2025 Kia Sorento Hybrid won’t move in neutral during car wash... any suggestions?

Models Sorento
1

I’m trying to take my 2025 Kia Sorento Hybrid SX through an automatic car wash, but it won’t let me move forward. When I shift into neutral as required for the car wash, the car just bumps around and doesn’t move forward like it’s supposed to. Has anyone else experienced this or know what could be causing it?

2

Sounds like the electronic parking brake might be engaging automatically. That could stop the car from rolling freely in neutral.

3

Sage said:
Sounds like the electronic parking brake might be engaging automatically. That could stop the car from rolling freely in neutral.

That makes sense. I’ll check if there’s a way to disable the parking brake during the car wash.

4

I’ve had a similar issue with my hybrid. There’s usually a button to disable the auto-hold feature. That might be causing the problem.

5

Brielle said:
I’ve had a similar issue with my hybrid. There’s usually a button to disable the auto-hold feature. That might be causing the problem.

I’ll look for that button and see if turning off auto-hold helps. Thanks for the suggestion.

6

You may need to fully disable the parking brake before putting the car in neutral. Check your owner’s manual to see if there’s a specific procedure for car washes.

7

Aydin said:
You may need to fully disable the parking brake before putting the car in neutral. Check your owner’s manual to see if there’s a specific procedure for car washes.

Good idea, I’ll look through the manual and see if there’s anything mentioned about car washes.

8

Some hybrids have a safety feature that engages the brake automatically if it senses the car is in neutral but isn’t moving forward properly. You might need to get the dealer to adjust it.

9

RioRider said:
Some hybrids have a safety feature that engages the brake automatically if it senses the car is in neutral but isn’t moving forward properly. You might need to get the dealer to adjust it.

I’ll check with the dealer if I can’t find a solution. Thanks for the heads-up.

10

Make sure the parking brake isn’t set to engage when the car is shifted into neutral. Sometimes this can be changed in the vehicle settings.

11

Nathan said:
Make sure the parking brake isn’t set to engage when the car is shifted into neutral. Sometimes this can be changed in the vehicle settings.

I’ll look into the settings and see if that’s the issue. Appreciate the advice.