While accelerating after a right hand turn into turn only lane headed for highway, my car just seized up and stalled out. I glided to stop and shut off the engine, turned it back on. I accelerated onto on ramp of highway and it seized up again completely stalling. When checking oil levels there was had none, my husband brought me 4 quarts of oil (always followed dealership protocol on oil changes), tried engine again nothing. Towed it to dealer, they removed and dissembled the engine to find point of failure. Found #1 and #4 connecting rod bearings to have spun and welded them self to the crank shaft, also found #2 and #3 to be worn down/chewed up, found bearing debris in the oil pan and through out the engine, needed to replace the engine and all needed seals and gaskets.
2012 Kia Sorento engine complaints
Page 11 of 17: complaints 281 to 310 of 475, newest first, as owners wrote them.
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.
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 dealer. They were hoping it was just a coil, but today they told me it was the motor again. This time they said kia said I must have drove it a lot after the light came on and would not give me another motor ??? I had bought the extra 20,000 mile guarantee, so even though this supposed new motor only has 16,000 miles running time on it, my mileage is at 111,000 since the first one blew at 95,000. So I should still be getting another motor, but, after reading all of these accounts, looks like I was so lucky for it not to have caught on fire, even if I get it back, I don't think I can put my grandkids in it again, and its almost paid off, love my car, but someone is going to get killed, something needs to be done, soon.
I was driving the truck when I heard a loud noise like a fire gun than I saw smoke coming out from the engine, I pulled over and saw that the engine was already on fire, I got my two daughters out of the truck and five minutes later the whole truck exploted
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 engine failure. The 2012 kia sorento doesn't even have 90,000 miles on it yet and gets regular maintenance and oil changes so there really is no reason for this to have happened. It was a perfect running vehicle without ever having any issue with it what so ever, no signs of anything going out either, not even a dash indicator light! Have read numerous accounts of this happening all over the internet, there's a recall out for this type of thing but my car isn't in the batch that was recalled???!!! I think this is absurd!
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 repaired. Murray kia (located at 1402 west ridge pike, conshohocken, pa 19428, (610) 279-3020) was informed of the failure. The vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 17v224000 (engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 132,000.
Engine is using excessive oil - a quart of oil every 1000 mi. I have taken it to my nearest kia dealer who on the first visit a month ago told me I needed a tune-up (new plugs, pcv valve, etc. I just had a tune-up at my regular svc rpr shop in may. Kia dlr told me they did not use oem arts, so I ok'ed the tune-up and suggested work to see if it would help. Per their advice, I brought it bsck this wk after putting on 1000 mi. And it was again a qt. Low. They had a tech line case open with kia factory on firt visit and worked with them again this wk. Kia's answer is that they will not replace the engine until ti throws a rod. I am greatly concerned for my wife and I safety. We live in a high traffice city (atlanta) and when the engine blows, we could be injured badly or even killed. This is not an acceptable solution. Note: engine recall was done last year or so, so I am told the engine will be replaced for life any time it fails still unacceptable due to the threat of injury or death.
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 it worked. I used the emergency brakes to keep car from rolling. I then waited a few minutes to turn car on lights on again and was able to shift the car into park. I have my car service routinely and no warning of something like this could happen.
Engine bearing failure very similar to engine recall for the other types of kia 2.4 sorento engines. This engine is a 2.4l dohc cvvt 4-cyl. Catastrophic engine failure needs new engine.
Upon exiting the freeway on an out of town trip, my elderly father, 9 year old son and I began to smell a strong gasoline smell. There were no previous symptoms or signs of an issue and we just travelled about 250 miles. I typically drive alot in the city as well. In this case, I pulled into the hotel parking lot (right off the freeway) and there was a large amount of smoke coming from under the hood of the car. Because this occurred on saturday evening and we were coming into town for an event, we were not able to contact warranty forever until monday. Fearful, because I have heard of the many spontaneous fires that have occurred on my vehicle type, we have to wait to have it towed and inspected. The engine was replace in my vehicle, under recall, just last year. Thankfully, no one was injured. It could have been worse, very scary. I will be more than happy to upload any needed documentation after an inspection has been completed.
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.
The engine stalled without warning, no warning lights previous to the stall. On the highways traveling about 60 MPH when many warning lights all appeared at the same time of the stall. Upon towing the car to a nearby shop we were initial informed it appears the engine has seized.
Takata recall: I purchased my call feb. 11, 2017 and starting may I started having all kind of electrical problems. Fused kept blowing open every other day. Now fast forward to 2018 I go in for an oil change and find that my engine is leaking oil. The mechanic tells me that I need to replace the engine asap. My car has been parked for the passed two weeks.
'takata recall' I continue to smell a burning smell under my hood but no one can seem to find it. It come and goes I had it checked was told all fluids are fine and no leaks. I pray it never catches fire as I have a grandson who rides with me often. Also my rear break light go out ever two months not sure why it is not just one side they take turns each side. Pressure in tires tend to go low very often for no reason please help me find out what is really wrong before something bad happens 🙏🙏 the burning smell scammers the most but I smell while in motion.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia sorento. While the vehicle was idling at a red light, it stalled and could not be restarted. When the contact attempted to restart the engine, it made a ticking sound, but did not restart. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who stated that there was no oil in the vehicle even though the oil was changed recently. There was no warning indicator illuminated regarding an oil shortage. The mechanic also stated that there were no engine leaks; however, the engine needed to be replaced. The contact went back to the shop that performed the recent oil change, but they had incomplete records of the oil change, even with the contact having a receipt. The dealer (grieco kia of delray beach, 2255 s federal hwy, delray beach, fl 33483, (866) 858-7513) was contacted and stated that there was an unknown engine recall. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 117,000.
Our 80,000 mile vehicle experienced a complete engine failure out of the blue, no warning. We had taken very good care of the car. It is not part of the gdi engine recall, we have a dual overhead cam (dohc) engine. The dealer ship refused assistance as it is not part of the recall, though the same problem occurred with the engine. The entire engine must be replaced.
Vehicle engine caught fire with no warning while driving on a highway turning onto an intersection at night , burst into flames, power steering, brakes and electrical went out as well , vehicle was engulfed in flames instantly and was declared a total loss.
The kia was being driven on a highway in june of 2018 when the engine just froze up and stopped working. The check engine light came on after the engine stopped. The car was full of oil and being property maintained. The car was towed to the kia dealership in killeen. Initially, the dealership employee said the kia engine could not be repaired, they said the engine was blown. I called kia corporate and once they were involved, I was told it needed a short block and it could be reapaired. Kia corporate has agreed to pay for just over half the reapair (around $3500) if I pay the other part (around $2500). They keep pushing out the date the new short block will be delivered. After researching kia sorrento recall online, I firmly believe my kia should have been under the recall for the other 2012 kia sorrentos.
This kia sorento caught fire while being driven. The driver reported that the steering locked up and she could see smoke and a flame coming from the engine. She left the vehicle unharmed however the experience was frightening. The front end of the vehicle was engulfed in flames and the car is now a total loss. The car was purchased from dallas auto auction by mas motors in dallas tx. The original owner was kia of arlington.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia sorento. The contact stated that while driving the engine shut off. The vehicle was merged off the road and was able to restart after a jumpstart. The engine made clicking noises but was able to be driven home. The following day, the vehicle was able to start but eventually stalled again and all the warning lights illuminated. The engine started clicking but was able to be driven home at 10 MPH. The contact called the dealer (viva kia bassett place, 5800 montana ave, el paso, tx 79925 (915) 834-2300) who stated that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The manufacturer was called but the contact was not able to speak with their customer service department. The failure mileage was 77,500.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia sorento. While driving 60 MPH, the contact noticed an abnormal noise coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle then began to lose power without warning. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence and then towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the "engine threw a rod". The dealer (stokes kia, 202 s. Goose creek boulevard, south goose creek sc, 29445, (843)-572-7300) was contacted to schedule a diagnostic appointment. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that there were no recalls under the VIN and to schedule an appointment with the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 99,700.
Multiple complaints have been filed for the engine catching fire but yet no recalls have been issued. Why is this? What are we doing to fix this?
Engine shut off going down interstate, mechince say it shot little over 100,000 miles towed in engine gone never had a problem before jenkins auto garage in tennessee
The car was in motion (~30 MPH) when the engine stalled and smoke came out of the drivers side hood. I put the car in park, exited vehicle and it erupted into flames. The car was completely burned within minutes. The engine was replaced by kia under warranty january 2018; less than 2 weeks later the starter was replaced because the car failed to start when parked and off. The catalytic converter was replaced march 2018 because the car was losing power and a strong gas odor was detected. The car fire occurred 2 days after it was picked up from this repair.
On 8/18/18 the engine of my kia sorento burst into flames while I was driving with my two young children and our dog. I had my six year old and one year old daughters and my 9 year old pug in the vehicle with me. The entire engine suddenly burst into flames with them shooting out under the hood at all sides. I yelled for my 6 year old to get out but she froze and was screaming and crying, saying "I can't, I can't get out". I first got my one year old out of her car seat and ran around and pulled my 6 year old out. I got them away from the vehicle and then went back and got my dog out of the front seat. The fire spread with such speed and the thick black smoke was so strong. Thank god that I was able to get my family out as the fire quickly spread. Within minutes the entire vehicle was completely engulfed. The fire department arrived and quickly put out the fire but my vehicle is a total loss, melting the entire interior of the car that we were sitting in just minutes prior. Nothing in the vehicle was salvageable. The car burst into flames while I was driving in the parking lot of chuck olson kia in shoreline, wa. I had just pulled into the dealership because I smelled gas and wanted the service department to look at it. They had replaced my engine about six weeks prior under the recall because my engine seized while driving on the freeway. I do not know whether it was the instillation of the engine or if the recall did not fix the problem of kia engines bursting into flames. There were no warning lights on, my car had a full gas tank and did not need an oil change. I smelled gas as I drove my daughter's friend home and called my husband who said to take it in. I was less than two miles from the dealership and called the service department as I was driving there. As I pulled up I saw the service dept was closed and I began to turn around when the fire started.
Tl* the contact owned a 2012 kia sorento. While driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle stalled and black smoke appeared. In addition, the check engine warning indicator illuminated. The contact was made aware that the vehicle was being engulfed in flames by another driver. The fire department was contacted and extinguished the fire. The vehicle was towed to a salvage yard where it was deemed destroyed. There were no injuries. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The failure mileage was 101,000.
I was driving home from work and noticed my sorento was making a loud ticking sound and was struggling to change gears. I pulled over and immediately as I put my car in park, my check engine light flashed and car turned off. I had the car towed to a mechanic who confirmed the engine had seized. This description falls right in line with the engine recalls on 2012 sorento's, but kia says my VIN is not part of the recall. The car has been well maintained and only has 80,989 miles on it. My mechanic reached out to kia to explain to them that the engine was in very good condition and should not have seized, and believed it was a faulty engine and they hung up on him.
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 hospital. Kia towed again. Motor changed third time. At service since july 19, 2018. It has been promised to be delivered to me again tomorrow wednesday 8/14/208. Family and myself afraid to ride the kia sorento again. Car with noises since 2016. They have been using rebuilt part to change the motor. Current miles 82,000.
While driving on highway 50 about 20 miles from south lake tahoe my car just stalled out while traveling at the speed of about 55 MPH. Steam/smoke from coming from the front end. As I pulled over to the side of the road other motorist traveling west bound started honking and pointing to the vehicle. After stopping is when we realized the engine area was on fire. After opening the driver side door the flames shot out from under that car causing 3rd degree burns to the back calf on my left leg. The car was in totally in flames within 5 to 10 mins.
I have a 2012 sorento and the engine died in it at 123k miles. I dont know what happened but I kept up and maintain the maintenance on it. I done tune up ,oil changes flushes that needed to be done. My sorento has become a member of my family and the kids call her miss kia!!😂. I look for recall and didn't see any for my sorento. Its gonna cost about 5k to fix out of pocket😱😱😓. Which means its gonna take awhile to get her up and rolling again. Im still making payments on a car that doesn't run. I wish you guys would consider fixing our car. Im not sure how many people are having issues with this but the kia shops didn't see the engine going either. We are renting cars to travel to and from work weekly and its hard to save when you keep spending to travel to work and from work. Please help us get miss kia up and rolling again. If you have any questions please call at [xxx] and my name is [xxx]. Thanks and have a great day. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
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