2023 Kia Sorento: What to check before buying

The most common failure is a sudden loss of power at highway speed. Hazard lights or a full dash of warnings come on, the car won't accelerate, and some hybrids shut off completely with the parking brake engaging in a travel lane. Dealers often find no codes and can't reproduce it. A second pattern involves the HVAC blower and its wiring: burning plastic smells, smoke, and one fire, linked to a recall that owners say has gone months without a remedy. Backup camera mounts also break again after the recall clip repair. One crash report describes runaway acceleration that the brakes did not stop.

Transmission shudder, hesitation, and stalling show up early, often between 3,000 and 13,000 miles. Owners describe the dual-clutch gearbox sticking in first or second gear, revving without moving, bucking, and shifting late or harshly. Hybrids show a "Check Hybrid System" warning and creep along at 10 to 20 mph. Dealers often find no stored codes and send the car home. Other reports include transmission fluid left low from the factory and gasoline diluting the engine oil. One crash is reported.

Hesitation and lost power are the common thread. Cars pause a second or two before moving from a stop, struggle on steep grades in eco mode, or drop into limp mode with check engine and hybrid system warnings. Some hybrids lose power after an inverter coolant warning. One engine seized before 30,000 miles, and the owner says the warranty claim was refused. Owners also report coolant leaks that dealers blamed on pebble damage, excessive oil consumption, and engine knocking after a dealer oil change. Dealers frequently find nothing wrong.

Loud squealing or squeaking comes from the column, sometimes sounding like a bird or rodent. The noise tends to be worse in cold weather or with lane keeping assist engaged, and some owners also find the wheel tight or hard to turn. Reports start as early as 1,328 miles. Dealers often can't reproduce the noise and want to hear it in person. Owners say the fix others received was a replacement steering column. One report pairs a stiff wheel with every dash warning lighting up at once.

Hybrids hesitate or lose power when the driver asks for acceleration. Owners describe up to a second with no response after slowing to a crawl, power cutting out under hard throttle, and a message to park and charge the battery. Dealers have told owners this is normal hybrid behavior. In one case the fuel pump, relay assembly, and smart junction box failed around 35,000 miles and left the driver stranded. Another car kept setting the same fault codes after the high pressure fuel pump was replaced twice.

The front panel of the panoramic sunroof shatters without warning at highway speed, with a gunshot-like bang. When the shade is open, glass drops into the cabin. The other problem is the windshield: one cracked from top to bottom while the car sat parked at about 900 miles, and another owner reports repeated chips and cracks within months. No crashes or injuries are reported here, but owners describe glass falling near the driver.

These reports cover several different faults. Brakes engage on their own with a warning light on and no traffic ahead. Rotors cause vibration and grinding above 55 mph and fail again after a recall replacement. One owner says the car rolled down a sloped driveway while in park on three occasions, once nearly hitting a family member. Another needed brakes and rotors earlier than expected. Dealers often can't reproduce the problems.

Automatic emergency braking activates with nothing ahead and brings the car to a full stop in the road at 35 to 50 mph. Owners also describe a collision warning that sets off nearly every alarm in the car, which keeps sounding after a restart, along with recurring communication errors on the dash. Dealers say they can't act without stored codes. A replaced instrument cluster and software updates have not stopped repeat episodes.