Complaint volume
103 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
2023 Kia Sorento Complaints
103 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2023 Kia Sorento, grouped by component category.
103 Total complaints
2 Crash reports
2 Fire reports
3 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 unknown or other, power train, electrical system. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 2 crash reports, 2 fire reports, 3 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 11 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 21,512 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to unknown or other, power train, electrical system?
- 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 2023 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.
2023 Kia Sorento
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2023 Kia Sorento complaints?
2 Crash
2 Fire
3 Injury
0 Fatality
3 Towed
2 Medical attention
What are the most common 2023 Kia Sorento complaint categories?
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 17
POWER TRAIN 8
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 6
ENGINE 6
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 5
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 3
SERVICE BRAKES 3
STEERING 3
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 2
103 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Vehicle gear slipping acceleration loss with difficulty in proper control of the vehicle. Vehicle has a consistent noise that comes from the accelerator as if something was loose and vibrating. The wheels don’t seem to be moving at the same time and feels like the cars slightly moves side to side as if something in the structure of the vehicle has como off loose with sounds/ rattle coming from the passenger side and back. The vehicle has have wheels aligned and checked more than 6 times with continuous problems and no real solution from the dealers. The dealer has stated everything is fine and to go back if a light sensor turns on. They have said every excuse possible, from telling me that I don’t know to drive the vehicle to having the cops called on me to be removed from the premises . To the dealership telling me they will not check the vehicle. I have gone to 5 different dealership and they refuse to acknowledge my concern with the vehicle. I went ahead and place the vehicle on a lemon law and settled with Kia stating they would validate the warranty. The problem is the dealership have told me that they have to do lots of paperwork and they have to replicate the problem, but have me drive the vehicle instead of them . They stated they only drive the vehicle for about five minutes. The service advisor at time have requested authorization from me inorder for them to drive the car. When asked for a mechanic to do the testing, Ive been told they are may no be available and are working on other vehicles.I have stated the vehicle starts presenting the problem after it has been driven for a while. Again the dealership dismisses all of my claims. The vehicle doesn’t feel safe to drive and I fear a collision may happen putting my life and others at risk. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | Was driving up a hill when the 'Auto-Off' light started flashing on the driver display. Car would not accelerate above 20mph. At the top of the hill, I switched gears to neutral and the car began operating as expected; however, the same behavior occurred again at the next hill. Pulled over and restarted the car. Car worked as expected after restart. This is dangerous. I was taking my daughter to school in morning rush hour traffic. We live in a very hilly area and I'm terrified to drive the car. I dropped it off at the dealership almost 2 weeks ago and they have yet to identify the issue. I do see similar complaints on this site so I'm hoping that you are investigating. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2024 | ENGINE | Engine consuming excessive oil between oil changes. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2024 | POWER TRAIN | When I start driving, there’s a lot of hesitation like it’s going to stall and it also does this going up hills or mountains? I was on the interstate and there was a line of cars behind me and my car started to hesitate and almost stall, causing all cars behind me to break to not cause a domino effect accident I have reported this to the Kia dealer and knowing that there’s a lot of DCT problems that are posted all over the Internet they are saying there is no problem with the car upon doing research again there is a lot of DCT reporting of Kia’s not just my Sorrento please do some research on this and help me. We just bought this car. There is 13,000 miles on it. It should not be doing this and again I’m going to a different Kia to see if they say the same thing. Below you ask for a date that this happened there is too many dates to enter, but I will try to enter the very first one that we experienced. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES | What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? I was driving and the car completely shut down- I could not use my brakes or accelerate. I had to pull along the road in ongoing traffic to coast to a stop. I lost all control. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? I was in traffic and the cars behind me had to slow down immediately, I could not speed up or even brake to come to a stop. Others around me as well as myself were in danger. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? They reviewed and said they scanned it and did a drive test and could not find the cause. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Yes, It was seen at the Kia dealer I bought it from. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? As soon as the vehicle lost power there was a warning sign on the dash that showed "limit" with a half circle emblem. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2024 | POWER TRAIN | Transmission Warning Indicator appears on Dashboard Cluster and vehicle bucks and stalls and won't shift properly. Dealership found Transmission was never filled properly and below specifications according to Kia Service and was verified the fluid level was extremely low and not filled to specification from factory. The dealership filled transmission to proper level and test drove vehicle. Issue seamed to be fixed. But now a month later same transmission is is happening with Transmission warning Indicator and vehicle bucking and not shifting properly causing erratic vehicle behavior and safety issues. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | While driving vehicle looses throttle power, goes into limb mode. Does not throw any codes. Turn the car off then back on and drives fine for a little bit. Has happened numerous times. Multiple trips to the dealership but since no codes pop up nothing can be fixed. Major safety issue!!!! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Mounting bracket for the backup camera failed and caused the camera to dangle from the car. This caused me to not be able to use the camera to view objects and surroundings directly behind the vehicle. A dealer said they fixed the part back when it was originally recalled, but the new bracket broke and the dealer is refusing to fix the issue. They said the initial recall was completed and the part is now out of warranty and therefore they will not fix it, even though the exact part that was recalled originally has now failed again. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2024 | POWER TRAIN | Car is a huge safety issue. Seems to be DCT transmission issue. Car gets stuck in first or second gear and revs all the way up. Happened multiple times getting on highway or at intersections. This has almost caused multiple accidents for me. You can push the pedal to the floor and it won’t do anything. The only temp fix is turning car off and back on. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2024 | POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | I had just entered the highway and reached highway speed of 70 mph. Without any warning, the engine died, all of the dashboard lights came on, and I was unable to accelerate. Thankfully I was in the right-hand lane and there was an exit ramp a short distance ahead. The car decelerated as it had no power, and cars behind me were honking. I was able to exit the highway and coast into a parking lot just off the frontage road. Had I not been able to get off the highway, the vehicle would have been stalled in fast-moving traffic, and a pile-up could have easily occurred. I turned the car off using the push button start/stop, waited several minutes, and restarted the car. The check engine light was on and the car diagnostics system reported an issue with the "engine management system." Upon clicking the details link, the diagnostics system further stated "A possible condition with your Engine Control System has been detected. A full system check is recommended to be done soon. Please contact your local dealership to schedule an appointment." I took the car to a local Kia dealership, and they stated they could not recreate the problem. They reported they "inspected the vehicle for DTC's and found code PO65312 in history." They cleared the code and reported, in writing, that "no issues found during test drive, vehicle currently operating properly, no further action taken" and gave the car back to me without fixing anything. They stated it may need to be diagnosed for longer ext diag time. The vehicle is available for inspection, and I would appreciate any help I can get as I got no help at the dealership. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2024 | STEERING,LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | When attempting to start the car, the engine will not start and every alert system and dashboard light turns on. The car is undriveable when it does this. It takes 5-10 minutes of turning the car on and off before it stops and is drivable again. It does not happen every time and seems to be random. This has happened 5 times. An additional 6th time this same issue happened while I was driving - all of the dashboard lights went on, and every alert / warning turned on (forward collision, lane warning, etc). The steering wheel also became stiff and extremely difficult to turn. I have been attempting to work with 2 different Kia service departments and their corporate escalations department without luck. They are unable to replicate the issue and are planning to give the car back to us. After seeing so many similar or same issues reported on various forums I am filing a NHTSA claim. (One forum example here: [XXX] ) INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | The vehicle was purchased new. From day one, there were issues. When it was delivered from the factory, it was discovered to be partly unpainted. This raised quality concerns. So far, the most serious has been that the motor blower failed at approximately 29,700 miles. This resulted in the vehicle filling with noxious fumes. It then had to be abandoned on the side of the highway. This led to a fire dispatch and later urgent care visits. Prior to towing, it was discovered that the AC was not working and the engine coolant reservoir was at ~ 1/4 of the minimum line. Ultimately, the vehicle was towed to King KIA. They held the vehicle for 2 weeks. They drove the vehicle 16 miles. However, they did not diagnose the problem. The only action that they took was to refill the engine coolant reservoir. Prior to pick-up, we notified the KIA Customer Service Escalation Case Manager in writing that the vehicle had not been fixed and continued to represent a safety risk to our family. They took no further action. After pick-up, the vehicle was driven approximately 35 miles before the smoke started to fill the engine cabin. It was taken to two independent mechanics along the side of the highway. One was Vienna Auto Care and the other was Jiffy Lube Auto Care. Both identified that the motor blower resistor had likely failed. The JLAC manager also identified white material on the engine manifold believed to be engine coolant. All was documented in writing. The vehicle was towed back to King KIA. Prior to towing, the JLAC manager told us that melted motor blower casing was highly toxic. (Later, the KIA Case Manager informed us that he would admit that our family was put at risk by being told to pick-up the unfixed vehicle.) He also told us that if the motor blower failed then it likely was not an isolated case. This time, the motor blower failure was reproduced. However, the engine coolant issue has yet to be resolved. We are now being instructed to pick-up the car again. | Crash: No Fire: No Injuries: 1 Medical attention | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | ENGINE | This was an alarming situation. I was taking my wife for a cancer treatment in our 2023 KIA Sorrento with 2600 miles on it. The instrument panel showed a A with a circle around it, blinking continuously. I was going up a grade in a town and the car would not accelerate. All of a sudden the engine SURGED the brakes would not stop the car, I put it into neutral and went into a parking lot. If there would have ben a car in front of me or no place to pull over there would have been a serious accident. I called the KIA dealership and took it in for a diagnostic test. Nothing wrong with car was their answer. In the mean time I am afraid to drive the car. I am [XXX] and reflexes are not as good as they were [XXX] . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | Twice while driving on the highway the engine power went off and all the safety lights flash and I could not accelerate. I was able to pull Over in neutral and restart the engine. When taken in for inspection, no problems were found. It happened again in June after the 7500 mile inspection on May 9th. This issue is life threatening as it could easily cause a fatal crash if I was not in the right lane, on flat ground, with a shoulder. There was no warning light. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | ENGINE,LANE DEPARTURE | The blind spot assist warning came on, with no other cars around, and then the engine seized. This Sorento is a 2023 and only had 29000 miles. The engine is now destroyed and kia is not upholding the warranty. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | On the morning of July 14, 2024 I noticed a crack on the driver side on the window. The crack appeared on the bottom of the window and travel upwards where it ended. This morning July 15, 2024, the crack spread across towards the passenger side of the vehicle. Nothing hit the window for it to develop a crack as my car was parked in the driveway and there were no markings on the window. I do put on the window sun visor to keep the excessive heat out of the car. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | The contact owns a 2023 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that the engine START/STOP feature was malfunctioning. The contact stated that while at a complete stop, the engine START/STOP system caused the vehicle to restart, and then to stall, nearly causing a crash. The battery warning light was illuminated and the message "Shift to Park to Start Vehicle" was displayed. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 1,200. | Crash: No Fire: No | 1,200 |
| Jun 2024 | SEATS | THIS IS THE SECOND REPORT I AM MAKING. As in my last report this involves the driver’s seat and changing profiles on the infotainment system. - The driver’s seat/profile will keep my settings for a few weeks or months and then it randomly forgets and resets to the factory settings. - On June 18, 2024 the infotainment profile was set for my husband. I switched to my profile and was backing out of my garage and the seat switched to factory settings while the car was actively in reverse. I am short and could not reach the break or gas pedal! - The dealer has not had any other complaints like this. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2024 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | While driving on 3 separate occasions the AEB engaged causing vehicle to stop completely in the middle of the roadway with nobody in front or on the side and Im not too sure if anyone was behind. Vehicle was going 50mph on two occasions and 35mph on the third occasion. Took to dealership was told there is nothing they could do about it unless the vehicle is giving off code(s). Called the dealership again when incident occurred told me the same thing, finally when the third time it happened I contacted KIA Corporate made a case and now waiting for a call back. Very concerning safety issue that needs to be recalled | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | CURRENT MILEAGE 6,776 miles -Purchased the vehicle and on two occasions the AEB Emergency brake system came on twice without any cars around- Also, twice the engine shutdown light came on and acceleration has stopped on me and the vehicle stalled, which is dangerous if Im on the parkway or road where I cant pull over like a bridge. NICE LOOKING CAR BUT DONT BE FOOLED- A RECALL NEEDS TO BE SENT TO PROTECT OTHERS FROM A CRASH IMMEDIATELY. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | I bought a 2023 Kia Sorento SX with 11 miles on the vehicle in June of 2023, On 7/17/23, within a month and a half of driving it, it would lose all power and would not respond to excelleration, whereby coasting to the side of the road. All warning lights would come on, 3 codes popped up, one of which is the malfunction of the engine. I would turn it off and back on to reset the computer and it would drive. I took it to my local Kia service department and they cleared off the codes and couldn't recreate or duplicate the problem. On 8/23/23 I experienced the exact same experience the same scenario, but this time I could barely pull over it had loss of power and I was about to drive through an intersection. Took it back to service they performed a complete check without success they kept it for 2 weeks to try and duplicate the problem, wasn't fixed. The 3rd time on 5/06/24, same problem, they still don't know what causes the car to lose power. I am concerned that the car will cause a fatality to myself, my family, or to another motorist. This car is not safe to drive because the computer systems shut down while driving and it is sporadic and unnerving when it happens. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2024 | POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | As I was driving the car it suddenly lost power… then all warning and sensor lights came on in the dash. I pulled the car over and restarted and the engine turned on but would not engage to drive. It was stuck. Multiple engine and transmission warning codes appeared on my Kia app for the car. Kia’s response to resolve has been non existent. I am fearful for my safety if this happens again. It’s the second time. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2024 | POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Engine light came on and I don’t have 30,000 miles on my car. The service tech informed me that they’ve seen this and Kia had not issued a recall | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | The contact owns a 2023 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, several unknown warning lights and messages flashed on the instrument panel. The contact was forced to pull over and restart the vehicle due to the failure. The failure was intermittent. The vehicle had been taken to the dealer on multiple occasions; however, the dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a claim was filed. The vehicle was not repaired and remained in the possession of the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 2,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 2,000 |
| Mar 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Battery draining on new car after new battery replacement. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |