2018 KIA SORENTO — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 248 complaints · 3 recalls
Most-reported system: ENGINE (85 complaints · 34.3%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 12
  • Fires 11
  • Injuries 11
  • Deaths 1
Compare with 2017 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution ENGINE appears in 85 of 248 owner complaints (34.3%) in this vehicle snapshot. ENGINE: 85 complaints, 34.3% of reports ENGINE 85 · 34.3% · 5 fire reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING: 35 complaints, 14.1% of reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING 35 · 14.1% STEERING: 25 complaints, 10.1% of reports STEERING 25 · 10.1% · 1 fire reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 11 complaints, 4.4% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 11 · 4.4% AIR BAGS: 8 complaints, 3.2% of reports AIR BAGS 8 · 3.2% · 6 crash reports FUEL SYSTEM: 7 complaints, 2.8% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 7 · 2.8% POWER TRAIN: 5 complaints, 2.0% of reports POWER TRAIN 5 · 2.0% STRUCTURE: 5 complaints, 2.0% of reports STRUCTURE 5 · 2.0% VISIBILITY: 5 complaints, 2.0% of reports VISIBILITY 5 · 2.0% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 61 complaints, 24.6% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 61 · 24.6% · 4 crash reports 5 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
ENGINE 85 34.3% 0 crashes · 5 fires
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 35 14.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
STEERING 25 10.1% 0 crashes · 1 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 11 4.4% 0 crashes · 0 fires
AIR BAGS 8 3.2% 6 crashes · 0 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 7 2.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 5 2.0% 0 crashes · 0 fires
STRUCTURE 5 2.0% 0 crashes · 0 fires
VISIBILITY 5 2.0% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 61 24.6% 4 crashes · 5 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Oct 2017; the first recall shown was reported in Dec 2017. 2017-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2018-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2018-Q4: 7 owner reports 7 2019-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 2019-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2019-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2020-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2020-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2020-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2020-Q4: 11 owner reports 11 2021-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2021-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2021-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2022-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 2022-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2022-Q3: 11 owner reports 11 2022-Q4: 11 owner reports 11 2023-Q1: 10 owner reports 10 2023-Q2: 10 owner reports 10 2023-Q3: 10 owner reports 10 2023-Q4: 11 owner reports 11 2024-Q1: 12 owner reports 12 2024-Q2: 12 owner reports 12 2024-Q3: 10 owner reports 10 2024-Q4: 15 owner reports 15 2025-Q1: 8 owner reports 8 2025-Q2: 9 owner reports 9 2025-Q3: 14 owner reports 14 2025-Q4: 10 owner reports 10 2026-Q1: 15 owner reports 15 2026-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2026-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Oct 2017 Jul 2026 Recall campaign 17V784000 ◆ Recall campaign 17V784000 Recall campaign 18V656000 ◆ Recall campaign 18V656000 Recall campaign 22V703000 ◆ Recall campaign 22V703000 Investigation DP22003 ● Investigation DP22003
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2017-Q4 Owner reports 1
2018-Q1 Owner reports 2
2018-Q2 Owner reports 2
2018-Q4 Owner reports 7
2019-Q1 Owner reports 7
2019-Q2 Owner reports 1
2019-Q3 Owner reports 6
2019-Q4 Owner reports 2
2020-Q1 Owner reports 2
2020-Q2 Owner reports 3
2020-Q3 Owner reports 5
2020-Q4 Owner reports 11
2021-Q1 Owner reports 4
2021-Q2 Owner reports 1
2021-Q3 Owner reports 3
2021-Q4 Owner reports 4
2022-Q1 Owner reports 7
2022-Q2 Owner reports 6
2022-Q3 Owner reports 11
2022-Q4 Owner reports 11
2023-Q1 Owner reports 10
2023-Q2 Owner reports 10
2023-Q3 Owner reports 10
2023-Q4 Owner reports 11
2024-Q1 Owner reports 12
2024-Q2 Owner reports 12
2024-Q3 Owner reports 10
2024-Q4 Owner reports 15
2025-Q1 Owner reports 8
2025-Q2 Owner reports 9
2025-Q3 Owner reports 14
2025-Q4 Owner reports 10
2026-Q1 Owner reports 15
2026-Q2 Owner reports 5
2026-Q3 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 17V784000
Recall campaign 1 18V656000
Recall campaign 1 22V703000
Defect investigation 1 DP22003
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (3)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 17V784000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    If the component detaches during deployment, it may enter the passenger compartment and be a projectile within the vehicle cabin, increasing the risk of injury.
    Remedy:
    Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver and passenger side curtain air bags, free of charge. The recall began on December 18, 2017. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC159.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 18V656000

    Report date
    Component:
    STEERING
    Consequence:
    If the steering column separates, it can cause a loss of steering ability, increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the cowl crossbar, free of charge. The recall began October 26, 2018. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC167.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 22V703000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
    Remedy:
    Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will inspect the vehicle, and, as necessary, replace the fuse and/or tow hitch harness module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 11, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC249.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 248 complaints · page 1 of 10

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources