2019 Kia Sorento: owner complaints and recalls
Analysis of 418 owner complaints filed with NHTSA and 2 recall campaigns. Updated 2026-07-25.
418
Complaints
2
Recalls
10
Crash reports
19
Fire reports
16
Injuries
67.5
Severity index
Severity index 67.5 - Medium. This weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints; see methodology.
Among the 123 2019 vehicles we track with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2019 Kia Sorento ranks 39 of 123 by severity, where 1 is the worst. Its severity is higher than 68% of its model-year peers. See the full 2019 ranking.
What actually fails
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints citing it |
|---|---|---|
| ENGINE | 151 | 36.1% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 108 | 25.8% |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 67 | 16.0% |
| STRUCTURE | 54 | 12.9% |
| POWER TRAIN | 50 | 12.0% |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 23 | 5.5% |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 22 | 5.3% |
| FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 18 | 4.3% |
The single most-reported system is ENGINE, cited in 151 of 418 complaints (36.1%). One complaint can name several systems, so these shares overlap and do not total 100%.
Complaints filed per year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 5 |
| 2019 | 36 |
| 2020 | 28 |
| 2021 | 14 |
| 2022 | 31 |
| 2023 | 58 |
| 2024 | 107 |
| 2025 | 87 |
| 2026 (year to date) | 52 |
Complaint volume is rising - the last three years carry 3.5x the filings of the three before them, which usually signals a wear-related defect surfacing with age.
Recall campaigns
| Campaign | Reported | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22V703000 | 19/09/2022 | TRAILER HITCHES | Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2016-2022 Sorento, 2021-2022 Sorento Hybrid (HEV), 2022-2023 Sorento Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV), and 2017-2022 Sportage vehicles equipped with a tow hitch harness installed as original equipment, or purchased as an accessory through a Kia d |
| 23V639000 | 15/09/2023 | BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA | Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2019 Sorento vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error, water may leak into the rearview camera, which can cause the rearview camera image not to appear on the display. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Fed |
Source. US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports; volume is influenced by how many units were sold and how long the vehicle has been on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.