2012 Kia Sorento: gas smell in the cabin

Filed Sep 13, 2026 · Fuel system · MD · fire

While driving I smelled gas, a few minutes later I saw smoke coming from the hood of the car. I stopped, turned the car off, got my dog, exited the car, which then exploded into flames. I saw that I was not safe the minute I saw the smoke. I was unsure that the gas smell was coming from my car until I saw that my gas needle was on E when I had filled up 3 hours prior. The police and the fire department was on scene. No warnings came up on the dash board other than the gas light.

Filed May 21, 2024 · Engine, Fuel system · 190,000 miles · LA

The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, he smelled an abnormally strong gasoline odor. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact exited the vehicle and unlatched the hood, only to discover gasoline flowing on top of the engine. The contact stated that he had made it home safely and ran water through the engine to clean the gasoline off. The contact researched the failure online and related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 18V907000 (Fuel System, Gasoline, Engine). The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the vehicle was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 190,000.

Filed May 14, 2024 · Brakes · 160,000 miles · IN · fire · 1 injury

The contact owned a 2012 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed he smelled a burning fuel odor, and smoke began coming into the vehicle from the vents. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact pulled over and unlatched the hood of the vehicle only to find a sizeable amount of fire coming from the engine, which left him with burned hairs on his left arm, no medical treatment was needed. The contact stated there was a cop parked nearby who came to extinguish the fire with a fire extinguisher. The fire department was called to make sure the fire was extinguished. The contact did not recall filling out a fire department report. A police report was filed, however the contact did not have the information available. The insurance company towed the vehicle and deemed it totaled. The contact was relating the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23v652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The dealer confirmed that the vehicle was not included in that recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and also confirmed there was nothing they could do because the vehicle was not included in that recall. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000. The VIN was not available.

Filed Aug 15, 2022 · Engine, Fuel system · 143,000 miles · CA · fire

The contact owned a 2012 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at 65 MPH, an abnormal fuel odor began to emit from the vehicle without warning. His wife was then waved down by a fellow motorist that alerted her that the vehicle had caught fire. The contact stated that his wife had difficulty stopping the vehicle as depressed the brake pedal. Once the vehicle was stopped, an unknown color smoke filled the vehicle's front cabin as she and the other occupants exited the vehicle. No occupants were injured and no medical assistance was rendered at the scene. The vehicle was extinguished by the fire department and a fire report was filed. In the fire report, the investigator linked the cause of the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 18V907000(Fuel System, Gasoline; Engine); however, his vehicle was not included in the recall. The vehicle was towed to an independent tow yard where it was deemed a total loss. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and an investigator was sent to diagnose the cause of the failure; the contact had yet to hear back from the manufacturer. The dealer was also notified about the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 143,000.

Filed Feb 17, 2022 · Engine, Fuel system · GA · fire

There was the smell of gasoline inside the cabin. Then the check engine light came on. Smoke began coming from the engine compartment. The fire completely engulfed the vehicle.

Filed Oct 28, 2018 · Electrical, Engine · 164,500 miles · OH

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.

Filed Aug 23, 2018 · Engine · 100,000 miles · PA · fire

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.

Filed Jan 23, 2014 · Fuel system · 80,000 miles · GA

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia sorento. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH, gasoline began leaking from the vehicle. In addition, an overpowering gasoline odor was present. The failure recurred twice over a period of two years. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, who stated that the seal from the fuel pump to the fuel line needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.