2016 Kia Sorento Engine
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
Failed engine - piston rings broke randomly while driving down the road. Fourth cylinder not holding any compression. Not even 100k miles on the vehicle. Mechanic stated there was no contributing factors to the engine failing. No warnings and/or engine lights that something was wrong with the vehicle. One minute it was running fine, then the next minute it wasn't. Car is unrepairable without putting an entirely new engine in it.
Piston ring failure, resulting in loss of power and excessive smoke from the exhaust system.
I was driving on the Thruway and suddenly my check engine light came on and a large plume of black smoke came from the exhaust. The car was misfiring badly. I nursed it home and the next day took it to my mechanic, hoping it was a coil or plug. I had almost zero compression in cylinder #2. I then took vehicle to his engine repair shop. The owner told me the next day that I needed a new engine. I picked it up the next day and took it to my dealer, and they also told me I needed a new engine as well as a new intake manifold. Cost was $10,550.00. There were no warning lights or messages prior to the incident. There was a 1" X 1" hole in my intake manifold.
Vehicle check engine light came on, vehicle lost power, sputtered and died. Will not run. Towed to dealer.
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH and making a left turn, the vehicle lost power. The accelerator pedal was depressed down to the floorboard; however, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact drove the vehicle for a mile to the workplace. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the head gasket and upper radiator hose had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure had occurred on 8 occasions. The contact stated that the engine overheating had persisted. The vehicle was taken to a second independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine block was cracked. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 151,000.
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.
Kia is refusing to fix the engine. The car is supposed to have a lifetime replacement on engine. Kia is saying that I did not get a recall done, but none is listed on your website for what they said I needed done. I have been trying to reach a supervisor at Kia Corporate for 1 week without success.
Blown head gasquet and stripped head bolts repaired 2023 Blown engine December 2024
Engine failure related to oil burning, no oil left in engine. Car became nonfunctional on state highway at highway speed, had to be pushed out of road and towed to mechanic. Last oil change <5000 miles prior to engine failure, 1000 miles and 2 months remained prior to recommended next oil change. Occasional flickering of oil light when stopping but no additional messages prior to engine failure. Confirmed by independent mechanic, engine entirely nonfunctional, would require replacement of entire engine worth more than estimated trade-in value of vehicle.
I took my vehicle into the Kia dealership here in Visalia, California. The first time I took my vehicle in, it was due to oil consumption. I was burning off over 1qt of oil every 700-1000 miles. This being a concern I asked what should I do next. When this happens the dealership recommends a fresh oil change by them, then they tag your oil cap, dip stick, and drian plug so its not to be tampered with. We drove the care as told and took it back. Upon return the motor was then confirmed that it was burning off almost 2 qt of oil. The dealership stated that I needed to do an engine "clean out". The service costs $500 dollars to have done. As suggested I did the service in hope that it would rectify the problem. We did the service, drove the car as instructed, brought it back, and I was told it was still burning oil. Now, according to KIA this is a well known issue and that the next step was an engine replacement. Now this is typically covered under the original warranty and a replacement motor is usually done by kia, BUT since I am the second owner of said vehicle this service doesn't apply to me. On the other had, kia also has a known issue with the rod bearings! Now, from what I was told is that rod bearings tend to fail due to lack of lubrication. Kia then proceeds to tell me that unless my rod bearing fails, they will not replace my motor at no cost, but the service manager told me on a recorded phone call "off the record" that I should drive my car until the motor ceases. Please tell me how this is safe and fair practice by the company? Kia has knowingly sold vehicles with faulty engines and they are not held responsible. I'm supposed to allow my wife to drive this car until the motor ceases and hope she doesn't get into an accident. I have filed claims with Kia North America and with my local dealership. The local dealership has denied my claim twice. Once by the service manager, and again by their DSM (district service manager). I have yet to hear from Kia HQ.
I was driving on an interstate coming down a mountain and my car stopped accelerating. The check engine light also began flashing. I glided along the interstate to the nearest exit. I had my car towed to a mechanic who told me my engine blew due to a defect in my engine. Months prior to this incident, my car would not retain oil so I took it to Kia and they replaced my oil gasket thinking that was the issue. However, it turns out the problem was with a defect in my engine. This is a very dangerous issue. Please please recall these cars.
There is a problem with the engine in my Kia. I believe that this is a similar problem to other recalled Kia vehicles from the same production year, 2016, that caused metal to be present in the engine. My local Kia dealership informed me that I need a new engine due to this issue, after other issues had been ruled out as the cause of continued check engine light warnings were fixed.
In our experience, roughly 1 quart of oil is displaced per 500 miles. Kia corporate stated that the vehicle does not display any safety concerns and would not honor the recent 150k warranty. After speaking with the service manager and consulting with the Kia dealership mechanics for proper diagnosis, the manager shared that there are several premature failures with engine components. They will not honor a repair. It is obvious that Kia has significant issues with their GDI engines. A simple search on the internet provides overwhelming evidence of this. Who is holding Kia accountable?
ENGINE STARTED MAKING LOUD SOUNDS AFTER OIL CHANGE AT 128, 000 MILES AND BEGAN TO SLOW DOWN WHILE DRIVING HAVING A HARD TIME ENGAGING TO NEXT GEAR. ENGINE LIGHT DID COME ONE And STOP AT CLOSES ATUO PARTS STORE TO HAVE IT CHECKED FOR ENGINE LIGHT TEST. SAFETY RISK TO DRIVE AND PASSAGERS IF CAR FALL TO MOVE ON HIGHWAY CAUSING ACCIDENT. PROBLEM WAS REPORTED TO KIA AND WE WERE TOLD TO BRING IT IN AND IT WOULD BE LOOKED AT FOR 200 DOLLARS.
We purchased our 2016 Kia Sorento brand new in 2015. From the start, we had problems with the car burning oil at a rapid rate. We would get an oil change and less than 2,000 miles later the oil would be very low. After one year oil was low after 1,000 miles or less. No oil light warning would ever come on and there were times when the dipstick had no oil on it. I called Kia customer care several times over the years regarding this issue and was told there was nothing Kia could do unless the engine blew due to the connecting rod and the engine needed to be replaced. We are now well past the 100k warranty and have dealt with this problem for the last 9 years. 2 weeks ago the engine started making a knocking noise and would not accelerate. We checked the oil and it was low and the coolant was also empty. We took it into the Kia dealership and we were told the radiator was empty and burning and that the coolant was leaking into the cylinder and that the engine needed to be replaced. Never once did an engine light, oil light or coolant light come on. There were no visible leaks. The car never overheated and the temperature gauge never changed from the middle. This engine has had constant problems with burning oil from the start. I have done my part to reach out to Kia customer care numerous times. This model Kia has had known problems with oil consumption and coolant leaks. I know there is a reported problem with the 2016 Kia Sorento V6 regarding coolant leaking into the cylinder heads, while I do not have a V6 I had the same problem. This engine has multiple problems which lead to its failure not just the coolant leak. Oil consumption, coolant leak and worst of all there was no warning that there was a problem with the engine (i.e) no engine, oil or coolant light. While there is a lifetime engine warranty on the rod bearing failure which I believe we had along with the coolant leak. Kia is not honoring this warranty and will not reimburse us.
I was driving down the interstate and my car made a loud noise and then it lost power. I was able to steer it off the exit. Tried to start it it turned over but wouldn't start . Before this happened my car was using up oil like crazy I took it to a mechanic and he said it wasn't leaking it and it isn't burning it so where is it going? I paid 10,000 cash for this vehicle and was only able to drive it 2 months the engine is gone. No warning, nothing... Kia needs to replace my engine along with all the other people that are having this problem, it's obviously kias fault too many of these 2016 serentos are having the same issue. I found out about all the other cars when I put it on the market place trying to sell it as is two different people told me that Kia had a recall and replaced their engines . How do you fix some and not all that are having the same issue?
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel had seized and there was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The vehicle was towed to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The approximate failure mileage was 76,800.
We were driving down [XXX] near Toledo Ohio during rush hour on our to Michigan, when the car, with no warning at all, stopped running. There were no lights on the dash, no warning at all. The car just stopped. We were able to steer it to the shoulder and stop. There was no indication of what was wrong. After having it towed to the Kia dealership I was informed the engineer blew. There was no knocking, no oil use, no indication at all that there was anything wrong with the car. I had to rent a hotel until my son could come and get me and then the next day. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Car only has 89K miles on it and is garaged and maintained. Went to run an errand yesterday and all of a sudden engine started knocking and sputtering. I then experienced loss of power and the engine light came on. That was the first and only time the engine light has ever come on. Pulled over, checked oil and it seemed very, very low and a burnt smell. It had only been 4K miles since the car was serviced. Husband came and added oil, allowed to idle for about 5 miinutes to see if it improved. It did not. The knocking continued. Shut it off and called AAA and had it towed to the dealership. I just learned this was a known issue and there was a class action lawsuit that I apparently missed out on because I never received the notice yet I have lived at the same address for 20 years.I checked for recalls with the VIN # and nothing comes up, however, clearly there is something wrong with an engine that gets driven less that 10K miles per yesr. Dealer says they're not sure if Kia will replace the engine but they suspect that is what needs to happen. I am furious!
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at a low rate of speed, the oil warning light flashed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the contact was informed that the engine was consuming oil at an excessive rate. The contact was informed that an oil consumption test would have to be performed to determine the extent of the failure which may result in the need for an engine replacement. The contact stated that the engine was replaced before under an unknown recall and was instructed to contact the dealer who performed the repair. The dealer was notified and referred the contact to the manufacturer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.
Was driving the vehicle down the highway going about 65mph. Vehicle went into limp mode, check engine light came on and started flashing. There was no warning signs prior to this! Had the vehicle towed home and threw a code reader on it, to find the code P1326 come up. Says it's a code for knock sensor. After reading other forums found that most likely I will need to replace the engine. I have only had this vehicle for 2 months!! It is the same 2.4L engine that has been recalled on several other Kia vehicle but not mine. I bought this vehicle to have a reliable vehicle for my family and now I will be out more money!
The engine seized without any warning. There was no sounds no smoke no anything that would indicate a issue with the engine. After engine failure come to find out that there is a little over three quarts of oil missing with no leak and no warning light came up on the dash, which if it had it would have saved me from having this happened where they now want me to replace the engine. There are many different recalls and complaints about this same problem with the 3.3 l V6 and I don't think owners should have to take on the large cost of repairs due to a manufacturer's defect. We tried to get to a mechanic shop fast enough where they stated that the car was missing that much oil and we tried adding the oil back but it was already too late. The car is currently at a Kia dealership with a seized motor.
I was driving down the road in a 45. My car started to have no power. I no warning came on. Literally Cruising down the road it sounded like the motor blew. Had it towed to my local mechanic and he said it wasn’t good. Never had any faulty components prior to. No warning lamps have come on still and when started you get smoke and a loud knock. When driving I could’ve been hurt or hurt another driver. I contacted Kia and was told that their is no coverage on this motor but when you call the dealerships (called 4) this particular motor that isn’t covered by an extended warranty is back ordered in PA alone an estimated 4-6 months
My 2016 Kia Sorento 3.3 L V6 starting over heating and smoking and loss of power and would no start when it was running hot. In January of 2023. We towed the car to Kia and they could not find the problem told us we need to replace the thermostat for $1000 and that would fix the problem we left and had it towed away. We took the car to a radiator shop two days later and they change the water pump and thermostat. The overheating continued we took it back to the radiator shop and they performed a head gasket pressure test and the car failed and they said the head gasket was leaking and we need to get the heads repaired they quoted $6900. We later took the car to a engine rebuilder and they certified that the heads gasket was blown with the same test and the bolts were wore off on the cylinder heads and the engine needed to be rebuilt or replaced. We went to Kia they did not do anything. We had to get the engine totally rebuilt on our cost total cost $4712.04 and it took 3 months to find all the Kia parts . KIA issued a letter to cover the repairs for these engines and this model on Janurary 2, 2024 and it and has not been paid it has been sixty days which was there time frame in the letter to cover the claim they won't answer us at all with a verdict the most terrible car company around .
While accelerating on the turnpike after going through the tollbooth the engine seized with no warning. We were stranded. My family including my two small children were in the vehicle at the time. It has been confirmed by the repair shop. No lights appeared on the dash in relation to the vehicle stalling.
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Quick Summary
The 2016 Kia Sorento has 519 Engine complaints on file. 3 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.