Complaint volume
245 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
Complaint records
2018 Kia Sorento Complaints
245 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2018 Kia Sorento, grouped by component category.
245 Total complaints
11 Crash reports
10 Fire reports
9 Injury reports
Complaint data reflects consumer-submitted reports. A complaint is not proof
of a defect, recall, or manufacturer fault. Enriched severity fields come
from official bulk records when the complaint can be matched by ODI number.
Buyer interpretation
How to use these complaints before buying
Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.
Pattern to inspect
The most common categories are engine, exterior lighting, steering. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 11 crash reports, 10 fire reports, 9 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 58 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 50,150 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to engine, exterior lighting, steering?
- Can I see recent maintenance and repair records?
- Has the vehicle ever been towed, involved in a crash, or repaired for the same issue twice?
- Can we also check the recall record for this 2018 Kia Sorento?
Used-car checklist
Use these complaints before the test drive.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
2018 Kia Sorento
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2018 Kia Sorento complaints?
11 Crash
10 Fire
9 Injury
0 Fatality
15 Towed
5 Medical attention
What are the most common 2018 Kia Sorento complaint categories?
ENGINE 70
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 24
STEERING 22
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 20
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING 10
AIR BAGS 8
TRAILER HITCHES 7
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 5
STRUCTURE 5
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 4
245 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | My 2018 Snow White Pearl Kia Sorento is experiencing paint failure on the hood and rear hatch. The manufacturer notified me that they identified this as a problem with 2011-2014 models and, at this time, are not offering a remedy for a 2018 model. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The contact owns a 2018 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that the battery was draining faster than usual. The contact stated upon parking the vehicle overnight with the battery fully charged, the contact became aware that the battery had lost 15-20 % charge by the next morning. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact's friend, an electrical engineer, diagnosed that the battery was losing 1 or 2 AMPS of power. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed, and no issues were found. The contact later received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V703000 (Trailer Hitches) which he associated with the failure; however, parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the failure persisted, and the dealer informed him that the battery needed to be replaced. The contact replaced the battery; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 15,631. The consumer stated Trailer hitch fuse was removed but the high rate of discharge continued. | Crash: No Fire: No | 15,631 |
| Nov 2022 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | While driving at night with headlights set to "auto" the car will (without moving the physical switch) change the headlights to "off" for approximately 2 seconds, after which it will change them back to "auto". This causes a momentary loss of vision to the driver. The drivers display shows the change from "auto" to "off" as though the switch had been turned. I am unaware if this also happens in lighted conditions, as It is only noticable when you are driving in the dark. It appears as though this has happened to multiple drivers of different vehicles | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2022 | STEERING | The contact owns a 2018 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the steering wheel started shaking abnormally and swaying back and forth. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering column needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact stated that he inquired if the vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V656000 (Steering) and was informed that his vehicle was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 24,000. The contact stated that the dealership was able to fix the issue. | Crash: No Fire: No | 24,000 |
| Nov 2022 | WHEELS | I have new brakes put on as well as had my tires balanced and rotated and a wheel alignment. However, my 2018 Kia Sorento SX V6 AWD shakes when I apply pressure to the brakes when I am on the highway. If I get to a certain speed and apply brakes to slow down while approaching traffic, my car shakes terribly. I thought that rotating, getting new brakes and an alignment would help but it did not. This is my second Kia Sorento, and I had the same exact issue with the previous one. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2022 | ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | Fuel expired much quicker than should be, and burned on to the dip stick before oil was due to be changed. Then the engine failed while driving, causing my vehicle to lose power on a left turn on a 55 mph road, nearly causing my children and I to be hit by another vehicle. I could not accelerate, but still had power to steer and brake. After having the gas pedal fully extended, I resumed power to 30 mph (this was described as engine knock sensor decreased power). We are hearing that 14 million Kia vehicles are experiencing this. There are 46 cars ahead of mine to be repaired for the failed engine and oil problem at that dealership as of today. They are not offering loaner vehicles. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2022 | STEERING | The engine failed which required a replacement. Upon being released from the Kia dealer, the steering wheel failed and the car began shaking at 70 MPH. The Service Director claimed the vehicle was running as Kia likes. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2022 | STEERING | As One is driving at 50-60 mph the steering wheel sticks and requires force to correct the direction the vehicle is going. This is very concerning because the abrupt motion is extremely dangerous. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2022 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | Headlights and daytime running lights turn on and off at random | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 10/5/2022 Driving down Texas Interstate 20 last night, just east of Willow Park, Texas the headlights turned off. I switched the lights from the auto position to the On and the lights turned back on. Wife informed me this has happened to her previously as well. Driving down the road at 70 MPH and everything goes dark is a bit frighting. From my search, this has become a common issue with our KIA model. The issue happens randomly so difficult to pinpoint the issue. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | ENGINE | The contact owns a 2018 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated and the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to pull into a parking lot. The vehicle failed to restart after several attempts. The vehicle remained parked in the parking lot. The contact notified the local dealer and other unknown dealers of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 78,500. | Crash: No Fire: No | 78,500 |
| Sep 2022 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | Driving down a dark highway tonight and headlights just randomly went out completely. Had to switch them on and off several times to get them back on. Safety risk is obvious for myself and other cars on the road. Has not been inspected, just happened tonight. I have noticed my lights cutting on and off during the day randomly lately but I just assumed it was the auto mode picking up shady areas but it appears to all be related based on the thread I just read online and sounds like an issue with this year Sorento. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | SHORTLY AFTER FUEL OIL AND FILTER CHANGE AT ~75,000 MILES, ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND CAR ENGINE STOPPED. OIL PUMP FAILED AND CRACKED THROUGH HOUSING. MAJOR DAMAGE. REPAIR SHOP INDICATES ENGINE NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | In the last month, I've started noticing issues with my headlights/icons. My lights are always set to auto in my 2018 kia sorento. First issue: when driving during the day, the dashboard will show the icon that appears when you turn on the lights manually. I'm assuming the lights actually come on as well, but it's daylight so I can't actually see if this is happening or not. Once when this happened, I was sitting at a red light with my turn signal on, and I was able to get a picture of the manual icon light showing and my switch was still in the auto position. This has happened about half a dozen times. 3 weeks ago I woke up to my lights being on, even though the switch was still set to auto. The back red lights were on and the front lights were on. I know the lights were out the night before and I double checked that the switch was as I left it in the auto position. Tonight 9/14 and last weekend, my lights turned off for a few seconds while driving at night. The lights had been on for a while and it was completely dark outside so there was no way they should've turned off. I was in an unlit area both times without any head on traffic, so it was extremely obvious that the lights went out and very dangerous not being able to see in front of me. It's also dangerous for any approaching traffic to not be able to see a vehicle at night until they get close enough to hit it. I've attached a picture of the auto setting when the icon light indicated it was set to manual during the day. I've also attached another picture of my vehicle the way I found it one morning when the lights were set to auto and they came on at some point in the middle of the night. I had to unlock the vehicle, and flip the light switch off, then back to auto, for them to go off. This instance my vehicle was not even on, and it was daylight outside. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | Just recently starting to smell fuel when I’m driving and when I turn the car off and when I try to start the car it cranks a little and then I’ll stop then try it again and it will start up fine | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2022 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | While vehicle is set to AUTO on the headlights, they will randomly shut off while driving. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2022 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | Last year my headlights melted & had to be ordered & replace because the melted in their encasements. I have problems with headlights again & have reported it to my Kia dealership. I’ve been driving sometimes with one headlight or none or using my brights to drive at night. I currently have no headlights again & dealership has had to order parts for them again. It’s been more than two months already. It’s unsafe for me to drive at night with NO Headlights!! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2022 | ENGINE | No warning before engine failed. 3/2021 | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2022 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,POWER TRAIN | The contact's daughter owns a 2018 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal ticking noise detected. The vehicle lost motive power and stalled with the check engine warning light flashing. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed the contact that the knock sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission and catalytic converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to shift into park(P). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted or notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 57,000. | Crash: No Fire: No Towed | 57,000 |
| Jul 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING | The headlights will occasionally turn off at night while driving. We have to then turn them back on by touching the light switch. The are set on AUTO always and should not go out AT NIGHT, especially while driving. They should only go out when exiting the car after engine shut off. The parking lights (front and back) occasionally do not turn off when leaving the car, after engine shut off. They are also on auto and should go off so the battery does not drain. A few times they have even come on when we were not in the care and we discovered them on after a period of time when returning to the car. The dealer could NOT find a problem and did nothing to resolve it. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2022 | ENGINE | excessive oil consumption causing engine to fail. need to replace whole engine. no warning lights or gauges registered the low oil | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | This KIA Sorento was brand new and I was the only owner. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The engine, brake lights, charging ports and overhead lights. Yes, the vehicle is available for inspection. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The engine: this puts me at risk because the vehicle stop in the middle of the highway and the rear lights was not working because I burnt harness... a Truck was coming full speed. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes, several times and they failed to take responsibility. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? The manufacturer and several other opinions from other reputable mechanic shops. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No not at all, I was driving home from work, and once I exited the highway and came to a red light it just started violently shaking. There was no sign of this issue. I thought the light going out was just regular maintenance until it we out a few days later... then again. Then I noticed it was burnt on the wiring. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | STEERING | Within the last 1 1/2 years the car makes a popping noise in the steering and its not a tie rod or ball joint issue. Nobody can seem to figure out where its coming from. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The car makes a loud noise like I hurt a bump, the engine light comes on. I brought the car to the Kia dealer and They told me everything was OK . I took the car home and continued to experience the same problem but this time the car decelerate even if I am driving in the freeway . At that time I cannot accelerate. I brought again the car to the same Kia dealer .They told me they drove the car 19 miles and did not have any problem ! I went and took the car and believe what I was told but this time the wheel blocked and I could not turn ,the engine turn itself off . The oil engine and battery lights come on in red and the engine light in yellow. It is very scary and unsafe I had to tow this car to the dealers without my concerns being addressed. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING | Headlights , all front lights shut off while driving, repeatedly. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |