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EnginePart report

2016 Kia Sorento Engine Problems

Complaints
696about this part
Share
55%of 1,258 total for the year
Median mileage
83,000miles
Trend
RisingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% higher than in the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 696 complaints about the engine of the 2016 Kia Sorento, 55% of the 1,258 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 83,000 miles. 4 of these say a crash was involved and 32 a fire, according to the filers. 1 recall campaign on record is filed under a similar system.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“I purchased my vehicle 2 years ago and now it needs an engine. It is only 4cyrars old. It was stalling every once and while, then one day I tried to accelerate on the freeway and it would. It started smoking and then died out. Luckily I was able to get it up to the next exit ramp. I took to recently to a repair shop and try said it needed an engine.”

NHTSA complaint #11352245, filed 2020-08, 102,000 miles

“My vehicle is only 5 years old and has 70,000 miles on it. I was driving on the highway and then all of a sudden my vehicle would not accelerate. My check engine light can on and continued to blink--which is not a good sign and indicates obvious serious engine issues. There is no way a car that new with that many miles should have engine issues.”

NHTSA complaint #11361252, filed 2020-09, 75,000 miles

“While driving on highway we were alerted by other drivers that there was fire and smoke coming from the engine compartment. We pulled over immediately and within minutes the entire vehicle burst in fire. We contacted Kia motors regarding this and they simply denied responsibly for this, deeming the cause of fire to be unrelated to faulty engine components.”

NHTSA complaint #11322056, filed 2020-04, 53,700 miles

“Oil consumed at an alarming rate. I had my oil changed not even 1000 miles ago and the entire 5 liters were consumed and the engine was bone dry. This has been observed over the past three oil changes (roughly 36000 miles on). I was coming down a hill at roughly 35 MPH and the oil light blinked. As soon as I got home I checked and the engine had no oil in it.”

NHTSA complaint #11343781, filed 2020-08, 42,000 miles

“My temperature gauge began reading hot while driving. After replacing the thermostat and the etc sensor, my car was diagnosed as having a faulty cooling fan. This should not happen on a quality car that is just a few years old. I have been without a car for over a week while they track down the part and it is going to cost me over $500 to have fixed.”

NHTSA complaint #11251987, filed 2019-08, 70,000 miles

Related recalls

Related service bulletins

Engine: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2026117%
20251925%
2024512%
20233226%
20225227%
20216827%
20206748%
201915937%
201810742%
201738748%
201669655%
201536348%
201438839%
201349851%
201246152%
201128419%
200947%
20083516%
200775%
20066728%
20056321%
20044621%
20034314%

Other parts of the 2016 Kia Sorento

Other or unknown
177 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
126 complaintsBody and structure
111 complaintsElectrical system
107 complaintsSteering
80 complaintsExterior lighting
67 complaintsVehicle speed control
62 complaintsFuel system
57 complaintsEngine cooling
31 complaintsBrakes
24 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
23 complaintsAir bags
17 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2016 Kia Sorento

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology