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Kia · NHTSA safety record

2024 Kia Sorento

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 41 safety complaints about the 2024 Kia Sorento with the US government. Of those, 4 describe a crash, 1 mentions a fire, 4 people were injured and no death is recorded. 2 recall campaigns are open against it, covering the electrical system.

The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 11 complaints, 27% of the total.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers March 2024 to September 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

41 complaints on file

41

Complaints

4

Describe a crash

1

Mention fire

4

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 11 · 27%
STRUCTURE 7 · 17%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 6 · 15%
ENGINE 5 · 12%
SERVICE BRAKES 5 · 12%
POWER TRAIN 4 · 10%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 3 · 7%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 3 · 7%
AIR BAGS 2 · 5%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 2 · 5%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 · 5%
SEAT BELTS 2 · 5%
0 8 15

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 41.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2025 at 21.

24 18 12 6
24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2024 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2024 Kia SORENTO, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test SUV AWD SUV FWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover 15.9% 15.9%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard

A rating belongs to a tested body style and drivetrain, not to the model as a whole, which is why more than one is listed. A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.

Recall campaigns

2 on file

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:BODY CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWARE

25V006000 · January 13, 2025

The defect
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Sorento, 2025 Sorento Hybrid, and 2025 Sorento Plug-In Hybrid vehicles. A software error in the Body Domain Control Unit (BDC) may cause a loss of low beam headlights and taillights. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
The risk
A loss of headlights and taillights can reduce visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will update the BDC software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 21, 2025. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC331.

Kia America, Inc. · up to 74,469 vehicles across all model years covered

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING

24V287000 · April 23, 2024

The defect
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2024 Sorento vehicles. The motor driven power steering (MDPS) wiring harness may be incorrectly assembled, which can result in a loss of power steering assist.
The risk
A loss of power steering assist increases the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect and repair, or replace the MDPS wiring harness as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 7, 2024. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC309.

Kia America, Inc. · up to 95 vehicles across all model years covered

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

STRUCTURE:BODY

1 injured · fire

On March 19 I completed my 8,000 mile oil change and then drove to Florida. I had a warning light to change my oil since the company did not reset it. Unsure of the other warning lights. As I was driving in Florida on the interstate the car started having issues. It was making a noise, then started smoking and by the time I got off the exit and got out the front right of the car was in flames. I was transported to the ER with smoke inhalation. The car in still in Clermont, FL with no resolution. The car has been inspected by the insurance and a third party inspector. The last I was told the inspection report is with the Kia engineers. I am unaware at this point what the failure was that led

NHTSA complaint 11668617, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SEAT BELTS

1 injured · crash · towed

I was involved in an automobile collision. It was a T- Bone collision on the driver side. My vehicle flipped on it's side, the moon roof completely shattered, my seatbelt released me and I was ejected through the moon roof. The vehicle landed on top of me. All of my air bags did not deploy even though my vehicle rolled over twice.

NHTSA complaint 11698884. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SEATS

1 injured

The rear passenger seat has a major safety issue. The back will pop forward and then the entire seat moves forward pushing the passenger into the back of the passenger seat. I have brought this to the dealership two times now and it is still an issue that they now refuse to repair. I have video but can't load it here.

NHTSA complaint 11602826. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

1 injured

The Panoramic sunroof randomly exploded while driving down the highway. Nothing around us or above us to cause it. Myself, my [XXX] pregnant wife, and [XXX] daughter were in the car and had glass rain down on us after the very loud boom. We almost wrecked. The issue has not yet been inspected by the dealership but I understand this to not be uncommon. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint 11727717. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
The cars battery drained precipitously. Was able to sit and recharge. Took it to dealership. There were several code issues P033500 and P040500 among others. In discussion it seems that it might have been the EGR valve among other things. On research this is a known problem so why is there not a recall as the car can stop suddenly. "2024 Kia Sorento Hybrid Prestige (equipped with the Smartstream 1.6L Turbo Hybrid engine), code P0405 highlights a known issue that affects several modern Hyundai and Kia hybrid models."

NHTSA complaint 11765210. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY

25,199 miles

The contact owns a 2024 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 55-60 MPH, a loud boom suddenly occurred. The contact pulled to the side of the road and exited the vehicle with three passengers, including a nephew in a car seat. The passengers noticed that the panoramic glass fractured into several pieces and completely shattered. After cleaning out the vehicle, the contact put trash bags on the ceiling of the vehicle to avoid glass falling on the passengers. The contact stated concern about driving the vehicle before any repairs or replacements due to pieces of glass being in the fabric above the passenger's ears and the sound of glass fracturing every time a

NHTSA complaint 11764322, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES
My 2024 Kia Sorento has experienced a dangerous brake failure on three separate occasions in which the brake pedal went to the floor and the vehicle lost normal braking capability. The first failure occurred on 7/1/2026 and was confirmed by the Kia dealer; the master cylinder was found leaking brake fluid into the brake booster, and the brake master cylinder and brake booster assembly were replaced and the brake system was bled. The same brake-pedal-to-the-floor failure occurred again on 7/16/2026. The dealer performed diagnostic testing, including clamping the calipers, and replaced both front brake calipers. The brake failure has occurred again during the vehicle's current repair period

NHTSA complaint 11762310, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
While braking in a left hand turn lane waiting for the vehicles in front to turn left through an intersection, the vehicle stalled, shut off, and forced a manual restart in the turn lane. This same sequence happened again at another red light when the brake was engaged. The dealership the car was purchased from would not evaluate the car as they stated it is under factory warranty and should be evaluated at the manufacturer. The closest Kia manufacturer has been notified, but they have not inspected it, as they stated they have a lift malfunction and do not have the ability to run diagnostics until at least 10/16/26. No warning lamps or messages appeared prior to the hard stop. After the

NHTSA complaint 11761179, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:BODY
The front bumper grill to this Sorento model, among others, has a major design flaw that causes the radiator to be highly vulnerable to debris. A rock struck and punctured my radiator causing it to aggressively spray engine coolant, eventually leading to my engine overheating. I found this incident to be an extremely odd and rare situation considering I was only driving on paved suburban roads. After some further investigation online, it appears there are several other customers across the country that have encountered this same issue. Many even displaying tutorials on how they have rigged their Kias with reinforced plastic grates to protect their radiators from further damage. Really? This

NHTSA complaint 11759285, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR

7,000 miles

The contact owns a 2024 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal shaking in the steering wheel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with improperly sized brake rotors. The rotors were resurfaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was subsequently returned to the dealer, and the rotors were replaced, but the failure continued. The contact stated that the wheels were affected by the rotor failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 7,000.

NHTSA complaint 11746301. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Kia Sorento

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2026 5 2 —
2025 74 3 —
2023 120 3 —
2022 189 6 —
2021 250 4 —
2020 136 1 1
2019 428 2 —
2018 254 3 1
2017 804 4 —
2016 1,252 8 —
2015 750 3 —
2014 987 6 1
2013 981 5 —
2012 880 5 —
2011 1,518 7 —

Other 2024 Kia models

Telluride 218 EV9 207 EV6 76 Carnival 74 Sportage 71 Seltos 45 K5 30 Sportage PHEV 12

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every Kia on this site — 181 vehicles.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst