NHTSA has received 44 owner complaints about the 2021 Kia Sorento, or 7.6 per year on the road — far fewer complaints than typical (complaint index 0.19, where 1.00 is the average of all tracked vehicles). Among the 85 model-year 2021 vehicles we track, it ranks #15 of 85 by complaints per year (#1 = fewest). Against other Kia models its rate is 78% lower; against other Midsize SUVs it is 86% lower.
Counts are normalized by time on the road, not by sales volume: a popular model generates more reports than a rare one, and complaints are not verified individually. How we count
Complaints filed between 2022-02-18 and 2026-10-07. Median delay from incident to filing: 30 days.
44Complaints
7.6Complaints per year on the road
0.19Complaint index vs. all tracked vehicles
5Recalls · ⚠ 1
2.3%Share involving a crash or fire
23Last 12 months
Analysis
The previous model year (2020) drew 20.2 complaints per year, more than this one. The following model year (2022) drew 47.2 per year, more than this one. In its first two years on the road the 2021 model collected 12 complaints, 80% lower than the average vehicle of the same model year.
The most common problem area is Engine (40.9% of complaints), followed by Transmission / powertrain (31.8%) and Unspecified or other (13.6%). Engine complaints are 1.8 times as common here as across all tracked vehicles. 1 report (2.3%) describes a crash or fire; owners mention 1 injury and 0 deaths.
Half of the reported incidents happened within 60 months of the model year's start; the busiest period was after five years (50% of incidents). In the last 12 months 23 new complaints were filed, versus 3 in the 12 months before — up 667%.
NHTSA lists 5 safety recalls for this model year, 1 with a do-not-drive or park-outside warning. 2 NHTSA investigations cover this model year; the most recent is “Pedestrian alert sounds” (defect petition, opened 2023-01-27, closed 2023-08-07).
Complaint index
vs. all tracked vehicles0.19
vs. other Kia models0.22
vs. other 2021 models0.2
vs. other Midsize SUVs0.14
Complaints in first 2 years on the road · vs. same-year average (12)0.2
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH and exiting the freeway, the vehicle failed to accelerate and decelerated.
Transmission / powertrain · 2026-09-29 · ODI 11767672 · Crash
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Sorento. While driving approximately 40-50 MPH in fourth gear, the vehicle shuddered and decelerated to 30 MPH, then lost drive power. Additionally, the clutch made a flapping sound while in 1st, 2nd, 6th, and 8th gear.
Transmission / powertrain · 2026-10-07 · ODI 11769596
UNKNOWN. Car all of a sudden wouldn’t accelerate while driving on the road. It was hesitating while pressing the gas pedal.
Engine · 2026-10-07 · ODI 11769649
This is my third report regarding a dangerous loss of drive power on my vehicle, which completely matches NHTSA Recall 22V760000.
Engine · 2026-09-29 · ODI 11767829
I was driving up a hill and my car stalled. Contacted Kia of Bowie for assistance had a diagnostic asked for a goodwill repair because of this being a safety issue with my car stalling while driving up a hill life threating situation and they have denied the…
Unspecified or other · 2026-08-08 · ODI 11755593
Excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length. The ODI number is NHTSA's record identifier.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS Campaign 25V649000 · 2025-09-25
Summary: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Sorento vehicles. The heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) blower motor wiring harness may be inadequate, which can result in a fire.
Risk: A fire increases the risk of injury.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the wiring harness and blower motor resistor, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 23, 2026. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC351. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning October 9, 2025.
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION Campaign 22V760000 · 2022-10-11
Summary: Kia Motors, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Sorento and 2021-2023 K5 vehicles. The vehicle's "fail-safe" limited-mobility drive mode may be impaired, when prompted by a transmission oil pump malfunction, which can result in a complete loss of drive power.
Risk: Loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the transmission, as necessary. Dealers will also update the transmission control unit software. All repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 9, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC250.
Summary: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2016-2022 Sorento, 2021-2022 Sorento Hybrid (HEV), 2022-2023 Sorento Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV), and 2017-2022 Sportage vehicles equipped with a tow hitch harness installed as original equipment, or purchased as an accessory through a Kia dealership. Debris and moisture accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (PCB) may cause an electrical short, which can result in a fire.
Risk: A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
Remedy: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will inspect the vehicle, and, as necessary, replace the fuse and/or tow hitch harness module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 11, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC249.
Summary: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Sorento Hybrid and 2022 Sorento Plug-in Hybrid vehicles. In the event of a crash, the front driver-side and/or passenger-side seat belt pretensioner(s) may explode upon deployment.
Risk: An exploding seat belt pretensioner can project metal fragments into the vehicle, striking vehicle occupants and resulting in injury.
Remedy: Dealers will secure the seat belt pretensioners with a cap, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 17, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC241. This recall expands and replaces NHTSA recall number 22V-127. Vehicles already repaired under the previous recall will need to have the new remedy completed.
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS Campaign 21V519000 · 2021-07-08
Summary: Kia Motor America (Kia) is recalling certain 2021 Sorento and 2021-2022 K5 vehicles equipped with 2.5L turbocharged engines. Fuel may leak at the pipe connection between the high-pressure fuel pump and fuel rail.
Risk: A fuel leak increases the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and tighten, or replace the fuel pipe as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 21, 2021. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC214.
DP22005 · defect petition · ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM · Opened 2023-01-27 · Closed 2023-08-07 · Campaign 22V063000 · Model years: 2021, 2022
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and ele…
Loss of Motive PowerClosed
DP22003 · defect petition · ENGINE · Opened 2022-09-12 · Closed 2023-12-12 · Model years: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a letter dated July 13, 2022, petitioning the Agency to initiate a safety defect investigation into loss of motive power allegations attributed to oil drain pan assembly failures on certain Hyundai Motor America, Inc. and Kia America, Inc. vehicles spanning Model Years (MY) 2005-2021. The Petitioners cited examples of complaints i…
