2013 Kia Sorento problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Engine (393) · Structure:body (74) · Exterior Lighting (58)
🧭 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
646 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 (228)
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 228 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-23 · Engine“the engine failed due to a manufacturing defect that is well known in the company but they aren't calling it a recall, they are calling it an improvement and therefore my car isn't qualifying and isn't being repaired…”
2026-10-19 · Engine“the car is running rough, losing power and knocking. unable to drive it safely. the more you accelerate the less power it has. it has been sitting ever since the incident.…”
2026-09-01 · Structure:body“the paint is peeling really bad .it's been peeling and rusting horribly. …”
2026-08-18 · Structure:body“the paint on the car is peeling off down to the metal of the car. …”
2026-07-30 · Engine · 312,320 mi“the contact owns a 2013 kia sorento. the contact stated that there was a knocking sound coming from the vehicle with the engine warning light illuminated. the contact used a diagnostic machine to retrieve dtc: p0136, p0172 system, to the rich bank, and p1326 control module which indicated that the knock sensor needed to be replaced. the vehicle was…”
2026-07-23 · Fuel/Propulsion System“ac stopped, engine began to struggle, engine light came on and engine over heated. pulled off highway to be towed. dealer found metal in oil and suggested possible manufacturer defect issue.…”
2026-06-27 · Engine“the head gasket blew. this car has been meticulously maintained. all maintenance records with kia dealer. i hear there is secondary engine problems related to the 2013 kia sorento. i have all maintenance records as well as the dealer. …”
2026-06-12 · Engine“my vehicle experienced a dangerous incident involving smoke entering the passenger cabin followed by complete engine seizure. prior to this failure, the vehicle had already undergone recall-related repairs through an authorized kia dealership for known engine and fire-related safety concerns. the recall was marked as completed by the dealership. ho…”
2026-06-04 · Engine“on jan 1,2019 under kia pi-1803 recall i had a knock sensor detection system(ksds) installed on my 2013 kia sorento. my car broke down and was towed into the kia dealership and it indicated a p1326 fault active . it was reset and released to me on 05/12/2026 after conducting a bct test saying it indicated pass drove it off the lot went 5 miles, an…”
2026-05-19 · Visibility:sun/Moon Roof Assembly · 100,000 mi“the contact owns a 2013 kia sorento. the contact stated that while driving, a sound of an explosion was heard and the sunroof shattered, the slider of the sunroof was closed so the glass did not enter the vehicle. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 100,…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.