2019 Kia Sorento
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 428 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 8th highest complaint count among 23 Sorento model years with reports.
Of the 2019 reports, 10 involved a crash and 19 involved a fire. 16 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Back over prevention, sensing system, cameraSep 15, 2023
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2019 Sorento vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error, water may leak into the rearview camera, which can cause the rearview camera image not to appear on the display. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
A rearview camera that does not display an image can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will inspect the rearview camera and add additional water proofing to the camera harness, or replace the camera as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 8, 2024. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC282.
Campaign 23V639000 on NHTSA.gov
Trailer hitchesPark outsideSep 19, 2022
Kia 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.
A 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 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.
Campaign 22V703000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints
428 reports, newest first.
Suspension, Power train, Forward collision avoidance, Sep 6, 2022
I purchased my Kia Sorento in 2020. It was a used 2019 with 7,000 miles. I immediately noticed that it would squeak rather loud and bounce high when driving over very small humps on the roads. Being that I'm no mechanical savvy, I assumed this was normal for SUV's because I've driven sedans all my life. Anyways, I was informed of the issue when going to a tire repair shop asking why my back tires sounds so harsh when driving. I was told that there are waves in my tires due to the shocks. and that the shocks has had to have issues for a while to now change the formation of the tires. I have now read several Kia forums and there are lots of Kia Sorento owners who have suspension issues close or the same as mine. Another issue is the automatic emergency brake. I was unaware of this feature until one day having to make a sudden stop and the vehicle stopped and shut off on its own almost causing me to be hit in the rear. This event was very traumatizing. I googled this feature and thought that I had turned it off but I realize that I can't make it go away and it is a very dangerous feature to have. My vehicle does not have as much driving experience as I do and I am capable of controlling my vehicle to avoid an accident if I need to without the assistance of a computer which has almost caused nearly fatal accidents by immediate stops or shutting off the vehicle causing me to not be able to control the vehicle myself. Another defect is the powered trunk. Whether I open it from the button near the steering wheel or the button on the rear gate, the trunk will immediately close on its own after opening; sometimes closing down on the top of the head of my children or myself. I selected to disable the "smart" feature but it does not stop it. The last defect is electrical. I have replaced the same internal light near the rear view mirror, and it continues to go out. This is an indication of an electrical issue and with my Kia only having 54,000 miles, further action is needed.
Forward collision avoidance, Aug 30, 2022
when vehicle is started and put in drive, you go about 5-10 feet and the FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE ASSIST, warning lights come on dash. Bright orange triangle with a exclamation mark,& 2 orange cars crashing symbol,& middle display says FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE ASSIST(FCA)SYSTEM DISABLED. RADAD BLOCKED. And the warning lights remain on. I have taken to KIA East in Louisville, they say my vehicle is fine, no problems. My advisor even told me that they popped off the plastic bumper and removed the radar and cleaned it.(I was told that if they did that the radar would have to be recalibrated--and it was not). When I left the dealership the warning lights came on and I took it back in and they still tell me they worked on it and its fine. called Kia Consumer, they tell me to video and get it back in the shop that if its throwing codes there is no problem. I told her I don't feel comfortable trying to drive and video my dash board, but did have a passenger help with this task. Lights come on every time you start it and proceed forward. I also reported how sluggish on take off and how it does not want to speed up and almost get hit if you pullout in traffic and then how it lunges forward and the accelerates very hard. I feel this is a very unsafe vehicle and they are giving me the run around Kia Consumer telling me to take it to other kia dealerships for service that are miles away from me. the documentation from the dealership just says can't duplicate and no real written explanation of what was done to my vehicle. it took 3 months to get my vehicle even checked at the dealership. i even took my vehicle to a local body shop to make sure it had not been hit and it had not. Please help me get this taken care of.
Exterior lighting, Aug 23, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that the front passenger side headlamp failed. The vehicle was taken to Carmax where the headlamp was replaced however, the front driver's side headlamp failed. No warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
Power train, Aug 11, 2022
The transmission is not shifting from first to second or third to fourth gear. RPMs jump between 4-5 and it won't accelerate. Dealership was able to replicate issue but no codes appeared during scan. They put in a ticket. It has stopped in traffic already. I was able to shut off and restart but this is dangerous.
Engine, Aug 1, 2022
The car has issues with accelerating, with huge hesitations that almost feel like the car is going to stop, causing a jerking feeling. This especially happens on the expressway, initially at around 20 mph and then around 50+ mph. Have taken the car to be serviced with no resolution for the issue after over two weeks and now my check engine light constantlystays on. Other Kia owners have expressed noticing similar issues with their Sorento. This is a big concern, as it has the potential to cause several accidents nationwide.
Structure, Jul 27, 2022
The white pearl paint on my 2019 Kia Sorento has started chipping in some spots without any impacts or action that would affect it. I feel that this could expand and maybe chip a large portion of the hood paint while I am driving, which may cause me to react erratically and maybe cause an accident. I have seen many complaints online recently of other owners encountering the same problem. I have taken the SUV to the dealer many times for maintenance, but they have not attempted to repair the issue. No lights or alarms have presented themselves prior to this issue, which I first noticed while washing my car in January 2022.
Other or unspecified, Jul 24, 2022
On July 21 year 2022 my Kia Sorento was stolen. I am Under the impression that Kia did not fix the problem of the ease of getting into a locked car as well as fixing the problem of how easy it is to start the engine and drive off. I am very disappointed and will never buy a Kia product again. This was my second and final Kia. I feel Kia is responsible for my car being stolen because the problem Of accessibility was not fixed even though Kia was aware of the problem. I would like some kind of reimbursement for the anguish and trouble this has caused. A police report has been filed on this incident.
Other or unspecified, Jul 13, 2022
My vehicle was stolen in a parking lot full of other vehicles. I now know about the design flaw, making it easy for Kias to be stolen. This needs to be resolved immediately via a recall by Kia to fix this flaw and to prevent other Kia owners from going through this.
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Jul 10, 2022
Engine stutters and jerks upon acceleration. Happens in every driving mode (Comfort / Eco / Smart / Sport). This has been a persistent safety issue, and judging by the number of similar complaints, a speedy resolution is needed.
Exterior lighting, Jul 6, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at night with the low-beam headlights activated, the light beam was bouncing up and down and moving from side to side presenting a visible shadow within the light beam, causing a visibility hazard for the driver. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who replaced the driver’s side headlight assembly and the movable headlight controller; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 30,000.
Seats, Engine, May 31, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. Additionally, the front passenger's seat was not able to move forward or backward. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 56,000.
Steering, Electrical system, May 20, 2022
There is a hiss noise coming from the steering when you are making a left or right turn.
Structure, May 11, 2022
Front bumper (black) is peeling. Local repair shop said the bumper was not properly primed before they (KIA) painted them. Peeling started 9/15/2021
Fuel system, Gasoline, May 11, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V519000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.
Power train, May 6, 2022
JERKS IN LOWER GEARS AND SOMETIMES SPEADS UP WHEN YOU'RE ABOUT TO STOP AND/OR SLOW DOWN & WHEN YOU MAKE A TURN, CAUSED ME TO GET INTO AN ACCIDENT ON i95 WHILE MY KIDS WERE IN THE CAR WITH ME!!!! WHEN I TRIED TO BREAK THE CAR SLIGHTLY SPED UP BEFORE STOPPING CAUSING ME TO REAR END ANOTHER VEHICLE. THIS IS MY SECOND KIA CAR, THE FIRST WAS AN OPTIMA. I THOUGHT KIA'S WERE STRONG, RELIABLE AND SAFE CARS. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE!!!
Fuel/propulsion system, Apr 20, 2022
What component failed-High pressure fuel pump. It would have to be towed from place of inspected. They cannot put the part back inside the car; the part went "poof" into big chunks after it was taken apart. Mine and my children's saftey; our lives were put at risk on April 5th, 2022. We were driving home from school in a 40 mph zone. At the stop light when the light had turned green when the gas pedal was pressed down the car drove at less then 5mph and then stalled out. There was zero power to the gas pedal. We had to pull over and restart car and hope there was power. We were only down the street from our home. I had to baby the gas pedal and could not get to pass 10 mph in a 40mph zone and then a 25mph zone. The car then sat on our driveway until we could take it to our auto shop on April 19th, 2022. The KIA then turned on and had the check engine light on now. The car would drive up to 38mph in Eco mode only before it would start to spurter and slow down itself on its own. There was hardly any power to the gas pump again. When I entered the auto parking lot there was a very faint squeal sound coming from the engine area. When the auto place called they told us when the part was taken out "the internal parts disintegratend" and the part cannot be placed back in the KIA. The high pressure fuel pump did not handle the "fuel pressure". This has been a concern for many KIA's that have come through the auto place. They had said they have seen KIA's of all styles as far back to 2017 having this issue and that the part is on a national back order with zero ETA of being back in stock. How can a car part not be on a recall and be on a national back order. I had called PEAK KIA in Littleton, CO. I was told that the high pressure fuel pump went bad on my account.
Visibility/wiper, Apr 9, 2022
During use wipers at times will random stop in up position on windshield. Intermittent problem will start working again after toggling wiper switch.
Air bags, Mar 31, 2022, crash
The contact owned a 2019 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, she lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a lamp post. The air bags did not deploy upon impact. The contact's wife later received medical treatment for a fractured vertebra, right hip, and groin injury. No police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot and deemed totaled by the insurance company. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000. The VIN was unavailable.
Forward collision avoidance, Feb 13, 2022
Whenever I am stopped at a stoplight and in the close vicinity of a vehicle powered by electricity (specifically Tesla) or dual powered vehicles, the front warning lights start acting up. First going to (green) warning, then to (yellow) warning, and sometimes all the way to (red) warning. This happens even when the stopped vehicle is in the lane next to me and is parallel to me. The whole time all vehicles are stopped and waiting for the traffic to start moving. In my opinion this is very dangerous. Hopefully this is not affecting any of the other computer functions. This has been going on for at least 5 months. Consumer stated it only started about 6 months ago and really is only the late model Tesla an Prius models that cause the crash sensors to go off.
Power train, Feb 9, 2022
Vehicle hesitates upon acceleration on takeoff. At times it will almost stop. This has been a problem since purchase date 7/11/2019. Dealer has no solution and there has been no recall. Dealer has other 2019 Sorentos with the same problem, but has not been able to duplicate the problem with our vehicle. This is very problematic when pulling into traffic from a standstill or accelerating from a stop light. No inspections have been made other than dealer. No warning signals have ever appeared.....JUST A DEFINITE HESITATION UPON ACCELERATION.
Structure, Other or unspecified, Dec 22, 2021
My 2019 Snow White KIA Sorento paint started peeling up on the driver side hood and wasn't caused by any type of damage. Took the vehicle to the local KIA dealership and was told that my 3 year 36000 mile warranty was expired and there was nothing they would do to correct this issue.
Exterior lighting, Visibility/wiper, Dec 6, 2021
THIS IS ONGOING CONDITION FROM DELIVERY OF VEHICLE. BASED ON CAR COMPLAINTS ALREADY FILED ON CAR COMPLAINTS.COM WE BELIEVE KIA KNOWS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. THERE IS SOME SORT OF RELATIONSHIP OF NIGHT DRIVING AND LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS THAT CAUSES VERY DARK SHADOW ON WINDSHIELD THAT ABSTRUCTS DRIVER VISION. WE FURTHER ASSERT THAT KNOWING THIS KIA WILLFULLY ADJUSTS HEADLIGHTS TOO HIGH TO TRY TO CONCEAL PROBLEM.(DEALER SAID THEY WERE SET 8" TOO HIGH. BUT WHEN ADJUSTED TO FACTORY SETTINGS THE PROBLEM GOT WORSE. CASE NUMBER ENTERED WITH KIA. NOW IN ESCALATION MODE ... HOWEVER WE LIVE ON TOP OF A MOUNTAIN WITH 3000 FOOT DROPS IF OUR VISION IS OBSTRUCTED AND WE MISS EDGE OF ROAD. THE HEADLIGHTS WERE ADJUSTED BACK TO THE HIGHER SETTING BUT WE FEEL THAT WILL BLIND ON COMING CARS STILL ANOTHER SAFETY DANGER. KIA MUST FIX THIS PROBLEM. i HAVE PHOTOS TO SHOW THIS LIMITED VISION NIGHT DRIVING LOW BEAM RURAL ROAD SAFETY PROB LEM
Exterior lighting, Nov 22, 2021
In September 2021 the driver side turn signal would intermediately work. Replaced the bulb twice with no difference. Upon further inspection, found 2 wires corroded together. Being the vehicle is still under warranty, the Sorento was taken to a Kia dealership in October 2021 which we were told it was damage and not under warranty, and a new harness would need to be installed. No mentioned of why the wires over heated, became brittle, and melted together. During that time, the headlight functions started to decrease drastically as I refused a new harness install being that wouldn't solve the problem of why it happened. No warning lights appeared on dash, no messages, just our first clue something was wrong was the driver turn signal was working in spurts. I ended up pig tailing the light socket in fear of a fire and to fight Kia as this is a dangerous situation.
Exterior lighting, Nov 15, 2021
The factory design of the low beam headlights seems to have a feature that prevents up-shining into oncoming traffic. However, this design results in a dark shadow-line across the field of vision. This dark shadow-line results in poor visibility especially when driving in areas that are very dark. The shadow-line makes it look like I'm driving into the bat-cave. I have observed on some online Kia Sorento user forums of the same complaint. My Kia dealer claims that this is a factory design and there is no remedy. I have uploaded 3 photos taken from inside the car parked in front of my white garage door. You can see the horizontal shadow-line and two "teeth" that hang down in the field of view. The line is not very pronounced against the white door, but is very much so when driving on a dark road. Please investigate and advise. Thank you very much.
Exterior lighting, Oct 19, 2021
When driving at night, the headlights appear to be pointed excessively in a down direction leaving me with a dark shadowy area within my line of eyesight. Headlights checked at dealership and reported back as no issues. My Kia owners manual states in chapter 4 page 129 that the headlight beam levels are automatically adjusted depending on the number of passengers and weight in the trunk and other driving conditions. Also advises to contact Kia dealership with any issues. Done! The Kia dealership informed me that my model does not have the Dynamic Bending Light referred to in Chapter 4 page 130 of the owners manual. At this point if I want to have light in my sight line, I must drive with my headlights on high beam. Oncoming drivers beware! This issue needs to be addressed by Kia.