2025 KIA Sorento

Road debris under normal driving conditions caused a puncture of the inverter radiator resulting in a total loss of coolant in the inverter and battery system. Inspection of the system at a Kia dealer confirmed the problem. The first sign of concern was an error displayed on the driver screen stating, "Check drive motor cooling system". There is no mention of this error in the owner's manual for the vehicle, though I did find several online discussions surrounding similar issues and warnings. I was driving on the highway at the time, and outside temperature was just under 40 degrees F. The car continued to drive normally for roughly 15 miles while utilizing the gas engine on the highway but eventually began struggling to accelerate or brake when switching to the electrical system after moving to residential streets. There is not a means of turning off the hybrid system. I received further warnings for several various driver assist functions becoming unavailable and the car became difficult to steer. I parked in a parking lot until the car could be towed for evaluation.

There is an electronic glitch with the gear shifting system where it will randomly / sporadically not allow shifting from reverse to drive and provides the error message "gear already selected." This has happened numerous times and resolves itself after 1-2 minutes. However, the vehicle remains in the wrong gear (reverse) while waiting, creating a significant safety issue. I purchased this vehicle brand new from Kia Coughlin in Dublin, OH. After two service visits where they were unable to recreate the problem (it happens randomly / sporatically), they have not provided resolution or a way ahead. I have multiple videos of this issue taken while it was happening.

Vehicle: 2025 Kia Sorento (leased) VIN: [XXX] Mileage at failure: 11,345 Incident dates: March 23, April 27, November 28–December 1 Type: Loss of power / electrical failure / safety hazard Complaint Description: I am reporting repeated electrical failures and complete loss of power in my 2025 Kia Sorento that created unsafe situations for myself and my children. The first failure occurred on March 23, approximately 2½ weeks after leasing the vehicle. The vehicle died without warning and had to be jumped. I brought it to the Kia dealership, but service would not perform a diagnostic without an appointment and sent me home with no repair. The second failure occurred on April 27. This time the vehicle was completely dead again. Kia’s service manager retrieved the vehicle from my home, diagnosed a failed battery cell, and replaced the battery. The third failure occurred between November 28 and December 1. The vehicle was again completely inoperable. I attempted to jump the vehicle on multiple days, but it would not hold a charge. I was stranded without transportation. The interior doors and trunk would not unlock because the power locks failed, and my belongings and large business related were inaccessible. Headlights flickered like a strobe light before the vehicle lost power entirely. Kia towed the vehicle from my home on December 1. These repeated electrical failures have resulted in multiple incidents of being stranded, including with my children, and have caused loss of use of the vehicle for several days. The defect is unpredictable and creates a serious safety concern, especially because the vehicle can lose power without warning and i am unable to unlock the doors. This raises a SERIOUS safety concern when transporting children. I am requesting that NHTSA document this as a potential electrical system safety defect. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

My vehicle repeatedly fails to recognize the key fob even when it is in my hand or inside the vehicle. Because it is a push-button start system, proper fob communication is required for unlocking and driving. When recognition fails, the vehicle will not start and I have been stranded. During the first of these failures, I called the dealership because I was stranded and needed immediate assistance. They instructed me to remove all passengers, close the doors, and then hold the unlock button on the key fob for 10 seconds and press lock/unlock six times in sequence. They also advised me not to use the door-handle lock/unlock button and to use only the fob buttons. This temporarily restored function, but a new vehicle should not require a manual reset procedure to start and operate normally. On two separate occasions, this problem also triggered the vehicle alarm, which was extremely difficult to silence. This does not happen every time, making the vehicle unreliable. One incident occurred while transporting special-needs children and an elderly passenger, and removing them from the vehicle to perform the reset was difficult and unsafe. The dealership later ran diagnostics and found no fault codes. I also replaced the key fob battery, but the issue continues. I have seen other owners online describing the same key-recognition failures, indicating that I may not be the only person experiencing this. This is a safety concern because the vehicle can fail to start without warning, and the alarm activation increases confusion and stress. The issue remains unresolved.

Sunroof randomly shattered with no vehicles in front of me while driving.

Fourth time we've had the car go into limp mode. Now at the dealer for third time. Driver was driving and the car went into limp mode after activating the cruise control follow function. Husband was behind in our Toyota Tacoma truck and was able to pick her up with California Highway Patrol to get off the highway into a parking lot to tow her. No warnings, no messages on the dash. She was unable to accelerate to highway speeds and was capped, and felt that there was very little to no predictable responsiveness in the car's acceleration. Car now at dealership.