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Kia Sorento Problems by Year

Which Kia Sorento years have the most owner complaints, what goes wrong, and how many recalls each year has.

Kia Sorento, 2021 to 2024 model years
Photo: Kevauto, CC BY-SA 4.0

Owners have filed 7,130 complaints with NHTSA about the Kia Sorento from 2012 to 2024. Across every year, the most reported problem areas are the engine and cooling, the electrical system and the lights, wipers and visibility. The years with the most complaints are 2016, 2014 and 2013.

Years to avoid

The most complaints compared with other Sorento years.

Safer bets

Clearly fewer complaints than a typical Sorento year. Years from 2022 on are too new to rate.

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Complaints by year

Tap a year to see its most reported problems, its recalls and what to check before you buy. Newer years have had less time on the road, so they always look better here. Red marks the worst years, orange years worse than most, and green the better ones.

Every year at a glance

YearVs. other yearsComplaintsRecallsMost reported
2012 SorentoAbout average8805Engine and cooling
2013 SorentoAbout average9835Engine and cooling
2014 SorentoAbout average9886Engine and cooling
2015 SorentoAbout average7553Engine and cooling
2016 SorentoAmong the worst years1,2628Engine and cooling
2017 SorentoAbout average8104Engine and cooling
2018 SorentoOne of the better years2553Engine and cooling
2019 SorentoOne of the better years4362Engine and cooling
2020 SorentoOne of the better years1401Engine and cooling
2021 SorentoOne of the better years2564Transmission and drivetrain
2022 SorentoToo new to judge1946Transmission and drivetrain
2023 SorentoToo new to judge1273Electrical system
2024 SorentoToo new to judge442Electrical system

Kia Sorento questions

What are the worst Kia Sorento years?

Compared with its other years, the Sorento years with the most owner complaints to NHTSA are 2016. The most reported problem area across all years is the engine and cooling.

What are the best Kia Sorento years?

The Sorento years with clearly fewer complaints than a typical year are 2018, 2020 and 2021. Years from 2022 on are too new to rate fairly, since complaints keep coming in as cars age.

What are the most common Kia Sorento problems?

Across 2012 to 2024, owners report problems with the engine and cooling, the electrical system and the lights, wipers and visibility most often. Each model year has its own pattern, so check the year you are looking at.

How many recalls does the Kia Sorento have?

NHTSA lists 52 recalls across the 2012 to 2024 Sorento, counted per model year. A recall can cover several years.

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Where these numbers come from. Complaints are reports that owners filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), counted from NHTSA’s complaint database as of November 5, 2026. Owners do not have to prove a problem to file one, so a complaint is a report, not a confirmed defect. Models that sell in big numbers get more complaints, and newer model years have had less time on the road, so compare years of the same model rather than different models. Recalls come from NHTSA’s recall database and cover every vehicle of that model year, not one particular car. Quotes are trimmed, and anything that looks like a VIN is hidden.