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KIA Motors review: Kia of Carson and Kia of Cerritos

Thomas J Hubbard of US

May 26, 2026 8:04 pm UTC

Featured review

2021 Kia Sorento Hybrid, purchased new in July 2021. Recently I have had to take the car in for service because of the Hybrid system. First the hybrid coolant sensor was bad, replaced under warranty. A couple of months later the car over heated and I took it back to Carson Kia. I did let the car cool down before adding coolant so I could get it to Kia of Carson.
Then I noticed it was steaming from the back of the car. I let the service team know about the steam and they added some dye into the coolant in the event there was a leak, so they could find it. They called me back and said they found nothing. They drove the car down the street and back (maybe a mile), I checked the odometer. I picked the car up and after a couple of days the steam was back; this time I asked my wife to shoot a video of the steam as I drove off. I shared the video with Kia and took the car back in. This time they told me that the water pump needed to be replaced along with the ITM(Itegrated Thermal Module) Apparently the diagnostic checks didn't show anything and there were no codes. So that's when they said I needed a new water pump.

There are two water pumps on the car; one for the hybrid and one for the combustion engine. They couldn't tell me which one was bad so I didn't let them do the work. Anyone that works on or has driven a car knows the water pump is critical and a motor will overheat within minutes of operation if i fails. It is critical to the cooling of the motor.
Needless to say, I didn't go back to Kia of Carson.

That's when I decided to go to Kia of Cerritos. I will tell you that I did secure an OEM, ITM for the car. I then took it to Kia of Cerritos and spoke with a service advisor who told me that he used to be a tech. I asked to have the ITM installed and he agreed but stated that this may not be the problem and the diagnostics check should show if there was a problem with the ITM, or another problem with the car; this took a week. After I picked up the car on May 1, 2026, I decided to take the back streets because of the traffic. I made it about 12 miles and the "Check Hybrid system Stop Safely" popped on to the screen. I pulled over and let the car sit for a few minutes. I opened the hoop and noticed there was no coolant in the very system that they were supposed to have repaired.

I sent a picture and left a voicemail telling them what happened. No one called me to check on the car. I was able to get the car home and had some coolant for the car. I added the required amount and drove the car. for a few days. After two weeks I was leaving my office and drove maybe a 1/2 mile and the same "Check Hybrid System Stop Safely" Alert warning came back up. This was on May 19 at 4:14 PM. I called and spoke with Eli, the Service manager. He did leave me a voicemail after he received my survey, but I didn't call him back because I had eye surgery. Eli answered the call and we discussed what had just taken place. He asked if I could get the car towed to Cerritos Kia and I told i would. AAA dropped it off around 7 PM.
Eli told me that they were going to get an Engineer from Kia to review the case since this has been on ongoing problem, without resolution. I spoke with Moe the next day and he told me that it would be a few days to look into the problem. Nothing happened for a week and when I called they didn't take my calls. After calling Eli and not getting an answer, Moe called. He told me that they would need the car for another week since it was the Memorial day weekend. I told him that was fine and he also stated that they would get an Engineer involved. The very next day on Saturday May 23, 2026 the tech called to let me know that he car needed some additional work. Apparently water pumps are big seller, but again, no one mentioned what water pump is bad. Let's remember, this started with a bad hybrid coolant sensor several months ago. I have drive the car without any overheating for over 2000 miles. So the question is, do the Kia mechanics know what they are doing, or did I just get a lemon and until took a while for the lemon to mature?

I am hoping to hear form an Engineer at Kia of North America. I worked at the facility whey they opened and I know that Kia takes pride in their products. I just wish everyone selling and servicing the product had as much pride. Now I have to ask if want to keep a problem car or sell it and take a loss.

There are two water pumps on the car; one for the hybrid and one for the combustion engine. They couldn't tell me which one. Anyone that works has driven a car knows the water pump is critical and a motor will overheat within minutes of operation. It is critical to the cooling of the motor.

Desired outcome: I would like my car fixed so that I can drive it without steam or vapor coming from the back of the car after 10 miles and would like a straight answer. The car has 75,000 miles and this is the only problem I have had with it.

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marketing@kia.com

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Support

KIA Motors address

12, Heolleung-ro, Seocho-gu, Seoul, Korea (South)

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May 28, 2026
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