2023 Kia Sorento problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Power Train (17) · Engine (14) · Vehicle Speed Control (11)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Kia Sorento model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (3)
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.
Equipment:other:labels 2023-08-15 · campaign 23V579000 · 50,517 vehicles
Defect: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Sorento vehicles. The air bag warning labels on the driver and front passenger sun visors may detach. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Risk: A detached air bag warning label will not warn occupants about the risks of air bag deployment, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the driver and front passenger sun visors, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 10, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC277.
Service bulletins (51)
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.
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
Electrical System 2026-03-24 · WTY042_REIMB · Warranty Program/Extension
warranty extension campaign: reimbursement form (wty042) - this document is a reimbursement request form that was mailed with the customer letter advising them to submit the form if they had paid for repairs for this same matter prior to the warranty extension campaign program launch.
Showing the 6 most recent of 51 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-29 · Unknown Or Other“i am filing a formal vehicle safety complaint regarding my 2023 kia sorento, purchased new in december 2023. my vehicle has experienced intermittent, unexpected engine stalling and loses acceleration while driving requiring to turn off an back on. this creates a serious safety risk because the vehicle can unexpectedly lose propulsion while in traf…”
2026-10-21 · Unknown Or Other“subject: request for review of potentially related electrical overheating – kia sorento hvac harness recall sc351 / nhtsa 25v649 i am requesting that nhtsa review an electrical overheating issue involving my kia sorento and consider whether it could be related to the existing hvac blower-motor resistor harness recall, sc351 / nhtsa 25v649. my veh…”
2026-10-18 · Engine“my 2023 kia sorento has experienced continuous mechanical failures, including a serious engine fire in december 2025 while i was driving on the [xxx], which put my life at risk. following that incident, my vehicle remained in the shop for nearly three months while the engine and related components were replaced, only to experience another failure i…”
2026-10-09 · Power Train“the vehicle experienced a sudden transmission malfunction while operation on public roads. the check engine light illuminated on the dashboard, and a diagnostic scan from the app revealed active error code p1c2d03. this specific component failure looks like it relates directly to kia safety recall sc250 (nhtsa campaign 22v760) regarding the 8-speed…”
2026-10-02 · Power Train“the car loses power, the transmission shutters and slips at low speeds…”
2026-10-01 · Unknown Or Other“i purchased my 2023 kia sorento in 2024 from rohrman kia in lafayette, indiana. at the time of purchase, the vehicle had approximately 9,000 miles and had previously been utilized as a dealership loaner vehicle. since purchasing the vehicle, i have experienced recurring mechanical concerns involving the vehicle’s auto start/stop system and a signi…”
2026-09-27 · Engine“when traveling up an incline or when gassing the car to accelerate quickly my car registers a spike in heat causing my car to go into limp mode creating a dangerous situation where i can not accelerate at the cars normal rate. when i lift off the gas the temperature normalizes and the car goes back to normal. i have taken the car to two kia dealers…”
2026-09-09 · Engine“my 2023 kia sorento has experienced repeated failures involving the engine, transmission/powertrain, and electrical wiring system. the vehicle has been inspected and repaired multiple times by authorized kia dealerships, including kia of round rock and clay cooley kia in irving, and the repair history and vehicle are available for inspection upon r…”
2026-09-01 · Chest Clip, Buckle, Harness“i own two nuna rava car seats, and both have developed unraveling/tearing of the two-point harness buckle/strap between the child’s legs. one seat had noticeable tearing, which prompted me to closely inspect the second seat, where i found the same area beginning to unravel. i contacted nuna and was initially advised to use glue or tape on the dama…”
2026-08-25 · Power Train“the transmission failed for the fourth time. the transmission (power train) is the component that failed and is available for inspection at the dealership. the vehicle became unsafe and unreliable to drive due to the repeated transmission failures, creating a risk of sudden loss of power or control. the problem has been confirmed by the dealer on m…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.