2013 Kia Sorento
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 981 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 4th highest complaint count among 23 Sorento model years with reports.
Of the 2013 reports, 23 involved a crash and 44 involved a fire. 33 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Service brakes, hydraulic, antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, control unit/modulePark outsideSep 25, 2023
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2010-2019 Borrego, 2014-2016 Cadenza, 2010-2013 Forte, Forte Koup, Sportage, 2015-2018 K900, 2011-2015 Optima, 2011-2013 Optima Hybrid, Soul, 2012-2017 Rio, 2011-2014 Sorento, and 2010-2011 Rondo vehicles. The Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) may experience an electrical short, which can result in an engine compartment fire while parked or driving.
An engine compartment fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will replace the HECU fuse, free of charge. Interim notification letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed November 14, 2023. Owner notification letters were mailed March 29, 2024 through June 18, 2024. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC284.
Campaign 23V652000 on NHTSA.gov
EngineDec 2, 2020
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2012-2013 Sorento, 2012-2015 Forte and Forte Koup, 2011-2013 Optima Hybrid, 2014-2015 Soul, and 2012 Sportage vehicles. An engine compartment fire can occur while driving.
An engine compartment fire increases the risk of injury.
Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the engine compartment for fuel and/or engine oil leaks, perform an engine test and make any repairs, including engine replacement, as necessary, free of charge. In addition, Kia dealers will update the Knock Sensor Detection System (KSDS) software, free of charge. The recall began January 27, 2021. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC200.
Campaign 20V750000 on NHTSA.gov
Fuel system, gasoline, delivery, hoses, lines/piping, and fittingsDec 19, 2018
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2011-2017 Optima, 2012-2017 Sorento and 2011-2018 Sportage vehicles that previously received an engine replacement under recall number 17V-224, warranty, or the Knock Sensor Detection System (KSDS) Product Improvement Campaign. The high pressure fuel pipe that connects to the fuel pump outlet may have been damaged, misaligned or improperly torqued during the engine replacement procedure, possibly causing a fuel leak.
A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.
Kia has notified owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the fuel pipe, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 17, 2019. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC172.
Campaign 18V907000 on NHTSA.gov
Engine and engine cooling, engineMar 31, 2017
Kia Motor Company (Kia) is recalling certain 2011-2014 Optima, 2012-2014 Sorento and 2011-2013 Sportage vehicles. Machining errors during the engine manufacturing process may cause premature bearing wear within the engine.
Bearing wear may result in the engine seizing, increasing the risk of a crash.
Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the engine assembly, and replace the engine if necessary, free of charge. The recall began June 20, 2017. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC147.
Campaign 17V224000 on NHTSA.gov
Power train, automatic transmissionOct 6, 2015
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Kia Sorento vehicles manufactured October 19, 2009, to January 31, 2013. In the affected vehicles, if excessive force is applied to the gear shift lever, the brake-shift interlock mechanism may chip or crack allowing the transmission being able to be shifted out of "Park" without the brakes being depressed. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection."
Without requiring the brake to be pressed, the vehicle may be unintentionally shifted out of Park, allowing it to roll, which may result in a crash.
Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake-shift interlock mechanism, free of charge. The recall began on November 9, 2015. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC124.
Campaign 15V626000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints
981 reports, newest first.
Service brakes, Hydraulic, Mar 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sorento. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. An unknown local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Service brakes, Hydraulic, Mar 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sorento. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000(Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirm parts not available.
Service brakes, Hydraulic, Mar 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH the check engine and ABS warning light illuminated. There was an abnormal burning odor detected from the engine compartment. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 156,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Service brakes, Hydraulic, Mar 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sorento. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that the ABS warning light was illuminated. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 147,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Service brakes, Hydraulic, Engine, Mar 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that the vehicle was smoking from the engine compartment. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. VIN tool confirms that parts are not available. The failure mileage was unknown.
Air bags, Vehicle speed control, Fuel/propulsion system, Mar 1, 2024
Since I purchased my 2013 KIA SORENTO I have had at least 3 recalls. My vehicle AIR BAG LIGHT is still ON. I have been waiting since last year (2023)to get this recall item repaired and the local dealership has informed me that the part is on ORDER but never received( I have the work order from dealership stating that).. My Anti- thief system won't allow my vehicle to start upon demand I have to wait and turn the key over and let panel lights come on before it starts I have to do this 3x always. I've tried different approach's to rectify this issue, still dealing with it today( March 1, 2024). My speed control sensors had too be replaced. ABS lights would come on and stay illuminated. A lot is going on with my KIA SORENTO. I really enjoy my vehicle until all these recalls started. Now, I'm afraid to drive it as much, due too this FIRE RECALL!!!!!! I have documentation of these recalls.
Service brakes, Hydraulic, Engine, Feb 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sorento. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The failure mileage was 35,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Electrical system, Feb 16, 2024
Received the recall notice from Kia back in November 2023 and have contacted them several times about fixing the problem. On February 8, 2024 took the car in to our local Kia dealer, Overturf, and had a recall inspection performed due to a burnt rubber/plastic smell when driving the car. The recall part said that the car caught on fire and we were concerned that this was the reason for the smell. The service department said they were unable to duplicate the smell, but that our car was one of the ones impacted by the recall. Said no fix for the problem yet so to park the car. This is our main means of transportation. They offered no rental or a loaner car.
Engine and engine cooling, Feb 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sorento. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, there was smoke coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the radiator needed to be replaced due to a hole in the radiator. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 135,000.
Service brakes, Hydraulic, Feb 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sorento. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Service brakes, Hydraulic, Engine and engine cooling, Feb 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The contact was adding additional oil after driving for thirty minutes. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
Engine, Feb 13, 2024
Unknown
Service brakes, Hydraulic, Feb 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sorento. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Other or unspecified, Back over prevention, Feb 9, 2024
About 4 years ago the rear view warning started to get foggy/blurred so it was hard to see what was towards the rear when backing. Contacted dealer about this and of course it was no longer in warranty and I would have to pay a high price to have this replaced. After the view became blank, all your saw were the lines that would show how close you were to another car while backing up I once again ask my dealer about it, if they were having trouble like this on other Kia cars and he would not tell me, just told me the price of replacment. So I started to wonder if this problem showed up on other Kia's
Service brakes, Hydraulic, Feb 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sorento. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Electrical system, Feb 7, 2024
It has been 3 months since first notification, called KIA and dealer today 2/7/2024. Have smelled burning/melting smell. No warning lights so far. Dealer says it still has no remedy and cannot inspect or repair.
Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Feb 7, 2024
I drove with my family south bound on i95 and between exit 6-5 the engine light came on out of no where and the gas peddle and brake stopped working. My luck was that I was on the right lane and I pulled over to shoulder of the highway till the car stopped. after 5-10 min I turned the car on and I was able to crawl to exit 5 ramp driving barely 10-15mph. The engine was making knocking sounds and then it just died in the middle of the exit, where I had to push the car in neutral through the ez-pass booth. We waited for an hour and got a tow truck to tow us to the nearest shop, where the mechanic told me that the engine is done and I need a new engine. I told him when it comes to engine, only an authorized kia dealer repair shop would be able to do the job.
Service brakes, Hydraulic, Feb 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sorento. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Electrical system, Engine, Feb 2, 2024
On February 1, 2024, I was driving home from work. I had been driving for about 20 minutes and out of nowhere almost every dashboard light indicator that exists came on. Initially, it was the ABS, Tire Pressure, and Stability Control. I stopped at a light and all of these lights went off but as soon as I started driving again they came back on along with the AWD, Brake, and Airbag indicators. I drove approximately 10 more minutes and the check engine light came on and I had a loss of power. I was able to get to a road that had less traffic where the car started sputtering, the oil lamp came on, and then the car shut completely off. Prior to shutting off it would not allow me to place the vehicle into any gear other than neutral. I was able to use a battery pack to restart the vehicle temporarily but it started doing the exact same thing before shutting off. I ended up having to push the vehicle out of the middle of the street. Prior to this I had experienced a loss of power and the battery indicator came on so I had the alternator replaced in November 2023 along with the battery. I ended up having to return to the mechanic after I experienced another loss of power. The mechanic checked the alternator and other electrical components and stated that the rear hatch wasn't closed all the way even though there was no indicator on the dashboard. The vehicle seemed to be fine until this. After a little research it appears that I am not the only person with this same make & model that this has happened too - Kia is going to get someone killed!!!!
Engine, Jan 31, 2024
On 11/20/2023 I was entering the freeway when the engine on my Kia completely quit. No lights, no sputtering, no indication at all of an issue. Obviously I lost power steering. I was able to get to the side of the road and try to restart the engine. Would not restart. I had the car towed to my mechanic and called Kia customer service later. I was advised to have it towed to a Kia dealership (fee would be reimbursed), get it diagnosed (fee would be reimbursed), and that the engine would be replaced. The diagnosis was no compression in cylinder 4 and that this is not covered under warranty. I was offered an engine for $6000. Called customer service back and was told they would research the case. Two months later I am told they will not be replacing the engine. I am out a tow fee, diagnostic fee, and have a lawn ornament that I owe $4000 on. This is absolutely a safety issue and Kia needs to be held accountable. To go immediately from power steering to none, engine turning to stalled is not safe! I feel lucky as I was not traveling fast, not trying to merge or pass. I am disgusted that this is not a safety concern and that Kia continues to deny any fault.
Service brakes, Hydraulic, Jan 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sorento. The contact received a notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Service brakes, Hydraulic, Jan 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sorento. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Engine, Jan 22, 2024
raw gas leaking under the engine and causing carbon monoxide poisoning - my entire family could have died. Dropped off the car at Kia Abilene - 325-267-9380. Informed Kia customer service immediately - case# [XXX]. Not getting proper response from Kia - not offering loaner car or repairs . Please follow up and close this ASAP INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Structure, Jan 19, 2024
Color pearl white. Abnormal peeling of paint despite not having any damage to initiate. Along the front and all edges where the doors curve to meet the windows. When there is damage from a rock from the road whole sheets will lift and peel off. This was a defective paint job and should be remedied by Kia.
Engine, Jan 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle suddenly lost automotive power and stalled. The vehicle was later towed to the local service center who diagnosed that the number two engine connecting rod had failed causing a hole in the engine block. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer were not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 201,000.