2016 Kia Sorento Structure
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
The paint on my vehicle began peeling about a year ago, 2022, right above the top of the windshield. Drivers side. About 6 months ago, approx Jan 2023, I noticed a few paint chips on the hood missing. One of them is extremely large and has paint peeling off around the edges. I am afraid to wash it as hoping more does not peel. You see bare metal underneath my paint. My vehicle only has about 74k miles on it. It is white in color but appears to also have sparkles within the paint.
I brought my car brand new from the KIA DEALERSHIP.. I started to notice paint that was missing which I thought maybe from a rock(2019)But the peeling continued to peel. At this point my hood is 35% peeled off now and the top of my Kia is now starting to peel . I have noticed a lot of Kia owners that have this exact same problem.
Rapid Delamination and paint peeling.
Large area of paint peeled off the hood while washing the vehicle
Literally overnight large pieces of paint began peeling off of my hood and roof. Within days I took it to a body shop and they immediately identified it as a factory defect. The pearl white paint is separating in sheets. If not repaired it will rust the metal underneath.
Paint on the hood started to peel off in July of 2023. It has not been formally inspected, but is available for inspection. We have not contacted a dealer yet.
Paint peeling in large flakes from front hood area of vehicle. Dealer documented paint issue on Jan 2, 2023
PAINT IS PEELING OFF THE HOOD AND WINDSHELD AREAS
Tailgate proximity sensor failed.
Peeling paint
Paint delamination happening to my Kia Sorento, paint is peeling exposing primer
I have paint peeling from the hood of my car, the pearl white paint is bubbling up and peeling all by itself. KIA says the it's past the 3 year warranty period so I am responsible for the repair. I have never had paint peel from a car for no reason.
Liftgate fail to open when key fob button pressed or dashboard release button pressed or approach function is turn on. Liftgate trying to open and than right a way closed. I read numerous posts of other owners stating same problem with liftgate. The problem starts once a while but getting worst and worst
PAINT IS PEELING OFF
Paint peeling from hood and roof of car.
Paint started peeling. I thought it might have been a rock chip but it got worse in about 2 weeks.
The pearl white paint paint on the vehicle is pealing on the hood, roof and doors. It started last July and there is new places popping up all the time
Rear door larch fell off. This is a documented problem with this vehicle. Kia dealerships have been unhelpful to resolve this issue. I feel this is a safety item with a recall on the 2015 models. Latch is made with cheap plastic, and many kia’s have this issue. Thanks, Steve Ritchie
Paint is peeling while driving obstructing my view and potentially other drivers
The paint on my 2016 Kia Sorento it's peeling off. I went to the dealer where I purchased it and still owe $10,000 they do not want to help me.
The car was purchased new in 2016. Paint began peeling above the passenger door August 27, 2021 at the dealer service center carwash after a routine oil change. Its been peeling more since then. We have read of other owners having very serious paint peeling on there Sorentos. Estimates to repaint the panel are up to $1000. The car has 71,000 miles on it.
The paint on the front hood and also on the roof above the driver side is chipping away and peeling for no reason. It started about 24 months ago as a small chip on the roof right at the windshield above the steering wheel. Thought is was perhaps from a rock. Now that small chip has grown, the metal that was under it has started to rust, there are also now multiple chips and peels on the front hood in multiple places.
The driver side rear door handle does not open the door. The door is able to be opened from the door handle on the inside, and it can be locked and unlocked. This could create an unsafe situation in which a parent is unable to reach a child in the second row who needs assistance. Having two methods of entry and egress (i.e. a driver side and passenger side rear door) in the second row contributes to the safety of the car, and having one entry/egress while another entry is impaired could present a safety issue. The car has not yet been brought to a service center for evaluation, and the car has not yet been inspected for the issue. There were no warning lamps or messages indicated by the vehicle. Leading up to the driver side rear door handle malfunction, the door handle was noted to have a weaker tactile "click" feeling that is typically sensed when the door's latch actuates to open it.
Passenger door handle pulls off of door. Unable to open the door from the exterior. This is the second occurrence after already replacing the handle 6 months ago. Faulty design causing safety concern if someone needs to be accessed thru door.
On October 28, 2021 the hood paint suddenly started to peel in large chunks. This occurred without warning as previously there was no peeling paint. These pieces stuck to the windshield and were a driving safety hazard as they obstructed clear view. This is evidence of a clear failure of the factory paint to properly stay adherred to the body of the car. This vehicle is available for inspection and photo evidence is also available. This problem has been confirmed by a local Kia dealership. There is also abundant evidence of this being an ongoing issue online in Kia Consumer forums. When reaching out to Kia Corporation directly we were given no assistance in rectifying this issue.
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Quick Summary
The 2016 Kia Sorento has 81 Structure complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.