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 2024 | SERVICE BRAKES | On 3 different occasion when parking in my driveway (on a hill) my car rolled while in park. On the first occasion I almost ran over my wife who was taking our young daughter out of her car seat. Fortunately I was still in the drivers seat and able to press my foot on the brake. On the next two occasions there was nobody around and the car rolled into the street. I have contacted Kia repeatedly to fix this issue and they have done nothing. The dealership says there is nothing wrong and is now refusing to answer calls from myself and Kia. Kia is saying it's up to the dealership to fix. This is incredibly dangerous for people who are not aware there is an issue. The dealer accused me of not activating the parking brake. As I explained to them the car would have rolled me over before I could walk away - so that is impossible. I can't replicate this every time. I have been able to replicate it one other time but did not get it on video. This makes the situation that much more dangerous especially with little kids. I now park every time with my emergency brake engaged. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | Purchased brand new 2023 Sorento on 12/30/23. On Jan 14th, with less than 300 miles on it, had 1st incident. All lights on dash came on said Engine control system, lost all ability to accelerate. Had to get out of traffic, as safely as I could. Turned car off and waited 5 min. Turn car back on, check engine light stayed on but could give gas. Took to dealership and a code was stored in history, engine control module. 3 days later took it back to get fixed and they could reproduce problem or get any code. Put flight recorder on, drove it for 11 miles, nothing. Said they can't fix without a code. On Feb 17th, with 1500 miles, same situation. All lights on dash, cannot give any gas. Extremely dangerous in traffic. Got off road and on display it said it performed 7 checks. All showing good except Engine Management System. Shows condition with engine control system and take to dealership immediately. It was a Saturday, service was closed. Check engine light stayed on Saturday and all day Sunday. Monday, check engine off. Took to dealership, no code found. This is a brand new car and has has same problem twice now. They are saying they need a code to fix. So now I'm driving a ticking time bomb, a death trap. Scared to drive on interstate or anywhere with heavy traffic. When you loose ability to control cars speed, that's EXTREMELY dangerous. I dropped car off at KIA and will NOT pickup until they can tell me what's going on with my brand new car. Why KIA put a safety feature that "limp mode" stops the car from accelerating is beyond me. This is so scary and disappointing. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2024 | POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | On [XXX] while driving and in the process of changing lanes, as I accelerated on the brakes, my Vehicle gave a sudden jerk, at first I figured it was due to the road being wet, but on [XXX] while driving to NYC on [XXX] as we all know we all have to keep up the speed, once again during accelerating my vehicle repeated the same sudden jerk and continue for most of my ride, I brought into KIA on [XXX] with the end result being they did not find this issue, as well as my ongoing issue of my engine light that has been coming on and off for about 5 months now. I do believe my vehicle is having some kind of issue with the transmission and gears are not kicking in during the acceleration process may I add this is on the highway. My vehicle is a 2023 which I purchased in Aug of 2023 and have been in the dealership for shaking during braking engine light on and now gear delay with no resolution to all issues, I will be contacting the Manufactured as my next step in the horrible processes. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2024 | ENGINE | See attached document for complaint | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2024 | STRUCTURE,VISIBILITY/WIPER | Issue occurred and came to like during the past winter snow storm. The hood of the SUV does not allow and blocks the wiper blade arm from being lifted in order to clean ice off the wiper blade nor can the wiper arm be lifted to clear ice and snow under the wiper arm to allow proper operation. This design flaw does not allow safe and clear sight function of the windshield wipers. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2024 | EQUIPMENT | [XXX] was shopping for new vehicle and compared advertised window sticker safety rating to NHTSA rating. The rating on the window sticker was incorrect (stated 5 stars when NHTSA confirms 4 stars). Concerned that this is false advertising and misleading for consumers. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2024 | POWER TRAIN | Transmission Oil light came on and the vehicle lost power. It was determined that the Transmission was faulty with only 3800 miles. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2024 | STEERING | The contact owns a 2023 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, there was an abnormal squealing sound coming from the steering wheel and the steering wheel was difficult to turn. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact stated that the vehicle received an unstated repair; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 1,328. | Crash: No Fire: No | 1,328 |
| Jan 2024 | STEERING | The contact owns a 2023 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, there was squealing sounds coming from the steering wheel and the steering wheel was difficult to turn. The contact stated that several system warning lights illuminated and the check lane departure warning, check speed limit, check high beam assist, and check driver attention messages were displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed but was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 2,400. | Crash: No Fire: No | 2,400 |
| Dec 2023 | STEERING | While driving there is a loud squeak that is coming from the steering column on the left side. The dealerships cannot reperform because it only happens about 60% of the time when driving. We have brought the vehicle in twice now and both times the dealership could not recreate the noise. Many people are having the same issue with the 2022 and 2023 Kia models. They have speculated on what is causing the sound. One individual that was able to get their dealership to work on it said their dealership had to replace the "power pack" which is a steering column control module. Another individual said that their dealership had to emergency order a new steering column to replace it. Each of these makes me believe that there is an issue that Kia is not addressing that is putting the lives of drivers at risk. If the steering control module goes out while driving it could cause the driver to be unable to turn normally and cause an accident, or if something breaks within the steering column that restricts the movement of the steering wheel an individual could go off the road or hit someone. Steering issues are extremely dangerous to the driver and the general public, so I am hopeful that this will help get the ball moving on finding out what is going on with these steering columns before a serious accident occurs. Thank you. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | STEERING,LANE DEPARTURE | Made several attempts to fix squeaking and rattling in steering column when lane keep assist is engaged. Dealership vehicle was purchased from notified me " we cannot replicate the problem", after driving my vehicle 59 miles. I sent multiple of the issue via email and text message. Finally, the service manager agreed to let her shop foreman do a ride along. At this time, Demontrond Kia acknowledged there was an issue. Demontrond Kia diagnosis was " Found vapor lines vibrating on brake lines causing the noise from steering wheel." Kia technicians re-routed vapor lines from brake line and test drove the vehicle another 89 miles. Two days later the same exact issue was still present. At this time, the Service manager has yet to respond back to me. I sent a request for an appointment to take care of the reverse camera recall through the kia access app twice after emailing the Service manager. I still have not heard a response. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 1. I have been complaining about the vehicle turning off by itself. No one is listening to me or telling me what is causing the problem. I have numerous witnesses when the car turns off by itself. It isn’t safe. It could cause a deadly accident. No it’s not the auto shut off either. I have to put the car in park and hope it restarts each time. 2. When auto shut off is in use the vehicle stalls leading it to act like it’s trying to get fuel to move and turns off. I’ve come too close to having accidents. I never know when it will do it. Sometimes I don’t drive it because I don’t want to be held liable for causing an accident and harming somebody's life. 3. I had been complaining to them that I smelled something burning but I couldn’t identify it. I asked them to keep my car and check it out and they refused. While driving in the hottest summer the AC goes out. I immediately took it to the dealership. The worker said we can’t fix it. It'll be a week before they will take my vehicle. The lady was rude and said go to another dealership. It was too hot not to have AC then on top of that it rained the rest of the week and I wasn’t able to work because I couldn’t defog my windows to drive. It finally stopped raining and I was able to get another dealership to check it out and they told me something had burned up that makes the AC work ( I have the paperwork). If they would have checked the car like I asked when I first started complaining about smelling the burning smell this could have been avoided. Also, I don’t get notifications about recalls via mail, phone, call, email etc. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | POWER TRAIN | Transmission problem arised on/about 9/15/23 and 3,000 miles. There is a distinct shudder when shifting through lower gears, more recently, on/around 4,000 miles l, shudder is growing worse, and there is intermittent problems at highway speeds. This is very dangerous, and could cause an accident/injury at any time. I have been to my local Kia dealership 3 times now, who have flight recorded and concurred with me that its the transmission failing, but have been sent home every time with "we don't know exactly what it is, so keep driving it". These symptoms are very similar to the 2021 model years dct transmission recall problems. I know of others with this same problem, and Kia needs to be held liable asap. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Dear NHTSA, I am writing to report a serious safety issue with my 2023 Kia Sorento, purchased in February 2023 from Ken Garff Kia Avondale. In July 2023, I began experiencing alarming issues, including flashing lights, dashboard error messages, and malfunctions, despite the vehicle being unused for several days with no visible damage. The air conditioning system malfunctioned, blowing hot air even when turned off. Upon inspection at the dealership, I was told the front sensor was damaged, with a repair estimate of $1700. However, no visible damage was evident, and I believe this issue should be warranty-covered due to its electronic nature. The dealership noted that 35 others faced similar problems, raising concerns of a manufacturing issue. Despite persistent efforts and a replacement part installed nearly two weeks later, the problem persists. I've incurred nearly $500 in rental car expenses, as the situation remains unresolved, even with involvement from Kia Corporate engineers. My aim in reporting this issue is to ensure consumer safety and seek a prompt resolution, as I continue to make $1k monthly payments for an unused Sorento. I respectfully request your assistance and prompt investigation into this matter. Sincerely, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | SEATS,LANE DEPARTURE | There are two user profiles on the main infotainment system for this vehicle and there are two seat position memory buttons on the door. I am the main driver of the vehicle and have input my seat position into seat memory button #1 on my door making sure my profile on the infotainment is up and the position is confirmed. The system will randomly delete my position and the seat will move to what appears to be the factory setting. I am 5’ 2” so the seat moves lower and so far back I cannot reach the gas nor break pedals. As this has happened what seems like at least 100 times, I mention the problem to the dealer in early August 2023, they had not heard of a similar problem and they ran a diagnostic and all was fine. On Saturday, Sept 9, 2023, I was in the driver seat and put the vehicle into drive. A few seconds later my husband changed the infotainment system from his profile to my profile and the seat went to the factory setting while the vehicle was in drive and I could not reach the gas nor the break pedals. Luckily I had not pressed the gas yet and we were on a flat side street and the vehicle did not move but we were in a residential neighborhood. The second problem has happened around five times with the latest incident on Friday, September 8th. I was on the interstate traveling at 75 mph with light traffic I came up on a few vehicles and noticed the blindspot detectors on both sides of the vehicle did not work while passing the other vehicles. I have also had this happen in heavy traffic with speeds in the 30-50 mph range. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I was cleaning my Kia and I was wiping the back-up camera, the camera housing clip broke and I didnt even put any pressure. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | I was driving down the highway on cruise control going 67 on a 65. The car started revving up and then proceeded to go faster. I turned off the cruise control but its continued to speed up. I stomped on the brake 4 or 5 times with no effect. I rammed into the back of a bus at 110 mph. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 1 Towed | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | My blind spot and forward collision warnings kept going off with any vehicles in front me or in my blind spot. I was on the road by myself and they constantly would go off over and over and nothing covering the sensors. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Driving my vehicle my sunroof glass shatter, now it has a big hole in the middle. The car is at kia in laurel Maryland. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | ENGINE | I just purchased my car four days ago as I was driving on expressway. I got an error that there’s an issue with my engine and cooling system. And the engine light has came on. This car was purchased brand new from a Kia dealership in Dearborn Michigan. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The contact owns a 2023 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brakes spontaneously engaged. The brake warning light was illuminated. The contact stated there was no other vehicles nearby when the failure occurred on several occasions. Additionally, the sunroof was deactivated due to the software being disconnected spontaneously. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure and informed the contact that the manufacturer needed to be contacted to check the logs. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 35,000 |
| Jun 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY | Sunroof on the vehicle blew out out of nowhere. No prior cracks or damage. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | My passenger interior dash and glove box trim are melted. I’ve had it checked out by Kia, however they do not see where an origin could have come from. The day i noticed it, my vehicle had been hit on the front right passenger fender. The melting looked to be electrical or caused by a combustion of sort but we also believe it could have been caused by reflection off of the interior of my vehicle to that spot. I live in Michigan, the temperature was above 80*. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | On 6/6/2023, the sunroof shattered while driving. No rock/debris collided at this time with the sunroof and I believe this is a security malfunction due to the glass overheating. This incident isn't the result of mishandling on our (the consumer's) behalf. The car dealership (VANGUARD KIA of Arlington) has denied responsibility in the defect of this car part. As such, I'm filing on for our situation and warning of others who are at risk. Additionally, no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of the problem were present prior to the failure. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2023 | POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | The contact owns a 2023 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle independently decelerated with the transmission error warning light illuminated. The contact was able to push the vehicle to the side of the roadway. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 12,000. The VIN was not available. | Crash: No Fire: No Towed | 12,000 |