2012 Kia Sorento Recall

On certain vehicles, the compliance label may be missing information in French. The words listed on the label for "Tires", "Rims", "Front" and "Rear" appear in English only, when they should be listed as "Tires/Pneus", "Rims/Jantes", "Front/Avant" and "Rear/Arriere". Canadian regulations require this information to be listed on the label in both English and French.

These small errors do not affect vehicle safety.

This is not a recall. Kia has corrected the compliance label for all new vehicles.

On certain vehicles, the brake hydraulic electronic control unit (HECU) could short circuit.

A short circuit could create a fire risk, even while the vehicle is parked and turned off.

Kia will notify owners by mail and advise you to take your vehicle to a dealership to replace the fuse(s) for the HECU. Kia recommends that you should park your vehicle outdoors and away from other vehicles or structures until the recall repairs have been completed.

On certain vehicles equipped with a 2.0 L NU GDI or 2.4 L Theta II MPI engine, an engine compartment fire could occur while driving. Kia is conducting this recall as a preventative measure to prevent fire risk due to potential fuel leaks, oil leaks and/or engine damage. In some situations, you may notice any of the following symptoms: there could be an abnormal knocking noise from the engine; the check engine light and/or the oil pressure warning light could turn on; you may smell fuel, burning or smoke; or you may notice oil leaks. If you continue to drive the vehicle with these symptoms, the engine could fail and/or a fire could occur. An engine failure can cause a sudden loss of power with an inability to restart. Note: For the Optima model, only the Optima Hybrid is affected by this recall.

An engine compartment fire can create a risk of injury. A sudden loss of engine power could increase the risk of a crash.

Kia will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer for an inspection of the engine and engine compartment. The dealer will inspect for fuel and/or engine oil leaks, perform an engine test and make any repairs, including engine replacement, if necessary. Kia will also perform a Knock Sensor Detection System (KSDS) software update free of charge, once it is available for your vehicle. This update will detect and prevent engine damage from worn connecting rod bearings.

Kia Canada is conducting a Product Improvement Campaign that provides an update to the engine control module to detect potential problems before an engine fails. An engine failure may cause a sudden loss of power with an inability to restart.

A sudden loss of engine power could increase the risk of a crash.

The company will notify owners by mail. Owners will be instructed to take their vehicle to a dealer to update the software for the engine control module. Note: Vehicles repaired under Service Campaign SC025 already have this software update.

On certain vehicles, when repairs were completed under recall campaign 2017-199 (Kia RC109), the high pressure fuel pipe may not have been properly installed on the fuel pump outlet. A fuel leak could occur if the pipe was damaged, misaligned or improperly torqued during the recall repair. A fuel leak, in the presence of an ignition source, could create the risk of a fire causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will inspect the connections of the high pressure fuel pipe to the fuel pump outlet for leaking fuel. If leaking fuel is detected, the fuel pipe will be replaced with a new one.

A failure of this component (fuel system) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain vehicles equipped with 2.0L and 2.4L engines, the engine may contain residual metallic debris from factory machining operations. If debris is present, it could potentially restrict oil flow to the main bearings and rod bearings and could lead to premature wear. If the vehicle continues to be driven with worn bearings, the bearings could fail, which could cause an engine stall while the vehicle is in motion, resulting in loss of motive power which could increase the risk of a crash causing injury and/or property damage. Worn bearings could also result in the illumination of the oil pressure lamp in the instrument cluster. Correction: Dealers will inspect, and if necessary, replace the engine sub-assembly.

A failure of this component (engine) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain vehicles, the sunroof can break due to external impacts, which can cause the sunroof crosspieces with some tempered glass attached to dislodge and drop into the passenger cabin onto occupants. Such breakage would be most prevalent in provinces where gravel road treatments for ice/snow and severe temperature shifts are common. Correction: Dealers will install additional connective pieces to prevent the possibility of sunroof crosspieces dropping under a product enhancement campaign. In the interim, owners are advised to drive with the sunshade in the closed position until the campaign is completed.

A failure of this component (structure) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

Certain vehicles may fail to conform to Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (CMVSS) 102 - Transmission Control Functions. The transmission shift selector assembly could become damaged and allow the driver to shift the transmission out of the PARK gear position without depressing the brake pedal, contrary to the requirements of the standard. These issues could cause unintended vehicle movement, increasing the risk of injury and/or property damage. Correction: Dealers will replace the shift interlock assembly.

A failure of this component (powertrain) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).