2013 Kia Sorento Fuel System Problems

I am submitting a formal written complaint to supplement my existing NHTSA Safety Report ID 11702339 regarding a serious fuel system defect on my 2013 Kia Sorento. My car began experiencing sluggish starting, sputtering during acceleration, stalling at stop signs and traffic lights, and a strong fuel odor. A check engine light subsequently illuminated, and due to safety concerns, the vehicle was towed to a Kia dealership for diagnosis. The dealership confirmed and documented fuel leakage from the high-pressure fuel pressure regulator and fuel contamination in the engine oil. This defect presents a serious safety risks: increased risk of engine fire due to fuel leakage, unexpected loss of power while stopped or in traffic, and increased likelihood of a collision due to engine stalling. This vehicle previously had its engine replaced under a Kia recall in 2020, making this failure particularly concerning. Fuel system failures and post-recall engine-related defects have been the subject of multiple Kia recalls, service campaigns, and NHTSA investigations involving engine fires and fuel leaks. Despite the dealership's documented diagnosis and clear safety implications, Kia Consumer Affairs denied recall coverage and refused to assist with repair costs, stating this is not a recall-related issue. The estimated repair cost exceeds $1,700, and the vehicle remains unsafe and undrivable. Given the confirmed fuel leakage, fuel contamination of engine oil, prior recall engine replacement, repeated stalling events, and Kia's refusal to acknowledge responsibility, I respectfully request that NHTSA review this case as part of a potential defect trend, particularly involving high-pressure fuel system components on Kia Sorento vehicles with prior recall engine replacements. I am submitting this complaint to ensure this safety issue is formally documented, investigated, and considered for further action to protect consumers. Thank you for your attention to this serious safety matter

Upon searching for recalls it seems as though I’m experiencing a significant issue with the fuel/propulsion system. Engine sputters frequently and has turned off while driving multiple times at different speeds (including most recently at a stoplight) , and will not turn on after driving on several occasions. Vehicle will only start again when put in neutral after a couple attempts, followed by the check engine light illuminating and the RPM gauge not functioning until the next time it is turned off and restarted. The vehicle shows no signs of the issue until out of nowhere it turns off or will not restart after being driven. The vehicle is not driven more than 20 miles at a time, and is currently not taken on highways due to fear of the engine going out while driving. 60 mph is the most this vehicle has hit in the past 6 months because of this ongoing issue. Vehicle has been taken to an independent service center for this issue and the mechanics were unable to find an issue as the problem was not occurring while in their shop.

DRIVING IT TURN OFF. I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY HAD TO PULL OVER

ENGINE LIGHT, OVERHEATING, AND BATTERY ILLUMINATES ON THE ON IGNITION. AFTER TURNING ON THE ENGINE, ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATES AND THE OTHERS ARE NOT ILLUMINATING. VEHICLE WAS RUNNING BUT TENDS TO SHUT DOWN ON THE MIDDLE OF THE FREEWAY BUT I MANAGED TO STEP ON THE GAS PEDAL TO KEEP IT RUNNING BUT GIVES A LATE SHIFT. THEY ARE TIMES IT SHUT DOWN AND THE ENGINE LIGHT, OVERHEATING, AND BATTERY ILLUMINATES AGAIN. BRAND NEW BATTERY AND IT'S A WEEK OLD. I SAW SOME RECALLS ONLINE AND IT BEST DESCRIBES THE VEHICLE PROBLEM. CALLED THE DEALER SERVICE AREA AND SAID THEY ARE NO RECALL FOR VEHICLE VIN. PLEASE HAVE THIS PROBLEM RESOLVE. VEHICLE WAS BOUGHT ON 10/01/2020

DATE OF INCIDENT 1/31/2019. VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE IN ENGINE AREA. DRIVING DOWN RURAL 2-LANE ROAD, NO TRAFFIC, DRY CONDITIONS, CLOUDY; HEARD 'POP', SMOKE AND FLAMES CAME OUT FROM UNDER HOOD, COULD NOT ACCELERATE. CAR FULLY ENGULFED SHORTLY THEREAFTER. SAME DAY, JUST 50 MILES AWAY, ANOTHER KIA SORENTO, SAME EXPERIENCE. WITNESSES STATE THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL STORIES REGARDING KIA ENGINE FIRES 'ALL OVER THE NEWS' WITHIN JUST THE PAST 2 WEEKS! THAT VERY SAME NIGHT OF MY FIRE, WESH 2 LOCAL NEWS RAN A STORY AND IS INVESTIGATING. ALSO, IN TOWN JUST HALF HOUR AWAY - HOUSE IGNITED FROM CAR FIRE. LASTLY, DAUGHTER KNOWS SOMEONE ACROSS COUNTRY IN OREGON WHO PULLED INTO DRIVEWAY AND ENGINE CAUGHT FIRE. ALL KIA'S!!! RECENT ARTICLE IN USA TODAY (JAN 16) SAFETY GROUP FIGHTING TO HAVE 3 MILLION KIAS RECALLED. I FILED A CLAIM W KIA, CASE #13032230. I PLUGGED IN MY VIN AND IT DOES NOT SHOW ANY ACTIVE RECALLS BUT THIS IS CLEARLY IDENTICAL TO WHAT COUNTLESS OTHERS ARE EXPERIENCING. I'M SO AFRAID THEY WILL DO EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO GET OUT OF TAKING RESPONSIBILITY. THIS NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED!!! SOMEONE IS GOING TO BE KILLED! I HAVE UNBELIEVABLE PHOTOS THAT SHOW PROGRESSION OF FIRE - FROM THE VERY INITIAL START TO WHAT IS LEFT OF VEHICLE. UNABLE TO LOAD; SAYS FILE IS TOO BIG. ONE YA

DRIVING HOME ON I 95 ABOUT 70 MILES PER HOUR VEHICLE STARTED SLOWING DOWN ON ITS OWN . AFTER HEARD LOUD NOISE VEHICLE SHAKING THEN NOISE AND LARGE CLOUD OF SMOKE BILLOWING FROM CAR. HAD TO PULL OVER AND FIRE DEPARTMENT CAME . FOUND OIL ALL OVER OUTSIDE OF ENGINE AND ENGINE WILL NO LONGER START. TRIPLE A TOWED TO SHOP AND SHOP SAYS ENGINE SEIZED AND CONNECTING ROD WENT PERFFERATTED BLOCK.OIL CHANGES PERFORMED REGULARLY AND ALWAYS USED 100 PERCENT SYNTHETIC OIL.

MY CAR HAS 73,000 MILES AND KEPT WELL MAINTAINED. ONE DAY THE CAR WOULDN'T START. ENGINE KEPT TURNING OVER AND OVER. I WAS EVENTUALLY ABLE TO GET THE CAR STARTED BUT IT WOULD SHAKE, VIBRATE, AND HESITATE WHILE DRIVING. MY MECHANIC SAID THE PROBLEM IS HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP AND IT IS NOT COVER AFTER 60,000 MILES WARRANTY AND THE PART WILL COST OVER $850 WITHOUT THE LABOR. I NEVER HAD AN ISSUE WITH FUEL PUMP OR FUEL PUMP SYSTEM WITH A CAR THAT HAS UNDER 100,000 MILES ON IT. THIS IS DEFECT DESIGN FROM KIA AND THEY WILL NOT COVER FOR IT. *TR

CAR WAS PARKED. WENT TO START IT UP TO AND CAR WOULDN'T START. ENGINE KEPT TURNING OVER AND OVER. FIRST FEW TIMES THIS HAPPENED, I WAS EVENTUALLY ABLE TO GET THE CAR STARTED BUT IT WOULD SHAKE, VIBRATE, AND HESITATE WHILE DRIVING. EVENTUALLY, I WENT TO START THE CAR FROM PARK AND IT WOULDN'T START. I WAS ABLE TO GET IT STARTED BY JUMPING IT, BUT THE VIBRATIONS, SHAKING, AND HESITATION CONTINUED. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THE PROBLEM OF WERE THE RESULT OF LOW FUEL DUE TO A FAILURE WITH THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP. WHILE DRIVING HOME ON THE HIGHWAY, THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A SUDDEN LOSS OF SPEED (I.E. 65 MPH TO 20 MPH) AND SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN POWER, WHICH IS VERY DANGEROUS. CAR HAS 71,000 MILES ON IT. ALL ROUTINE SERVICES HAVE BEEN PERFORMED ON THE CAR AT THE DEALERSHIP AND OIL HAS BEEN CHANGED ROUTINELY AS SPECIFIED.

WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY IN LIGHT TRAFFIC AT SPEEDS AROUND 40MPH THE VEHICLE SHUT OFF COMPLETELY. I HAD TO COAST TO THE SHOULDER, PUT THE VEHICLE IN PARK AND RESTART. THE VEHICLE RESTARTED COMPLETELY FINE. THIS INCIDENT HAS HAPPENED 3 TIMES IN THE LAST 6 MONTHS. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY AT A KIA DEALERSHIP AND THEY ARE NOT FINDING ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. *TR

VEHICLE SUFFERS CATASTROPHIC HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP FAILURE ON HIGHWAY RESULTING IN LOSS OF POWER. DEALERSHIP REPLACED PART. THIS IS A HIGH PRESSURE DIRECT INJECTION ENGINE. ENGINE HAS SUFFERED EXTREME NOISE, VIBRATION, AND HARSHNESS ISSUES SINCE NEW. SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS IS POTENTIALLY LIFE THREATENING. THE RELIABILITY OF THIS DIRECT INJECTION FUEL SYSTEM APPEARS POOR. OUR 2013 ONLY HAD 24K MILES AT FAILURE. *TR

2013 KIA SORENTO. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO VEHICLE FUEL ECONOMY ISSUES. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED SHE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE BASED UPON CLAIMS OF FUEL ECONOMY. THERE WERE ADVERTISEMENTS ON THE RADIO CLAIMING 30 MPG. THE CONSUMER SOON DISCOVERED, SHE WAS NOT GETTING ANYWHERE NEAR WHAT THE ADS OR THE WINDOW STICKER STATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. HOWEVER, THEY FOUND NO ISSUES. THE SERVICE MANAGER INFORMED THE CONSUMER THERE WAS 5,000 MILE BREAK IN PERIOD BEFORE SHE ACHIEVE THE STATED GAS MILEAGE, AT 5,005, THERE WAS STILL NO CHANGE.