2023 Kia Sorento Hybrid problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Fuel/Propulsion System (6) · Power Train (5) · Engine (5)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Kia Sorento Hybrid model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (2)
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.
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.
Service bulletins (47)
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.
Visibility/Wiper 2026-08-28 · TSB_CLI049_R2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: partial repair – electrical a/c compressor - 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 regarding the partial repair of the air
Structure:body 2026-06-03 · WTY043_TSB · Warranty Program/Extension
technical service bulletin: warranty extension campaign: rear rh door curtain inspection / replacement (wty043) - this bulletin provides information associated with the ‘warranty extension program’ (wty043) inspect and, if necessary replace the rear rh door curtain on certain 2023 - 2026my sorento h
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
Structure:body 2026-05-23 · WTY043_REIMB · Warranty Program/Extension
warranty extension campaign: reimbursement form (wty043) - 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.
Structure:body 2026-05-23 · WTY043_OWNR · Warranty Program/Extension
warranty extension campaign: owner notification (wty043) - this document is the owner notification advising that kia is extending the new vehicle limited warranty coverage, to all owners, for certain repairs related to the rear right-hand (rh) door curtain in certain 2023-2026 my sorento hybrid (hev
Structure:body 2026-05-20 · WTY043_QA · Warranty Program/Extension
warranty extension campaign: question and answer (wty043) - this document is the question and answer guide containing the most frequently asked questions regarding the warranty extension campaign wty043.
Showing the 6 most recent of 47 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-27 · Power Train · 95,000 mi“the contact owns a 2023 kia sorento. the contact stated that while stopped at a light or making a left or right turn, while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond. the contact stated that seconds later, the vehicle responded, and the vehicle hesitated and moved forward independently. the contact stated that during the failu…”
2026-10-14 · Unknown Or Other“the back camera has fallen out and it appears the clips are broken off that was holding camera inside of car.…”
2026-10-05 · Engine“on [xxx] at [xxx], while driving northbound on [xxx] in montgomery county, md, just before exit [xxx] (about 10-15 minutes after leaving home), the engine overheat warning came on. my child was in the vehicle with me. i pulled over to the shoulder briefly. thinking it might be a temporary error, i resumed driving, but the same overheat warning came…”
2026-07-06 · Structure:body“the sub roof exploded while on the freeway and all the glass shattered like rain onto the fabric underneath. we pulled over on the side of the freeway and are waiting for a tow. we didn't see any large objects fall or fly towards the car. it sounded like a huge explosion then left a big whole. …”
2026-02-17 · Electrical System · 25,000 mi“the contact owns a 2023 kia sorento. the contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph on several occasions, the vehicle stalled after the battery became drained. the vehicle was able to restart each time after waiting for the battery to recharge. the vehicle was taken to two different dealers on three occasions. during the first two visit…”
2026-02-09 · Vehicle Speed Control“while driving hybrid battery depletes and car stops accelerating. with pedal to the floor, it may get to 60 mph, other times 15 mph. car doesn't sound great while this is happening. 3/4 times an error showed up stating "check hybrid system-stop safely". the 4th time the error didn't appear , but was driving on hilly road where battery charged whe…”
2025-09-26 · Power Train“while driving on september 15, 2025, the vehicle displayed a loud beeping and the warning message “check hybrid system. stop safely.” the vehicle restarted about an hour later, but the combustion engine ran very rough. the kia dealer inspected it but reported no stored error codes. on september 23, 2025, the vehicle suddenly lost power while drivi…”
2025-09-18 · Visibility/Wiper“on passenger side interior between glove box and dashboard, there is a textured, metallic trim plate that during a sunny mid day, casts a reflection on the passenger side window over the top of the where the passenger side rear view mirror is.…”
2025-05-14 · Power Train“vehicle suddenly loses power while driving. engine does not turn on, vehicle will run on battery until battery is dead, then putting the vehicle in park once stopped. vehicle will not accelerate normally since the engine does not turn on. only goes 10-20 mph. lights on the dash come on, prompting to keep car on to charge the battery. no code is fou…”
2025-05-02 · Power Train“critical issue: gasoline leaks into engine. that causes increasing engine oil level significantly and mixed with engine oil. i dropped off me car (mileage: 11731) at kia pro in glendale, ca on 5/1/2025 as soon as i confirmed that engine oil level exceeds the maximum (twice of max) and smelled gasoline from the dipstick. the service advisor and a te…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.