Complaint volume
245 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
Complaint records
2018 Kia Sorento Complaints
245 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2018 Kia Sorento, grouped by component category.
245 Total complaints
11 Crash reports
10 Fire reports
9 Injury reports
Complaint data reflects consumer-submitted reports. A complaint is not proof
of a defect, recall, or manufacturer fault. Enriched severity fields come
from official bulk records when the complaint can be matched by ODI number.
Buyer interpretation
How to use these complaints before buying
Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.
Pattern to inspect
The most common categories are engine, exterior lighting, steering. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 11 crash reports, 10 fire reports, 9 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 58 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 50,150 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to engine, exterior lighting, steering?
- Can I see recent maintenance and repair records?
- Has the vehicle ever been towed, involved in a crash, or repaired for the same issue twice?
- Can we also check the recall record for this 2018 Kia Sorento?
Used-car checklist
Use these complaints before the test drive.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
2018 Kia Sorento
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2018 Kia Sorento complaints?
11 Crash
10 Fire
9 Injury
0 Fatality
15 Towed
5 Medical attention
What are the most common 2018 Kia Sorento complaint categories?
ENGINE 70
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 24
STEERING 22
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 20
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING 10
AIR BAGS 8
TRAILER HITCHES 7
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 5
STRUCTURE 5
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 4
245 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2024 | ENGINE | Engine was consuming large amounts of oil, attempted to conduct oil consumtion test per Kia request was unable to complete due to volume of oil consumption . Engine locked up after kia telling me they couldnt help me since the oil consumtion test couldnt be completed. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Trunk latch stopped working. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2024 | POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | My 2018 Kia Sorento sticks and when pushing the gas and the RPM jumps up. The car also stalls out and then turns right back on. It shakes and makes a funny noise as well. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2024 | ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | I have a 2018 Kia Sorento that I absolutely love. As of late, I have noticed that 1,000 to 1,200 miles after my oil changes- I am getting my engine oil light on, on the dash. Upon checking, again after only 1,200 miles after an oil change- my engine oil was completely gone. The dipstick was almost bone dry. I took my vehicle in to have an oil leak test, because I instantly thought I had a leak due to that being an excessive amount of oil missing. However, there is no leak. It passed the leak test, and there is also no oil in my driveway. Upon talking to the Kia dealership this is apparently a very known, and prominent issue with this vehicle. I am "out of warranty" with Kia- so I am unable to file a claim with them to have this repaired. This is unacceptable for them to know that this is an ongoing issue, and they are not standing behind their products. I have thankfully purchased an extended warranty with an outside agency, that I am filing a claim for. However they will only cover the issue at Kia if the "engine oil consumption test identifies the failure" From what the service man said to me, from Kia- the two "failures" that they have, are either needing to have a combustion chamber cleaning done, or an entire new engine dropped in. Both of which leave me without a vehicle for WEEKS. As a mother with young children, and also a mother that works and has a one vehicle home- this leaves me needing to rent a car for however long that may take. Looking into this further I have seen that Kia Sorentos with the GDI motor (like mine) from NEWER years, have a recall on their engines for a very similar case and very similar situations with them burning excessive oil in their vehicles. I strongly think that the lower year makes and models need to be investigated, as well. I absolutely think that my vehicle needs to be included in this recall as I have gotten and maintained every single oil change, and service needed to my vehicle since I have purchased it in 2020. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2024 | ENGINE | Engine had catastrophic failure without warning. No warning lights or performance issues. 110K miles on it. Well taken care of and taken in for oil changes at regular intervals 6K-8K. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | TRUNK OPEN SIGNAL NOT TURNING OFF AND TRUNK WON’T CLOSE. DEALER SAID ITS THE TRUNK LATCH THAT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2024 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | Oil leak was diagnosed as bad oil pressure switch that is under extended warranty for certain Kia Sorento models with GDI system, but not my car. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2024 | SERVICE BRAKES | To Whom It May Concern, I hope this message reaches someone who values the sanctity of human life. Today, while driving home, my husband experienced a terrifying incident: the brakes on our car completely failed. Thanks to my husband’s quick thinking and driving skills, he narrowly avoided a potentially catastrophic accident. We immediately took the car to a local mechanic, who informed us that the issue was due to a BRAKE BOOSTER failure. This was the first time we had ever heard of such a part, and the mechanic explained that it was highly unusual for this component to fail, indicating that it may be defective. Although this car is a 2018, it only has 50K miles on it. My husband is retired, and I work from home, so this is very unusual. Upon further research, I discovered that the Kia Sportage had a recall for this very issue. Additionally, I found numerous complaints dating back to 2005 concerning the sudden loss of brakes in Kia Sorentos, specifically due to defective brake boosters. It is deeply concerning that this issue was not addressed with a recall for Sorentos as well. This defect poses a serious risk to drivers, and I fear it’s only a matter of time before someone loses their life because of it. We contacted Kia’s Customer Service to report the issue and expressed our concern that lives are at stake due to this defect. However, instead of addressing our concerns, we were told the part wasn’t covered under warranty, and two customer service agents even hung up on us when we persisted. This is a grave and dangerous defect that demands immediate attention. Numerous complaints about this issue exist, and it’s clear that the brake booster in Kia Sorentos needs to be recalled before it causes a tragedy. Please take this matter seriously and help ensure that this issue is addressed to prevent any further risks to drivers. Thank you, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | ENGINE | The engine seized as we were driving onto the freeway. Everything just stopped. The car had to be pushed to the side of the road. It failed to restart. When we checked the dipstick, it was completely dry and starting to burn on the bottom. There was no visible signs of an oil leak. There were no lights or other notifications that the car was out of oil. We were lucky the car wasn't hit and someone seriously injured or killed. The car had to be towed to our home. Kia Corporate Office was closed. The Kia dealership said I could have it towed at my expense and have it looked at when they had time the following week. It was just under 100K miles A different Kia dealership offered to give me $5000 towards a trade-in on a new car. That was half the trade-in value, but I couldn't be without a car. When I inquired three weeks later about what the service department found out was wrong with the car, I was told they hadn't even looked at it and would probably just use it for spare parts. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2024 | ENGINE | Engine is burning oil. Engine only has 116,000 miles on all maintenance has been kept up to date - has never missed an oil change, only ever used full-synthetic. Should not be consuming this amount of oil. Also dash board lights pertaining to engine or oil never come on. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2024 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | On multiple occasions our headlights will turn on by themselves without the car being on: for example while we are sleeping in the middle of the night we get a call from our neighbor that our car lights are on. Also while driving at night they will turn off by themselves. On all occasions the light are in AUTO mode, meaning the lights should turn on/off themselves when necessary but only when the key is in the car and the car is on | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2024 | ENGINE | Car is burning 3/4 a quart of every 1,000 miles | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2024 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | The contact owns a 2018 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving 79 MPH, the oil warning light illuminated, and he observed a burning oil odor emanating from the engine compartment. The vehicle was pulled to the side of the road and inspected. The contact observed condensation under the front of the vehicle and no oil on the dipstick. Additionally, another vehicle pulled to the side of the road and reported that condensation from the vehicle sprayed onto the windshield and hood of their vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the turbo feed line assembly needed to be replaced due to corrosion and a hole. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000. | Crash: No Fire: No Towed | 100,000 |
| Jun 2024 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE | The contact owns a 2018 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while approaching a stop, the brake pedal was depressed, and the driver noticed that the check Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) System and Check Lane Departure Warning System (LDWS) warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer on three occasions, where it was diagnosed that the sensors needed to be replaced and the system cleared. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for the A/C recharge and the contact was informed about unknown codes that were retrieved. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 72,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 72,000 |
| May 2024 | TRAILER HITCHES | The contact owns a 2018 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front headlights and rear taillights stopped working without warning. The contact also stated that the instrumental panel became inoperable. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer and the contact was informed that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed. The contact was informed by the technician that the failure was likely a short circuit since the headlight bulbs had burned out. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V703000 (Trailer Hitches) and related the recall to the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was not provided. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | ENGINE | On May 1, 2024, I noticed my 2018 Kia Sorento making a knocking sound and smoking heavily from the back exhaust. I turned it off, thinking it might be overheating, and planned to check it the next day. On May 2, 2024, while taking my daughter to school, the vehicle was knocking but no indicator lights were displayed, the main display screen suddenly showed an engine control system issue, and the car spoke and said to take the vehicle to the closest service center I immediately headed to the Kia service center. About 2-3 miles into the drive, the car shut down completely on the interstate. I managed to coast to a stop on the access road but was still partially on the road, so I called for a tow. The police later helped me move the car further off the road because I was a hazard for Morning rush hour traffic. After waiting for three hours, the tow truck took me to the Kia dealership, where the mechanic found that the engine had seized. Kia refused to repair the damage, citing that I hadn't done a KSDS recall. The repairs are estimated to cost over $7000 needing long block replacement from hole in block (KSDS requirements not met). I was not aware of any issues with my car, as I had not been informed about a KSDS recall or any suggestions regarding it. I feel this situation put me in danger, first with the potential fire hazard and then being stranded on the highway and nearly struck in multiple occasions. . I currently have no working vehicle, and Kia is not taking responsibility for these engine issues but my make and model has no listed recall. I am not considered a part of the KSDS recall therefore I also get no claims to the millions awarded to others due to this recall. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | My vehicle is consuming a lot of oil. At my previous oil change I mentioned this to the dealer as I had to put in 5 quarts of oil. The oil canister light came on which I believed was just warning me to my upcoming oil change but my dipstick indicated otherwise when I checked. The light would only come on when I made turns in the road. It did not stay on consistently. As I was driving my engine sounded bad and I was worried something more was wrong which is why I checked the oil. When I brought it in for the oil change, the service advisor said they would check for leaks which was not located. I asked them to set my oil change for 3k miles instead of the 5k miles they have been setting it as I was worried about engine damage. The oil canister light came on recently once again (still only when I take turns on the road) with still 1100 miles left in the current oil change and when I checked there was no oil in the engine reflected on the dipstick. I gradually added oil and had to add 5 quarts of oil once again. I set up an appointment for further investigation but I fear that by the time they run their tests my vehicle will surpass any warranty. I’m currently at 77700 miles. This much oil consumption is not normal and I shouldn’t have to keep a constant stock of oil available to fill up every 2k miles. I understand a little bit of oil but having to add 5 quarts of oil at a given time is way too much. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2024 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ENGINE | The contact owns a 2018 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at 55 MPH, the vehicle lost all power while depressing the accelerator pedal without warning. The contact also stated that white smoke began to emit from underneath the hood of the vehicle. Upon inspection of the vehicle, the contact saw flames coming from underneath the vehicle as oil began to leak from the vehicle. The flames eventually dissipated and authorities were not called to the scene. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed initially to the contact's home and later to the dealer. Once in the dealer's possession, the contact was informed that there was a hole in the engine block which had led to engine failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but had yet to offer any assistance. The vehicle remained in the possession of the dealer and had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 81,000. | Crash: No Fire: Yes Towed | 81,000 |
| Apr 2024 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | Vehicle seems to be stalling when you stop and then try to pull out. It takes minutes to accelerate after stopping. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2024 | ENGINE | The vehicle started knocking. We took it to Kia and they share saying we needed an upgrade part that is on a safety”notice” and not a recall. It’s to prevent engine failure. They refuse to put in the part because they said the engine is already failing. They said we need to pay 6k. The best part is that we took the vehicle in last year (2023) for the hitch and the anti theft upgrade and KIA didn’t tell us about this feel part. Why wouldn’t we get the free upgrade on the engine???? They are not telling consumers and it doesn’t come up when you search by VIN. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2024 | STEERING,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | Me and my wife were traveling north on [XXX], left lane, 18 wheeler in right lane, cars directly behind us, 70 mph, when there was an abrupt thud, and slight skid, then lost all power from the engine. There were no warning indicators at the time. When the engine failed, we almost hit the tractor next to us. Looking in the mirror to try to determine what to do, as steering was hard to perform, there was a large cloud of black and blue smoke, the car behind us being covered in smoke and most likely oil too. The car behind us aggressively braked and ducked in behind the 18 wheeler just before a rear impact would have occurred. We finally got to safety on the side of the road as the traffic stacked up behind us was able to reduce speed in time. I had my car towed to the KIA dealership in Springfield, MO. One interesting point, the wrecker operator said that unfortunately a big part of his business was hauling KIAs. We almost died. Upon review of social media, I see there are literally thousands of KIAs placing families in danger. Why hasn’t Mr. Budegedge acted on it. After experiencing this, it’s likely there will be deaths. My car had 120,000 miles on the engine. KIA said it was my problem as they met their warranty obligation at 100,000 miles. There are so many incidents, even with 6 cyl engines. Customers need to be warned. At least they can be prepared for the failure when it happens. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING | The passenger side headlight has been reinstalled 8 times. The dealership has replaced it and we have replaced it several times. The light goes out constantly and is costing me a fortune to replace as well as possible traffic tickets. The headlights turn off also when in automatic mode. Please recall this vehicle and have this safety and expensive issue fixed. This issue has been going on several months now. The dealership does not provide a permanent solution. This is a defect. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2024 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | I was driving home from work when vehicle downshifted while on the interstate. I continued to drive and tried to accelerate but again the vehicle downshifted. I was able to drive home by not going over 50 miles per hour. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2024 | ENGINE | Engine failure | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2024 | AIR BAGS | The passenger airbag light remains on even when someone is sitting in it. Also the airbag on the front passenger side has made my dashboard split open. Which if it fully comes open can make the airbag full explode causing harm to the person in the front seat and potentially causing an accident due to a premature expulsion of the airbag. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |