2012 Kia Sorento problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Engine (351) · Service Brakes, Hydraulic (65) · Air Bags (56)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Kia Sorento model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
600 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (5)
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip:control Unit/Module 2023-09-25 · campaign 23V652000 · 1,730,192 vehicles ⚠ PARK OUTSIDE
Defect: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2010-2019 Borrego, 2014-2016 Cadenza, 2010-2013 Forte, Forte Koup, Sportage, 2015-2018 K900, 2011-2015 Optima, 2011-2013 Optima Hybrid, Soul, 2012-2017 Rio, 2011-2014 Sorento, and 2010-2011 Rondo vehicles. The Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) may experience an electrical short, which can result in an engine compartment fire while parked or driving.
Risk: An engine compartment fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will replace the HECU fuse, free of charge. Interim notification letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed November 14, 2023. Owner notification letters were mailed March 29, 2024 through June 18, 2024. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC284.
Engine 2020-12-02 · campaign 20V750000 · 294,756 vehicles
Defect: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2012-2013 Sorento, 2012-2015 Forte and Forte Koup, 2011-2013 Optima Hybrid, 2014-2015 Soul, and 2012 Sportage vehicles. An engine compartment fire can occur while driving.
Risk: An engine compartment fire increases the risk of injury.
Fix: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the engine compartment for fuel and/or engine oil leaks, perform an engine test and make any repairs, including engine replacement, as necessary, free of charge. In addition, Kia dealers will update the Knock Sensor Detection System (KSDS) software, free of charge. The recall began January 27, 2021. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC200.
Engine 2018-12-19 · campaign 18V907000 · 71,653 vehicles
Defect: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2011-2017 Optima, 2012-2017 Sorento and 2011-2018 Sportage vehicles that previously received an engine replacement under recall number 17V-224, warranty, or the Knock Sensor Detection System (KSDS) Product Improvement Campaign. The high pressure fuel pipe that connects to the fuel pump outlet may have been damaged, misaligned or improperly torqued during the engine replacement procedure, possibly causing a fuel leak.
Risk: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Kia has notified owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the fuel pipe, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 17, 2019. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC172.
Engine And Engine Cooling:engine 2017-03-31 · campaign 17V224000 · 618,160 vehicles
Defect: Kia Motor Company (Kia) is recalling certain 2011-2014 Optima, 2012-2014 Sorento and 2011-2013 Sportage vehicles. Machining errors during the engine manufacturing process may cause premature bearing wear within the engine.
Risk: Bearing wear may result in the engine seizing, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the engine assembly, and replace the engine if necessary, free of charge. The recall began June 20, 2017. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC147.
Power Train:automatic Transmission 2015-10-06 · campaign 15V626000 · 377,062 vehicles
Defect: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Kia Sorento vehicles manufactured October 19, 2009, to January 31, 2013. In the affected vehicles, if excessive force is applied to the gear shift lever, the brake-shift interlock mechanism may chip or crack allowing the transmission being able to be shifted out of "Park" without the brakes being depressed. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114,
Risk: Without requiring the brake to be pressed, the vehicle may be unintentionally shifted out of Park, allowing it to roll, which may result in a crash.
Fix: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake-shift interlock mechanism, free of charge. The recall began on November 9, 2015. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC124.
Service bulletins (233)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Structure:body 2026-06-08 · CS2312_TSB_R2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: customer satisfaction: theft deterrent ignition cylinder protector and decal installation (cs2312) - this bulletin has been revised to include additional information. new/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. this bulletin prov
Structure:body 2026-02-19 · TSB_CS2312_R1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: customer satisfaction: theft deterrent ignition cylinder protector and decal installation (cs2312) - this bulletin has been revised to include additional information. new/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. this bulletin prov
Structure:body 2025-12-18 · TSB_CS2312 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: customer satisfaction: theft deterrent ignition cylinder protector and decal installation (cs2312) - this bulletin provides information to install a theft deterrent ignition cylinder protector on certain 2010-2022my kia vehicles outlined on page 19, which may not have bee
Structure:body 2025-12-17 · CS2312_OWNR · Other
customer satisfaction campaign: owner notification (cs2312) - this document is the owner notification advising that kia is conducting customer satisfaction campaign. a software upgrade that addresses the social media theft method has been made available to owners of eligible kia model vehicles free
Back Over Prevention: Warnings 2025-12-09 · PS797 · Other
pitstop: technical operations: external damage to ultrasonic sensor: this pitstop provides information related to parking distance warning (pdw) alerts and repairs involving ultrasonic sensors. the pdw system alerts the driver while parking, by calculating distance based on the difference in signal
Seats 2025-11-13 · TSB_BOD205_R3 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: occupant detection system (ods) sensor pad replacement - this bulletin has been revised to include additional information. new/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. this bulletin provides the procedure to replace the front pass
Showing the 6 most recent of 233 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-09-14 · Air Bags · 156,000 mi“the contact owns a 2012 kia sorento. the contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the air bag warning light was illuminated. the vehicle was taken to a service center, where it was diagnosed and dtc: v1481 was retrieved. the vehicle was then taken to the dealer. the failure mileage was approximately 156,000.…”
2026-09-13 · Fuel/Propulsion System · 🔥 fire“while driving i smelled gas, a few minutes later i saw smoke coming from the hood of the car. i stopped, turned the car off, got my dog, exited the car, which then exploded into flames. i saw that i was not safe the minute i saw the smoke. i was unsure that the gas smell was coming from my car until i saw that my gas needle was on e when i had fil…”
2026-08-19 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic · 227,079 mi“the contact owns a 2012 kia sorento. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. the contact stated that the vehicle failed to exceed 20 mph. there were several unknown warning lights illuminated, and the air bag warning light was also ill…”
2026-07-29 · Engine“i am filing this complaint regarding a sudden and unexpected engine failure in my 2012 kia sorento lx equipped with the 2.4l theta ii engine. vehicle information: year: 2012 make/model: kia sorento lx engine: 2.4l theta ii vin: [xxx] while driving, my vehicle experienced a sudden engine failure and lost power, leaving the vehicle inoperable. this…”
2026-06-24 · Suspension“i had taken the kia sorrento to a local shop to get an oil change, and mavis tire had discovered that the rear suspension and rear subframe were severely corroded with rust and i was told that the car is unsafe to drive. i had noticed as well that my brakes would not normally stop when i go to press them as a bit of a kickback and the traction sens…”
2026-06-14 · Fuel/Propulsion System · 🔥 fire“on june 6, 2026, while driving home, the vehicle suddenly began smelling strongly of gasoline and burnt rubber. within seconds, thick black smoke became visible in the side mirrors, followed immediately by white smoke pouring from the front hood and into the passenger cabin through the air vents. as i attempted to pull over to safety, the vehicle …”
2026-05-07 · Engine · 🔥 fire“the contact owned a 2012 kia sorento. the contact’s spouse stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle suddenly lost motive power with no warning lights illuminated. the contact's spouse noticed smoke coming from the front of the vehicle, prompting the contact’s spouse to pull over to the side of the roadway. moments later, the …”
2026-04-27 · Steering“the clock spring needs fixed no features including the horn is working in my airbag light is staying on. also i now have a loud knock in my motor i understand this should fall under the extended 15 yr 150k warranty; 2012 kia vehicles (specifically the sorento) with v6 engines are covered under major safety recalls for engine failure and fire risks…”
2026-04-03 · Unknown Or Other“in september 2025, an authorized kia dealership performed recall sc284xm (hecu electrical short fire risk) on this 2012 kia sorento. during the repair, the dealership disconnected the battery, resetting the pcm/ecu and clearing all obd-ii readiness monitors including the oxygen sensor monitor. despite driving hundreds of miles afterward, the o2 sen…”
2026-03-26 · Engine“engine warning lamp illuminated as the engine lost some power. code was diagnosed as the knock sensor issue. unit taken to mechanic to evaluate and diagnose. repair shop notified us that based on the sensor, the engine could succumb to a failure at any time. engine oil was flushed, cleaned, and replaced. code was addressed currently. this is …”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.