What breaks most · 2003 to 2019 model years
Kia Sorento problems by year
Owners have filed 3,888 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Kia Sorento across model years 2003 to 2019. Three years stand out: 2011 for powertrain and transmission complaints, 2012 for engine complaints and 2013 for engine complaints. The quietest years are 2010, 2009 and 2017.
- Years to check closely: 2011, 2012, 2013
- Fewest complaints: 2010, 2009, 2017
- Complaints on file
- 38882003 to 2019, all trims
- Worst year
- 2011999 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 178141 fires · 210 injuries · 5 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 66kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 58Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 302 | 9 | 1 | Engine and cooling (81) | |
| 211 | 11 | 0 | Engine and cooling (46) | |
| 292 | 16 | 0 | Engine (60) | |
| 226 | 11 | 1 | Engine (65) | |
| 133 | 9 | 4 | Air bags (53) | |
| 177 | 11 | 3 | Air bags (52) | |
| 43 | 2 | 3 | Air bags (20) | |
| 3 | 2 | 2 | Suspension (1) | |
| 999 | 35 | 8 | Powertrain and transmission (209) | |
| 431 | 15 | 5 | Engine (227) | |
| 418 | 17 | 5 | Engine (230) | |
| 234 | 14 | 6 | Engine (80) | |
| 142 | 9 | 3 | Engine (70) | |
| 156 | 12 | 8 | Engine (37) | |
| 90 | 3 | 4 | Engine (22) | |
| 20 | 2 | 3 | Steering (7) | |
| 11 | 0 | 2 | Unknown or other (3) |
What fails on the 2011 Kia Sorento
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 21% |
209 | 8 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 20% |
204 | 2 | Shop body and structure parts for the 2011 Kia Sorento |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 14% |
142 | 1 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2011 Kia Sorento |
| Unknown or other | 13% |
132 | 1 | — |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 12% |
123 | 5 | Shop engine parts for the 2011 Kia Sorento |
| Air bags | 12% |
118 | 16 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Exterior lightingHeadlights, tail lights and bulbs | 5% |
52 | 1 | Shop exterior lighting parts for the 2011 Kia Sorento |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 4% |
44 | 6 | Shop speed control and throttle 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.
-
Car stalls and jerks when driving.when placing in drive it takes off very slow and under power.while driving the car changed gears on its own even jerking hard.
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Engine siezed while driving. I have all the maintenance records. It wasn't leaking oil or burning any. I had it towed to a mechanic, he agreed their was no leak but the oil was live sludge and it caused the car to seize. It had been less than 4000 miles since i'll had been changed.
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Takata recall. I was driving in the freeway when it started to make a noise immediately i pulled out to park but it got stuck .and power off. I tried to turned on but didn't work. I had to called.the tow to bring it at home
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 30, 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, 2012, 2013 carry the most filings on the Kia Sorento. The 2011 alone has 999 complaints, led by powertrain and transmission.
What is the most common Kia Sorento problem?
On the 2011 model year, the most-reported component is powertrain and transmission with 209 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 66,000 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.