2015 KIA SORENTO Engine Problems

The contact owns a 2015 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40-45 MPH, the vehicle stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle, but the engine made abnormal knocking sounds. The vehicle was towed to the residence and failed to restart. A mobile technician diagnosed the vehicle with engine failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were not contacted. The failure mileage was 98,954.

I am filing this complaint regarding a suspected safety defect involving the Theta II engine in my 2015 Kia Sorento. The vehicle developed progressive engine failure symptoms including: Engine knocking and abnormal mechanical noise Loss of power while driving Misfire conditions Excessive oil consumption Progressive deterioration of engine performance These symptoms began at approximately 150,000 miles and worsened over time. Given the documented history of Theta II engine failures involving rod bearing defects, sudden engine seizure, loss of power, and fire risk, I believe my vehicle is experiencing a progression of the same known defect. 2) Safety Risk to Driver and Public The engine condition created serious safety risks, including: Potential sudden engine failure while driving Loss of power in traffic or at highway speeds Increased risk of collision Potential fire hazard associated with Theta II engine failures Despite these risks, Kia and its authorized dealership advised me to continue...

I was driving down a very busy road and with no warning my car lost power. It would turn over but not start back up. I was stuck in the middle of a busy road way causing traffic’s to back up. I had to call the police to sit behind me so I wouldn’t get hit from behind.

My vehicle has a slow speed pick up and I’m getting code p0018 and has very rough idling !

The contact owns a 2015 Kia Sorento. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V331000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC). The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal, and the engine seized. The contact was able to coast to the side of the road, and the vehicle failed to restart. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that prior to the failure, the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The vehicle was towed to the residence. A mobile mechanic arrived at the residence to inspect the vehicle and removed the serpentine belt, but was unable to crank the engine. However, no cause for the failure was found. The dealer was contacted, and the contact was informed that, as per the manufacturer, proof of all oil changes performed on the vehicle was needed since...

Faulty motor I have changed oil early every time and every mechanic I’ve been to said the Kia motor is always doing this ! I still owe 9k on this car! It’s burning oil so fast and not going into the engine this is a on going issue with these motors ! I just now hit 100 k miles no reason for my motor to be blowing please put the recall back on for the 2015 Kia’s!!!

Driving on highway and suddenly heard loud tapping/rattling sound from engine and then engine died resulting in total loss of power steering and acceleration. Was able to coast through an exit and into a parking lot. My entire family was in the vehicle and if we had not been able to coast to a safe spot we could have been involved in a high speed accident. Vehicle was towed to Kia dealership and they diagnosed it as connecting rod failure. No other inspections have been done. No warning lamps displayed before the incident occurred.

I had catastrophic engine failure while driving with no warning lights indicating my engine was losing oil, the engine and power shut off at 55 miles and hour causing me to lose power steering and power assisted breaking.

Car had a blown head gasket. Took it to my mechanic and upon inspection determined that the head bolts had stretched. My mechanic said that it was a common problem and service advisor at dealership also agreed it was a common problem. After a little research found a lot of complaints about this problem. Talked to KIA and was told no warranty or recall for this problem

Cut off in middle of the interstate start smoking

Engine started making rattling sounds during startup and when accelerating. Kia dealer said the engine failed and needed replaced. Repair cost were around $9000.00.

Driving the 2015 Kia Sorento coming back from work The car overheated and complete engine failure check engine light with flashing

What's driving home from work doing 65 mph postal speed limit car begin to overheat and then went in the complete engine failure engine light flashing

2014-2015 Kia Sorento 3.3L V6 Engines Coolant Leak Extension of Warranty and or Financial reimbursement of a repair done prior to receive this notice. engine develop coolant leak from cylinder head gasket area I have tried since 6-24-2024 to get a reimbursement from Kia for Case#[XXX] I have sent info through their website portal, last Dec 2024, they emailed, sent a requested paper, and still nothing. No reimbursement check, no notice that it isn't going to be paid, NOTHING. In a few days 24th it will have been 1 year since I contacted them. I would like my reimbursement check, I feel I have given them plenty of time. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

On [XXX] while driving at approximately 45 mph the check engine light came on and the car would not accelerate. It was towed to the Kia Dealership in Charleston South Carolina. A Code P1326 was diagnosed. They performed bearing clearance test and it passed. Also Performed software update. The car drove as normal until [XXX]. On [XXX] while on the interstate, going about 65 mph, the check engine light began flashing and car would not accelerate. The car was taken to the Kia dealership in Florence, South Carolina where we were told the knocking sensor needed to up updated. We told them it already had been updated in January by the Kia dealership in Charleston South Carolina. We were then told we had to take it back to Charleston and have that dealership work on the car. We called Kia Customer Care Center because the Florence Kia was refusing to...

My 2015 Kia Sorento was in complete engine failure need help of repairing and replacing engine

On April 26, 2025, while driving, my car just stopped in the middle of the road. There were no warning signs, no engine indicator light on on the dash. It just stopped and would not crank.

With little to no warning my check engine, steering, and oil lights turned on and the engine stalled after a loud noise as I was coming to a stop. This occurred on a major highway and could have been catastrophic and dangerous if it occurred at full speed by leaving my vehicle in the middle of the road open to potential collisions that could harm myself or others. Thank goodness i did not have any passengers. I was barely able to pull off to the median and had the vehicle towed to a mechanic who confirmed the engine had seized due to rapid oil loss and found metal debris in the engine oil. They are recommending a full engine replacement. I called the dealership to see if they would agree to inspect the vehicle or see if there had been any reports or recalls associated. I specifically asked them is...

The entire car failed as it caught fire. I wasn't able to break or put the car into park and it rolled to a stop while smoke was coming through the vents. Because of this, my passenger and I exited the vehicle and crossed the expressway while a highway patroller was directing traffic away from the car. Within 2 minutes the car was engulfed in flames. The car is not available for inspection as it was towed away and disposed of. The safety of myself and the passenger were at risk because the entire car broke out in flames and soon exploded. If we stayed in the car for any longer than we did, we would have died. UNKOWN. I do not believe that the vehicle has been inspected. The warning lights all turned on at exactly the same time, about 3-5 seconds before the car completely stopped.

Kia Sorento Limited 2015. Regular oil changes on engine using Valvoline synthetic oil. 118k miles on the 3.3L engine. Car is in mint condition. I have all records. At oil change, Valvoline tech mentioned it was low on oil. Never had a tech tell me that before. 24 hours after oil change, I started the engine and heard a pinging noise. I let the engine warm up and the sounds smoothed out. I drove it for less than 5 minutes on the highway at 60mph and warning lights came on and the car had no power from the engine. No loud sounds or knocking at the time. Kia South Dealer is telling me I have to buy a rebuilt engine for $5.5k and will cost $6K to install. That cost is more than the car is worth. With me research, there are two huge issues with the engine. Head bolts...

Engine died in the middle of the right of way suddenly and would not restart. Knocking sound ensued when restart was attempted. Within the previous 48 hours, the engine had been topped off with 2 quarts of oil. The dealership it was towed to to assess the issue confirmed they added an additional 3 quarts of oil during the assessment. They confirmed the engine would need to be replaced. Mileage at the time of incident was 68K. Kia corporate confirmed they would not replace the engine since there are 4 owners on the vehicle history, and the warranty expired at 60K miles as a result.

Just purchased Sorento and within a week a p1326 code came up. Kia refused to look at car saying they are booked out for months hung up phone on me.got the same response from every Kia dealer. Had a mechanic replace knock sensor and the problem still exists and car not drivable. I'm a single mom with two infants and spent all my money buying this car. I did a Google search on this car about it's dependability and it came back very dependable with engines lasting upwards of 300,000 miles. Mechanic told me Kia needs to replace engine as it falls under class action and lifetime warranty. Kia will not schedule an appointment for me to bring car in. Why are they not pulling these cars off road knowing they are damaged and continue stealing people's money ? This is destroying me and my family I may lose my...

I was driving normally in the Garden State Parkway when suddenly The “Check Engine Light”, The “Check Engine Oil”, and Battery light lighted up causing me to almost losing control and the car shutting down.

The problem started when our car died while driving it. After a few different replacements, Kia decided to replace the entire engine under a recall. After driving the car for a short period of time, the check engine light came on. I went to check the oil and it smelled overwhelmingly like gasoline. I took it to my mechanic who said the check engine light was coming on because of the catalytic converter needing replaced. And the high pressure fuel pump was leaking gas into the oil tank. He said that both of these reasons were because the engine was replaced and they should have all been replaced simultaneously under the recall. I did look it up and there was a second recall for 2015 Kia Sorentos who had there engine replaced, that the high pressure fuel pump should be replaced because it was leaking gas into the oil tank....

UNKNOWN. My engine light comes on often. When I had my oil changed the professional indicated that my car is burning oil. When reviewing online, it appears that this is a common issue for Kia Sorento and specifically the engine that is installed in my 2015.

The oil pump quit and Kia had a service bulletin that indicated that the oil pumps were defective and 10 years or 180k they would repair. Not may case.

My car started shaking and making knocking sounds, pulled over and turned it off, tried to turn it back on and it shut off, had it towed to a family/friend mechanic he says my engine needs to be replaced. I’ve never had issues up until now.

Kia had a class action lawsuit for rod bearing failure. The settlement appears to require a KSDS (knock sensor) software update. This was a 'Product improvement campaign', which would extend the warranty to 15yr 150k miles. Kia mailed the letter to a previous address, failing to notify the owner. This should have been a recall. Engine has seized, warranty claim denied. Estimated repair over $9,000. Kia failed to notify owner of the defect, only sending one letter, to a bad address. Kia is dodging it's responsibility, the warranty claim is denied. This reeks. Looking up on their website for recall information, it says 0 incomplete campaigns for vin number.

September 2024, the engine cooling fan began staying on after shutting off the vehicle, and October 2024, we began to hear unusual engine noises and a bubbling sound from behind the dashboard. November 2024, we began to see intermittent poor performance with the HVAC system, and then on [XXX], the temperature gauge climbed to H. We called Matthews Kia of Greece, 4321 W Ridge Rd, Rochester, NY 14626, and brought the vehicle in on 11/15/2024. Matthews Kia had the vehicle from 11/15 to 11/29/2024. They reported performing a coolant pressure test and block test but found no signs of a coolant leak. They opened a tech line case under warranty extension WTY039, and they were told to release the vehicle. Matthews Kia informed us that the coolant reservoir appeared to have “an odor of alcohol” and some contamination, so we paid for a coolant flush at 140,438 miles (previous coolant...

Coolant and oil are mixing. Coolant was over flowing from the reservoir. High oil consumption. Oil was just topped off about 1000 miles ago and is very low on the dipstick now. Coolant mixing with oil seems like the issue the 2016-17 3.3 V6s are experiencing with the stripped head bolts. HEAD GASKET/ENGINE FAILURE is imminent. Extend the warranty to all 3.3 liters not just 2016 and 2017 (15 years/180,000).

I don’t know why, but I keep losing oil somewhere. I do my oil changes on time regularly and they said it’s burning oil fast and that that’s an issue with all Kia.

Engine seized up. Apparently it is common with Kia engines

Was driving on the freeway and vehicle shut off doing 70 miles per hour. Had to pull over in the dark on the side of the freeway and car would not start. Has never had any problems with this before. I drive it to work and back everyday and no issues. It was very scary to sit on the side of the freeway for over two hours and 50 miles from home in the dark. I had to car the car towed to our home cost me almost 200.00. Mechanic looked at it and believes it is an engine failure. There are metal shavings in the oil. I can not drive my car it is in my driveway and will not stay on. Never had anything like this happen before. It is a 2015 with 106,000 miles.

March of 2022 the engine stalled out and found out due to coolant leaking from head gasget area. Put new engine in and July 2024 the new engine started stalling and knocking. No warning lights. In middle of busy traffic and died. Rod bearings failed and metal shavings appeared in engine. Need another engine but can't afford it. Dealership said its manufacturer problem. I know other kia engines were covered under the problem with rod bearing but ours wasn't. This should be included

My engine is using excessive amounts of oil. I am having to fill the engine with oil in between my 3000-mile oil changes. No oil is leaking in my driveway. I just started an oil consumption test with a dealer and after driving it 1000 miles I brought it back to them as they asked, and the engine oil level had dropped by almost 4 qt. But after making some calls with KIA regional they said they my car wouldn't have the engine replaced due to it not being in the recall. KIA knows there is a problem with their engines and will not fix the problem.

While driving my 2015 Kia Sedona, was at a stop sign and began making a left turn. Half way thru the intersecion the vehicle just stopped running. I managed to get half off the 2-lane road, blocking half off the road with traffic coming both ways. I was there approximately 45 before the tow truck came to tow the car to the mechanic's shop where he confirmed the problem was a common problem with the 2015 Kia Sedona. There was absolutely no warning that the vehicle was going to become incapacitated, no warning lights or messages prior to the failure.

I was driving and it started to make a knocking noise thays when i saw the engine light come on then my car turned off. I took it to autozone and 2 sensors are bad. I went to pep boys and they said that it needs a engine replacement and it falls under the tsd dates. I called my Kia dealership and they said that they don't see any recalls on my vehicle.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned? The engine began leaking hot air bubbles into the cooling system, causing hot coolant to leak into the harness and parts of the car. Is it available for inspection upon request? No, the manufacturer has responded that it does not cover the warranty because it is in another country, although the brand is present there. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? When heating the system there is a risk of burst hoses or catastrophic damage to the systems when driving and therefore risk of explosion or fire. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by an independent dealer or service center? Yes, through an independent service center in the country where the vehicle is currently located. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Mechanical technicians state that it is...

In 2020, we started noticing the smell of engine coolant and the continuous running of the engine fan after shutting the engine off. The temperature gage never indicated any issue. We took the vehicle to the dealer to address the issue. Upon inspecting the vehicle, it was determined that there was a failure of one of the engine block bolts, which cause the coolant to seep in to the engine block. The dealer stated the engine needed to be rebuilt, because the bock was not salvageable. We then contacted Kia to question the failure and were told that the repair was not covered, because of the milage on the vehicle. In 2024 we received a recall notice, which stated they were now taking responsibility for the repairs and all we needed to do was submit documents showing the repairs were made. We did so, two months ago, however after submitting...

With regular maintenance, at 138,000 miles my engine has a crack in the block and an inner oil leak that hadn't been previously detected during oil changes, which may have been a result of the check engine light that read camshaft issues just before it happened. All the other recalls and problems these kia engines have had I'm sure I'm not the only one with this issue.

The engine cut off while driving. The mechanic said the motor seized and needs $8k in repairs. Kia said I missed a software update that is needed in order to be eligible for an extended warranty and they denied the repairs. I never received notice that a software update was needed.

The contact owns a 2015 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the brakes locked up, the steering seized, and the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that there were several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact was barely able to pull off the highway. The contact was not able to restart the vehicle. The contact had the vehicle towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine had seized and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.

The engine started to sound weird and stopped in the middle of the road that couldve created an accident should there have been other vehicle iw as pregnant at that time We contacted kia and they wouldnt change the engine since we didnt replace the knock sensor but we never received the mail and they confirmed thag mail was not sent to us.

I previously reported an engine complained submitted on 9/14/2023, ID 11544548. My engine started knocking while I was driving on a major highway without any warning lights or indications. a claim to Kia was made as I was told by the Kia dealership I would need engine replacement however Kia offered no explanation as to why the engine failed nor any explanation or seemed to care one bit that I was on a major highway and this occurred without any warnings whatsoever. I understand there is current recall for some v4 engines of the sorento model I had and I firmly believe the 3.3L v6 engines should be investigated.

There is oil leaking into my coolant. I had it flushed, hoping it was just a fluke. Then noticed there was more oil getting into my coolant. I had the vehicle inspected again and they stated it was probably a blown head gasket, or a cracked head.

Ongoing issue with coolant mixing in the oil causing overheating in the engine. I believe this a safety risk as driving the vehicle for longer than 30 minutes causes the engine temperature to rise dramatically and risks complete engine failure, potentially when driving at speed. Vehicle has not been examined by a dealer. We've just become aware this is apparently due to Kia's known soft block issue.

My car has been giving me problems for about three months now and we’ve changed about four or five parts on the engine/transmission and it’s still acting up. We’ve called the Kia dealership several times to alleviate the problem but they are giving us the runaround about the three recalls that pulled up for the 2015 Kia Sorrento and they saying that we have to pay $150 for diagnostic per recall, which I don’t understand that if it’s not our fault then they should cover the diagnostic and the recall. We’ve contacted them on several occasions about the situation with my brake lights being on after I turn my car off and they stay on until my battery is almost dead. They don’t want to fix the HECU I believe the electric short that Kia have been experiencing. This car is the worst car I’ve ever had. I’ve never had...

The car started shaking, it slowed down and stopped and all the lights on the dashboard came on and there was a loud sound and I turned the car off. I called towing, got my car back and took it back to the dealership. At the dealership they checked the car and called the warranty company who sent an inspector... The Ethos group told me that there were some errors in the report and that they still couldn't give me information, after two weeks the dealership called me and told me the warranty denied the claim. The denial claim said it was the coolant hoses that caused the engine problem and overheating, but I bought the car from the dealership when it had 85,063 miles on it and it hadn't even passed the year when the engine blown off and the car had 100,381 miles and has regular maintenance at...

We were driving our car and it all of a sudden just stopped working. We luckily were able to pull over before it stopped completely, no noise, jerk motion or anything the engine just stopped. We had it towed to a mechanic who said our engine blew. It only had 140,000 miles on it but the repair/replacement we were quoted would have cost us more than the vehicle was even worth so we ended up having the car junked.

My car died when I stopped. No warning lights, no warning whatsoever. I had to push my car out of traffic. I was able to start it again after a couple minutes but immediately a knocking sound started. I was encouraged to get an oil analysis by my mechanic friend in which it states my oil is fine and describes the metal found in the oil and where it likely came from.