Complaint volume
410 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
2019 Kia Sorento Complaints
410 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2019 Kia Sorento, grouped by component category.
410 Total complaints
10 Crash reports
18 Fire reports
10 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, unknown or other, structure. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 10 crash reports, 18 fire reports, 10 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 92 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 44,181 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to engine, unknown or other, structure?
- 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 2019 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.
2019 Kia Sorento
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2019 Kia Sorento complaints?
10 Crash
18 Fire
10 Injury
0 Fatality
16 Towed
8 Medical attention
What are the most common 2019 Kia Sorento complaint categories?
ENGINE 94
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 45
STRUCTURE 27
POWER TRAIN 20
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 19
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 16
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 14
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 9
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 9
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 9
410 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Upon starting my vehicle after going to the grocery store, the ABS, ESC, Check Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist System, and Auto Hold warning lights illuminated. The cruise control was then inadvertently deactivated. When vehicle is started the Check Forward Collision error comes on. After a few months when entering the freeway and accelerating I received an error regarding unknown engine issue. Took vehicle to Kia dealership and was who diagnosed that the hydraulic electronic control unit (HECU) needed to be replaced. Manufacturer being notified, vehicle not repaired at dealer due to cost. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2025 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | The contact owns a 2019 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that the check engine warning light had remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer on several occasions; however, the cause of the failure was not determined. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle suddenly stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine had overheated and fractured. The contact was advised that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 97,000. | Crash: No Fire: No Towed | 97,000 |
| May 2025 | STRUCTURE | Snow white pearl paint is not bonding to kia sorento roof | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | HI, MY CAR HAS INCREASED OIL CONSUMPTION.EVERY WEEK, IAM TOPING OFF THE OIL, 1 QRT EVERY WEEK NOW.I BROUGHT THIS TO KIA'S ATTENTION, HAD THE TEST DONE AS THEY SUGGESTED.THEY OFFERRED ME ONLY THIS: A/C EVAP CLEAN, COOLANT FLUID EXCHANGE, SPARK PLUG REPLACE, 3 PT INDUCTION SVC, WHICH DOESNT FIX THE PROBLEM. I ALSO WANTED THE EXISTING RECALL TO BE ADRESSED, BUT THEY IGNORED. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2025 | STRUCTURE | I am the original owner of my vehicle, which I purchased brand new from the dealership in December, 2017]. The car is now five years old and has been regularly maintained. However, I have observed significant issues with the paint, which is bubbling and peeling off in large amounts in several areas of the vehicle. This condition is concerning, as it not only affects the vehicle’s appearance but also has the potential to cause rust and other mechanical issues if left unaddressed. Given that the peeling is occurring despite proper care and no external factors such as accidents or environmental damage, I believe this may be a manufacturing defect. I am requesting an evaluation of this issue and any available remedies under the manufacturer’s warranty, especially considering the potential for long-term damage to the vehicle’s structure and mechanical components. Sincerely, [XXX] [XXX] 2019 Kia Sorento [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I’m contacting you regarding my 2019 Kia Sorento (VIN: [XXX] ), which was completely destroyed in a fire on [XXX]. I had gone for a run at the city park, and as I was walking back, I saw my vehicle in flames. Police were already on-site, and just as I approached, the back windshield exploded. The fire department arrived shortly after and extinguished the flames. The vehicle is a total loss. After reviewing the VIN, I found the vehicle is subject to Recall SC249F / NHTSA 22V703 for a fire risk related to trailer hitch wiring. I want to emphasize that this vehicle did not have a trailer hitch installed, which raises concerns that it may have been pre-wired at the factory or otherwise contained faulty components. Additionally, I had previously brought the vehicle to the dealership twice for electrical problems, including complete failure of all lights, the windshield wiper motor, and power outlets. These issues were never fully resolved and may have been early signs of the defect that led to the fire. I am requesting: 1.A factory build sheet or Monroney label to confirm if any recall-related components were installed. 2.Guidance on how to initiate an official claim or investigation with Kia. 3.Clarification on whether Recall SC249F applies to vehicles without a hitch but with related electrical systems. Photos of the fire damage are available INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: Yes | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | ENGINE | Kia is well known for their engine problems. I had my engine light come on and was flashing so I pulled over and shut the car off. After a few minutes I turned it back on and the light was still on, but no longer flashing. I was able to get it to my local mechanic who told me it needed a new engine. I had it towed to the Kia dealer where I purchased it. They were able to replace it was a refurbished motor, but Kia indicated it was not part of the current recall. I feel it should be part of the current engine recall, but if it truly is not then I felt you should be made aware of the issue. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | ENGINE | We have noticed a great amount of oil consumption in the engine. We first thought we needed an oil change. We keep up on maintenance of our vehicles. When we took it in to get the oil changed, they said we had almost no oil in the vehicle. So once we had an oil change, we took it to Kia of Alcoa and they said there was nothing wrong with it. We drove it a while and again low on oil. We take it back to Kia of Alcoa and they do an oil consumption test. We drove it 1,000 miles like they said to do and we came back. They checked the oil level and they said the oil consumption was normal. So again we drive it and still having issues with oil consumption. We always have to put anywhere from 1 to 5 quarts of oil in the vehicle on a regular basis. We should not have to add oil in between oil changes. Now we have a rattling going on and we are taking it back to Kia Alcoa soon to get looked at. We believe that rattling is from the high oil consumption. Nobody seems to have a solution and everyone thinks there is nothing wrong with the vehicle. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | ENGINE | I own a 2019 Kia Sorento SX V6 that I purchase in January 2024 that now has 73k miles. I recently started encountering a problem where the oil light would come on and stay on while my car is an idle position. I went to City Kia of Greater Orlando to get an oil change because I assumed that was the problem. Sometime after the oil change the light continued to go on when my car was in idle position and my engine oil that was just replaced had been severely depleted so I returned to Kia to have a diagnostic done and was advised that the oil filter housing gasket, oil pressure regulator valve needed to be replaced along with some other repairs for leaks so I approved the repairs but after the repairs were completed and I retrieved my vehicle the same problem of the oil light coming own when idle continued. I returned one again to Kia and had another diagnostic done and they found that now the oil pressure switch with harness needed to be replaced which I questioned because why wasn’t this issue found with the first diagnostic. Why so many issues with parts related to my engine and is not covered under warranty or as part of a recall. I’ve done some research and found numerous complaints of the 2019 kia sorento having the same engine issues and having the same parts replaced. I strongly believe that this is a defect on this car and should be addressed immediately and these issues scrutinized. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Paint is peeling. Only have 100,000 miles. Paint is peeling off badly. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2025 | ENGINE | The contact owns a 2019 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal ticking sound coming from the engine. The vehicle was taken to a local AutoZone, where a representative inspected the vehicle and advised the contact that the engine oil was extremely low. The contact added engine oil, and within two weeks, the engine oil was extremely low again. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that several local dealers were contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was advised that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced a settlement under Kia Engine Litigation: Case [XXX] as possibly related to the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 69,000. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | 69,000 |
| Mar 2025 | ENGINE | Oil consumption | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | My oil level in my car keeps going low. Service department at Kia states they cannot find another problem. I’ve had regular oil changes. I met someone at the dealership experiencing the same problem. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2025 | ENGINE | I started burning oil faster than my oil changes were due. One of the techs told me he had seen far too many Kias with this known issue. My Checked engine light came on a couple months after. When I took it in the shop they ran a compression test and advised that the engine was on its way out and stated they would recommend replacing the engine due to oil consumption and low engine compression. I am the 2nd owner to this vehicle and have maintained all the maintenance on it. Its crazy that I still have 3 more years paying for it at 148,000. As many complaints as there are online for this vehicle Kia should definitely be looking into it. At least up the warranty mileage. I drive my kids with this vehicle and feel at any minute its just going to give out on the highway. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2025 | STEERING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | We have received the security update for the ignition system over a year ago for the recall. Even with this recall fix our vehicle was still stolen, so this solution clearly didn't work. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2025 | ENGINE | I have a 2019 Kia Sorento which I bought new and changed the oil every 5-8k miles. I was told this was fine with newer vehicles that use synthetic oil. I started having issues with my car burning oil really fast around 60-70k miles. The oil would be dark and low without any warning light, well before my window sticker indicated I should need service. The shop where I take my car warned me this was happening with Kia engines. They also shared with my that my dashboard light was not coming on because it had not been "re set." I have always had a problem with the oil light coming on when I don't need oil and it not coming on when I do. I had my oil changed and was back after 3k miles because my engine was dry. A week later I stopped for gas on my way home from work at 1am, and its a good thing I checked my oil because it was dry. I have young children I drive around town daily. This is terrifying for me- not knowing if my engine could blow up any time, without warning. So I took my car to Kia where they started an oil consumption test. Which was time consuming and stressful to deal with. I have a maintenance gap that took place during Covid. Likely because my father in law changed my oil. I am hoping we can get receipts for this or apparently I am screwed, but this was 3 years ago! :( On top of it, the back of my white car is now grey because of all of the oil I am burning. Which explains the awful smell that fills my home when I open the garage door with my car running. That really can't be good. This has been a nightmare and its only the beginning for me. Kia needs to step up and take responsibility for their faulty engines. Stop making it so complicated for customers to get the quality service they deserve. I should not be fighting for them to fix an issue that has come highly complained about. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2025 | ENGINE | We were driving home Saturday and our 2019 Kia Sorento EX V6, 3.3L engine with 24000 miles, just stopped running. We got the car pulled over and noticed smoke coming out of the hood. The tow truck towed it to the dealership: seized engine. We are the second owners of this vehicle, we purchased it from a Honda dealership 20K miles on it and have not had one moment's trouble with it until this happened. We have had regular maintenance done, etc. So now I have a vehicle that I owe several thousands of dollars on that is completely useless. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Vehicle has frequent oil consumption issues. It’s burning oil way too fast and causing a potential issue with the engine. According to the staff at the car shop, there is no way to fix it. You have to just kind of deal with it. It seems to be a defect that has not been addressed and is only for first owners. Bought my vehicle from a dealership and apparently this isn’t covered. This is a Lemon and it’s clearly unknown issue based on the workers at the car shop that have not been addressed and is causing an issue with my engine. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2025 | ENGINE | Engine burns too much oil | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2025 | POWER TRAIN | I am reporting a recurring defect with my 2019 Kia Sorento’s front axle assembly, which has failed multiple times despite repeated replacements. The vehicle was serviced at Ron Tonkin Kia, where the front axle assembly was replaced three times due to leaks: •January 2022 – First replacement •November 2022 – Second replacement •March 2023 – Third replacement The issue is happening again, indicating a persistent defect. Each time, the axle assembly has been replaced under warranty, but the problem continues to recur, raising concerns about long-term safety and reliability. I am concerned about the potential risk of axle failure while driving, which could lead to loss of vehicle control or other safety hazards. I am requesting an investigation into whether this issue is widespread and whether Kia should be required to address it through a recall or permanent fix. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2025 | ENGINE | I am the owner of the aforementioned KIA Sorento EX SUV which I leased when new from TASCA KIA then purchased at the end of my lease. It should be noted that my new address is [XXX] as I moved from the Coventry address on May 26, 2023. I religiously have my oil changed (have all receipts since 2019) at the manufacturers recommendation. At around 55,000 miles I started noticed wet spots on the driveway below the engine and was not sure if it was anti-freeze or oil. As the mileage on my vehicle increased over time I noticed the spots on the driveway getting bigger. A fellow KIA owner who incidently owned a 2019 Sorento Platinum with a V-6 like mine stated that they developed a sizeable oil leak in their vehicle at around 50K miles. My vehicle had close to 74K miles and I noticed that my oil level was dipping down. On December 9, 2024, I drove my vehicle over to KIA of Attleboro, MA and after a mechanics inspection it was determined that was engine was in fact leaking oil from both the filter housing which is plastic and also from the area where the wiring harness connects to the oil pan that indicates low oil pressure which never notified of low oil. On December 10, 2024, I brought my KIA Sorento back to the same dealership in Massachusetts where the oil leaks were repaired at a cost of $912.43. I subsequently went on the web and discovered that this was a growing problem with this year and model KIA along with other years with some owners seizing their motors. I never received a notice from KIA notifying me of this potential issue which I believe is larger than being reported and should inspired NHTSA to force KIA USA to send out a notice to all affected KIA owners and fix this problem at no cost to the consumer. Putting this money out unexpectedly just before Christmas was painful. I would like to be compensated for this expense which is a defect. Thank you. [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2025 | ENGINE | This Type of vehicle has a Recall for Oil Pressure Sensor Switch. I Contact Dealer prior my Warranty Covers. But they keep denying the Repairs. Saying tis types of works its not cover on this Warranty. This Vehicle its a Recall for this Oil Pressure Sensor Switch. The Dealer Kia Dont Want to work with the Client other than offering you. A Trade for a new Vehicle Not A Good Bussiness from Kia. Very Dissapointed | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2025 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | The contact owns a 2019 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving 75-80 MPH, there was oil leaking from the vehicle. The contact also noticed that there was oil on the garage floor. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V202000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the oil pan needed to be replaced. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 101,011. | Crash: No Fire: No | 101,011 |
| Jan 2025 | STRUCTURE | The Sorento is coated with a "Snow White Pearl" paint that started delaminating rapidly. I took it to the dealership at first for a pen touch up, but it started chipping and peeling exponentially quicker lately. This is a serious issue as the paint is the only protector of the body from rust and wear. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2025 | STRUCTURE | There is delamination of the snow pearl white paint. It has been reported and noted at the Kia dealership. Starting on the hood and passenger driver side door. It is literally falling off after a bubble formed under the paint. Kia has pictures of this | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |