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Kia Sorento

Every model year 2016–2027: recalls, owner complaints, NHTSA crash ratings and EPA efficiency side by side, each value traced to the file it came from.

12 Model years 2016–2027

44 Recalls NHTSA campaigns, all years

3,754 Complaints owner reports, all years

A^* Newest grade 2027 Safety Signal

2020 Best on record cleanest filed year

The 2027 Sorento →Which years to avoid Compare it

Kia Sorento — photograph via Wikimedia Commons — Kia Sorento · Photo: © M 93 · CC BY-SA 3.0 de · Wikimedia Commons

Active NHTSA advisory on 8 model years of the Sorento — park outside or do not drive. The year rows below carry it.

Every Kia Sorento model year

Source: NHTSA · EPA · one row per year

Year	Powertrains	Safety	Recalls	Complaints	Crash	Best efficiency
2027	Hybrid Gas	A^*	0	0	—	37 mpg
2026	Plug-in hybrid Hybrid Gas	B	2	9	★★★★★	37 mpg
2025	Plug-in hybrid Hybrid Gas	C	4	134	★★★★★	36 mpg
2024	Plug-in hybrid Hybrid Gas	B	2	51	★★★★★	37 mpg
2023	Plug-in hybrid Hybrid Gas	D	4	165	★★★★☆	37 mpg	Park outside
2022	Plug-in hybrid Hybrid Gas	F	9	227	★★★★☆	37 mpg	Park outside
2021	Hybrid Gas	F	5	275	★★★★☆	37 mpg	Park outside
2020	Gas	B	1	139	★★★★★	25 mpg	Park outside
2019	Gas	B	2	433	★★★★★	25 mpg	Park outside
2018	Gas	D	3	255	★★★★★	24 mpg	Park outside
2017	Gas	D	4	808	★★★★★	24 mpg	Park outside
2016	Gas	F	8	1,258	★★★★★	24 mpg	Park outside

Which model year the record favours

Source: recalls and complaints per year on the road

Years to avoid, with the reasons →Best on the record 2020

On the filed record so far, the 2020 is the cleanest Sorento year we hold, and the 2022 the one to check hardest. The 2022 carries a standing park-outside or do-not-drive advisory, which outranks every other number on this page.

Both figures are divided by the number of years the car has been on sale, because otherwise the oldest year on the page loses every time simply for having been around longer. The current model year and any year under three on the road are left out: their records are not finished.

Year	Safety Signal	Recalls /yr	Complaints /yr
2020	B	0.2	23	Advisory
2019	B	0.3	62	Advisory
2016	F	0.8	126	Advisory
2018	D	0.4	32	Advisory
2017	D	0.4	90	Advisory
2023	D	1.3	55	Advisory
2021	F	1	55	Advisory
2022	F	2.2	57	Advisory

Which Kia Sorento years reported which system early

Source: NHTSA complaints, odometer at report

Earliest on the record: 2019 power train complaints at 0.52× the mileage of same-age vehicles (median 14,000 miles). Latest: 2016 vehicle speed control at 2.2× (66,000 miles).

Year	Engine	Power Train	Electrical System	Exterior Lighting	Steering	Vehicle Speed Control
2022	—	0.74×	—	—	—	—
2021	—	1.32×	—	—	—	—
2019	1.99×	0.52×	1.18×	—	—	—
2018	1.62×	—	—	—	—	—
2017	1.16×	—	1.69×	1.19×	1.0×	0.7×
2016	1.37×	1.44×	1.19×	1.11×	1.04×	2.2×

Each cell is that model year’s median odometer when owners reported the system, divided by the median for the same system across every make’s complaints on the same model year. under 0.67× reported early; 1.5× or more late; a dash means too few readings. When problems get reported, not how often — complaint counts are in the table above. Across the whole fleet: which systems go first.

What owners filed about the Kia Sorento, by system

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer communicationsEvery system, every year →

The systems the federal record is deep on for this nameplate: the complaints per model year, the mileage owners reported them at, and every recall, investigation and manufacturer bulletin filed under the heading — each one linked, none a failure rate.

engine problems 1,744 complaints, every model year transmission and drivetrain problems 530 complaints, every model year electrical problems 517 complaints, every model year exterior lighting problems 255 complaints, every model year steering problems 203 complaints, every model year cruise control problems 118 complaints, every model year

What changed year to year

Source: computed from the filed record

2027: dropped plug-in hybrid; 7 → 6 EPA configurations
2026: best combined mpg 36 → 37
2025: best combined mpg 37 → 36
2022: added plug-in hybrid; 5 → 7 EPA configurations
2021: added hybrid; best combined mpg 25 → 37; 4 → 5 EPA configurations
2019: best combined mpg 24 → 25; 7 → 4 EPA configurations

Compare

All Sorento head-to-heads →Which is better for you? →

Head-to-head	Verdict
2027 Sorento vs Jeep Wrangler · Compact SUV	Sorento +18.6
2027 Sorento vs Subaru Outback · Compact SUV	Sorento +11.9
2027 Sorento vs Honda HR-V · Compact SUV	Sorento +10.6
2027 Sorento vs Chevrolet Blazer · Compact SUV	Blazer +25.8
2027 Sorento vs Chevrolet Equinox · Compact SUV	Equinox +26.8
2027 Sorento vs Honda CR-V · Compact SUV	CR-V +2.7
2026 Sorento vs Toyota RAV4 · Compact SUV	Sorento +5.5
2026 Sorento vs Tesla Model Y · Compact SUV	Sorento +10.9

In the studies

Source: computed from the same record, method on each page

Odometer at first complaint · rank 59 of 79 1.53× the mileage of same-age vehicles Kia Sorento owners reported problems to NHTSA at a median 35,000 miles across 2018–2021 (fleet 23,512), later than vehicles of the same model year. 214 readings.Same trim, next model year · 2025 → 2026 +1.1% at the median across 13 matched trims The manufacturer’s announced MSRP for the 2026 Kia Sorento against the same trim in 2025; the fleet moved +1.8% on 394 matched trims. Base trim $31,990 → $32,390. MSRP excludes destination; not a transaction price.

Common questions about the Kia Sorento

Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kits

Which Kia Sorento year is the best used buy?

On the recall record, the 2020 Sorento comes out top of the years before the current one: Safety Signal grade B (85/100), 1 recall and 139 owner complaints on file. That ranks paperwork, not condition — a specific car's history and service record still decide it.

What Kia Sorento years should I avoid?

2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 have the weakest recall records in this range — one carries an active park-outside or do-not-drive advisory. The year pages list every campaign, its severity and whether a repair exists yet. Every Sorento model year ranked, with the reasons.

How many recalls does the Kia Sorento have?

Across model years 2016–2027, NHTSA has posted 44 recall campaigns for the Kia Sorento. They are counted per model year in the table above, because a campaign almost never covers the whole run — it covers a build range.