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Problems with 2012 Kia Sorento ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

On average, the 2012 Kia Sorento starts to “feel” problems with the ELECTRICAL SYSTEM and its various aspects after 62 727 miles.

Recently reported ELECTRICAL SYSTEM problems on 2012 Kia Sorento

Since i purchased this vehicle brand new in december 2011 i have had to replace the headlight wiring 4 times and have to change the headlight bulb at least once every 2-3 months. each time i have had the wiring harness replaced after the third light bulb change the wiring harness begins to melt and then loses connection with the bulb therefor my headlights are intermittent.

I drive kia sorrento 2012, its at 117,000 miles. for the last 6000 miles my car has started burning through abnormally high amounts of oil. it doesn't give any warning signs and the low oil warning light never comes on. for my last 3 services which were in june, august and november, all well before i was due for oil change, i was told that there was next to none oil left in my car. on nov 16th, while i was driving on a freeway my car without giving me any warning or indication that oil was running low, decelerated from 60mph to 30mph and the check engine sign started flashing. i pulled aside and got it towed to a nearby car auto repair shop. i was told that there was next to none oil in my car and because it had been running without any oil my engine was all damaged. i was told that my kia needed engine replacement. i was also told that the mechanic didn't find any leaks or other reasons why oil might be getting consumed so quickly. i searched online about why i might be having this problem and found that many other kia owners across america are experiencing same problems with abnormally high amount of oil consumption. since then i have been trying to get in touch with kia corporate to see if they might be able to help me figure out what has been happening but i have been unsuccessful.

On a busy highway rt.70 vehicle decals got to flashing on the dash broad all of them. than lost all power.couldn't use flashers or anything. and got over to the shoulder .wait a few minutes nothing had to get it tow back to my sons. try a jump after 3 minutes the vehicle shut back down .battery show good .

Last july my husband had changed my brakes and then went for a test drive just to make sure everything was working properly. well, the engine shut off in the middle of driving. called kia and had it towed there(unreimbursed) replaced engine told them that sometimes the transmission would hesitate to shift into gear. kia said nothing was wrong. now, a year later still trans problem. took to master mechanic that has a trans shop and that has been in business for over 40 years. he said it needed a software update from kia for a hard transmissikn shift. called kia they said they had to "research problem", but had never heard of this happening. also, my car shuts off if i have to do a hard brake even after my engine being replaced. also, my gas lid wont open, my mirrors had stopped moving and my windows all stopped working. having major electrical problem with fuse box. apparently something is not grounded correctly kia and is shorting out all my fuses. but i have to pay all this money to have a car that is barely that old have so many problems. if i could sue them for damages under lemon law i would. very upset and scared to drive car and i have a ten year that is always in the car with me. please investigate

2012 kia sorento, when driving at 30mph average, straight or turning, slowing down to a stop sign, or driving in parking lots, at the moment of pressing the brakes, the engine cuts off.

As i was driving, i noticed smoke coming from under my hood and when i pulled over to check, my car blew up in flames.

While my vehicle was in motion on the highway going over 70mph my engine shut off, my speedometer dropped from 70 to 40 causing the vehicle behind me to have to pull into on coming traffic (two lane road going down mountain) to avoid slamming into my vehicle. prior to this oil, check engine, and four wheel drive lights all began to flash. pulled over, shut off vehicle and vehicle started after some struggle. drove with hazards all the way home. before this my vehicle would lose power while driving. my rpms would drop and hitting the gas did nothing. every time vehicle starts making knocking sound before rattling and stalling out. vehicle has been in motion every single time it loses power, or the engine stalls out. immediately purchased car fax to see all open recalls on my vehicle. this is one of the major ones. entire replacement of engine. kia refuses to replace my engine and only kept my vehicle in the shop for 56 minutes before telling me it was ready for pick up. when engine is acting up, removing my foot from the gas does not slow the vehicle. this vehicle is incredibly dangerous and unpredictable.

I have replaced the passenger side low beam light multiple times because of it burning out prematurely. i bought another bulb to have it replaced and the old bulb was still good. the new bulb was put in to verify that wasn't the issue. the auto parts store checked the fuses and all are ok.

While driving all warning lights on dashboard turned on and my car started shaking and i hear the engine turn off while in the middle of driving. i was in a residential area going down hill and speed limit was 25 mph so i was able to pull to the side of the road. the lights would stay on and would not turn off. the gears were stuck as well, it would not let me park the car. i waited a few minutes to turn car off and it worked. i used the emergency brakes to keep car from rolling. i then waited a few minutes to turn car on lights on again and was able to shift the car into park. i have my car service routinely and no warning of something like this could happen.

Upon exiting the freeway on an out of town trip, my elderly father, 9 year old son and i began to smell a strong gasoline smell. there were no previous symptoms or signs of an issue and we just travelled about 250 miles. i typically drive alot in the city as well. in this case, i pulled into the hotel parking lot (right off the freeway) and there was a large amount of smoke coming from under the hood of the car. because this occurred on saturday evening and we were coming into town for an event, we were not able to contact warranty forever until monday. fearful, because i have heard of the many spontaneous fires that have occurred on my vehicle type, we have to wait to have it towed and inspected. the engine was replace in my vehicle, under recall, just last year. thankfully, no one was injured. it could have been worse, very scary. i will be more than happy to upload any needed documentation after an inspection has been completed.

Takata recall: i purchased my call feb. 11, 2017 and starting may i started having all kind of electrical problems. fused kept blowing open every other day. now fast forward to 2018 i go in for an oil change and find that my engine is leaking oil. the mechanic tells me that i need to replace the engine asap. my car has been parked for the passed two weeks.

Front headlight failed, upon inspection the harness wire to headlight burned and melted and brake lights don't work when the head light wire burned. this is major safety issue without brake lights. went to computer and this problem is all over the internet, exact same issue happening to kia owners of numerous models. apparently kia installed a odd system that controls headlights and burns out wiring . very dangerous issue causing to vehicle to lose brake lights as well. took car to dealership but they won't repair this safety problem creating a expensive repair for owner for a badly designed arrangement. this problem occurred when driving at night on i 95 in delaware this is not a isolated incident but it's all over the internet happening only on kia vechicles

This kia sorento caught fire while being driven. the driver reported that the steering locked up and she could see smoke and a flame coming from the engine. she left the vehicle unharmed however the experience was frightening. the front end of the vehicle was engulfed in flames and the car is now a total loss. the car was purchased from dallas auto auction by mas motors in dallas tx. the original owner was kia of arlington.

My headlight pigtail caught on fire...i had it replaced ...replaced the headlights in it and not even 2 weeks later the pig tail caught on fire again...they said it must ne a shortage in the wiring somewhere and it will start at 200$ to look at it to fix....mu car isnt that old to have this issue.

I was driving the truck when i heard a loud noise like a fire gun than i saw smoke coming out from the engine, i pulled over and saw that the engine was already on fire, i got my two daughters out of the truck and five minutes later the whole truck exploted

Drivers side front turning signal keeps going out. i've replaced the bulb numerous times and it'll work for a few days and then it will stop working again.

The break lights stopped working and the electronic stability control esc and downhill breaking control dhc lights came on. i was alerted to the break light issue when i was stopped by a fort worth police officer. i tried to fix the problem by checking the break light bulbs (they were good), the fuses were all good. i replaced the break switch with on bought from o'reilly auto parts. it did not fix the problem. i took it to mechanic who told me that the switch was bad, so i returned that switch and changed it again but still the lights didn't work. i took it to southwest kia in mesquite and was charge $312.95 to fix a $19.41 part: another break switch. i found this preposterous. as i was waiting in the waiting room i looked up kia recalls and i found that previous year model vehicles had been recalled for this issue. i believe that this is a recurring issue and that 2012 and other model years having this same issue should be included in the recall...

I was driving a 2012 kia sorento with three other passengers and our family dog. i see smoke coming from back of my car thought it was the car passing me since my car was in mint condition with a new engine and new transmission. i look again there is no car going the opposite way and now i see a lot more smoke. cars coming the opposite way are flashing me and waving so i figured i'm probably over heating. i steer to the right on a steep hill the brakes and emergency brake doesn't work i quickly throw it into park the gears are gone so no park. at that point we see flames shooting at us. my daughter and i open our doors the car is slowly rolling down the hill, the door hits her she goes flying the car almost runs her over. i take the car and i'm holding the 4,000 pound car back from rolling down the hill so the kids and dog in the back seat can get out. they finally figure out how to manually unlock the doors, grabbed the dog by the collar. i let go of the car it was engulfed in flames rolled down the hill and started to explode. what a horrifyingly experience.

Car repaired by recall due to noises in the motor. motor changed. noises continued. car broke down in the highway. lost power and it was in fumes and smoke. lives in danger. car towed to kia service in libertyville , il. staff indicated that pistons blew up.. whole motor changed again. after three weeks car did not work at and.. broke in the night while my wife was going to take care of an emergency call to a hospital. kia towed again. motor changed third time. at service since july 19, 2018. it has been promised to be delivered to me again tomorrow wednesday 8/14/208. family and myself afraid to ride the kia sorento again. car with noises since 2016. they have been using rebuilt part to change the motor. current miles 82,000.

My front "low beam" head lamps go out frequently. it has happened at night on a dark road, with my children in the car. extremely dangerous! i have just continued to buy new lights, replace & do over & over. finally it no longer worked. i had it checked out & the connector and some wiring was melted. i paid to have this fixed, only to have it happen again 2 - 3 weeks later. i just had it fixed again, but am scared to drive this car! 1st engine failed while going down the road @ 45 mph... it could have ended far worse. that has been fixed, but my wiring/headlamps are a huge problem & concern. i have also had to replace my brake lights more times in the past 5 years than i have in 20 years i've owned my 1998 camry. this has to fall under a recall to be fixed by kia. it's defective parts & assembly and could be fatal! this has happened multiple times while driving late at night and almost caused me to slam into a deer. i have even rented a car when driving on vacation for fear of my car having this malfunction or worse. please help me. my family is surviving on basically 1 income & this newest hurdle is that " proverbial straw"... date listed below is today's date of the most recent repair. i can get the date about 3 week's ago if you need it. i have also bought all of the headlamps and brake lights that i have replaced from the same auto supply store to my knowledge. so i can get those records as well if needed.

Existed the freeway, stopped at 2 stop lights with other cars with no indication of trouble. started forward from light 100+ yards and maybe 20 mph when fire erupted from under the engine compartment with large flames. i pulled to side of the road and fire burned from motor compartment into dash and ceiling of passenger area. vehicle is totaled! the engine had been replaced by kia on a recall just 5 months ago. only about 9000 miles on the new engine!

Vehicle stalls while in motion and when stopped. when it stalls in motion, there is no steering or brakes. awd kicks in for no reason and will not go off. i had the vehicle checked and both the map sensor and vcma actuator were both replaced as recommended by the diagnostic computer. i did have a tune up on the vehicle one day prior so i had hoped the spark plugs were the problem. problem resumed one day after bringing home from shop. i called kia after seeing there was a recall in may of 2017 that covered certain sorento models that were stalling, however i was told mine was not a part of this recall. i don't know what to do now other than to take it to kia and spend enormous amounts in repairs.

My mechanic said my engine seized on me. i was driving on a highway which turns into a city street and the car stopped on me and when i turned the steering wheel right to get off of the busy street it was difficult to turn. i then tried to start the engine, all the lights came on but there was no noise when i turned the key. smoke started coming out of the engine on the passenger side. i had to get the car towed and the mechanic said the engine seized on me. there were no warning signs. i called kia but they said my car does not qualify for a recall because it is not a gdi model, even though it falls into the same year for the engine recall. i called kia to see how much it would cost to get the engine replaced and was told they discontinued my engine model. so they told me my best bet would be to search for a used engine in a junk yard.

Tl* the contact owned a 2012 kia sorento. while driving 45 mph, the contact heard an abnormal noise coming from the engine and the temperature gauge increased to high. minutes later, the top of the hood near the windshield caught on fire and the entire hood erupted into flames. the fire department extinguished the fire and a police report was filed. the fire department stated that the battery appeared to be the cause of the failure. the vehicle was a total loss and was towed. there were no injuries. the dealer and manufacturer were not notified. the failure mileage was approximately 78,000. the vin was unknown.

My car will intermittently stall when turning the steering wheel to either the left or right lock position. this occurs when going extremely slowly like when going in or out of a parking space.

I had a few problems with my car, one of them is that my car made a big rattle noise while driving at about 45mph in the street, i call kia made an appointment took the car and when they got back to me they said it was the throttle need it to be replace ($500) then the started ($600) i have replace this 2 times already, then the drive belt idler pulley and the brake lights go off very often, and so on. make story short my car was in the safety recall, my car as showed all the signs, rattle noise, the oil light goes on and off the dashboard i have spend a lot of money in this car but they refuse to replace the engine. i received a second safety recall number 17v224 on october 17, 2017. and then another notice from kia saying they extended the warranty on my car to 120,000 miles. on my point of view that doesn't fix the problem.

Drivers rocker cover light malfunctioned and shorted out starting a fire on the drivers side floor we were just pulling into the driveway at our home. then the car filled with smoke.

2012 kia sorento was serviced at dealership on regular basis. october 7, 2017 caught fire and burnt to the ground. called kia and they would do nothing! stated they did not deal with consumers and to deal with my insurance. insurance only paid book value and was unable to purchase a vehicle with that amount! i did everything by the book and kept my kia in excellent shape and they did not stand behind their product! i had a appointment to service on monday and it burnt on saturday! i found out that they had issued a recall and i am sure that the dealership would have taken care of it at service ( i did not receive a recall notice). my niece was driving from kentucky to my home in virginia (her vehicle was broke down and the drive was a hour away). the vehicle started making a noise at which time she pulled off the road and then the vehicle died and started smoking. it was night time and she called me and i started on my way to meet her. she exited the vehicle and went to raise the hood but two guys had stopped to see if they could help and one seen the red of the fire in the crack of the hood and advised her to get away. within seconds flames engulfed the inside of the vehicle and burnt completely by the time the fire department arrived. the fire chief told me when i arrived that it was definitely electrical. we were blessed that my nieces 6 month old was with me and not in the vehicle with her because she would not have been able to get her out! very disappointed in kia and i was a huge fan but not anymore after dealing with customer service! i do not feel it is fair they are not held responsible for their product! they would not help me at all!

Purchased car in april 2016 used. a walmart battery was in car. i mentioned to sales person that it had a walmart battery, he says "o yeah, they have good batteries". so, car is at least on second battery. that battery died in april 2017. new battery from o'rielly's. that battery is now losing it's charge within 5 days of not driving. not normal. alternator is throwing 14.1 to battery. nothing in car is ever left on.

Battery is good. have to jump start every time.

While driving the abs, traction control, and down hill break assist light began to come on normal highway driving. would stop and restart the car the lights would go off, after a few driving miles the ligjts came back on and stayed. now the break warning light will illuminate sometimes. i owner vehicle 52,000 thousands on vehicle. all service up to date and performed by kia dealership.

Navigation system on the vehicle is frozen at the startup screen. the manufacturer offers only 3 year warranty on the nav display unit. in my case this is the second failure.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia sorento. while driving approximately 60 mph, the passenger side low beam headlight failed. the contact had to switch to the high beams in order to get home. the same failure occurred three other times on the same side of the vehicle. the contact drove the vehicle to the dealer where it was determined that the manufacturer utilized the wrong size wire. the vehicle has been at the dealer three times for the same failure this month and the harness had to be replaced. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 56,500.

I purchased a new 2012 kia sorento and was very excited about the 10 yr / 100,000 miles warranty ( a big part in the decision ) to purchase this vehicle. in september 2016 the car was unable to start , the mechanic stated the starter was the problem. i called kia and was told i should have taken the car to a kia dealer for evaluation, and further more the starter was not covered, even. though there is a list of items not covered and the starter is not one of them.

I was driving my son to school on a city street and stopped at a stop sign then tried to accelerate and all of the lights on the dash began flashing and the car just shut-off. i put my car in park and restarted it. this type of incident has happened twice before and the dealership just tells me to keep bringing it in. they can never find what the problem is.

The gauges on the dashboard randomly change to include the mpg going up and down like a roller coaster. this has occurred multiple times. i've informed the dealer about it multiple times. they state they do not see any problem.

Engine failure engine stopped in middle of highway traveling at 55 mph straight highwayput family in danger 2016 june oil leaking all over ground and electrical failure pushed car to side of highway .140000 mile past warranty kia refuse to fix.

Kia occasionally fails to start using the electronic ignition button.

While driving at 45mph my car shut off in the middle of the road (city.) no warning whatsoever, no check engine light, no check oil light...nothing. i could not steer it nor restart it. my lights all dimmed. had it towed to a garage and they said they've had 3 of the same cars with the same issue in their shop. they told me there was no oil in it , but no leak. they put oil in it and jumped it, then took it for a test run and the vehicle stalled. the oil became thick and dirty, with metal in it as well. i was lucky that i was on my way home from work at midnight and there wasn't much traffic. i'm scared to drive it now, especially since i have a 150 mile drive in a few weeks. called kia and they told me i need documentation of all oil changes...fine, i can get that. from what i've been reading though i don't feel kia will provide a solution to this problem that has, from what i've read, plagued many owners. i bought my car new in 2011. it hasn't even hit the 5 year mark yet, this is unacceptable and very dangerous. what if i had been on the highway with a tractor-trailer behind me? too scary. considering all the people with the same issue...why hasn't there been a recall?

After sitting for two days, the unit wouldn't respond to smart key. initially thought smart key battery was dead. i replaced battery in smart key, but the vehicle still wouldn't respond. i had to use mechanical key to unlock and enter unit when i noticed that neither the interior lights were working nor would the 'start' button activate engine or any auxiliary functions. boosted unit and took to a nearby shop. shut off engine and waited a few seconds, and it did restart; but left with shop to see if battery had a bad cell (the reason it wouldn't start). the shop indicated that both the alternator and battery needing replacing. the shop supervisor stated that the alternator wasn't properly charging the battery. i mentioned that the alternator/charge light never came on with me; but he stated that it will not always come on unless the alternator has really gotten bad. replacement alternator cost $500 (excluding labor) for a unit that is only just over 4.25 years old, and with only 83,700 miles.

Friday 9/18/15 10:40 am, backing out of parking spot slowly into a road. engine suddenly failed, engine light came on, and the brakes completely failed. was able to restart the car and park it again, but brakes still failed and had to use the emergency brake and the curb and tree at curb to stop vehicle. towed to ed voyles kia on peachtree industrial blvd in atlanta who found no record of the incident in computer and that all diagnostics were normal and they couldn't reproduce the problem, so there was nothing they could do. i sent them this link with others experiencing similar issues and told rep about others' experiences:http://www.carcomplaints.com/kia/sorento/2012/engine/engine.shtml. then had it towed to cobb county kia in kennessaw, ga. they maintained neglect on our part b/c oil level was at 0 (previous dealership saw no problem here), engine had major sludge and particles of metal in it, needed full engine replacement for $6500 didn't make sense with our regular oil changes and didn't explain the brake failure, though rep said it did. had it towed to aaa car care plus in marietta. could not reproduce the issue and said the car, including the engine, was in great shape, was full of all fluids. mechanic also said that there were 0 records on computer and that one of dealerships likely wiped it completely clean. have rented a car in meantime because my, my husband's, my two kids' and other drivers and pedestrians safety would be compromised. other comments online mention problem more than once, some on the highway. also remembered that my husband had had trouble starting the car a couple of months back, with no lights coming on at all. he got the battery checked out, and he was told it was fine. we relayed this to the mechanics too, but they seemed not to acknowledge the info. we cannnot and will not drive the car until it's resolved.

Camera malfunctioning. originally took vehicle in with camera problems in 09/2013. service check could not duplicate problem. said everything was fine. have had same issues with camera working and not working off and on. took in for service again for same issue with camera. told at first by service tech. our warranty was expired on item. mileage on vehicle is 60,550. informed them we purchased extended warranty. had to go home and bring in proof of warranty to service dept. which i did then was told i had to take it to dealer where i purchased it. for replacement part. matt castrussi in dayton, ohio (dealership closest to where i live) would not replace part. had to take it to kia of dayton, ohio for replacement part.

Upon arrival at my destination the car would not turn off. i had to press the ignition off button several time before the car would shut off. there were times would have to sit in the car about 5-7 minutes trying to get the car to turn off.

On monday, march 23 at 8 pm, i arrived home and parked my car in our driveway close to our house. i loved up and went inside. at 4:30 am wednesday morning, my son came into our bedroom saying be thought sunshine was trying to break into my car because the car alarm was going off. i went to the window to look out, and immediately see that the car was on fire. the flames appeared to be coming from the left driver's side tail light. we called 911. by the time the fire department arrived the whole back half of the car was on fire. the fire was roaring. the car was totaled. an arson investigator rolled out arson. it was the craziest thing i have ever witnessed and it was terrifyingly close to our house. the fire was already in our yard when the fire department arrived. i shutter to think what would have happened if my son had not woolen up when he had. the fire was so close to the gas tank, we are lucky there want a full on explosion. the weather was mild and dry when it happened and there was no deferred maintenance on the car. i simply can't imagine what could have caused the fire. my best guess is that something set of the car alarm which on turn shorted and sparked the fire in the flashing rear lights. it was a certified used vehicle and in perfect condition that i purchased in september 2014. *tr

The first incident occurred at a traffic light. i went to accelerate and realized that the car had shut itself off. i put it in park, and restarted it without incident. when i brought it into the dealership, they said there was nothing they could do and that i should bring it in as soon as it happens next time. the second time, march 28, 2015, i was trying to pull into a parking spot when i was unable to turn the wheel. again, i realized that the car had stalled, so i put it into park, and restarted it. while there was no harm done, my main concern is that something like this will happen while driving at a higher speed, and cause an accident. i have seen this same occurrence in other reviews and wonder why this is not more of a concern for the manufacturers. what will it take for a recall? *tr

I was driving at 55 mph when my battery light came on. within several minutes every warning symbol light began to light up. my radio eventually shut down and the front dash lighting went out. i got off the highway and was able to drive for another couple of miles, but the engine power was dwindling. i eventually lost acceleration and power brakes and steering. my car has a push button start and i was unable to shut it off. the engine was running very roughly. i was unable to shift the car into park- only drive or neutral and could not get my flashers to come on. after 5-7 minutes, the car finally died and i could shift it into park and the hazard lights came on. i had my car towed to a kia dealership and was told the following business day that my battery was completely dead and would have to be replaced before anything else could be checked. after the battery was replaced i was told the alternator was working fine. i am concerned about this incident as it created a very dangerous situation. *tr

At dealership to possibly purchase used 2012 kia sorento. vehicle would not start. dealer had to jump start. everything seemed ok and drove to nearby parking lot to look over the car. left the car running in park and after 5 minutes various dash lights began to light up, engine would not accelerate, and the stop button would not shutdown the car. eventually the engine labored and then stopped. called dealer and we jump started the engine. on the way back to dealership (less than a mile) the engine labored, throttle would not respond, power steering got very heavy, and then the engine quit. this happened twice requiring jump starts. it died again entering the dealership. battery had been replaced by dealership but troubleshooting determined the alternator was not charging. sent to kia dealership and they replaced the alternator. *tr

I was driving to work at 55 mph and all the lights on the dash came on and my head lights shut off. my car restarted right after that and now it has done it three times since then. i am nervous when i drive because, i fear i will be stalled somewhere and it will be winter. i drive 47 miles one way to work. i am seriously thinking of trading the car off. i know i won't get anything for it but, at least i will be safe. we were told by kia that if the car shuts off it is resetting the computer and they will be unable to diagnose if a dummy light doesn't stay on. i see there are more complaints about the same issue i am having with my kia and i think kia should do a recall on them. this is a serious issue and i think it needs to be resolved asap. *tr

While driving at highway speeds all dashboard instrumentation, a/c and headlights were lost. it was later determined that a short in the driver's seat wiring harness had blown the fuse for control module #2 resulting in the aforementioned instrumentation and safety equipment. *tr

I was driving my car in a parking garage and without warning as i was making a left turn the car shut down completely, no lights, no engine, no power steering, stiff brakes. i was unable to even turn on my hazard lights. someone was kind enough to help push my vehicle to the side and eventually i was able to restart the car. when i took it to the dealer, they found nothing and were unable to recreate the problem. this could be a real danger on the road and now my trust in the car is shaken! scary to see other people reporting the exact same problem. *tr

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