NHTSA has received 8 owner complaints about the 2026 Kia Sorento, or 8.0 per year on the road — far fewer complaints than typical (complaint index 0.20, where 1.00 is the average of all tracked vehicles). Among the 73 model-year 2026 vehicles we track, it ranks #27 of 73 by complaints per year (#1 = fewest). Against other Kia models its rate is 77% lower; against other Midsize SUVs it is 85% 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
Limited data: fewer than 30 complaints, so shares and indexes are unstable.
Complaints filed between 2026-04-14 and 2026-10-08. Median delay from incident to filing: 46 days.
8Complaints
8.0Complaints per year on the road
0.2Complaint index vs. all tracked vehicles
2Recalls
25.0%Share involving a crash or fire
8Last 12 months
Analysis
The previous model year (2025) drew 75.0 complaints per year, more than this one.
The most common problem area is Electrical (37.5% of complaints), followed by Engine (25.0%) and Unspecified or other (25.0%). Electrical complaints are 2.4 times as common here as across all tracked vehicles. 2 reports (25.0%) describe a crash or fire; owners mention 1 injury and 0 deaths.
In the last 12 months 8 complaints were filed, versus none in the 12 months before.
The contact owns a 2026 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at 2 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed and went to the floorboard. The vehicle failed to stop and rolled forward.
Brakes · 2026-05-12 · ODI 11737357 · Crash
I had got off work and got inside my vehicle,a 2026 kia sorento and when I started my vehicle the back window sporadically shattered and I do have cctv of it as well
Unspecified or other · 2026-05-11 · ODI 11737171
The digital instrument cluster intermittently goes completely blank and displays "NO SIGNAL". This issue prevents me from seeing critical safety information and puts not only myself, but other drivers at risk.
Electrical · 2026-10-08 · ODI 11769894
Passenger door failed to open three times since purchase. Tried locking/unlocking door from inside, outside and with key fob. Dealership looked at it in May 2026 and I reported it again because it happened two more times since.
Electrical · 2026-10-07 · ODI 11769489
We bought this car new on XXX. On XXX as my family and I were returning from a vacation, re-entering the interstate, the gas engine on the Sorento hybrid would not start. There was no warning or error message.
Engine · 2026-09-17 · ODI 11764985
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.
Summary: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2025 Telluride and 2026 Sorento vehicles. The vehicles are equipped with an incorrect spare tire which, when installed, can impair the anti-lock braking system (ABS) and the traction control system (TCS). As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Risk: Anti-lock braking or traction control systems that do not function properly can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the spare wheel and tire assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 3, 2025. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC355. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning November 13, 2025.
