1,242 owner complaints filed with the United States safety regulator · top issue: Engine · verdict AVOID 20/100
“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.”NHTSA complaint, 2016 Kia Sorento owner
“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”NHTSA complaint, 2016 Kia Sorento owner
“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 ”NHTSA complaint, 2016 Kia Sorento owner
| Reported | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 19/12/2018 | Fuel System, Gasoline:Delivery:Hoses, Lines/Piping, And Fittings SAFETY | Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2011-2017 Optima, 2012-2017 Sorento and 2011-2018 Sportage vehicles that previously received an engine replacement under recall number 17V-224, warranty, or the Knock Sensor |
| 14/07/2015 | Seat Belts:Front:Buckle Assembly SAFETY | Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2016 Kia Sorento vehicles manufactured October 23, 2014, to December 10, 2014. The affected vehicles have a front passenger seat belt whose buckle latch assembly |
| 24/10/2016 | Seats | Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2016 Kia Sorento vehicles manufactured March 3, 2016 to March 21, 2016. The driver's seatback frame may have been produced with inadequate weld joints and, as a r |
| 30/11/2016 | Trailer Hitches | Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Sorento vehicles manufactured October 27, 2014, to August 25, 2016, and 2017 Sportage vehicles manufactured December 10, 2015, to August 26, 2016. The a |
| 29/06/2016 | Suspension:Rear | Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2016 Sorento vehicles. A component of the rear suspension may not be properly welded. |
| 13/02/2015 | 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 an improperly soldered component in the accelerator pedal assembly, the driver ma |
| 10/08/2022 | Power Train:Automatic Transmission:Lever And Linkage:Column Shift | Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2016 Sedona and Sorento vehicles. The vehicles may have been manufactured with faulty automatic transmission shift lever assembly components, preventing the shift lever from |
| 19/09/2022 | 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 2017-2022 Sportage vehicles equipped with a tow hitch harness installed as orig |
On the federal record it scores 20/100: 1,242 owner complaints (124.2 per year on the road) and 8 recall campaigns, 2 touching safety-critical systems.
The most-reported component in NHTSA complaints is Engine, with 690 of 1270 categorised reports.
The 2016 Kia Sorento scored 20/100 on the federal record.