2022 Kia Sorento problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Power Train (53) · Engine (22) · Vehicle Speed Control (15)
🧭 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
21 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (6)
Visibility:defroster/Defogger/Hvac System:fan/Motor 2025-09-25 · campaign 25V649000 · 39,536 vehicles
Defect: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Sorento vehicles. The heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) blower motor wiring harness may be inadequate, which can result in a fire.
Risk: A fire increases the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will replace the wiring harness and blower motor resistor, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 23, 2026. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC351. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning October 9, 2025.
Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Camera 2023-08-31 · campaign 23V610000 · 144,979 vehicles
Defect: 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."
Risk: A rearview camera that does not properly display an image can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Power Train:automatic Transmission 2022-10-11 · campaign 22V760000 · 69,038 vehicles
Defect: Kia Motors, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Sorento and 2021-2023 K5 vehicles. The vehicle's "fail-safe" limited-mobility drive mode may be impaired, when prompted by a transmission oil pump malfunction, which can result in a complete loss of drive power.
Risk: Loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the transmission, as necessary. Dealers will also update the transmission control unit software. All repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 9, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC250.
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.
Tires:temporary/Emergency Spare Tire 2022-07-19 · campaign 22V509000 · 8 vehicles
Defect: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2022 Sorento and Telluride vehicles. The vehicles may be equipped with an incorrect spare tire which, when installed, can impair the anti-lock braking system (ABS) and the traction control system (TCS). As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Risk: Impaired anti-lock braking or traction control systems can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the spare tire, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 27, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC244.
Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:oil/Lubrication:pipes, Hoses, And Fittings 2022-03-29 · campaign 22V202000 · 26 vehicles
Defect: Kia Motor America (Kia) is recalling certain 2022 Sorento vehicles. The oil supply pipe to the turbocharger may crack, which could result in an oil leak in the engine compartment.
Risk: An oil leak in the presence of an ignition source such as hot engine or exhaust components, can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will replace the turbocharger oil supply pipe, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 22, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC233.
Service bulletins (85)
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
Electrical System 2026-05-28 · TSB_ELE422 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: infotainment system software update using update.kia.com - this bulletin provides information and service procedures for updating the infotainment systems on applicable kia vehicles using the kia navigation updater available at update.kia.com. the software update may impr
Service Brakes 2026-05-06 · TSB_CHA126_R2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: front brake disc replacement & burnishing - 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 brake discs on ce
Electrical System 2026-04-14 · TSB_ELE417 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: infotainment software update procedure - this bulletin provides information on the process for downloading infotainment software updates and preparing usb for installation on applicable kia vehicles. the software downloads and usb preparation process is similar across all
Electrical System 2026-03-26 · WTY042_OWNR · Warranty Program/Extension
warranty extension campaign: owner notification (wty042) - this document is the owner notification advising that kia is extending the new vehicle limited warranty coverage, to all owners, for repairs related to the horn assembly in certain 2021-2025 my sorento, 2021-2025 my sorento hybrid (hev), an
Electrical System 2026-03-24 · WTY042_TSB · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
warranty extension campaign: technical service bulletin: horn assembly inspection and replacement (wty042) - this bulletin provides information associated with the ‘warranty extension program’ (wty042) to inspect and, if necessary, replace the horn assembly on certain vehicles listed in the table be
Showing the 6 most recent of 85 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-26 · Power Train“on [xxx], a 2022 kia sorento with 37,971 miles displayed "transmission system error! check transmission oil immediately." the vehicle is currently drivable, with no crash and no injury reported, but the driver is concerned about a potential loss of drive power while driving. pride kia of lynn, 793 lynnway, lynn, ma 01905, confirmed an appointment o…”
2026-10-14 · Electrical System“turned car on and no air blowing from any vents on any setting. …”
2026-10-13 · Vehicle Speed Control“2022 kia sorento, vin [xxx], subject to recall 22v760 (kia sc250, 8-speed dct electric oil pump). the recall was performed with a software update only; the transmission and original pump were not replaced. on xxx at 116,273 miles, while driving, the dash displayed “transmission system error! check transmission oil immediately” and the vehicle enter…”
2026-10-08 · Power Train“car goes into "limp mode" and functions on only partial power. warning light reads "transmission system error! check transmission oil immediately." dealership says car shows no codes. my 2022 kia sorento sx had a recall because this problem is known. kia recalled all the 2021 and 22's and fixed the programming to allow for limp mode. this "fi…”
2026-10-06 · Power Train“the vehicle experienced a sudden loss of motive power on the highway due to the failure of the transmission electric oil pump, matching nhtsa campaign 22v760000. the vehicle previously received only the tcu software update remedy. the software update failed to prevent the underlying physical defect from occurring, and the vehicle is now dangerously…”
2026-09-16 · Power Train · 116,000 mi“the contact owns a 2022 kia sorento. the contact stated after driving 25-30 mph into a parking lot and parking the vehicle, the message "transmission system error check transmission" was displayed. the vehicle was taken to an auto parts store, where it was determined that the transmission pump was failing, there was low oil pressure, but no debris …”
2026-09-09 · Unknown Or Other“se rompio la bomba de aceite electrica de mi auto. la investigación de kia reveló que la bomba de aceite eléctrica de la transmisión dct de 8 velocidades puede sufrir una falla interna debido a un defecto de calidad en el proveedor. un componente de la placa de circuito de la bomba puede desprenderse por una soldadura deficiente.…”
2026-09-03 · Power Train · 21,067 mi“the contact owns a 2022 kia sorento. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost drive power. the vehicle was able to continue driving but at a reduced speed. several unknown warning lights were illuminated. the contact pulled over and turned off the vehicle. the vehicle was restarted and resumed normal operation. the …”
2026-08-27 · Visibility“the contact owns a 2022 kia sorento. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 25v649000 (electrical system, visibility), and the vehicle was taken to the dealer; the recall repair was performed several weeks prior; however, the vin status was not updated, and the recall remained marked as incomplete. the contact stated that the m…”
2026-08-13 · Vehicle Speed Control“vehicle flashes auto start stop icon on the dashboard, which is not commonplace. when this occurs, the vehicle can not accelerate when the accelerator is actuated. the vehicle can not accelerate past 40mph and the rpm is sporadic. this happens randomly and can not be diagnosed by the dealership. multiple dealerships have tried and none can duplicat…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.