2014 Kia Sorento electrical system problems

“I am filing an official safety complaint against the manufacturer for refusing to perform federally mandated safety recall repairs on my vehicle. My vehicle is impacted by critical safety recalls involving high-severity fire risks, specifically the Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) electrical short circuit risk. Corporate Customer Care and my local authorized dealership have officially refused to schedule or perform these safety recall repairs. The representatives explicitly stated that my vehicle is denied service because I purchased it used from a third-party private owner, and because I do not possess complete historical maintenance records. The manufacturer is conflating civil class-action lawsuit requirements with federally mandated safety recalls. Under the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, a manufacturer cannot legally condition or deny an active, free safety recall repair based on a vehicle's third-party purchase history or maintenance records. Due to poorly trained employees at both the dealership and customer care offices, I have faced constant misinformation that has wasted an immense amount of my time. Because this non-compliance…”

“This is a follow up of NHTSA case# 1840444. Complaint Description: Vehicle exhibited active CAN-bus communication timeout code DTC C1642 targeting the Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU). Following the official technical safety guidelines established under NHTSA Campaign 20V519000 (Kia SC197), an isolated parasitic current draw test was performed between the engine junction box positive power post and the ABS2 circuit terminal. Testing across three independent iterations utilizing a digital multimeter confirmed a continuous localized parasitic draw of 218.6 uA. This dramatically exceeds the manufacturer's maximum safety engineering threshold of 70.0 uA by over 312%. This quantified excessive amperage draw conclusively isolates an internal circuit board short-circuit condition caused by a failure of the internal HECU brake fluid seals. The vehicle presents an immediate network communication failure, brake malfunction, and thermal/fire risk. Kia Corporate must be compelled to immediately authorize an expedited, zero-cost component replacement under the active safety recall mandate.”

“This is a follow up submission to NHTSA case #XXX. Organization Under Complaint: Hutchinson Kia, [XXX] Complaint Summary: The dealership is utilizing unfair and deceptive financial gating practices to avoid its legal obligations under a federal safety recall. The dealership refuses to look at or evaluate a vehicle subject to an urgent fire-risk HECU safety recall unless the consumer first authorizes a $189.00 diagnostic fee. The dealership refuses to give a firm, legally binding commitment that this fee will be waived for a confirmed recall component. Instead, they require the consumer to assume all financial risk upfront, stating the fee will only "likely" be waived based on their own internal, unverified findings. This creates a high-pressure trap where the consumer is forced to sign away financial rights to access a free, federally mandated safety remedy. The dealership is weaponizing a acute shortage of independent import and specialized repair facilities in the Macon, GA market. They are aware consumers have almost no local alternative venues to get an independent, affordable cross-check scan, and are using this regional monopoly to coerce consumers into…”

“Re: Formal Complaint – Repeated Engine Failures and Unacceptable Service Delays Vehicle: Kia Sorento 2014 VIN: [XXX] Purchased: Fall of 2021 Current Issue: Vehicle in service at Kia of Lincolnwood since January 9, 2026 Dear Kia Consumer Affairs and Legal Department, I am writing to formally document my severe dissatisfaction with the repeated engine failures in my Kia vehicle and the complete lack of communication and urgency from both Kia of Lincolnwood (6750 N Lincoln Ave, Lincolnwood, IL 60712) and Kia's consumer support channels. This has caused significant financial hardship, disruption to my family and work, and eroded any trust in the brand. I purchased this vehicle approximately 5 years ago through CarMax. Within that time, the engine has died or stalled three times: The first failure occurred about one year after purchase, stranding me at 11:00 p.m. in rural Wisconsin during winter with my three young children in the vehicle. The second incident happened in downtown Chicago (River North), just one hour before I needed to depart for a work event in Champaign, IL, requiring a tow and last-minute rental arrangements. The most recent failure occurred at…”

“My key fob doesn’t register even while in car, my battery drains daily has to recieve jump off every Otha day if not daily, door open indicator shows open on all doors even when closed, car locks won’t disengage automatically but your system shows no recalls something’s wrong with it”

“The contact owns a 2014 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that the Push to Start button failed to function as intended, and the vehicle failed to start. The contact called the Lien holder and was informed that the key was not connecting. The Lien holder replaced the key. The contact stated that the failure persisted, and the key fob failed to function as intended. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The dealer swapped the key fobs with another set of key fobs to diagnose the failure. However, no cause for the failure was found. The contact was informed that two unknown fuse boxes needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, the LED lights under the door and dashboard failed to function as intended. In addition, an abnormal sound was coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and remained with the dealer for months. The contact was informed that the fuse box had been replaced. The vehicle failed to restart when the contact picked up the vehicle from the dealer. The vehicle was towed to the residence and had not been driven since. The tow truck driver tried to jumpstart the…”