2023 Kia Sorento

Dear NHTSA, I am writing to report a serious safety issue with my 2023 Kia Sorento, purchased in February 2023 from Ken Garff Kia Avondale. In July 2023, I began experiencing alarming issues, including flashing lights, dashboard error messages, and malfunctions, despite the vehicle being unused for several days with no visible damage. The air conditioning system malfunctioned, blowing hot air even when turned off. Upon inspection at the dealership, I was told the front sensor was damaged, with a repair estimate of $1700. However, no visible damage was evident, and I believe this issue should be warranty-covered due to its electronic nature. The dealership noted that 35 others faced similar problems, raising concerns of a manufacturing issue. Despite persistent efforts and a replacement part installed nearly two weeks later, the problem persists. I've incurred nearly $500 in rental car expenses, as the situation remains unresolved, even with involvement from Kia Corporate engineers. My aim in reporting this issue is to ensure consumer safety and seek a prompt resolution, as I continue to make $1k monthly payments for an unused Sorento. I respectfully request your assistance and prompt investigation into this matter. Sincerely, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2023 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brakes spontaneously engaged. The brake warning light was illuminated. The contact stated there was no other vehicles nearby when the failure occurred on several occasions. Additionally, the sunroof was deactivated due to the software being disconnected spontaneously. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure and informed the contact that the manufacturer needed to be contacted to check the logs. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.

I have only had the Kia Sorento for a few months and bought it brand new. While driving normally, one of the collision warning indicators came on while switching lanes and then nearly every alarm in the car cycled continuously. These audible and visual alarms were highly distracting to drive with and it is surprising the software allows this to happen and that there’s no sensor override or silencer button. Even when the car is turned off and back on again the alarms continue. I took the car into the dealer and it sat there for two weeks waiting for Kias central maintenance group to give them some guidance on what to do. They suspected a short somewhere and checked the main controller wires and one of the pins was a bit loose. After adjusting the pin they drove the car a few times and returned the car to me after it had been there for 3 weeks total. Within two days of driving it the same alarms came back. I will be taking back to the dealer again, hopefully this problem is only on my vehicle, but these smart cars should really have a way for drivers to easily disable all the sensor based features in case this happens so at least the car can still be driven to get maintenance without increased risk of an accident. If I had been on a long road trip or in a rural area it could’ve been hours on the road driving with alarms blaring constantly and highly distracting.