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
Son was driving vehicle on interstate. Started making a noise and then stopped. Had it towed. Dealership said it was the bearings on the underside of crankshaft. 114,000 miles so out of warranty. Had to replace engine at cost to me of over $7,000.
ODI 10913569
Engine
Driving 80mph on highway, heard pinging noise from engine, car slowed down and would not accelerate past 60mph. Car suddenly lost all power, power steering and brakes, resulting in a dangerous sudden stall event. Towed car to dealership, was told engine seized and needed a new engine.
ODI 10885315
Electrical System · Engine
I was driving my son to school on a city street and stopped at a stop sign then tried to accelerate and all of the lights on the dash began flashing and the car just shut-off. I put my car in park and restarted it. This type of incident has happened twice before and the dealership just tells me to keep bringing it in. They can never find what the problem is.
ODI 10883328
Engine
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia sorento. While driving 70 mph, the vehicle randomly stalled without warning. The vehicle was unable to be driven due to the failure and was towed to the dealer. The dealer indicated that the engine fractured and fragments entered into other areas of the vehicle. The dealer replaced the engine assembly. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided no solution. The vin was…
ODI 10891685
Engine
Writing to you and filing a complaint against kia for their lack of resolving his problem with his kia sorento; asking for any assistance that can get him in having his monies refunded. *ld the consumer stated the necessary documentation for reimbursement was mailed to the manufacturer, but the manufacturer did not respond to the request. Updated 09/21/2017*js
ODI 11029608
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
Electrical System · Engine · Fuel/Propulsion System
Engine failure engine stopped in middle of highway traveling at 55 mph straight highwayput family in danger 2016 june oil leaking all over ground and electrical failure pushed car to side of highway .140000 mile past warranty kia refuse to fix.
ODI 10955428
Engine
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia sorento. While driving out of a parking lot at 5 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the engine failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 107,000. The vin was not available.
ODI 10874580
Engine
I purchased the vehicle from drivetime in laurel md on 5/9/16. On 5/10/16 i heard a knocking sound coming from the engine area and the vehicle started pulling wile raddling. On 5/10/16 & 5/11/16 i made the dealer aware of the kia having engine issues. On 5/13/2016 the car started dragging and wouldn't go above 60mph. Then the car stopped in the middle of 95n going towards ex 43. This was very scary, the wheel locked…
ODI 10864771
Engine
On may 6th, 2016 i was driving to work (back roads with a speed limit of 55 or less), just a few miles from my place of employment when i heard a ticking/clicking type of noise. Each time i pressed the gas the noise got louder and the vehicle got sluggish. I stopped at one traffic light and was able to go through with little problem other than the sound getting louder. As i stopped at another traffic light the car…
ODI 10898189
Engine
Last year my car stalled and had to be towed to the kia dealership and we were told it was the alternater (which was replaced at this time) my car since then has had off and on times where it would start to stall but not shut off and it has become more frequent over the past few weeks. There is a recall from kia coming out in mid may for this problem which has caused serveral accidents in other cars, and we have…
ODI 10979123
Engine
I was driving about 60 mph down 269 highway when all at once i heard a loud pop like sound and then smoke started going out the tail pipe and then under the hood the car lost all power and stopped. I got out and rasised the hood and it was on fire . Luckely someone one was behind me and had a fire exstinquer and put it out. Called police they would not come out called insurance and they sent a tow truck. We bought…
Fire reported
ODI 10850516
Engine
I first bought my vehicle from a used lot still very well condition all service records car fax, etc a few months later i had issues with the system turning lights on an a weird engine noise, i brought it into a kia delareship only to be laughed at by the service team over the phone because they hadn't realized i had picked up the line, they told me this was all normal fixed the "problems", and sent me on my way…
ODI 10823740
Air Bags · Engine
We were told we had a 10 yr, 100000 mile warranty bumper to bumper in jan 2012 when we bought the vehicle. Last week the airbag light and engine light came on. We took the car to the local kia dealership and was told the warranty didn't cover check engine or airbag problems, even though the dealership service department said they would be covered if the unit was under 5 years old. They want $1000+ to fix the engine…
ODI 10823576
Engine
@ 66,000 miles, the oil pressure switch, located under the intake manifold, is defective and leaked all the oil out of the engine. You cannot replace the switch/sensor without disassembling the engine. Kia will only cover this repair up to 60,000 miles.
ODI 10821941
Electronic Stability Control · Engine
We own 2012 kia sorento sx, purchased new. The car has 79643 miles. Our family was driving on interstate 84 from boston to connecticut. The car was driving at 60~65 mph. Suddenly, the car tpm (tire pressure monitoring) came on and within 5~10 second all lights ( traction control/ battery/ all wheel drive) started flashing. It was raining and wiper stopped in middle. All of these events occurred within 10~15 seconds.…
ODI 10819360
Engine
I bought my kia new from the dealership with an extended warranty. It currently has 83000mi on it. When i start it, it is making a rattling noise coming from the engine that only last a few seconds. We took it to the dealer and they are saying it needs a new engine because there are shards of metal in the oil pan. The cost to replace is $6000. The engine light has not come on at any point while owning the suv, nor…
ODI 10810929
Engine
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia sorento. While driving at approximately 65 mph, a loud banging noise emitted from the engine. After stopping the vehicle and lifting up the hood, the contact discovered smoke, oil and a small flame coming from the engine. The flame self extinguished. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the vehicle had experienced a catastrophic engine failure. The vehicle was not…
Fire reported
ODI 10786603
Electrical System · Engine · Service Brakes
Friday 9/18/15 10:40 am, backing out of parking spot slowly into a road. Engine suddenly failed, engine light came on, and the brakes completely failed. Was able to restart the car and park it again, but brakes still failed and had to use the emergency brake and the curb and tree at curb to stop vehicle. Towed to ed voyles kia on peachtree industrial blvd in atlanta who found no record of the incident in computer…
ODI 10777850
Engine
While driving on i95 we began hearing a noise from the engine. It was faint at first, just a pinging that would happen when we pushed the accelerator down. We just had an oil change at 94,000 miles so knew our oil level was good. The faint noise grew steadily louder over the next 30 minutes and we pulled off the highway and into a service/gas station. The mechanics came out when they heard us pull up. They knew…
ODI 10762403
Engine
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia sorento. While driving approximately 15 mph, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The engine was replaced, but the failure recurred after 10,000 miles of being driven. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was informed that the engine needed to be…
ODI 10777713
Electrical System · Engine
Upon arrival at my destination the car would not turn off. I had to press the ignition off button several time before the car would shut off. There were times would have to sit in the car about 5-7 minutes trying to get the car to turn off.
ODI 10734685
Engine
The engine compartment of the vehicle caught on fire, eventually engulfing the entire vehicle in flames. The vehicle was traveling at normal highway speeds when this occurred.
Fire reported
ODI 11156388
Engine · Vehicle Speed Control
This is the third time that the 2012 kia sorento has surged on its own when stopped with the engine running. If you don't have your foot on the brake the car will run away. *tr
ODI 10712673
Engine
While driving down highway at 55 miles per hour with a semi tractor trailer behind me. My kia sorento just shut off. I just pulled over on the side of the highway in time so i wouldn't get hit by the semi. It took me about 6 hours to get my car home. I was out in where there wasn't a garage or nothing around. After getting it home and jump start the battery it started. Then on 4/22/15 i was taking my wife to a…
ODI 10712492