What breaks most · 2003 to 2026 model years
Kia Sorento problems by year
Owners have filed 10,125 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Kia Sorento across model years 2003 to 2026. Three years stand out: 2011 for engine complaints, 2016 for engine complaints and 2014 for engine complaints. The quietest years are 2010, 2024 and 2009.
- Years to check closely: 2011, 2016, 2014
- Fewest complaints: 2010, 2024, 2009
- Complaints on file
- 101252003 to 2026, all trims
- Worst year
- 20111517 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 303410 fires · 360 injuries · 9 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 77kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 79Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 305 | 10 | 1 | Engine and cooling (81) | |
| 220 | 11 | 0 | Engine and cooling (46) | |
| 307 | 17 | 0 | Engine (63) | |
| 242 | 12 | 1 | Engine (67) | |
| 154 | 10 | 4 | Air bags (58) | |
| 217 | 15 | 3 | Air bags (66) | |
| 55 | 2 | 3 | Air bags (21) | |
| 3 | 2 | 2 | Air bags (1) | |
| 1517 | 42 | 8 | Engine (284) | |
| 877 | 21 | 5 | Engine (461) | |
| 981 | 23 | 5 | Engine (496) | |
| 983 | 23 | 6 | Engine (386) | |
| 748 | 20 | 3 | Engine (359) | |
| 1246 | 29 | 8 | Engine (692) | |
| 800 | 13 | 4 | Engine (383) | |
| 252 | 12 | 3 | Engine (104) | |
| 423 | 10 | 2 | Engine (153) | |
| 134 | 9 | 1 | Engine (64) | |
| 241 | 4 | 4 | Powertrain and transmission (132) | |
| 186 | 4 | 6 | Powertrain and transmission (62) | |
| 118 | 3 | 3 | Electrical system (37) | |
| 38 | 4 | 2 | Electrical system (11) | |
| 73 | 5 | 3 | Electrical system (21) | |
| 5 | 2 | 2 | Unknown or other (2) |
What fails on the 2011 Kia Sorento
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 19% |
284 | 7 | Shop engine parts for the 2011 Kia Sorento |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 18% |
268 | 2 | Shop body and structure parts for the 2011 Kia Sorento |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 17% |
265 | 8 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 16% |
246 | 3 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2011 Kia Sorento |
| Unknown or other | 14% |
213 | 2 | — |
| Air bags | 12% |
183 | 19 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Exterior lightingHeadlights, tail lights and bulbs | 7% |
102 | 1 | Shop exterior lighting parts for the 2011 Kia Sorento |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 5% |
72 | 5 | Shop brakes parts for the 2011 Kia Sorento |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
Just bought this from a private seller last week and was driving to work. The engine suddenly caught fire and the car essentially exploded and melted.
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The vehicle made a scraping sound and hesitated. Attempts to accelerate were not immediately successful. The car seemed to loose power.
-
2015 KIA Sorento v6 engine failed and seized. VIN was not included in KIA extended warranty offered for this year and engine.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Kia Sorento years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2011, 2016, 2014 carry the most filings on the Kia Sorento. The 2011 alone has 1517 complaints, led by engine.
What is the most common Kia Sorento problem?
On the 2011 model year, the most-reported component is engine with 284 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Kia Sorento problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Kia Sorento complaints that include mileage is about 77,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.