10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
2,209 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2021 Kia Sorento engine problems

engine problem

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2021 Kia Sorento Owner Comments (Page 2 of 2)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #16

Mar 012022

Sorento

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Inverter coolant refill light will not turn off. This is available for inspection. This could be a possible fire risk. Issue has been confirmed at dealership. Components have been inspected by manufacturer. Issue started around 23,000 miles.

- Owasso, Ok, OK, USA

problem #15

Jun 292022

Sorento

  • miles
There is a constant error happening daily where a warning shows -??refill inverter coolant-?? it takes up the main display and no dealer has a fix

- Blaine, MN, USA

problem #14

Jun 072021

Sorento

  • miles
Car jumps when going into reverse, going into a stop and coming off a stop. Hesitates off of stops. Feels like it goes into neutral when going around bends. When I-??m park, it rocks back and forth and rpm-??s go down. It-??s been happening since I bought the car a year ago.

- Furlong, PA, USA

problem #13

Mar 012022

Sorento

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The inverter coolant refill light will illuminate at all times even with the system serviced. Kia has serviced the system but has no solution on how to stop the light. The light also blocks out any other warning that may happen on the dash. With the light illuminated while driving, it is impossible to determine if the system is empty to cause a fire or just a faulty light. The dealership has confirmed the faulty warning light. There are no computer codes associated with the warning light.

- Owasso, Ok, OK, USA

problem #12

May 102022

Sorento

  • 11,978 miles
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently shifted into neutral. The check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 11,978.

- Leesburg, FL, USA

problem #11

May 112022

Sorento

  • miles
Car has been having issues with not starting many times also dealership was contact also was serviced and still having issues.

- Bayonne, NJ, USA

problem #10

May 062022

Sorento

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Less then 25000 miles. I was backing out of a parking place I heard some signal indicator beeps, put the car in park and saw a transmission engine light indicator lit. On the display panel were the options to make an appointment with a dealership or to call roadside assistance with the description of " a possible condition with your transmission control system has been detected. A full system check is recommended to be done when convenient. Please contact your local dealership for an appointment" I called roadside assistance to see if they were able to help me further understand and they could not and suggested I called the dealership. I drove the vehicle home and was hoping a Sensor may have gotten wet as we had a lot of rain and bigger than usual puddles. The next day I started my car the engine light was on again. I drove to the dealership (when I called them they did not answer in the service department). A woman came out to the vehicle and said she could not diagnose what was wrong but as long as I'm not having any difficulty driving, nothing feeling weird, or off that I can bring it in on Monday, two days from today, so we agreed. I went to one store and when I came out the car started and shifted into gear but pressing on the gas no power! it would not go forward it would not go in reverse, nothing! The diagnostic code from my Kia phone app is P1C2D03 I can't find anything about this code.

- Knoxville, TN, USA

problem #9

Mar 262022

Sorento

  • miles
I have a -??21 Sorento hybrid. The refill inverter coolant warning light keeps coming on. The first time it happened was on a road trip. A local dealer told me to check coolant levels and when it was full, told me it was safe to drive. I had it looked at as soon as I got home. By that time, the light had gone off. They flushed and refill the coolant. It happened again within 3 weeks. I took it in again. The dealer inspected said nothing was wrong with vehicle. Safe to drive. Also said I was the second one of these they-??d seen. They were told corporate is working on a fix. I starting a ticket with Kia customer service. It-??s been 9 days and no response from them. I am counting on the dealers being correct and that it is safe.

- Long Beach, MS, USA

problem #8

Apr 042022

Sorento 4-cyl

  • miles
After being driven for 45 miles, with no problems, then parked for 2 hours, then when I started to drive, dashboard lit up "PULL OVER SAFELY IMMEDIATELY". I pulled over, shut car off and restarted. Same notice appeared. Tried again and nothing appeared. I attempted to move the car and it would not engage in drive or reverse. Shut car off, started again and still would not move. Then was towed to a KIA dealership. Upon inspection, I was told it needed a new transmission. Vehicle had 5,606 miles. Car is at dealership since April 4 waiting for new transmission. I was told there are other KIA's also waiting for new transmissions. If I had been driving and car suddenly shut off, it would have been very dangerous (there are many such reports online where people have experienced this). There is documented evidence on line that others with low mileage have had this problem dating back to April 2021. This car needs to be recalled and significant changes made. The car is available for inspection at the dealer's location, Lou Sobh Kia, 1135 Buford Road, Cumming GA 30041 if you need. You can reach me at[XXX] or via email [XXX]. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Gainesville, GA, USA

problem #7

Mar 112022

Sorento

  • miles
Suddenly one morning the transmission didn't work at all. I had to get a towing service to bring the car to the service. After a couple of days, they told me that the car needs a new transmission. BTW, the car ONLY has 12,000 miles!

- Gainesville, VA, USA

problem #6

Feb 162022

Sorento

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

We had just received our Sorento back from being in the shop for 4 months due to being in an accident. Part of the repair work was to have the software updated and reprogrammed at a Kia dealership, which was completed. We picked up the car on Tuesday, Feb 15, 2022, and on Wednesday, Feb. 16, as we were traveling down hwy 27 in Lake Wales, FL, the alert began to ding and the hybrid warning came on, as well as other lights (I can't remember which ones). The car lost acceleration capability, but as we slowed and turned down another road, the car began to slightly accelerate very slowly. We were able to travel another mile, when the acceleration completely stopped. We pulled over to the side of the road and put the car in park. The engine was very rough. The message came on to leave vehicle in park to charge the hybrid battery. When we did that, the engine started for about 5 seconds, then shut off. We attempted this two more times, with the same results. We also tried to jump the car, according to the operator's manual, but it didn't work. We had to have the car towed to the dealership.

- Fort Meade, FL, USA

problem #5

Dec 282021

Sorento

  • miles
Vehicle loses all power at random. First incident was dangerous merging into traffic. The vehicle remains in this condition until restarted. Dealer found no code problems. There are lots of issues with this vehicle and failing transmissions.

- Rineyville, KY, USA

problem #4

Oct 182021

Sorento

  • miles
My 9 month old (9000+ miles) car went completely into neutral while driving without any warning. The speed dropped quickly, and I was very closed to get hit by the car behind. I carefully stopped and turned off the car at a curbside, and it went back to normal when restarted. However, the next day I started the car like normal and found it wouldn't move either forward or reverse with the Check Engine Light on. The car was then towed to the dealership for inspection, and they were able to reproduce the problem. I was told the entire transmission needs to be replaced. The same terrifying experience is seen from multiple internet forums for the same new Kia Sorrento 2021.

- Hockessin, DE, USA

problem #3

Oct 012021

Sorento

  • miles
Power train operation is erratic and unpredictable. I have have experienced the same problems of other reports (loss of power when turning, jerking/rough shifts, cruise control issues) with the addition of this: when stopping the vehicle in a smooth controlled fashion, it suddenly has a boost of acceleration at 1-2 mph which requires extra brake pedal pressure to keep from impacting the car ahead.

- Akron, OH, USA

problem #2

Sep 252021

Sorento 4-cyl

  • 500 miles
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the engine was vibrating abnormally. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer. The dealer set an appointment however, the vehicle had not yet been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 500. Consumer would like to withdrawal the complaint.

- Freeport, FL, USA

problem #1

Apr 152021

Sorento

  • 500 miles
Only had car 8 days with 500 miles. Went to pull away from stop sign and car cut off. When attempted to restart, car advised to place in park first. Once placed in park and pressed start button - all systems went dead. Sparks came from grounding cable under hood. When grounding cable was adjusted, car started turning on and off randomly. After waiting two hours for tow truck, was able to adjust ground cables well enough to drive home. Subsenquently, car was towed to dealership.

- Atlanta, GA, USA

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