BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
Defect Description
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2022-2023 Sorento, Sorento Hybrid, and Sorento Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) vehicles. The mounting clips for the rearview camera may break, which can cause the rearview camera image not to appear properly on the display. As such, these vehicles fail to comply
... with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."Read moreConsequence
A rearview camera that does not properly display an image can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the rearview camera housing, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 27, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC280.
144,979 vehicles affected
Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
Defect Description
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2022-2023 Sorento, Sorento Hybrid, and Sorento Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) vehicles. The mounting clips for the rearview camera may break, which can cause the rearview camera image not to appear properly on the display. As such, these vehicles fail to comply
... with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."Read moreConsequence
A rearview camera that does not properly display an image can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the rearview camera housing, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 27, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC280.
144,979 vehicles affected
Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
TRAILER HITCHES
Defect Description
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 a
... nd moisture accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (PCB) may cause an electrical short, which can result in a fire.Read moreConsequence
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 cu
... stomer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC249.Read more70,887 vehicles affected
Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
TRAILER HITCHES
Defect Description
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 a
... nd moisture accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (PCB) may cause an electrical short, which can result in a fire.Read moreConsequence
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 cu
... stomer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC249.Read more70,887 vehicles affected
Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
TRAILER HITCHES
Defect Description
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 a
... nd moisture accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (PCB) may cause an electrical short, which can result in a fire.Read moreConsequence
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 cu
... stomer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC249.Read more70,887 vehicles affected
Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
TRAILER HITCHES
Defect Description
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 a
... nd moisture accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (PCB) may cause an electrical short, which can result in a fire.Read moreConsequence
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 cu
... stomer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC249.Read more70,887 vehicles affected
Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
TRAILER HITCHES
Defect Description
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 a
... nd moisture accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (PCB) may cause an electrical short, which can result in a fire.Read moreConsequence
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 cu
... stomer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC249.Read more70,887 vehicles affected
Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
TRAILER HITCHES
Defect Description
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 a
... nd moisture accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (PCB) may cause an electrical short, which can result in a fire.Read moreConsequence
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 cu
... stomer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC249.Read more70,887 vehicles affected
Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
TRAILER HITCHES
Defect Description
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 a
... nd moisture accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (PCB) may cause an electrical short, which can result in a fire.Read moreConsequence
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 cu
... stomer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC249.Read more70,887 vehicles affected
Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Complaint Statistics
14 total complaints
Top Reported Components
| Component | Complaints |
|---|
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 3 |
| ENGINE | 3 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 3 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 |
| STEERING | 1 |
| WHEELS | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN | 1 |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 |
Incident date: May 26, 2025
While driving my 2023 Sorento plug-in hybrid a msg appeared that Charging Stopped Check Cable. When you stop the car and try to drive it will not go into any gear, msg says Shifting Conditions Not Met and Unplug Vehicle to Start and the wheels are locked up (E-brake) and needs a tow truck with dolli
... es in order to load. This happened in the middle of the Highway and it’s happened FOUR times. By the time the dealer looks at it, the problem has cleared and does not show any codes. It’s not easy to reproduce since it just happens sometimes with the warning and sometimes no warning. The dealer tells me nothing is wrong with the car yet someone could get killed by being rear ended. I’ve tried for 4 months to get a Kia Field Tech out to diagnose but just keep getting lip service from Kia Customer “I don’t “ Care. I feel the car is to dangerous to drive and have refused to pick up from dealer until they fix it.Read more
Incident date: May 26, 2025
While driving my 2023 Sorento plug-in hybrid a msg appeared that Charging Stopped Check Cable. When you stop the car and try to drive it will not go into any gear, msg says Shifting Conditions Not Met and Unplug Vehicle to Start and the wheels are locked up (E-brake) and needs a tow truck with dolli
... es in order to load. This happened in the middle of the Highway and it’s happened FOUR times. By the time the dealer looks at it, the problem has cleared and does not show any codes. It’s not easy to reproduce since it just happens sometimes with the warning and sometimes no warning. The dealer tells me nothing is wrong with the car yet someone could get killed by being rear ended. I’ve tried for 4 months to get a Kia Field Tech out to diagnose but just keep getting lip service from Kia Customer “I don’t “ Care. I feel the car is to dangerous to drive and have refused to pick up from dealer until they fix it.Read more
Incident date: Dec 21, 2024
When trying to accelerate from a standing stop, there is a one or two second delay, once the accelerator pedal is depressed, before the car moves. Extremely dangerous when pulling out into traffic. I had it back to the dealership to address this problem but they found nothing wrong. I guarantee you
... , the problem continues to exist.Read more
Incident date: Dec 21, 2024
When trying to accelerate from a standing stop, there is a one or two second delay, once the accelerator pedal is depressed, before the car moves. Extremely dangerous when pulling out into traffic. I had it back to the dealership to address this problem but they found nothing wrong. I guarantee you
... , the problem continues to exist.Read more
Incident date: Oct 29, 2024
1. First incident occurred on 10/29/24. My wife pulled into driveway and placed car into Park. When she shifted to reverse, the transmission didn't respond and the car revved to a very high RPM when she took foot off of brake, no foot on gas. Unable to shift it to go forward or backward. She the
... n turned car off, back on, and was able to reverse it. This situation occurred numerous times. 2. Sometimes, after this happened, she'd place it into drive, and the vehicle would only crawl (<5 mph) forward and not accelerate, though gas pedal was touching the floor of car. She'd place it back into Park (in traffic!), shut it off, then restart it. 3. Sometimes she would place it into Reverse, the dashboard would show it in R, and the vehicle would be silent and non-reactive (no back-up beep). 4. She would place it into drive, the engine would do nothing for a few seconds, and suddenly drop into gear with a loud thud. 11/11/24 took car to KIA, they said nothing was wrong. 5. On 11/29/24, she placed the car into Park, loaded passengers, and tried to place the car into reverse and NOTHING happened. The vehicle would not move forward or backward. The dashboard indicated that it was in D, the gear shift dial indicated it was in D, but nothing happened. Car was then turned off in Drive. Drive indicator ("D") was lit up on dash, gear shift dial had "D" still illuminated too. Tried to restart, dash said to put car into Park to start. Car would not go into Park. When flatbed tow truck arrived (6 hours later) the battery was fully discharged The tow truck driver was able to charge the battery with a portable charger sufficiently to start the car (if it would have been in Park), but was still unable to get the transmission to respond. The dealership claims that they can find nothing wrong and KIA won't acknowledge any issue. We have multiple videos of the issues and witnesses. There are numerous reports on Reddit of similar issues with Kia 2023 Sorento PHEVs.Read more
Incident date: Oct 29, 2024
1. First incident occurred on 10/29/24. My wife pulled into driveway and placed car into Park. When she shifted to reverse, the transmission didn't respond and the car revved to a very high RPM when she took foot off of brake, no foot on gas. Unable to shift it to go forward or backward. She the
... n turned car off, back on, and was able to reverse it. This situation occurred numerous times. 2. Sometimes, after this happened, she'd place it into drive, and the vehicle would only crawl (<5 mph) forward and not accelerate, though gas pedal was touching the floor of car. She'd place it back into Park (in traffic!), shut it off, then restart it. 3. Sometimes she would place it into Reverse, the dashboard would show it in R, and the vehicle would be silent and non-reactive (no back-up beep). 4. She would place it into drive, the engine would do nothing for a few seconds, and suddenly drop into gear with a loud thud. 11/11/24 took car to KIA, they said nothing was wrong. 5. On 11/29/24, she placed the car into Park, loaded passengers, and tried to place the car into reverse and NOTHING happened. The vehicle would not move forward or backward. The dashboard indicated that it was in D, the gear shift dial indicated it was in D, but nothing happened. Car was then turned off in Drive. Drive indicator ("D") was lit up on dash, gear shift dial had "D" still illuminated too. Tried to restart, dash said to put car into Park to start. Car would not go into Park. When flatbed tow truck arrived (6 hours later) the battery was fully discharged The tow truck driver was able to charge the battery with a portable charger sufficiently to start the car (if it would have been in Park), but was still unable to get the transmission to respond. The dealership claims that they can find nothing wrong and KIA won't acknowledge any issue. We have multiple videos of the issues and witnesses. There are numerous reports on Reddit of similar issues with Kia 2023 Sorento PHEVs.Read more
Incident date: Oct 29, 2024
1. First incident occurred on 10/29/24. My wife pulled into driveway and placed car into Park. When she shifted to reverse, the transmission didn't respond and the car revved to a very high RPM when she took foot off of brake, no foot on gas. Unable to shift it to go forward or backward. She the
... n turned car off, back on, and was able to reverse it. This situation occurred numerous times. 2. Sometimes, after this happened, she'd place it into drive, and the vehicle would only crawl (<5 mph) forward and not accelerate, though gas pedal was touching the floor of car. She'd place it back into Park (in traffic!), shut it off, then restart it. 3. Sometimes she would place it into Reverse, the dashboard would show it in R, and the vehicle would be silent and non-reactive (no back-up beep). 4. She would place it into drive, the engine would do nothing for a few seconds, and suddenly drop into gear with a loud thud. 11/11/24 took car to KIA, they said nothing was wrong. 5. On 11/29/24, she placed the car into Park, loaded passengers, and tried to place the car into reverse and NOTHING happened. The vehicle would not move forward or backward. The dashboard indicated that it was in D, the gear shift dial indicated it was in D, but nothing happened. Car was then turned off in Drive. Drive indicator ("D") was lit up on dash, gear shift dial had "D" still illuminated too. Tried to restart, dash said to put car into Park to start. Car would not go into Park. When flatbed tow truck arrived (6 hours later) the battery was fully discharged The tow truck driver was able to charge the battery with a portable charger sufficiently to start the car (if it would have been in Park), but was still unable to get the transmission to respond. The dealership claims that they can find nothing wrong and KIA won't acknowledge any issue. We have multiple videos of the issues and witnesses. There are numerous reports on Reddit of similar issues with Kia 2023 Sorento PHEVs.Read more
Incident date: Jun 24, 2024
The wheels provided with the new vehicle are not the correct wheels for the car. On page 639 of the owners manual: "2023 Sorento PHEV OM 10.pdf" Section 9 "Specifications, Consumer information and Reporting safety defects", page 6. The paragraph with title Tires and Wheels, has two tables; "For hy
... brid vehicle" and "For plug-in hybrid vehicle". The new vehicle was delivered with tires: P235 55R19 101H (listed in the table for hybrid vehicle) The manufacturer specifies P235/55R19 105V for the PHEV. On this same page there is a CAUTION paragraph: "when replacing tires, use the same size originally supplied with the vehicle. Using tires of a different size can damage the related parts of make it work irregullarly." I asked the dealer, Grand Kia of Thornton Colorado, about this. They said that these are the correct tires. I talked to the salesman, who said he called several dealers who agree that the hybrid tires are the same for the PHEV. I opened a case with Kia Care (Case # XXX) who sent me to the dealer to inspect and document the tires. Peak Kia of Colorado Springs points to a section of the manual "Tires and Wheels"; where there is an example of how to read a tire, using P235/55R19 101H as the example. They said this is the evidence that I have the correct tire! Kia said the dealer determines if action is required. the dealer ignores the "Specifications" part of the Owners Manual, which I referred and sent copies to them. I am concerned that the vehicle may have adverse results from the lower load rating and speed rating, which could be a danger to occupants and other cars, in an emergency maneuver or when fully loaded. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)Read more
Incident date: Feb 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, there was an abnormal squeaking sound coming from the steering column. Additionally, the steering wheel felt tight while turning in either direction. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to
... duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 50,000.Read more
Incident date: Aug 27, 2023
We were driving on the highway at about 65 MPH. Without warning, the vehicle suddenly started to struggle and slowed to about 40 MPH. We were able to safely pull over, but we were in an acceleration lane merging onto another highway and didn't feel safe due to the sudden deceleration. This is a plu
... g-in hybrid. We have driven at 65+ MPH on long rides before, and this was the first time that we noticed that the battery had completely drained. We expect that when the battery is drained that the car would function like a normal hybrid and continue to function in a safe manner. The car's cluster displayed a message along the lines of "Maintaining hybrid mode," although it isn't clear if the speed-limiting behavior was an expected consequence of that. After being pulled over for a bit, the battery level recuperated enough that we attempted to resume driving on side roads. Battery level varied from red to blue (normal) and then back to red, but thankfully the battery didn't fully deplete again and we were able to return home safely. We're waiting on an appointment with a dealership to have the car checked out. It was last serviced 3 days prior to the incident (first oil change, filters changed, etc).Read more
Incident date: Aug 27, 2023
We were driving on the highway at about 65 MPH. Without warning, the vehicle suddenly started to struggle and slowed to about 40 MPH. We were able to safely pull over, but we were in an acceleration lane merging onto another highway and didn't feel safe due to the sudden deceleration. This is a plu
... g-in hybrid. We have driven at 65+ MPH on long rides before, and this was the first time that we noticed that the battery had completely drained. We expect that when the battery is drained that the car would function like a normal hybrid and continue to function in a safe manner. The car's cluster displayed a message along the lines of "Maintaining hybrid mode," although it isn't clear if the speed-limiting behavior was an expected consequence of that. After being pulled over for a bit, the battery level recuperated enough that we attempted to resume driving on side roads. Battery level varied from red to blue (normal) and then back to red, but thankfully the battery didn't fully deplete again and we were able to return home safely. We're waiting on an appointment with a dealership to have the car checked out. It was last serviced 3 days prior to the incident (first oil change, filters changed, etc).Read more
Incident date: Aug 27, 2023
We were driving on the highway at about 65 MPH. Without warning, the vehicle suddenly started to struggle and slowed to about 40 MPH. We were able to safely pull over, but we were in an acceleration lane merging onto another highway and didn't feel safe due to the sudden deceleration. This is a plu
... g-in hybrid. We have driven at 65+ MPH on long rides before, and this was the first time that we noticed that the battery had completely drained. We expect that when the battery is drained that the car would function like a normal hybrid and continue to function in a safe manner. The car's cluster displayed a message along the lines of "Maintaining hybrid mode," although it isn't clear if the speed-limiting behavior was an expected consequence of that. After being pulled over for a bit, the battery level recuperated enough that we attempted to resume driving on side roads. Battery level varied from red to blue (normal) and then back to red, but thankfully the battery didn't fully deplete again and we were able to return home safely. We're waiting on an appointment with a dealership to have the car checked out. It was last serviced 3 days prior to the incident (first oil change, filters changed, etc).Read more
Incident date: Aug 2, 2023
Yesterday I was driving and I heard an explosion above my head. I smelled smoke and heard glass rattling. I was shocked but held it together to cross 3 lanes of traffic on the freeway and safely get onto the break down area. I got out of the car, went to the passenger side and looked on top of th
... e car. The glass on the sunroof was exploded upward and metal was sticking upward as well. I took pictures and then got into my car, got back on the freeway until the next exit where I exited the freeway and made my way to the dealership where I had purchased the vehicle in 5/2023. I got there as service department was opening, I took more pictures as the lighting was different. The took my car, said I would hear something back in the next 1-3 days. They said they had to file paperwork with Kia USA to get approval to make repairs as well as to reimburse a rental car. The service person told me that this was second time he had seen this occur in the 2 years he had worked with Courtesy Kia. The other time it was a Telluride versus a Sorrento PHEV like mine.Read more
Incident date: Oct 12, 2022
I was sold a new car with open recall. The recall was announced on September 21, 2022 and the vehicle was sold to me as new on October 12, 2022 without any disclosure regarding the recall. Vehicle sold as new not used.
NHTSA Safety Ratings — 2023 KIA SORENTO PHEV
2023 Kia Sorento PHEV SUV AWD
| Category | Rating |
|---|
| Rollover Risk |
0.0% |
Safety Technology
| Feature | Status |
|---|
| Electronic Stability Control | Standard |
| Forward Collision Warning | Standard |
| Lane Departure Warning | Standard |
Source: NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings Program. Ratings are based on crash tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.