NHTSA has received 134 owner complaints about the 2025 Kia Sorento, or 75.0 per year on the road — more complaints than typical (complaint index 1.86, where 1.00 is the average of all tracked vehicles). Among the 86 model-year 2025 vehicles we track, it ranks #71 of 86 by complaints per year (#1 = fewest). Against other Kia models its rate is 115% higher; against other Midsize SUVs it is 43% higher.
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 2024-11-22 and 2026-10-13. Median delay from incident to filing: 7 days.
134Complaints
75.0Complaints per year on the road
1.86Complaint index vs. all tracked vehicles
3Recalls
6.0%Share involving a crash or fire
94Last 12 months
Analysis
The previous model year (2024) drew 17.9 complaints per year, fewer than this one. The following model year (2026) drew 8.0 per year, fewer than this one.
The most common problem area is Engine (33.6% of complaints), followed by Electrical (18.7%) and Unspecified or other (16.4%). Engine complaints are 1.5 times as common here as across all tracked vehicles. 8 reports (6.0%) describe a crash or fire; owners mention 7 injuries and 0 deaths.
Half of the reported incidents happened within 12 months of the model year's start; the busiest period was the first year (51% of incidents). In the last 12 months 94 new complaints were filed, versus 40 in the 12 months before — up 135%.
While driving on the freeway, I was getting over into the next lane. I was half way over and there was no one in front of, next to or behind me from any direction, I was traveling an open road.
Driver-assist systems · 2026-10-01 · ODI 11768394
Knee airbags deployed in my car accident and have severe injuries on bilateral legs bruises that damage my nerves and veins.
I am submitting this complaint to report two separate incidents involving a sudden and significant loss of acceleration in my vehicle while merging onto the freeway.
Engine · 2026-10-13 · ODI 11770915
XXX - 9:35am EST: Lost acceleration power while driving on interstate, hybrid battery rapidly depleted forcing gas engine to engage at high RPMs in effort to maintain speed and charge hybrid battery.
Engine · 2026-10-13 · ODI 11770979
traveling on 6 lane divided highway at highway speed no traffic ahead for approximately 10 car lengths collision warnings fcs activated steered/swerved and braked. 2.
Driver-assist systems · 2026-10-09 · ODI 11770029
Excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length. The ODI number is NHTSA's record identifier.
Summary: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2025 Kia K4, 2025-2026 Sorento, Sorento Hybrid, Sorento Plug-In Hybrid Electric (PHEV), 2026 Sportage, Sportage Hybrid, Sportage PHEV, K5, EV9, Carnival, and Carnival Hybrid vehicles. Due to a software error, the instrument panel display may fail. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 101, "Controls and Displays" and 138, "Tire Pressure Monitoring System."
Risk: An instrument panel display that fails to show critical safety information, such as the speedometer, tire pressure, or warning lights, increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: The instrument panel display software will be updated over-the-air (OTA) or by a dealer, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed March 26, 2026. Owners may contact Kia Customer Service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC361. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov on February 9, 2026.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:CRITICAL FASTENERS Campaign 25V548000 · 2025-08-25
Summary: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2025 K4 and Sorento vehicles. The connecting rod bolts in the engine may have been improperly tightened, which can cause a loss of drive power.
Risk: A loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the sub engine assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed September 12, 2025. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC349.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:BODY CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWARE Campaign 25V006000 · 2025-01-13
Summary: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Sorento, 2025 Sorento Hybrid, and 2025 Sorento Plug-In Hybrid vehicles. A software error in the Body Domain Control Unit (BDC) may cause a loss of low beam headlights and taillights. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Risk: A loss of headlights and taillights can reduce visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will update the BDC software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 21, 2025. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC331.
