The contact…
ODI 11170573
Engine · Service Brakes
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia sorento. While driving approximately 50 mph, the engine blew out and made a loud noise. Also, the brakes failed. The contact temporarily lost control of the vehicle, but managed to pull the vehicle over. The engine sprayed oil all over the ground. The vehicle was towed to parkside kia ([redacted], knoxville, tn 37922, [redacted]). The dealer wanted the contact to pay over $2,000 to…
ODI 11161323
Engine
Engine oil use every 1.000 miles give or take car is using 1 to 1 1/2 quarts of oil. I have taking my car to the selling dealer they have done a oil consumption test and have verified that car is using oil.i had to take it back 3 time for them to check oil level and for them to say yep its using oil .and wenton to tell me that kia corp will not replace the engine.so every 1.000 miles i have to put oil in it till it…
ODI 11210474
Engine
First time in 2017 started car and it started knocking, as i drove it got louder, engine light came on, drove it to kia dealer and motor had thrown a rod, kia honored their recall and supposed new motor was installed with 60 days. No problems until yesterday, 15,000 miles on new motor, as i was driving on freeway at 70mph, engine light came on, so i pulled over within a minute and called tow truck and towed to kia…
ODI 11154647
Engine
Was driving home from work on 11-26-18, about a mile out of town when my car made a really high pitch squeal sound followed by a terrible grinding sound, pulled in to the closest business to it knocking and it had stalled right where it was parked, have i not pulled into the parking lot it would have stalled on a county highway at 60 mph. Had it towed in to a dealership on the morning of 11-27-18, they said it is…
ODI 11154389
Engine
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia sorento. While driving various speeds, a knocking noise occurred coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to napleton's mid rivers kia (located at 4955 veterans memorial pkwy, st peters, mo 63376, [redacted]) for diagnostic testing, but the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired and the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer…
ODI 11183184
Engine · Service Brakes · Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia sorento. While driving 70 mph, the steering wheel seized without warning. The brake pedal was depressed, but took an extended amount of time to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the engine seized due to a lack of engine oil. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be repaired or replaced. The vehicle was not…
ODI 11153675
Electrical System · Engine · Unknown Or Other
While driving all warning lights on dashboard turned on and my car started shaking and i hear the engine turn off while in the middle of driving. I was in a residential area going down hill and speed limit was 25 mph so i was able to pull to the side of the road. The lights would stay on and would not turn off. The gears were stuck as well, it would not let me park the car. I waited a few minutes to turn car off and…
ODI 11150042