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2021 Kia Sorento

HybridGas
Small Sport Utility Vehicle 2WD
5 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-09-11
F
Safety Signal
39 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record
Recalls3 critical5
Complaintsowner reports to NHTSA263
Crash ratingNHTSA overall4★
Fuel economybest combined, EPA37 mpg
202720262025202420232022202120202019201820172016
Active NHTSA advisory: park outside and away from structures until repaired. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and see the recall details below.

The 2021 Kia Sorento is sold in the U.S. as a hybrid and gas compact SUV with 5 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Sorento Hybrid, is EPA-rated at 37 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for this model year, 3 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of F. Owners have filed 263 complaints, most often about the power train. NHTSA crash-tested it at 4 stars overall.

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov
ConfigurationPowertrainDriveEngine / motorCityHwyCombAnnual fuel*
Sorento HybridHybridFWD1.6L 4-cyl turbo + 270V Li-Ion393537$1,700
Sorento FWDGasFWD2.5L 4-cyl242926$2,400
Sorento FWDGasFWD2.5L 4-cyl turbo222925$2,500
Sorento AWDGasAWD2.5L 4-cyl232524$2,600
Sorento AWDGasAWD2.5L 4-cyl turbo212824$2,600

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 43123, 43272, 43273, 43278, 43279.

Factory warranty running out?

The 2021 Kia Sorento is in the years where transmission, electronics and drivetrain repairs land on the owner. Compare extended-coverage quotes in about two minutes.

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Recalls (5)

Source: NHTSA recall database
!critical

Electrical System

SC351
39,536 vehicles
ProblemKia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Sorento vehicles. The heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) blower motor wiring harness may be inadequate, which can result in a fire.RiskA fire increases the risk of injury.FixDealers will replace the wiring harness and blower motor resistor, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 23, 2026. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC351. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning October 9, 2025.
NHTSA campaign 25V649000reported Sep 25, 2025Kia America, Inc.
▲high

Power Train

SC250
69,038 vehicles
ProblemKia Motors, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Sorento and 2021-2023 K5 vehicles. The vehicle's "fail-safe" limited-mobility drive mode may be impaired, when prompted by a transmission oil pump malfunction, which can result in a complete loss of drive power.RiskLoss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.FixDealers will inspect and replace the transmission, as necessary. Dealers will also update the transmission control unit software. All repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 9, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC250.
NHTSA campaign 22V760000reported Oct 11, 2022Kia America, Inc.
!critical

Trailer Hitches

SC249
Park outside70,887 vehicles
ProblemKia 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 dealership. Debris and moisture accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (PCB) may cause an electrical short, which can result in a fire.RiskA fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.FixOwners 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.
NHTSA campaign 22V703000reported Sep 19, 2022Kia America, Inc.
▲high

Seat Belts

SC241
17,199 vehiclesHybrid only
ProblemKia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Sorento Hybrid and 2022 Sorento Plug-in Hybrid vehicles. In the event of a crash, the front driver-side and/or passenger-side seat belt pretensioner(s) may explode upon deployment.RiskAn exploding seat belt pretensioner can project metal fragments into the vehicle, striking vehicle occupants and resulting in injury.FixDealers will secure the seat belt pretensioners with a cap, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 17, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC241. This recall expands and replaces NHTSA recall number 22V-127. Vehicles already repaired under the previous recall will need to have the new remedy completed.
NHTSA campaign 22V447000reported Jun 23, 2022Kia Motors America
!critical

Fuel System, Gasoline

SC214
21,575 vehicles
ProblemKia Motor America (Kia) is recalling certain 2021 Sorento and 2021-2022 K5 vehicles equipped with 2.5L turbocharged engines. Fuel may leak at the pipe connection between the high-pressure fuel pump and fuel rail.RiskA fuel leak increases the risk of a fire.FixDealers will inspect and tighten, or replace the fuel pipe as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 21, 2021. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC214.
NHTSA campaign 21V519000reported Jul 8, 2021Kia Motors America

NHTSA defect investigations

Electrical System:Propulsion System — Pedestrian alert sounds closed

NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matt

Opened Jan 27, 2023 · closed Aug 7, 2023 · action DP22005

Engine — Loss of Motive Power closed

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a letter dated July 13, 2022, petitioning the Agency to initiate a safety defect investigation into loss of motive power allegations attributed to oil drain pan assembly failures on certain Hyundai Motor America, Inc. and Kia America, Inc. vehicles spanning Model Years (MY) 2005-2021. The Petitioners cited examples of complaints indicating that the subject vehicles were experiencing rapid loss of engine oil due to oil drain plug back outs, resulting in loss of motive power and/or catastrophic engine damage. Additional complaints were provided which alleged that the oil drain pans lack sufficient structural integrity and are

Opened Sep 12, 2022 · closed Dec 12, 2023 · action DP22003

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database
263complaints filed

4 involved a crash · 1 a fire · 1 injuries · 0 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2021: 35 · 2022: 73 · 2023: 24 · 2024: 33 · 2025: 45 · 2026: 53

Most-cited components

Power Train133
Engine74
Electrical System57
Unspecified44
Fuel/Propulsion System25
Vehicle Speed Control12

What owners describe

“Recall SA512 was previously completed on my vehicle. The problem is happening again. Since there are no open recalls, I am unable to get it fixed under the recall.”Jul 15, 2025 · Engine · NHTSA owner report
“On [XXX] we were driving the Kia at slow speed due to snow on the road when a warning light came on which we think said hybrid vehicle failure pull over. The car stopped and the traffic lane with the engine off. The car would not start and we were exposed to traffic. Fortunately, we were on a country road at the time a…”Jan 21, 2025 · Electrical System · NHTSA owner report
“There is a malfunction in the vehicles.computer system that gives a warning about low coolant level for the hybrid battery. It's been been seen by the KIA dealer and the issue keeps arriving.”Dec 22, 2024 · Engine · NHTSA owner report

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP
ConfigurationOverallFrontalSideRolloverRollover risk
SUV AWD★★★★☆★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆16%
SUV AWD★★★★☆★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆16%
SUV FWD★★★★☆★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆16%
SUV FWD★★★★☆★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆16%
SUV FWD★★★★☆★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆16%
SUV FWD★★★★☆★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆16%

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program. Standard driver-assist: forward collision warning, lane departure warning.

Other Sorento model years

A

2027 Kia Sorento

0 recalls · 0 complaints

B

2026 Kia Sorento

2 recalls · 5 complaints

D

2025 Kia Sorento

4 recalls · 125 complaints

B

2024 Kia Sorento

2 recalls · 47 complaints

F

2023 Kia Sorento

4 recalls · 156 complaints

F

2022 Kia Sorento

9 recalls · 221 complaints

B

2020 Kia Sorento

1 recalls · 134 complaints

C

2019 Kia Sorento

2 recalls · 426 complaints

D

2018 Kia Sorento

3 recalls · 252 complaints

F

2017 Kia Sorento

4 recalls · 801 complaints

F

2016 Kia Sorento

8 recalls · 1,248 complaints

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

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