2013 Kia Sorento: fire, smoke or burning smell

Filed Nov 5, 2026 · Engine · OH · fire

Vehicle caught on fire under neath while driving

Filed Apr 21, 2026 · Engine · 190,000 miles · NJ · fire

The contact owned a 2013 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that he had received a recall notice for the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V652000(Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The contact then stated that soon after the recall was serviced, the vehicle would hesitate to start after multiple attempts without warning. The vehicle had been taken back to the dealer on multiple occasions due to failure; the dealer was unable to diagnose the failure, but stated that the failure was not related to the recall. The contact then stated that while driving at approximately 45 MPH, a white-grayish smoke began to emit from the vehicle without warning. The smoke became heavier and quickly turned black as the contact pulled over and exited the vehicle. The vehicle quickly became engulfed in flames as the authorities were called to the scene. Both the police and the fire department arrived at the scene, and the fire department extinguished the fire. A police report was not filed, and no injuries were reported. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it remained in their possession. The vehicle was destroyed as a result of the fire. Neither the manufacturer nor the dealer had yet been notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 190,000.

Filed Mar 12, 2026 · Engine · PA

On December 21, 2025, my vehicle experienced abnormal knocking/ticking sounds coming from the engine while driving on the interstate (60 mph), and it was difficult going up hills. The check engine light was intermittingly blinking, and there was a strong burning smell. The vehicle was taken to AutoZone and the code displayed P0304 indicating a cylinder 4 misfire. The spark plugs were replaced. However, the knocking sounds, blinking check engine light, and smell of burning happened again, and I took it PepBoys on December 26, 2025. After testing, they indicated that the fuel injector was cracked and fuel was found in the engine oil. I had AAA tow the vehicle to Cochran Kia [XXX] ). The dealership indicated that they would not be able to look at the vehicle until December 29, 2025. The dealership verified that the check engine light was still on and the motor was misfiring badly. They then checked cylinder #4 with a borescope and found that the valve had a crack in it and that the engine would need to be replaced. There was also damage/scoring to the piston and cylinder wall. The dealership corresponded with Kia (Case #25769914), Kia however indicated that there was no powertrain warranty and that this would not be covered under PI1803 and indicated that only applies to bearing failure, and that dealership should provide me with cost estimate to replace the engine. My vehicle has been properly maintained, and I provided the dealership with the additional requested maintenance records on February 14, 2026. I reached out to Kia Customer Care and they indicated to get the engine replaced under the warranty from the settlement, I had to work with the dealership. I contacted the dealership again on 3/12/26 and they said they can't do a warranty replacement because the warranty only covered if it was the rod bearing. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Oct 24, 2024 · Engine · 231,000 miles · NJ

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, there was smoke coming from the engine compartment. The contact pulled over to the shoulder of the roadway. After a visual inspection of the engine compartment, the contact became aware that the engine oil was abnormally low and added engine oil to the vehicle. The contact stated that a month later while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the head gasket. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 231,000.

Filed Sep 26, 2024 · Brakes · 70,000 miles · IN · fire · 1 injury

The contact owned a 2013 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that after parking and turning the vehicle off, moments later flames and smoke were present coming from the engine compartment of the vehicle. The fire department was called to the scene and extinguished the flames. During the incident, the vehicle was destroyed and later towed away. The contact sustained a right-hand laceration while attempting to remove items from the vehicle. The injury did not require professional medical treatment. Police and fire report information was not available. The cause of the fire was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure. The contact indicated that VIN was included in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V652000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC), and the recall had not been completed prior to the incident. The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced that same failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 70,000.

Filed Feb 16, 2024 · Engine · 135,000 miles · AZ

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sorento. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, there was smoke coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the radiator needed to be replaced due to a hole in the radiator. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 135,000.

Filed Feb 16, 2024 · Electrical · WA

Received the recall notice from Kia back in November 2023 and have contacted them several times about fixing the problem. On February 8, 2024 took the car in to our local Kia dealer, Overturf, and had a recall inspection performed due to a burnt rubber/plastic smell when driving the car. The recall part said that the car caught on fire and we were concerned that this was the reason for the smell. The service department said they were unable to duplicate the smell, but that our car was one of the ones impacted by the recall. Said no fix for the problem yet so to park the car. This is our main means of transportation. They offered no rental or a loaner car.

Filed Feb 7, 2024 · Electrical · NE

It has been 3 months since first notification, called KIA and dealer today 2/7/2024. Have smelled burning/melting smell. No warning lights so far. Dealer says it still has no remedy and cannot inspect or repair.

Filed Jan 1, 2024 · Electrical, Engine · FL

We were told by our auto mechanic that this vehicle needed a new electrical control module. The part has been on back-order with the local KIA dealership for a couple of months. My daughter was driving the car recently when all of the lights went out, and the car would only drive forward approximately 5 miles per hour. The car began to shudder and I had my daughter pull into the nearest parking lot and park the car. The engine shut off as she entered the parking lot, the car could not be placed in any other gear except neutral, and there was a burning smell. We pushed the car into a parking spot and removed the key from the ignition. We had to put the emergency brake on to keep the car from rolling. There is a safety recall related to this specific problem, but KIA states it does not have a remedy for the problem yet. What are we supposed to do?

Filed Dec 13, 2023 · Brakes · 92,000 miles · GA

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sorento. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while her son was driving at an undisclosed speed, several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The driver pulled to the side of the road. The contact stated that her son opened the hood, and there was smoke coming from underneath the hood. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the residence. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 92,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Filed Nov 27, 2023 · Brakes · ND

On November 15, I was driving my vehicle in traffic. As I approached an intersection, I looked in my rear-view mirror and noticed smoke trailing behind the vehicle. I attempted to brake, but there was no braking action. The vehicle rolled to a stop. Immediately, smoke and flames poured from the front end of the vehicle, under the hood. My passenger and I were able to exit the vehicle as the flames grew in size and engulfed the engine compartment of the vehicle. Video shot by a bystander showed flames under the vehicle as well, just prior to getting it stopped. Shortly after the incident, I was told that there were recalls on some Kia Sorentas, so I checked the federal safety agency website and the VIN showed it was included in Kia's latest recall. I had not received anything from Kia prior to the fire. However, I did receive an interim recall notice on November 24.

Filed Nov 27, 2023 · Brakes, Engine · TX

Almost got into crash on highway with a truck going on right lane as Kia did not pick up speed while going on speeding lane and lanes getting merged due to construction. Having trouble changing the gears - Engine keep creating lot of noise even during the 1st gear. Can feel jerks while gears being changed and sometimes feel burning smell. 2 Recalls were done in 2021 on this vehicle related to Engine and transmission. Kia dealer at Abilene (325‑267‑7409 - James) not willing to check anything at all - also not going to fix the latest recall. Saying it might take couple of months to fix. Afraid of even driving this Kia Sorento due to fire risk and kept car outside in the frontyard. Spent thousands on rental cars and Uber as it is primary and only car for our whole family.