After a head gasket, now I need a whole new engine and I’m just 3 days out of my warranty. Anyone have any luck finding a “Crate” Engine or Long Block in a timely manor? I can’t believe this is happening….. is this know for Head Gasket Problems just out of 100,000 miles? I have done all services on time and up to date. This is really maddening.
WhiteSorentolove
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I agree with your mechanic. No more KIA's for me.
In today's world, before buying any car/brand, find the forum dedicated to it and follow it for a couple of months to really get to the core of that models issues. 4th gen Toyota 4Runners are suffering a lot of blown head gaskets in the 2004/2005 model years, frames completely rusted through in model years 2003-2008 and that's just one model in their lineup. Every manufacturer has issues, some do a better job of addressing them then others. I suspect that Hyundai/Kia is going to have to acknowledge this head bolt problem eventually and make some concession but probably only to original owners.
I agree. I owed am AAMCO transmission shop for 8 years. The president of AAMCO told us there are two kind of cars. Those that are broke and those that are going to be broke. We saw fewer Toyotas than any other brand. Besides the blown head gasket my Sorento had to have the whole steering rack replaced. That was done under warranty. That is two big ticket items on one car. I am thankful at least one of them was under warranty. When I bought the car consumer report had nothing but glowing revues.
Had it ranked right by the highlander. My sister bought a 2016 highlander and has not had a single problem. The highlander costs about 4k more than the Sorento. Now that I look back, I should have spent the extra money for the Highlander. I want make this mistake again.
Had it ranked right by the highlander. My sister bought a 2016 highlander and has not had a single problem. The highlander costs about 4k more than the Sorento. Now that I look back, I should have spent the extra money for the Highlander. I want make this mistake again.
I just went thru all this on a 2016 at 131k miles, see this thread;
www.kia-forums.com
I am a "do what I can mechanic" - knowing what we know now, these 3.3L's up thru 2016 are going to go, it's just a matter when... so get out while you can I guess.
My mechanic's wife's 2016 Kia went recently, and he said it went quick. No help from Kia, and that's coming from discussions with a mechanic.
My impression is that a bolt strips, and the rest are now doing the work. Eventually the next highly loaded one will strip out, and loss of more of the head gasket seal. On from there?
I drove gently while shopping new cars, kept tach under 2k, and watched the needle...
Seems like the only real fix is to strip both heads and helicoil / insert them. So weigh that repair cost ( $3k?) against what the cars worth. Or 10k for new engine?
I think if you try to torque bolts, they will strip more.
I traded in while I could for a Highlander Hybrid... it is really nice. Slightly bigger than Sorento, 35mpg, Toyota dependability.
3.3L Head bolts stripped
I have a 3.3 2016 fwd sorento that ran like a speed boat. Now it just sits. After me owning it a year, not doing some more research on this specific vehicle or the owners of the vehicle, the head gasket went. After more research it's going to cost me a whole new motor which is up to 7,000. I...
www.kia-forums.com
I am a "do what I can mechanic" - knowing what we know now, these 3.3L's up thru 2016 are going to go, it's just a matter when... so get out while you can I guess.
My mechanic's wife's 2016 Kia went recently, and he said it went quick. No help from Kia, and that's coming from discussions with a mechanic.
My impression is that a bolt strips, and the rest are now doing the work. Eventually the next highly loaded one will strip out, and loss of more of the head gasket seal. On from there?
I drove gently while shopping new cars, kept tach under 2k, and watched the needle...
Seems like the only real fix is to strip both heads and helicoil / insert them. So weigh that repair cost ( $3k?) against what the cars worth. Or 10k for new engine?
I think if you try to torque bolts, they will strip more.
I traded in while I could for a Highlander Hybrid... it is really nice. Slightly bigger than Sorento, 35mpg, Toyota dependability.
Add me to the list, 2015 Sorento SXL with 75.6K miles. Took it in because I lost cabin heat. Thermostat holder assy. was leaking, and replaced for $1500. Still no heat, they found a stripped head bolt. No long blocks available, discontinued; no short blocks, 3-4 month waiting list. So, both heads off and all bolt holes Heli coiled. Total bill for this part $6747. So, $8300 later, it heats again. OUCH!!!
OUCH is right! I found the helicoil kit is about $400. KIA HEAD BOLT THREAD REPAIR — NS300L™ PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSAL THREAD REPAIR SYSTEM SPECIALIZING IN HEAD BOLT THREAD REPAIRTOYOTA HEAD BOLT THREAD REPAIR KIT KIA HYUNDAI KIA 3.3/3.5/3.8L HEAD BOLT THREAD REPAIR KIT
So lots of labor, huh?
My symptoms were intermittent cabin heat, and pressure bubbles up into the coolant overflow.
Hope you don't have any more problems!
We have a 2016 Sorento 3.3L with 68k miles that we bought new. It's really disapointing to hear of the head bolt problems others are experiencing. We had planned to keep this vehicle much longer as it has the perfect size and power to fit our needs perfectly, but are now reconsidering that thought.
I'm curious if forum members would recommend a later model Sorento or an altogether different make and model that would be comparable to our Sorento.
I'm curious if forum members would recommend a later model Sorento or an altogether different make and model that would be comparable to our Sorento.
Cololab, if you dig into these forum threads, it seems (don't quote me!) like in 2017 the problem was rectified with a different bolt torque. However it seems the crux of issue is not enough block "meat" and thread length...
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2022 Kia Sorento Reliability - Consumer Reports
Get reliability information for the 2022 Kia Sorento from Consumer Reports, which combines extensive survey data and expert technical knowledge.
I read this forum on a daily basis and have yet to read of this head bolt problem in anything beyond 2016 so something changed that rectified a problem which Hyundai/Kia knew was a problem or they wouldn't have made the change. And, you're covered in yours for another few years under the 10/100 warranty. Our Kia is one that I will keep up until about six months before the 10 years expire and then sell it and see what I buy next (probably an EV).
Oh wow, this is the first 2015 I've read with the bolt issue. Damm, I hope our SX will be ok. I've just over 102k Km on it. Warranty ended long ago on time out as its 5 years!!!
I won't buy a 4 cyl nor a CVT driven if I need another vehicle. I expect it to last much longer still. People say they'll jump ship. But the landscape is very poor on other major brands, worst in many regards. Nothing is perfect and some are plan bad with problems year after year, the oem don't fix the issue as I looked into a used Pilot it never ending suite of major issues, even the newest years. Scratched that off my short list after investigating it. You have to give some big points to an OEM who steps up and extends warranty on big issues or faults you have not control over like the 4 cyl engines here. I wouldn't buy one knowing it but if you had one at least it will get back on the road.
When you looking for a different make or model, just do a make/model forum search and check out common problems. Some are much worse than others. All have some major problems but frequency and warranty are most important. My 2007 v6 rav4 was solid as a rock for over 9 years but some people on rav4world forums still had a lot of problems.
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In my case, I still have 3 years of payments to make on this car. If anything serious, like the headbolt issue happens, I really have no choice but to fix it and keep on going. We bought this car with the intention of driving it into the ground. Our previous 2011 was running fine at 300k, and no rust issues that were visible. We hope for the same with this car. I see 2011-2015 Sorrento's on the road daily. I know they have a slightly different engine set up but other than the head bolt issue, they do seem to hold up ok.
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Well, our car is in the hands of my mechanic now. If he finds any loose headbolts, he told me he doesn't want to get involved in any major engine repair, which I fully understand and don't blame him for. I have an engine rebuilder buddy that will have to take over the job , keeping my fingers crossed that my regular mechanic does not find any issue while doing the plugs. 😐
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Well, I received some positive news from my mechanic. The plugs and intake plenum gasket all look fairly new, as well as the antifreeze so he thinks this car may have some engine work before we bought it coming up on two years June 5. I decided to replace the plugs anyway after the work it took to access them and will keep the removed ones for future use possibly. Also, all the brakes are at just 25% wear so it appears they were replaced by the dealer during the certification. He wasn't able to uncover any of the head bolts during the plug swap process unfortunately, he did call me to ask if I wanted him to remove more parts to check them which would have resulted in about 2-3 more hours of labor to do so , based on his findings already, I declined and will gamble that all is good. So, just the diff fluid refresh is left to complete and we should be good for another 100k. My wife has decided to retire so the car will see less usage in the years to come. I hopefully will get it paid off before it gets to the 200k point. 
Likely not but it helps if the person is the original owner. Reading your other thread, sounds like you are not so, right or wrong, they are going to pay far less attention to second owners.
<raises hand> After a '13 Sorento that ran flawlessly, and a '17 Sorento that ran flawlessly, and a '19 Sorento that runs flawlessly, all with the 3.3L V6...I heartily recommend Sorentos.
When people base their car buying decisions on the loudest voices on an internet forum, they're doing no better than just throwing a dart to see where it lands. "Oh gawd, Sorentos suck! But now I see this one post on a RAV4 blowing up...Toyotas suck! Oh, wait, here's one post about an Outback that fell apart...Subarus suck!"
Just to add another data point.
Some years ago, I traded in a '08 Santa Fe for which I'd done a Carfax 'owner registration', and I still get service notifications. The new owner is still getting it serviced regularly, and it's got just over 240K miles on that 3.3 (though it wasn't a GDI back then).
Some years ago, I traded in a '08 Santa Fe for which I'd done a Carfax 'owner registration', and I still get service notifications. The new owner is still getting it serviced regularly, and it's got just over 240K miles on that 3.3 (though it wasn't a GDI back then).
Well we still don't know if these GDI 3.3L are any good at higher mileage as they have no valve fushing ability by desgin and carbon will or likely build up to a level which might, might become a problem.
I have both gens in these groups, 2015 & 2019 3.3L so I'll see. Never the less the newer vehicles are not as reliable nor as durable as previous generation. Some owners are lucky and others like with the 2016 with really bad luck by design in assembly of those engines.
I have both gens in these groups, 2015 & 2019 3.3L so I'll see. Never the less the newer vehicles are not as reliable nor as durable as previous generation. Some owners are lucky and others like with the 2016 with really bad luck by design in assembly of those engines.
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