2016 Kia Sorento: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
1,242 NHTSA owner complaints · 8 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Reviewed by the MotorJury data desk · 2 sources · Last updated 2026-08-20
1,242 NHTSA owner complaints · 8 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Complaints per year on the road: 124.2
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
While I was driving, my 3.3 V6 engine on my 2016 Kia Sorento seized up with no warning. There is no visible oil on the dip stick, although I have changed my oil routinely. There has never been visible oil outside of the engine or on the ground. I never had any warning light come on. I believe the engine burns an extreme amount of oil, which is putting people in a dangerous situation and financial hardship.
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 m…
I have a 2016 kia sorento I was having a problem with the shifter it would not go into park and had to use the shift override button I contacted the dealer there was an active recall they refused to repair or replace the shifter because it was inspected by the dealer in 2022 and as far as they where concerned that satisfied the recall The recall is still valid, and does not have close date how can they refuse to …
What the community is saying right now.
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 22V612000 | Power Train:Automatic Transmission:Lever | Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2016 Sedona and Sorento vehicles. The vehicles may have been manufactured with faulty automati… |
| 15V089000 | Vehicle Speed Control:Accelerator Pedal | Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2016 Sorento vehicles manufactured October 27, 2014, to January 29, 2015. Due to a… |
| 15V446000 | Seat Belts:Front:Buckle Assembly | Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2016 Kia Sorento vehicles manufactured October 23, 2014, to December 10, 2014. The… |
| 22V703000 | Trailer Hitches | Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2016-2022 Sorento, 2021-2022 Sorento Hybrid (HEV), 2022-2023 Sorento Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV), and… |
| 18V907000 | Fuel System, Gasoline:Delivery:Hoses, Li | Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2011-2017 Optima, 2012-2017 Sorento and 2011-2018 Sportage vehicles that previously received a… |
| 16V770000 | Seats | Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2016 Kia Sorento vehicles manufactured March 3, 2016 to March 21, 2016. The driver… |
| 16V480000 | Suspension:Rear | Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2016 Sorento vehicles. A component of the rear suspension may not be properly weld… |
| 16V862000 | Trailer Hitches | Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Sorento vehicles manufactured October 27, 2014, to August 25, 2016, and 2… |
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Engine (690 complaints in our indexed sample).
Our data verdict is AVOID with a reliability score of 20/100, computed from 1,242 NHTSA complaints and 8 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
Yes — NHTSA lists 8 recall campaign(s) for the 2016 Kia Sorento, 2 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 10/08/2022. Check this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy.
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorComplaints & recalls: NHTSA ·
Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov ·
Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements.
Last updated: 2026-08-20.