2020 Kia Sorento problems and recalls

Owner complaints on the 2020 Kia Sorento include 1 fatality report, 10 crashes and 12 fires across 138 filings.

138
Complaints
1
Recalls
10
Crash reports
12
Fire reports
21
Injuries
160.1
Severity index

Severity index 160.1 High. The index weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints. How it is calculated.

Middle half of all tracked vehiclesThis vehicle: 160.1p25 46p75 80cleanestworst
Severity index against the quartile range for all tracked vehicles.

Ranked 1 of 104 by severity index among 2020 vehicles with at least 40 complaints, highest first. 99% of those vehicles scored lower. Full 2020 ranking.

Components cited in complaints

EngineEngine: 66 complaints (47.8%)66 48%Unknown Or OtherUnknown Or Other: 25 complaints (18.1%)25 18%Electrical SystemElectrical System: 20 complaints (14.5%)20 14%Power TrainPower Train: 18 complaints (13.0%)18 13%Fuel/Propulsion SystemFuel/Propulsion System: 10 complaints (7.2%)10 7%Trailer HitchesTrailer Hitches: 9 complaints (6.5%)9 7%Exterior LightingExterior Lighting: 5 complaints (3.6%)5 4%Service BrakesService Brakes: 5 complaints (3.6%)5 4%
A single complaint can cite more than one component, so shares total over 100%.
ComponentComplaintsShare of complaints citing it
ENGINE6647.8%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER2518.1%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM2014.5%
POWER TRAIN1813.0%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM107.2%
TRAILER HITCHES96.5%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING53.6%
SERVICE BRAKES53.6%

Complaints filed per year

020402020: 72021: 112022: 112023: 212024: 142025: 402026: 34 (partial year)2021222324254026
Complaints by the calendar year they were filed. The hatched bar is the current year to date.
YearComplaints
20207
202111
202211
202321
202414
202540
2026 (year to date)34
Filings in 2023 to 2025 ran 2.6x those in 2020 to 2022 (75 against 29).

Recall campaigns

CampaignReportedComponentSummary
22V70300019/09/2022TRAILER HITCHESKia 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

Other Kia Sorento model years

Severity index for every other model year on file. Compare all 14 years side by side.

Source. NHTSA public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-10-23. Complaints are unverified consumer reports. Totals vary with units sold and years on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.