Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power windows, windshield, wipers, mirrors, sunroof).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2016 Kia Sorento owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while she was at the red light a day after purchasing the vehicle, the sunroof failed to close properly. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the sunroof had a faulty tilt lever. The contact stated the vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred a year later. The vehicle was taken to the same dealer who informed the contact that she would be responsible for the cost of repair as the vehicle was out of warranty. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that they could not cover the cost of the repair as the vehicle had been out of warranty for two days. A case was opened. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 19,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, an abnormal booming sound was heard which startled the driver. After stopping to inspect the vehicle, it was discovered that the glass sunroof had shattered. The contact indicated that during the incident no object had struck the vehicle to cause the failure. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not yet notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 85,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH, the contact heard a loud popping sound. After stopping to inspect the vehicle, it was discovered that the glass sunroof had shattered upward. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer. The cause of the failure was not determined. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted and notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 95,000.
The problem started after a quick stop at a convenient store on the way to work. After starting the engine the vehicle would not shift from park. I was able to bypass this after a quick Internet search by removing a small cover near the stick shut and a small straw to bypass the shift control. I've had the car twice at the mechanics without a diagnosis as to a possible cause and was able to have the mechanic permanently disabled the shift lock but was warned the vehicle could be shifted to drive or neutral at any time and moved with a key. About a month later I found myself without headlights and shortly after this without wiper controls. Another visit to my mechanic would this time show the problems, shift lock, headlights and wipers were all from a faulty PCM. My mechanic has shipped my PCM out twice for repair but both time only caused the replacement part to blow. …
There was an instance where I was driving in heavy rain and the windshield wipers just stopped working. I had to drive about 5 more miles without them working. They worked the next time it rained a couple of days later. There has been 2 instances in the last week where I have had my car parked in my driveway off and locked. In the middle of the night, the headlights and taillights come on on there own. The headlights setting has been set to auto. I end up having to go out and start and turn off my car, then when I lock it back the lights go off.
I was driving my 2016 Kia Sorento on the freeway when I heard a loud boom, like a gun shot and then the vehicle was showered with glass from the sunroof that exploded. It was NOT struck by any object or rock. Fortunately the sun shade prevented me from getting glass poured on my head. The dealership denied responsibility and I am in the process of getting it replaced though my insurance company. In doing research I found that while it not common place it has happened more than I thought.
The rear camera on my 2016 Kia Sorento no longer works. Over the past year, the camera images have been getting blurry and smaller. Now, there is no indication or warning of cars or people behind my vehicle, which is a safety concern. I found online that there is a recall on the rear camera for this model, but the dealership claims they haven't been informed. I'm worried about the safety risks this presents.
Driver side headlight keeps going out. Bulb doesn't blow and fuses are fine....take the bulb out and put back in and after a couple minutes light starts working again for a couple days before it goes back out. If you go to the passenger side and pull that one out the bulb is smoking.
I've seen a few reviews and complaints on how Kia's (Sorento's in particular) have been losing their headlights for no reason. This has also happened to me, but just on my driver side fortunately. The main bulb is not illuminating and will not come on. I changed the bulb and this did not fix the problem. I looked at the old bulb I replaced and it was fine, nothing was shot or burnt out. I have seen a couple of people saying this could be a connector problem which in fact has nothing to do with the bulb itself. Seeing that this can come up spontaneously worries me and a lot of other drivers on the road who would need to travel at night. …
2016 Kia Sorento v6 lx FWD automatic -- one day, suddenly, the wiper fluid leaked almost the entire tank on our garage floor immediately after filling. No other small leaks were noticed before this major fail. I found Kia blogs in abundance and a large number of youtube videos reporting the same issue. There was even speculation in several Kia forums that the problem was so prevalent Kia should, at a minimum, publish a service bulletin, and some urged for a bona fide recall. I checked the point of failure as suggested in several videos and blogs, and indeed it was a crack in the washer pump mechanism, apparently around the white bulbous piece that bifurcates on opposite sides where rubber tubes are attached to plastic protrusions, and from there the fluid is dispensed to each of two nozzles near the base of the windshield that release the fluid on demand.
Window & Wiper complaints in other Sorento years
Frequently asked questions
How common are window & wiper problems on the 2016 Kia Sorento?
NHTSA has 23 complaints about the windows, wipers & sunroof of the 2016 Kia Sorento, 2% of the model year's 1,256 complaints. The component named most often is sun/moon roof assembly (6 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2016 Kia Sorento window & wiper problems?
No. NHTSA lists no windows, wipers & sunroof recall for the 2016 Kia Sorento, though it has 8 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2016 Kia Sorento window & wiper problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 30,000 miles, and 35% before 25,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.