Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2017 Kia Sorento owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owned a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated to accelerate as needed. No warning light was illuminated. The contact's husband noticed a cloud of smoke in the rearview mirror, but the contact stated that the smoke was coming from the engine compartment. The contact's husband pulled over, and she, her husband, and daughter all exited the vehicle safely. Before the vehicle was engulfed in flames, the contact checked underneath the hood and discovered a piece of plastic on fire. The contact dialed 911, and police and firefighters arrived on the scene. The firefighters extinguished the fire. The contact was unaware whether a police or fire department report had been filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard, and the insurance company was made aware of the fire. …
The contact owned a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed an abnormal fuel odor, and there was white smoke coming from underneath the hood. The contact was able to safely pull into a driveway, and the contact noticed flames coming out of the hood. The contact stated that the fire caused property damage to the driveway, including debris and burn marks. The entire vehicle was engulfed in fire and deemed destroyed. The fire department extinguished the fire. A fire department incident report was filed. The police arrived at the scene, assisted in directing traffic, but did not file a report. The contact further stated that while attempting to exit the vehicle, the contact's mother fell on the ground. No medical treatment was sought, and no injuries directly related to the vehicle fire were reported. …
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at 20 MPH, the contact heard a clicking and banging sound coming from the engine. The contact mentioned that while looking through the front driver's side mirror, she noticed smoke coming from the engine. Several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact pulled over to the right side of the road, turned the vehicle off and then exited the vehicle and opened the hood of the vehicle and noticed flames coming from the engine. No injuries were sustained. No medical attention. The contact dialed 911, but there was no police report filed. The fire chief showed up at the scene and extinguished the fire. The vehicle was not destroyed. The vehicle was towed to a collision center. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and opened a case. The approximate failure mileage was 105,000.
We bought this vehicle new and have been the only owners. I was about halfway through an ~8 hour drive, on a highway in rural West Virginia, when the Check Engine light came on and the vehicle started making a light clicking noise from near the engine. Moments later, I heard a loud pop and the vehicle lost power (gas power, not electrical) and started gliding. Some smoke and/or steam came from the front of the vehicle. I glided over to the shoulder and several other drivers pulled over. One told me that the car was on fire and I should get out and move away. I and the others were able to see the fire under the vehicle. It appeared to be oil that ignited after engine blew. The fire went out, the other people left, and I took care of getting the vehicle towed to Freedom Kia in Morganton, WV, where it has been ever since.
The contact owned a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving 35-45 MPH on the highway that suddenly there was smoke and flames coming from underneath the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road. The fire department came to extinguish the fire. The police department was present and filed a report. There were no injuries. There were no other vehicles involved. The vehicle was towed and the vehicle was deemed a total loss. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 82,000
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sorento.. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked it suddenly caught on fire. The fire department was called and put out the fire. A fire report was made. There were no injuries and no medical attention was needed. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000.
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle began to stall. The contact stated that the low oil warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to park on the side of the road. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to CarMax, where they completed an oil consumption test and associated the failure with an unknown engine recall. The contact was referred to a local dealer for the recall repair. The contact towed the vehicle to a local dealer but was informed that the VIN was not included with the unknown recall on the engine. The contact towed the vehicle back to CarMax and was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. …
The engine threw a rod through the block, it is available upon request. I had driven it to my destination earlier that day, it stayed parked until later in the evening as we were getting ready to go we checked the oil and headed on our way. After 10 min of driving on the highway there was a loud ugly clunk noise, lots of smoke coming from the car and the oil and check engine light turned on and shut off, the engine had no power. We started to pull over we began seeing flames coming from under the hood, the engine had caught on fire before we had completely pulled over and come to a stop. It can't be driven anywhere, we found pieces of piston/connecting rod that were broken and mangled in the engine and later found the hole underneath the car at the bottom of the block. Since the fire was out by the time the officer arrived, he gave us an incident report and drove us home. …
It is an engine failure thru excessive oil usage. My oil light has never came on and Dealer nor KIA can tell what point does it suppose to come on. My vehicle has 90,000 miles and I put 6 quarts of oil between 4500 miles oil change. I just completed a oil consumption test in which it was down 2.5 quarts within 1000 miles. Then I had to pay $654 for a compression test. They say the test failed and the pistons are worn. Because they are worn, they say repair is not covered. I purchased a KIA Certified vehicle with an extended warranty and they say engine is not covered because the pistons are worn not broken. I say the pistons are worn because it may have been the lack of oil causing the extensive friction on the pistons. Is it mandatory for the car manufacturer to have an oil level warning or minimum standard that all of them should follow? …
A broken connecting rod punctured the engine block which resulted in engine oil escaping. The leaking oil caught fire while it was being driven down a highway. My son was driving at the time. He could have been killed had he not noticed the fire and stopped the vehicle. There were no warning lamps\lights on until after the fire occurred. Because Kia stated that the engine in my car was not part of the previous recall, and my insurance company did not consider it a total loss, I chose to put ~$10,000 into the car to have a used engine installed. (A used engine that most likely has the same safety issue) See this article about other Kia owners being told that this issue not covered under the previous recall since it didn't cover their year\make. I fall into this category as well. Kia has refused to acknowledge there being a problem and provided NO assistance with getting me car repaired. …
Related recalls
Engine
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2011-2017 Optima, 2012-2017 Sorento and 2011-2018 Sportage vehicles that previously received an engine replacement under recall number 17V-224, warranty, or the Knock Sensor Detection System (KSDS) Product Improvement Campaign.
Remedy: Kia has notified owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the fuel pipe, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 17, 2019. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542.
Engine and engine cooling › Engine
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2017 Sorento vehicles equipped with 3.3L engines. The engine crankshaft may have been improperly heat treated and may fail.
Remedy: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the crankshaft, and, as necessary, replace the engine sub assembly, free of charge. The recall began November 6, 2017.
NHTSA investigations
Loss of Motive Power
On November 13, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE23-019) to investigate allegations of loss of motive power relating to head gasket and/or head bolt failure in Model Year (MY) 2016-2017 Kia Sorento vehicles equipped with the 3.3 L Lambda II engine.
Loss of Motive Power
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a letter dated July 13, 2022, petitioning the Agency to initiate a safety defect investigation into loss of motive power allegations attributed to oil drain pan assembly failures on certain Hyundai Motor America, Inc. and Kia America, Inc. vehicles spanning Model Years (MY) 2005-2021.
Engine Oil Pressure Switch Leak
In a letter dated September 30, 2021, Mr. Gerald James (the petitioner) requested that NHTSA conduct an investigation of the Model Year (MY) 2015-2017 Kia Sorento equipped with 3.3L V6 ?Lambda? engines for ?severe oil leaks? from the oil pressure switch (OPS) that could ?lead to engine failure? with little warning to the driver. Mr.
Engine complaints in other Sorento years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2017 Kia Sorento?
NHTSA has 404 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2017 Kia Sorento, 50% of the model year's 807 complaints. The component named most often is engine › oil/lubrication › oil cooler (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2017 Kia Sorento engine problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 18V-907 (engine, Dec 19, 2018); NHTSA recall 17V-586 (engine, Sep 21, 2017). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2017 Kia Sorento engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 66,000 miles, and 16% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 20 fires and 3 injuries to engine & cooling problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.