2017 Kia Sorento: won't start

Filed Oct 3, 2025 · Engine · TX

1) My vehicle incurred catastrophic engine failure. The engine stopped running suddenly. It does not crank over. It is available for inspection. It does not run. 2) I am thankful that no one was injured and that the vehicle did not catch fire. 3) There is a safety-related defect in certain 2017 Kia Sorento vehicles. 4) My vehicle was towed to the house and has not been inspected. 5) There were no signs of leaking oil or oil burning. No dashboard lights came on to signal overheating or low oil level. No check engine light ever appeared.

Filed Oct 19, 2024 · Engine · TX

Heard light knocking coming from engine compartment while on a trip. The knocking become louder while driving home on County Roads. Knocking was very loud when I reached a populated area. While attempting to get to an auto store the vehicle drove very slowly and then a huge plume of black smoke discharged from the rear and front of the vehicle. The car stopped on an entrance ramp and would not start again. I had the vehicle tow on a flat bed tow truck to a vehicle repair shop in our hometown. This was on a Tuesday after normal business hours. The following morning I took the key to the shop and explained what happened. The shop called me later the same day and told me the engine was blown and not salvageable that there was a hole in the engine. I am in the process of looking for a new car due to the unreliability of installing a rebuilt engine. There have been several documented cases of KIA engine failures. I do not know if this has been reported, but I would like a record of this failure reported and documented. Thank you.

Filed Aug 27, 2024 · Engine · GA

On August 26, 2024, my Kia Sorento failed to start. While driving it, the vehicle started to make a noise so we pulled off the road and shut it off. When we tried to restart it, it made only clicking noises but would not start. There were no warning lights indicating any issues; no oil light, no check engine light, nothing. It ran fine the day before, the last oil change was May 1st and the vehicle was running fine. When the vehicle arrived at my house we checked the oil, and there was barely any oil in the car - we put oil in it and tried to restart it, but it failed to start - only clicking noises. I recently put a brand new battery in it. If the indicator warning light would have been working as it should have been, I would have known the oil was low. I saw no leakage anywhere that would have indicated a problem - now I have no running vehicle. The Kia is our only means of transportation for me and my family. After much research, I have found other Kia Sorento owners with the same engine and indicator light issues. I am seeking resolution to this problem as soon as possible. I am the original owner of this vehicle and I've never had any issues until now. Please provide assistance as soon as possible.

Filed Apr 12, 2024 · Engine · PA

While driving my 2017 Kia Sorento, my car suddenly started making very loud clanging noises out of nowhere. The car then completely shut down in the middle of the highway. Thankfully, I was able to coast off to the side of the road. I tried to restart the car, but it would not start. After having the car towed to my mechanic, he informed me that there was absolutely NO OIL in the car. It was completely empty. No warning lights ever came on to tell me there was an issue. I maintain my car with oil changes regularly. I have all documentation to prove it. There is absolutely no reason for there to have been no oil in the car. As a result, my engine is now destroyed. My mechanic told me it needed a new engine, and after having it towed again at my own expense to a KIA dealer, they told me the same thing. They informed me that my car doesn't fall under any warranties and I would need to pay for a new engine. My car only has 119,000 miles on it, and it isn't even paid off yet! I am the only owner of this car and take good care of it. When I contacted KIA customer service, they were of absolutely no help and they also told me I was financially responsible for a new engine. After doing research, I have found that 2017 Kia Sorento owners have reported the same exact issue of no oil being in the car, with no warning lights coming on, to the federal safety agency. And their engines were also destroyed as a result. There is an extended warranty on the Oil safety switch for my vehicle. I brought that up to Kia, and they told me they could replace the switch, but not the engine. I told them that the engine is destroyed because the car lost all of its oil with no warning. Being that this is a known problem with Kia engines, and many complaints have been filed, the federal safety agency needs to investigate this and hold KIA responsible for replacing people's engines!

Filed Feb 13, 2024 · Electrical, Engine · ME

The vehicle just lost power at 75mph on [XXX] heading home to Princeton, ME, started vibrating really bad misfiring then we pulled over the Kia Sorento stalled. Then would not start back up. It’s been using over a quart a week since we got it from the dealership in Bangor, Maine. We got it towed home our mechanic looked at it and noticed oil on the plugs and said we probably need a new engine. Low beam light keep coming off and on so thinking it’s something electrical. Time to time the transmission take a min to shift the engine rpms stay up n takes a few extra seconds to shift. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Jan 20, 2024 · Engine · SC

My car cut off on a major highway on 12/13/2023, but luckily i was able to pull off an exit. My car stalled and wouldn't crank. Called someone out who did a diagnostic and said it was for my knock system(P1326).I was able to get it home and black smoke was coming from my tail pipe. I haven't driven the car since then. I went to Kia on 1/15/2024 to get recalls done and also inquire about my check engine light. Kia never did a diagnostic test for the check engine light. They only did recalls and sent me on my way. I called Kia and made another appointment to get a diagnostic test done on 1/20/24 and then i was told that i would need an engine replacement and my warranty doesn't cover it. Then he gives me a printout of codes which states pending and told me that p1326 code didn't show so therefore it's not covered. He tells me that it's a blockage on cylinder 4. I told him when i came to you a few days ago, i asked about my check engine light and i was ignored. Upon pulling out of Kia parking lot, i noticed a large cloud of black smoke that i didn't originally see when i brought it in and it was so cloudy that other cars had to stop because they was unable to see. Luckily i got it back home and parked it cause it's very unsafe for me to drive even tho Kia saying i can still drive it. My car burns a lot of oil even tho i don't really drive cause i work from home but evidently, every time i get oil checked it's always low so i was getting it topped-off every other month and was told by a mechanic that Kia engines burns a lot of oil and the engines no good and now look, i'm needing a new engine and i just purchased this car in 2020 and i see it's been so many services done to it before i purchased itMy car only gets up to 50mph since the engine light came on so prefer not to drive it anymore.

Filed Dec 20, 2023 · Engine, Transmission · NY

Consistent excessive oil consumption from about 90k until it died at 127k while on the highway going 65+mph. Oil Light flashed. Check engine light flashed. Made it onto the exit ramp and exited the vehicle very shook up. Vehicle would not start unless using two feet. One to flutter the gas while other on the break to be able to throw it into gear and chug the 2 miles home from the highway. Towed it to the Kia dealership in vestal Ny in June 2023. They had my vehicle for over 2 months before we had a plan. We called Kia with no response. No email followup no snail mail followup. Called again in October to be told my vehicle did not have any compression in 2 cylinders but it couldn’t pass or fail the test therefore they couldn’t determine the cause. Because they could not determine the cause my vehicle would not be covered at all. My Sorento had regular oil changes and maintenance done at the dealership as that’s where I purchased the Sorento new in 2017. After we rolled over 100k when the warranty was up we began shopping around for oil changes due to the dealership being outrageous. My vehicle has been sitting dead while I lay $555 a month on the existing loan. I will never buy a Kia again and will be telling everyone else the same. Thank you.

Filed Sep 27, 2023 · Lights · WA

Headlights switch set in Auto position. Headlights turned on spontaneously, two different times while auto was off and locked. This resulted in battery being drained and auto would not start. This has not happened since switch was set to Off position.

Filed May 16, 2023 · Engine · MD

Sudden Engine Failure: My car died in the middle of a highway on-ramp lane, so I had to call 911 to ask a police officer to come help. Our car came to a complete stop with no warning signs prior. My car was driving totally fine up until that point and then suddenly this happened on the highway. This put ourselves at risk (myself and my 2 children in the car), and it put everyone behind me at risk of rear-ending me, as traffic was moving. During the incident, the engine would not turn over at all. I waited about 10 minutes for a state trooper to pull up, while cars and big trucks whizzed past my stopped car on both sides. When the state trooper arrived, he called the highway department, and someone from the highway department came and pushed my car to the shoulder so that we could be safer. We had it towed to our Kia Service Center: Jones Kia, 2001 Belair Rd, Bel Air, MD 21014. They completed a diagnostic review. They contacted us and explained that: The cylinder head bolt failed. It became "threaded" (this was the term used by the Kia Service center who examined the car), causing the engine to overheat and seize. It happened so quickly that there were no warning signs. The service adviser at Jones Kia told us that we would need a whole new engine replacement.

Filed Nov 20, 2022 · Engine · OH

My 2017 Kia Sorento does not start all the time. I have had both the battery and starter tested and am told they are fine. This makes for a very UNRELIABLE mode of transportation. The car does not start sporadically and leaves me stranded at various times and places. I have been told by several repair places that they have no idea how to fix this... The car eventually starts after a few prayers but no mechanical adjustments are made. Please advise!! Thanks

Filed Aug 15, 2022 · Engine · TX

The KIA turned off while driving in traffic going to Louisiana. It just turned off while I was slowing down. The vehicle turned back on a few minutes later and continued to Louisiana. The steering wheel locked up while in Baton Rouge, LA and the red warning light came on after that. There were no warning lights prior to the vehicle turning off while driving nor when the power steering locked up. I took it to O’Reilly’s Auto Parts to have them put some power steering fluid in it. They could not do it because apparently it has an electric power steering system. The car would not start after that. All the warning lights came on. The rep at O'Reilly's said that since it is electrical, I would need to take it to the dealership because I should not be having these issues since I only had the vehicle for almost 3 months. The codes that came on when the rep put the machine on were: battery, starter, alternator, power steering. The oil had been changed on Tuesday, 08.09.2022. I already had to buy 2 tires as the tire shop stated the inside of the tires were already going bald. Which should not be happening either. The vehicle was left in Baton Rouge, LA as it was not drivable to return to Houston, Texas. I am going to make arrangements with CARMAX to tow the vehicle to their location in Baton Rouge, LA. According to CARMAX, there were no known issues when the vehicle was purchased nor were there any recalls. If there were no known issues, why am I having these issues now?

Filed May 6, 2022 · Electrical, Lights · PA

Car lights come on when the car is not in use. Car sporadically does not start. New battery installed in February and car wont start in May.