For centuries, humans have been using fans to cool down. From hand-operated to electric with a few misadventures into internal combustion along the way, we’ve been making our own breezes, playing god by creating extremely localized wind. Generally, it’s pretty foolproof, but the 2021 to 2023 Kia Sorento has found a way to make a certain amount of fan speed turn into fire. Yep, it’s recall time.
Indeed, Kia is recalling 39,536 Sorento crossovers from model years 2021 through 2023, specifically models of certain trims, due to annual sales during that period standing at more than double the quantity of recalled cars. Here’s what the defect report has to say:
Due to a suspected wire harness supplier quality issue, the connection between the blower motor resistor and connector can overheat when using the HVAC system on fan speed 3 while the ignition is on. In rare cases, this condition may lead to a fire.
There’s a whole lot packed into two little sentences here, so let’s expand. While an issue with the fan set to Level 3 sounds weird, it’s actually a fairly easy one to explain. In just about every car, a resistor pack is responsible for limiting fan speed, turning some of the current going to the fan into heat in order to make it spin slower. In affected Sorento crossovers, Level 4 is the maximum fan speed, and that means the blower motor is running at full tilt, so any blower motor resistor-adjacent issue should likely rear its head at lower fan speeds.
Indeed, this all started when a 2023 Sorento LX caught fire and Kia repurchased it in late 2024 to tear it down and see what went wrong. According to the defect recall chronology report submitted to NHTSA:
Further investigation of the repurchased 2023MY Sorento LX is conducted. X-ray analysis of the damaged blower motor resistor and adjoining wire harness indicate origin at terminal #2 of the connection between the two components. The circuit involving terminal #2 controls blower fan speed 3.
After digging a bit further, Kia found warranty claims for the same issue, terminal two getting melty. Specifically, one vehicle fire, one localized fire, and 25 connectors that got just a little bit too hot. The cause? Officially, it sounds like the parts weren’t all entirely up to spec. As Kia wrote: “production variances due to quality control including thinner than nominal wiring gauge are suspected as contributing factors for overheating while using fan speed 3 of the HVAC system.”
So, what’s the next move? Well, for now, drivers of 2021 to 2023 Kia Sorento crossovers are probably best off treating their HVAC fans as if one speed simply doesn’t exist. You know how the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch specified counting to three, no more and no less? This is basically the opposite. Count to anything but three, until you can get your Sorento in for the fix that includes a new blower motor resistor harness and a new resistor. Expect it to be available later this year.
On the plus side, this weird failure mode peels back the curtain on how small the threshold can be for an issue to turn into a recall. In this case, the recall covers 39,536 cars, and the investigation notes 27 known cases of failure, resulting in a known failure rate of just 0.06 percent. Translation: 99.94 percent safe isn’t safe enough. Isn’t that at least a little bit reassuring when you think about all the cars on the roads around you?
Top graphic images: Kia; Ebay seller
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My 2003 tiburon had the same problem. All of a sudden smoke started seeping out of the HVAC controls while I was driving. Sounds like Hyundai/Kia are using the same suppliers as they were 20 years ago.
What about the “Spinal Tap” edition? Does 11 still work? I presume so since it’s not a multiple of 3.
I took a Sharpie™ and blacked out the number 3 on mine; problem solved.
…; problem trumped™.
Damn, we never noticed that was violet not silver.
Just use a PWM controller instead of a resistor. Bonus is that it’ll use 0.06 gallons of gas less from the reduced electrical demand so moar power!
I had a similar thought. With all the stuff they do to reduce electrical load nearly insignificant amounts, I’m surprised they aren’t using a PWM. I even put one on my converted E-kayak.
I put a cheap one into my camper in place of a fan resistor. The resistor pulled a whole amp itself! The PWM controller draws 0.05 amps or something almost inconsequential. It dropped the fan load from 3 amps to 1.5 at full speed. Lower speed was much more efficient. Throwing away 8 amp-hours of battery every night on making heat to control fan speed seemed the height of silliness.
That was my reasoning with the kayak running on a 30 a/h lifepo, plus I wanted finer throttle control, and the idea of resistance throttling alone is unappealing to me. The PWM was about $20.
Uno, dos………(winces)…..tres.
Boom.
Full circle: The city of Sorrento is pretty close to Mt Vesuvius, or as the Italians call it, “Three”
What? That sounds made up; I’m going to google that … aaaand it’s true. Wow.
Meanwhile at the Kia dealership, your new Sorento has barbecued itself into oblivion, because the engineers thought that 28 guage wiring was fine for carrying that 10 amp load. Now we know it’s not fine. Thank you for using your real money so we could find this out.
Unfortunately you’re on your own with this one, because records show that you took this thing to Jiffy lube for an oil change once, so your warranty is void.
Actual wire being underweight? That surprises me. QA on wire itself is usually stupendous, and failures on goods usually occur only if a smaller gauge wire is substituted against the specified gauge.
“…a few misadventures into internal combustion,” BAH!
My friends, let me introduce you to the confluence of weird ideas and bad timing: Stirling engine fans. Internal combustion is for pikers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gsh933eEHms
It’s an engine! Autopian relevance confirmed. It’s external combustion! Yo, somebody call Streeter! It’s weird – Helllooo, Torch! And they’re really old and there are no parts! David Tracy APPROVED.
There’s no three-speed on this thing – you want more wind, you turn up the flame. Because that’s exactly what you want when you’re trying to get a breeze going: MORE HEAT.
Was Mrs White/Madeline Kahn talking about her Kia?
https://giphy.com/gifs/party-memories-memory-xQz492gZVUoms
If the knob went to 11 everything would be fine…until one of the occupants randomly spontaneously combusted.
I guess Kia is saying “Don’t touch it; don’t even look at it!”
“failure rate of just 0.06 percent”
Had it been my car it would be 0; I only ever use 1 and 2 of 4. 1 to breathe, 2 for defrost.
You got me thinking. I bet most cars most of the time are on 1 or 2. 4 is for starting the car when it’s way too hot or cold. So that leaves 3 as probably the least used.
So it’s not that 99%+ haven’t failed..they haven’t failed YET. And yeah, 98% will probably never have an issue however that still leaves hundreds of potential fires if they don’t do a fix.
Not reassuring as more proof that automakers have cut designs to the bone of minimal requirements, and then nickel and dime their vendors into just meeting these specs on average, if at all. For every single outsourced component in a vehicle.
If I had a nickel for every time Kia issued a recall for an electrical fire risk…
Your nickels would’ve been melted.
Ah Kia, never stop showing us you’re still the cheap seats.
I entered my hot Kia
And set my fan to three
I promptly smelled a burning smell
And then was forced to flee
(and then was forced to flee)
The mate was a mighty wrenching man
With writers brave and true,
Designers goth and clerical,
This demo they would rue
The A/C soon was belching flames so to the shoulder pulled:
D. Tracy and
Torchinsky too
M. Streeter and, her wiiiiife
Sir Adrian,
The Bishop and Hardigree,
HERE ON, AUTOPIAN IIIISLE
I’m sure a deeper investigation will find Lucas Electrics was consulted on the HVAC design.
This is just yet another way cars end up with the heat stuck on.
Doing a lot of assuming here, but perhaps the numbers are so low because most of these were sold with automatic climate controls which might use PWM instead of a resistor pack?
Resist the urge to connect the wires together on this thermal mystery.
My wife has a 2023 and rather than a dial it has the buttons for fan speed. Probably a base model issue as once you get up a trim I believe they all have auto climate.
They are not recalling the ones w/ATC only those with manual controls which is why it affects only a portion of those vehicles sold. I’d say the more likely reason is that most people don’t use “3” they use “4” until it gets to the desired temp and then turn it down to 1 or 2 to maintain that temp. That is typically how I use it in the vehicles I use w/o ATC.
Not with the crappy cars in my area, they’re more dangerous than most of what the NTHSA finds wrong with new vehicles.
I once saw a pickup around here with a snapped frame, right in the middle. Pretty sure the only thing holding it together was the cab and bed leaning into each other. It was loaded with hundreds of pounds of scrap metal.
A pile of scrap being hauled by a bigger pile of scrap. I always stay well behind them in traffic because properly securing the random shit they have in the bed is not their highest priority.
People collecting wooden pallets are just as bad. Piled up nearly ten feet high and two across in the back of a clapped out S-10 or maybe an old Ranger.
Cue the theme song from Sanford and Son.
James Bond: Why have you brought me out here in this Kia Sorento?
Goldfinger: Just to talk, Mr. Bond. Nothing more. Now if you’ll excuse me, it is warm in this cabin and I should like to turn the fan up… to three.
James Bond: Do you expect me to talk?
Goldfinger: No, Mr. Bond. I expect you to die.
No Mr. Bond, I expect you to fry.
I like it, but we need to figure out what obvious escape route Goldfinger leaves for Bond.
Ejecto Seato, Cuz.
It is a Ford Escape route.
Car is atleast in accessory. Power windows, power sunroof potentially, just opening the door, breaking a window with the seatbelt (it is bond after all), or it’ll be conveniently at his lair on the coast and left in neutral and roll into the ocean on fire… and the former options still work and extinguishes the fire.
He forgets his USB cable in the center console
“Do not set the automatic climate control temperature setting to ’73’. Both ’72’ and ’74’ are fine, but under no circumstances use temperature setting ’73′”.
I was actually wondering about this… would this defect affect automatic climate control if it happened to set the blower at level 3?
The recall appears to only be for LX (base) trims which don’t have automatic climate control
75º is right out!
In the meantime, Kia dealerships will provide black markers so owners can hide fan position 3 on the dial.
Markers? What is this Lexus?
Kia will provide a free cup of used motor oil to smudge over the 3.
“Haha, fire is exactly the opposite of why I was using this dial!”