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Owner-Reported Problems · NHTSA

2016 Kia Sorento — Problems & Complaints

NHTSA has 1,254 owner complaints on file for this vehicle. Every report below was filed by a real owner with the US government's road-safety agency.

1,254

Complaints

filed with NHTSA

Involved a Crash

owner-reported

Involved Fire

owner-reported

Injuries

across all reports

Years to Avoid

Kia Sorento — Complaints by Model Year

Years flagged AVOID have at least twice this model's average complaint count — the strongest public-data signal of a bad year.

2010 Kia Sorento

3 complaints

2011 Kia Sorento AVOID

1,519 complaints

2012 Kia Sorento

880 complaints

2013 Kia Sorento

981 complaints

2014 Kia Sorento

987 complaints

2015 Kia Sorento

751 complaints

2016 Kia Sorento AVOID

1,254 complaints

2017 Kia Sorento

804 complaints

2018 Kia Sorento

254 complaints

2019 Kia Sorento

428 complaints

2020 Kia Sorento

136 complaints

2021 Kia Sorento

20 complaints

2022 Kia Sorento

189 complaints

2023 Kia Sorento

122 complaints

Problem Areas

What Owners Complain About Most

Engine 695 reports

Unknown Or Other 165 reports

Power Train 126 reports

Structure 111 reports

Electrical System 107 reports

Steering 80 reports

Exterior Lighting 67 reports

Vehicle Speed Control 62 reports

In Their Own Words

Recent Owner Reports

Electrical System ODI 11708052 12/31/2025

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle speed decreased. The contact was able to pull into a parking lot safely. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle, but the vehicle failed to restart as intended. An independent mechanic and a dealer were contacted. The vehicle was towed to …

Steering ODI 11562809 12/31/2023

Has a steering control issue. I am now on my 3rd steering columm replacement. They do not correct the sticky on center steering control issues. Kia has not come up with a workable solution for this. I have had it to 3 dealers so far. They all say the steering column needs to be replaced. Now out of warranty. This car is difficult to drive and control . I have had this proble…

Engine ODI 11499617 12/31/2022

We have to constant add oil to the engine in between our 3000 mile oil changes, at least a quart or more. There are no oil leaks anywhere on the engine. The engine makes a loud "ticking" noise and doesn't have the power. The transmission also has issues shifting from 1st to 2nd gear. We have even noticed from time to time a smell of gasoline from what seems to be coming from …

Engine ODI 11445755 12/31/2021

Driving on highway, vehicle lost power. Ultimate diagnosed as a seized engine. Car was towed to our mechanic. After contacting Kia, they had us tow it to a local Kia dealer. After they diagnosed the same seized engine, they said they would not pay for repair, despite their being a class action suit settled by them. Car was brought back to our mechanic and a used engine was put…

Steering ODI 11292319 12/31/2019

WHEN DRIVING THE STEERING WHEEL WILL GO TO THE LEFT AND STICK ,THEN I WILL HAVE TO BRING BACK TO RIGHT OR THE STEERING WILL STAY TO THE LEFT.THIS HAS HAPPEN MANY TIMES.THIS IS A POTENTIAL DANGEROUS SITUATION.THERE ARE MULTIPLE REPORTS ON THIS SITUATION.I AM CONCERNED...

Same Vehicle

Recalls & Crash Tests

Complaints are one half of the picture — see the official recalls and NHTSA crash-test stars for the 2016 Kia Sorento, or check your exact car by VIN with the free VIN lookup.

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Problems Checker

Any year, make and model: open the Car Problems Checker. Data: NHTSA (US DOT, public domain), cached up to 7 days.

Questions

FAQ

Is the 2016 Kia Sorento reliable?

Owners have filed 1,254 safety complaints with NHTSA for the 2016 Kia Sorento, most often about engine. Compare the complaint counts across model years above — a year with far more complaints than the model's average is the strongest 'avoid' signal in public data.

Which Kia Sorento years should I avoid?

The rule of thumb used by analysts: a model year whose complaint count is well above the model's own average (we flag 2× or more) usually had a real manufacturing or design problem — not just noisy reporting. Use the year-by-year strip on this page.

Where do these complaints come from?

Directly from NHTSA, the US government road-safety agency. Any owner can file a Vehicle Owner Questionnaire; NHTSA publishes them as public domain data. We cache each lookup for up to 7 days.

Do complaints mean a recall is coming?

Sometimes. NHTSA opens defect investigations when complaint patterns emerge, and investigations can end in recalls. Check the recalls page for this vehicle to see what has already been recalled.