Problems · by component
2016 Kia Sorento exterior lighting problems
67 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2016 Kia Sorento cite exterior lighting, 5% of all 1,262 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
67
5% of all complaints
Crashes
1
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
Reported by owners
What owners say about the exterior lighting
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“I have now replaced the headlight bulbs in my 2016 KIA Sorento 6 times and it's getting worse as it gets older. I believe it is a safety issue since the last time I was out of town, traveling in the middle of the night when it went out. I had to wait until morning to find an auto parts store to buy and replace the bulb. No inspections have been done by anyone. Yes, the warning lamp comes on and stays until reset.”
“I am having an issue with my Kia headlights when on dim. The lights are so dim I am afraid to drive the car at night because I am scared I will hit a person, animal or object. I am replacing light bulbs frequently. Cars are flashing their lights at me (when I need to drive at night) because of the dimness. I took my car to a Kia dealer and they could not diagnosis the problem. They advised to replace the entire headlight assembly with a cost of $2,600.00. I am on Social Security and can't afford to have the repair made. I have read a lot of complaints of other Kia lighting issues. I feel a recall should be made immediately due to the seriousness of the issue.”
“I own a 2016 Sorento SXL AWD and this issue just started. I work evening shift and get off at 11pm. I always have the lights set to "auto", while driving home on a rural road at night and the headlights switch off on their own. I have to manually switch the lights off and back to auto for them to come back on. Potentially dangerous situation and Kia should issue a recall. Can find any recall but have done research and find it is an on going issue seems be be a multi function switch.”
“My left headlamp always goes off. The lights go off all the time. I changed the bulb but its Not it. It the faulty light cable connections. I replace higher lights 12000k and the left light cable never stays on. Cause the left light cable is crap and never probably done. So i bought a lemon new off the lot”
“while driving at night the headlights will go out. it has done so several times in the past. it is very scary when it happens on the freeway. Also the brake lights, specifically the drivers side, will stop working about every 2 weeks or so. I replace it and shortly after, it will stop working.”
“The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the rear brake lights became inoperable on several occasions. The contact was pulled over due to the rear lights being inoperable. The contact noticed that the sockets for the bulbs had overheated. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who replaced the bulbs. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.”
Showing 6 of 67 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 3, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.