2016 Kia Sorento: check engine light

Filed Jul 23, 2026 · Engine · WA

On Saturday the 18th of July, the car was fine, on Sunday 07/19/2026 got ready to take car to regular scheduled oil change and it was making a blown engine noise, the rod had failed, Safety issues where the people at oil change could have had a rod thrown out the bottom of the engine, or my car could have failed in the middle of the road causing an accident. No warning signs, no limp mode, no engine light, no noted metal in oil on previous oil changes. Inspected at Kia, does not meet any recall warranties, however service manager at West Hills Kia stated this is in an internal engine failure and should not have happened with our service records and care of vehicle.

Filed Jun 22, 2026 · Engine · 98,000 miles · CA

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing excessive oil consumption, and 3 quarts of oil were added every 1,000 miles. The Check Engine and Low Oil Pressure warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with excessive oil consumption. The mechanic determined that the valves in the engine or the engine needed to be replaced. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and informed the contact that there was no recall or warranty coverage on the vehicle. The contact was provided an estimate for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000.

Filed Jun 9, 2026 · Engine · 74,000 miles · PA

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, abnormal engine oil consumption was noticed. No warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed with engine oil consumption, but repairs could not be made until a knocking sound was heard. The contact stated that the vehicle was no longer experiencing the failure but was repaired under an unknown recall. The contact stated that occasionally, while driving at various speeds, the Check Engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the same local dealer, where it was diagnosed with a catalytic converter failure. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 74,000.

Filed May 30, 2026 · Engine, Fuel system · CA

Car completely stalled while on the freeway with no warning, no engine lights, nothing….luckily we were going downhill and were able to pull over to the side safely. Still owe 6k to the finance company but mechanic claimed I needed a new waterpump…after being changed and charged the car still wouldn’t turn on despite the new waterpump….and a bunch of new obd codes showed up & now I need a new engine. After a lot of research I’ve learned this car is notoriously known for many recalls and overall complains…..I wish I had done research before buying it, now I’m in debt for a car I can’t even drive

Filed May 11, 2026 · PA

This car has been at the dealership twice in not even 2 years. I've only had it not even 3 years. The check engine light comes on and starts shaking. In June of 2025, a tune up was performed due to a cylinder 4 misfire code. P030400 In April of 2026, the same exact thing happened. Dealership said misfire on cylinder 4. Loss of oil would cause the engine to lock up causing harm to me and other people on the road. I am constantly putting oil in this car!!

Filed May 9, 2026 · Engine, Transmission · WI

I bought this used with 113,000 miles on it. Within the first year, I had to fix AC,oil leak and alternator. I also had to replace the transmission which gave out completely. Then about 14 months into owning this vehicle, the engine light came on, and I suddenly could not maintain speed. I was lucky I was not on the main highway where I would have been hit from cars behind me. KIA refuses to fix/replace the engine because it is out of warranty. I believe this is too many things that have gone wrong to not be considered defective. I now have to cut my losses and get a different car.

Filed Mar 18, 2026 · Engine · 98,000 miles · GA

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while his wife was driving, the battery, check engine, and oil warning lights were simultaneously illuminated. The driver reported hearing a low rattling sound and observed smoke coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that the dealer declined to service the vehicle because the knock sensor was not installed by the previous owner. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed with a connecting rod bearing failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000.

Filed Feb 20, 2026 · Engine · KY

The engine stalled while driving on the expressway. Myself and my daughter and her friend were in the car. The vehicle started right back up, and I was able to drive the car home (less than 2 miles away). The following day, my wife got an oil change, and went on the expressway, and the engine stalled again causing her to have to navigate the car, with no engine power, to the side of the highway and wait for myself and a tow truck. Both times were very dangerous. We had the vehicle towed to a mechanic, who said the crank shaft & rods and bearings for the engine look like they failed and seized up, causing the engine to complete lock up and stall, requiring a full engine replacement. Kia is refusing replacement saying we are not covered by the previous complaints and concerns, stating our vehicle is not covered specifically, stating that the 3.3L engines were not covered under the previous recall/extended warranty offered on engines in the same yr/make/model as our vehicle. The check engine light came on, and there was a slight knocking sound as the car was idling just before the engine stall, and as the engine stalled, the oil lamp and the battery light came on. This happened both times. The symptoms appeared just before complete engine failure. We get the vehicle serviced at Kia, and had the oil changed by Strickland Brothers the day of. We were concerned that the engine light came on due to potential of the oil needing to be changed. We do not have any electronic files or reports for this issue yet.

Filed Dec 8, 2025 · Engine, Fuel system · MN

The safety hazard began with a pattern of ignored warnings by the authorized dealer network. On Aug 15, 2025, I brought the vehicle to Luther Kia of Bloomington for a Check Engine Light. The dealer simply cleared the code without diagnosis, failing to catch early signs of engine trouble. On Sept 22, 2025, the engine failed again. I drove the vehicle in unsafe "limp mode" to Luther Nissan Kia [XXX] ). They found the engine was "4 quarts low on oil" (severe starvation just 37 days after a dealer oil change). Despite this catastrophic finding, they failed to diagnose the root cause and released the unsafe vehicle to me after selling only a spark plug replacement. On Sept 26, when I attempted to pick up the vehicle, the Check Engine Light was flashing immediately at handover. I refused to take the unsafe vehicle. The dealer then replaced an Oil Control Valve (OCV) and released the vehicle to me again later that day. After this second "repair," I drove the vehicle for only a few miles before the engine failed again with a Check Engine Light. The dealer has since admitted in writing (BBB complaint #XXX) that the engine was "deprived of lubrication" due to the initial low oil condition. By ignoring early warnings and releasing a vehicle with a dying engine twice, the dealer put me and other motorists at risk of a sudden loss of power at highway speeds. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Dec 8, 2025 · Engine · CA

For about 23,000 miles our mechanic has mentioned that the engine is burning oil. The exhaust pipe is covered in black soot. I monitor the oil level and it is always low even after oil changes with no oil leak. This has been provided to Kia with no remedy. Recently our Sorento was in a busy highway and the check engine, oil and battery lights came on and the car went into limp mode. We had the vehicle towed to Kia Chula Vista and the engine will be replaced by them. My concern is that the catalytic converter will soon fail and the engine issues need to be addressed for all of these makes/models before someone gets seriously hurt or killed.

Filed Dec 1, 2025 · Engine, Fuel system · TN

Engine failed. Took car to Johnson City Kia dealership as advised by Kia of north America. The dealership said the engine failed due to carbon build up which is a problem with the engines, that it was not covered under warranty. I paid over $6,400 to have the engine replaced. When I was driving the car home the engine light came on and I lost power on the interstate causing me to almost get hit by a semi-truck. I took the car back to Kia of Johnson City Tn. the next day. Kia stated that the high-pressure fuel pump had went bad from the time I left the dealership and got home. I paid over $1,350 to replace a High-Pressure Fuel Pump. On the way home engine light and loss of power. I returned to Kia. They stated that gas had gotten into my oil. They changed the oil and I headed home, same issue engine light and loss of power. I told Kia of Johnson City I wanted a refund, and they could put the old part back on. Kia of Johnson City told me to take the car to another dealership that I was not getting a refund, and they would not fix my car. The engine codes and problems were the same as when I picked the car up from Kia. I have tried twice to have Kia of North America buy the car back due to it not being fixed and I do not feel safe in the car. I have taken the car to a Hyundai dealership in Johnson City Tn. and asked them to check the engine code and loss of power. Another $223.05. They stated the high-pressure fuel pump was defective. Fixing same issue multiple times.

Filed Sep 24, 2025 · Engine · OR

The intake valve cam Engine Variable Valve Timing (VVT) Sprocket pin wasn't properly seated in the phaser and worked its way out. Additionally, the corresponding hole in the camshaft was machined too deep, allowing the pin to completely depart the phaser and move into the camshaft. This resulted in no control over valve timing and the Bank 2 camshaft over-advancing the intake valves to 63 degrees from standard. This is under-engineering of critical engine parts and poor quality control by Kia. It caused the engine to go into "limp home mode" with a significant reduction in power and a flashing check engine light. Had this happened towing a trailer, or in poor driving conditions, the vehicle may have been difficult to control and put occupants in danger. The pin was found completely inside the camshaft. There seems to be low quality engineering with this manufacturer, as there are many reports of these known problems.