The contact owns a 2014 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, she became aware that the headlights were blown, and that the connector to the headlights had detached. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was driven to dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the HECU fuse needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
2014 Kia Sorento: headlights failing or too dim
86 of the 989 complaints about the 2014 Kia Sorento describe headlights failing or too dim.
- owner complaints
- 86
- of this car's complaints
- 9%
- typical repair cost reported
- $2,489
- typical mileage
- 75,000
- recalls
- 0
Is there a fix? No recall or service bulletin covers this area of the car yet.
Headlights failing or too dim by model year
What owners say
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the headlights failed to function properly. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was also illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The approximate failure mileage was 174,000.
The headlights and taillights are constantly going out on their own. Took car to dealership and they say it's fixed, but you don't leave the lot & the light is out again. Same issue has been happening since 2022. Driving on dark road and the lights just go out. This is definitely a safety issue that several people have complained about, but nothing is being done to rectify the situation. Car has been taken to dealership at least on 5 separate occasions. However, this last time they said there is no record of bringing the car for the lights. I even did a Google review. Why would the dealership not document service problems?
Coolant, oil compression, runs hot, to over headlights need replaced frequently
The headlights go out without any warning. The fog lights work fine. I have had signal bulbs replaced many times but the worst complaint is the headlights.
While driving at night, the instrument panel gauges and lights behind it faded away and all gauges went to 0, RPM, Gas, speedometer, temp, mileage all stopped working all at once. The headlights dimmed to almost nothing. After stopping, it was discovered that a rear sensor was basically melted off after being on fire from the inside. It put a hole right through the sensor and exposed the wire. It basically turned the sensor to ash and you can see the melted wires inside slightly poking out of the hole it melted. The radio and clock still work, so it didnt affect everything. The lights that come on when opening and closing the door were basically stuck on unless turned off manually when the car is off. (Turned off door light feature) Took me a few to figure that out. After checking fuses, the Module 3 was blown. Tried to replace the fuse but it keeps blowing because I cant currently do anything with the damaged sensor. A Kia repair guy wanted to change all the wiring, sensors, and instrument panel, costing thousands of dollars I don't have. After checking the Kia forums, this same exact issue has happened to multiple people with the 2014 Kia Sorento. If this has happened to multiple of the same vehicle, Kia should be responsible to fix it or replace the vehicle! Its dangerous! It was raining, but my car could have stayed on fire. I almost drove off the road when everything was shutting off and my headlights dimmed to nothing. The car still drives fine, so I got home, but it was hard to see and I had no idea of the speed of the vehicle. And the Kia guy said it could still catch fire again so I will have to fix it before driving it much more. I dont have the money for this or for a new car and my job is literally in my car! Check the Kia forums about the other issues and complaints, as again, this happened to multiple people and its all the same issue. Kia needs to fix this since it costs so much to fix and before someone burns up in a fire!
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed at night, she became aware that the headlamps were extremely dim, severely compromising nighttime visibility. The ABS warning and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic), and the VIN was included, but parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. VIN tool confirms parts not available. The failure mileage was unknown.
The low beam headlights are very dim at night time. The inside reflective coating of the projector headlights has deteriorated over time.
Headlight Dim setting are so weak the vehicle over runs the lighting at speeds over 40 mph. Unsafe to drive vehicle on major highways, and on secondary roads where street lighting is sparse, or non existent.
Headlights continually need replacing. We must replace headlights every few months. We have tried several brands of lights and regardless they go out. We have had all the lights go out at once while driving at night. Cruise control no longer works. I had the clock spring replaced but this did not fix the cruise. Seat warmer Driver side seat warmer no longer engages. When the button is pressed, the indicator light flashes as if it will come on but never does.
I started experiencing miscellaneous electrical issues and occasional poor acceleration. Engine/ABS/tire pressure/etc. warning lights would come and go indicating random problems; transmission solenoid was a common code but I did not initially have transmission problems. Radio/backup camera had intermittent problems with not powering on. Normal headlights stopped working and only high beams would function even after replacing bulbs and checking fuses. Problems got worse and the car would sometimes lurch strongly with a clunking sound and be stuck in 3rd gear "limp mode", but would randomly drive normally when restarted. I brought it to the dealership when I was experiencing sudden loss of acceleration and couldn't match the flow of traffic. The dealership said a new transmission was required. On replacing the transmission they found that there was a problem with the wiring harness and it would also need to be replaced, doubling the cost of an already expensive repair.
Multiple electrical issues throughout the car that come and go. The door locks will stop operating when using the key FOB and lock/unlock switch on the driver and passenger doors, the only way to unlock them is manually. Window operating switch at all four doors stops working. The control buttons on the steering wheel are malfunctioning (volume up button decreases volume, volume down button activates voice control). The digital fuel range number does not match up analog indicator (digital will read ~150miles range, analog will indicate 1/8 full tank). Low-beam headlight bulbs individually burn out well before expected lifetime, I have replaced each one twice in the last six months. All of these issues are available for inspection. Safety is at risk because multiple fluctuating electrical issues could mean a fire risk. I have not had these problems reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or service center yet. Vehicle and components have not been inspected. There have been no warning indications prior to or during electrical problems.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2014 Kia Sorento headlights
Is headlights failing or too dim a common problem on the 2014 Kia Sorento?
86 of 989 owner complaints about the 2014 Kia Sorento (9%) mention headlights failing or too dim. The model year with the most reports is 2017.
How much does it cost to fix headlights failing or too dim on the 2014 Kia Sorento?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $2,489 (median of 5 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2014 Kia Sorento?
There is no recall or service bulletin for this area of the car on record.
Other symptoms on the 2014 Kia Sorento
Engine failure 128Check engine light 121Knocking 85Stalling 69Fire or smoke 61Loss of power 45Oil consumption 38ABS 33Won't start 32Airbag light 31Overheating 26Sunroof shattered 23Door locks 18Key fob 18Backup camera 14Fuel pump 14Warning lights 12Adaptive cruise 10Power steering loss 10No deployment 9Brake failure 9Jerking 9Battery drain 7Fuel smell 7Hesitation 7Harsh shifting 6Grinding brakes 5Won't shift 5
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