2017 Kia Sorento problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Engine (289) · Exterior Lighting (107) · Steering (93)
🧭 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
272 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (4)
Trailer Hitches 2022-09-19 · campaign 22V703000 · 70,887 vehicles ⚠ PARK OUTSIDE
Defect: 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 and moisture accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (PCB) may cause an electrical short, which can result in a fire.
Risk: A 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 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 customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC249.
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 2017-09-21 · campaign 17V586000 · 62 vehicles
Defect: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2017 Sorento vehicles equipped with 3.3L engines. The engine crankshaft may have been improperly heat treated and may fail.
Risk: If the crankshaft fails, the engine will stall, increasing the risk of a crash. A failed crankshaft also increases the risk of a fire.
Fix: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the crankshaft, and, as necessary, replace the engine sub assembly, free of charge. The recall began November 6, 2017. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC153.
Trailer Hitches 2016-11-30 · campaign 16V862000 · 10,212 vehicles
Defect: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Sorento vehicles manufactured October 27, 2014, to August 25, 2016, and 2017 Sportage vehicles manufactured December 10, 2015, to August 26, 2016. The affected vehicles are equipped with an accessory trailer hitch wiring harness that, due to a malfunction of the tow hitch module, may result in the trailer brake lights being constantly illuminated. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Veh
Risk: If the trailer brake lights stay illuminated while being used, other drivers may be confused, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the trailer tow hitch harness, free of charge. The recall began January 18, 2017. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC142.
Service bulletins (242)
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.
Exterior Lighting 2026-09-25 · SC330_OWNR_301 · Service Campaign
voluntary service campaign: owner renotification (sc330 flight 301) - this document is the owner renotification advising that kia is conducting a voluntary service campaign to replace the multi-function switch knob with improved parts on certain 2016-2018 my sorento vehicles.
Visibility/Wiper 2026-06-16 · WTY031_TSB_R2 · Warranty Program/Extension
technical service bulletin: warranty extension campaign: multifunction switch repair (wty031) - 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 information associated with
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
Engine 2026-04-04 · SC340_TSB_R5 · Emissions
voluntary emissions service campaign: theta ii 2.4l gdi emissions: ecm logic improvement (sc340 revision 5) - 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 information to
Engine 2026-03-18 · WTY026_TSB_R2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: warranty extension campaign: oil pressure switch (ops) replacement (wty026 revision 2) - 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 informa
Engine 2026-03-06 · SC340_TSB_R4 · Emissions
technical service bulletin: voluntary emissions service campaign: theta ii 2.4l gdi emission secm logic improvement (sc340 rev 4) - 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 p
Showing the 6 most recent of 242 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-21 · Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking“only 13,245 miles on vehicle warning dash light ebs came on, after hilltop ford/ kia dealer inspection $279.00 recommended fix is replacing “distance sensor/cruise control unit” cost for part $4,808.59. …”
2026-10-19 · Lane Departure: Warning“faulty cameras to allow the aeb and ldws to work accordingly. warning lights are on due to faulty system…”
2026-10-11 · Engine“check engine light flashing going into limp mode…”
2026-10-06 · Engine And Engine Cooling · 131,000 mi“the contact owns a 2017 kia sorento. the contact stated that while the vehicle was stopped and idling, the engine oil warning light illuminated, and the apple carplay, radio, and hvac system became inoperable. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the oil pressure switch was replaced under warranty. the dealer determined that the electrical syst…”
2026-09-24 · Engine“yesterday our car was making a knocking noise. it lost power temporarily. upon pressing the gas pedal to the floor we were able to get up to 30 mph. we made it to a repair shop. they looked at it today. the dip stick showed no oil. the did an oil change and it was down 3 quarts of oil. we just had the oil changed 3 months ago on june 20. no …”
2026-09-18 · Unknown Or Other“issue 1: the front passenger airbag sensor is faulty. the ods light is staying on. i took my car to a kia dealership and they informed me that the passenger airbag would most likely not deploy in the event of an accident due to the faulty sensor. kia has had this exact issue with other models and they issued a recall for those other models. this is…”
2026-09-16 · Engine · 149,000 mi“the contact owns a 2017 kia sorento. the contact stated that the vehicle had started independently. while the vehicle was in the driveway, the contact became aware that the vehicle had been running for a while. while driving at 45 mph, the vehicle shut off but restarted independently. while driving 35 mph, the vehicle stalled. the failure had occur…”
2026-09-05 · Engine“in early july, my vehicle's check engine light turned on. i took it to a reputable local mechanic in sachse, texas, who had the vehicle for approximately two weeks. he was unable to determine the cause of the issue but informed me that there was an existing recall and that the dealership should be able to address the problem at no cost to me. i th…”
2026-09-01 · Engine And Engine Cooling · 100,000 mi“the contact owns a 2017 kia sorento. the contact stated that the vehicle experienced excessive oil consumption. the vehicle was inspected several times; however, no oil leaks were found. the contact stated that while driving 30 mph, the vehicle shuddered, and the check engine warning light illuminated and flashed on the instrument panel. the vehicl…”
2026-08-29 · Steering“vehicle steers with more resistance to the left but very loose and easy to the right. dealership diagnosed that a new steering column is required. kia also issued a new vehicle limited warranty extension on the motor driven power steering. i believe the warranty extension should apply; however, dealer says it does not apply. the warning light requi…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.