Reliable Auto DB

2025 Kia Sorento reliability

Is it reliable?

The 2025 Kia Sorento has 74 complaints with NHTSA after 2 years, or 37 per year. It is too early to rank against other Sorento years: a year is compared here only after 3 years on the road. NHTSA has 3 recalls on file, including Instrument cluster, Critical fasteners, and Body control module, software.

2012 Kia Sorento
Photo by Elise240SX, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
Complaints

74

Per year

37

Recalls

3

Years on the road

2

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (21 of 74), then Engine (19) and Powertrain (19). The most filings arrived in 2025 (39 of 74). Those filings include 6 that report a crash and 4 that report an injury.

Next to 2024 and 2026

The 2024 Sorento has 41 complaints, 14 per year, and the 2026 has 0 complaints, 0 per year.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2025 Kia Sorento. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (3)

Recall electrical system, instrument cluster 2026-01-27 · NHTSA campaign 26V046000
Summary Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2025 Kia K4, 2025-2026 Sorento, Sorento Hybrid, Sorento Plug-In Hybrid Electric (PHEV), 2026 Sportage, Sportage Hybrid, Sportage PHEV, K5, EV9, Carnival, and Carnival Hybrid vehicles. Due to a software error, the instrument panel display may fail. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 101, "Controls and Displays" and 138, "Tire Pressure Monitoring System."
Remedy The instrument panel display software will be updated over-the-air (OTA) or by a dealer, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed March 26, 2026. Owners may contact Kia Customer Service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC361. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov on February 9, 2026.
Recall engine and cooling, critical fasteners 2025-08-25 · NHTSA campaign 25V548000
Summary Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2025 K4 and Sorento vehicles. The connecting rod bolts in the engine may have been improperly tightened, which can cause a loss of drive power.
Remedy Dealers will replace the sub engine assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed September 12, 2025. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC349.
Recall electrical system, body control module, software 2025-01-13 · NHTSA campaign 25V006000
Summary Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Sorento, 2025 Sorento Hybrid, and 2025 Sorento Plug-In Hybrid vehicles. A software error in the Body Domain Control Unit (BDC) may cause a loss of low beam headlights and taillights. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Remedy Dealers will update the BDC software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 21, 2025. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC331.

Complaints by component (74 total)

Electrical system
21
Engine
19
Powertrain
19
Forward collision avoidance
8
Speed control
7
Service brakes
5
Visibility and wipers
5
Fuel and propulsion system
4
Air bags
3
Back-over prevention
3
Exterior lighting
2
Lane departure
2
Steering
2
Structure
1
Visibility
1
Wheels
1
Show 8 more Show less
Crash-flagged

6

Fire-flagged

0

Injury reports

4

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

12024392025342026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "Knee airbags deployed in my car accident and have severe injuries on bilateral legs bruises that damage my nerves and veins."
    Air bags · filed 2026-09-22
  • "VEHICLE: 2025 Kia Sorento (VIN: [XXX]) KIA CORPORATE CASE #: XXX SAFETY DEFECT DESCRIPTION: The central ccNC infotainment display screen suffers from recurring, thermal-induced flickering and complete blackouts while…"
    Electrical system, Visibility and wipers, Back-over prevention · filed 2026-08-28
  • "About a minute into my drive, I heard an explosion. I looked back thinking something happened to my twin toddlers and saw nothing. I heard the sound of glass cracking and looked up to see the front glass of my moonroof…"
    Structure · filed 2026-08-27
  • "The contact owns a 2025 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving approximately 75 MPH, the rear windshield wiper was moving with the switch turned off. The contact turned the rear windshield wiper to high,…"
    Electrical system, Engine, Visibility and wipers · filed 2026-08-21
  • "During highway trips the info cluster starts chiming and a coffee cup light comes on the dash saying I should consider taking a break! This happens frequently and is distracting as I need to look down from the road to…"
    Unknown or other · filed 2026-08-20

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2025 Kia Sorento Hybrid SUV AWD 5 stars 4 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2025 Kia Sorento Hybrid SUV FWD 5 stars 4 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2025 Kia Sorento Plug-in Hybrid SUV AWD Not rated Not rated Not rated Not rated
2025 Kia Sorento SUV AWD 5 stars 4 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2025 Kia Sorento SUV FWD 5 stars 4 stars 5 stars 4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Sorento all-wheel drive 2.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (8-speed) All-wheel drive 23 28 25 MPG $2600
Sorento all-wheel drive 2.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (AM-S8) All-wheel drive 20 27 23 MPG $2800
Sorento front-wheel drive 2.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (AM-S8) Front-wheel drive 20 29 23 MPG $2800
Sorento front-wheel drive 2.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (8-speed) Front-wheel drive 23 31 26 MPG $2500
Sorento hybrid all-wheel drive 1.6L, 4-cyl Automatic (AM-S6) All-wheel drive 34 34 34 MPG $1900
Sorento hybrid front-wheel drive 1.6L, 4-cyl Automatic (AM-S6) Front-wheel drive 36 36 36 MPG $1800
Sorento Plug-in hybrid 1.6L, 4-cyl Automatic (AM-S6) All-wheel drive 33 34 33 MPG / 440 mi range $1950

Specs and fitment

4th generation (MQ4), 2021–present
Body styles SUV
Oil 0W-20 (2.5L and turbo/hybrid where equipped) , 5 qt capacity
Tire size 235/65R17 to 255/45R20 (trim dependent)
Towing capacity 3,500 lbs

Known issues for this generation

Safety recall 22V-202 covers certain 2022 Sorentos: the turbocharger oil supply pipe may crack and leak oil in the engine bay, raising fire risk near hot components; dealers replace that pipe. The published population is a small 2022 turbo subset, not every MQ4. Safety recall 22V-760 covers certain 2021-2022 Sorentos (and 2021-2023 K5 vehicles): fail-safe limited-mobility drive mode may be impaired when a transmission oil-pump malfunction prompts it, which can cause complete loss of drive; dealers inspect and replace the transmission as needed and update transmission control unit software.

Compare

Previous year 2024 Kia Sorento See every Kia Sorento model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2025 Kia Sorento reliable?

The 2025 Kia Sorento has 74 complaints with NHTSA after 2 years, or 37 per year. It is too early to rank against other Sorento years: a year is compared here only after 3 years on the road. NHTSA has 3 recalls on file, including Instrument cluster, Critical fasteners, and Body control module, software.

What are common problems with a 2025 Kia Sorento?

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (21 of 74), then Engine (19) and Powertrain (19). The most filings arrived in 2025 (39 of 74). Those filings include 6 that report a crash and 4 that report an injury.

Is the 2025 Kia Sorento more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2024 Sorento has 41 complaints, 14 per year, and the 2026 has 0 complaints, 0 per year.

Has the 2025 Kia Sorento been recalled?

The 2025 Kia Sorento has 3 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2025 Kia Sorento?

Owners have filed 74 complaints about the 2025 Kia Sorento with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2025 Kia Sorento get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2025 Kia Sorento is 28.6 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What oil does a Kia Sorento take?

UM (2012-2020): 5W-20 or 0W-20 for 2.4L and 3.3L V6. MQ4 (2021+): 0W-20 for 2.5L and turbo/hybrid where equipped (about 5 qt with filter).

Does safety recall 22V-202 cover a 2022 Kia Sorento?

Yes for certain 2022 Sorentos: the turbocharger oil supply pipe may crack and leak oil near hot components; dealers replace that pipe.

What generation is a 2020 Kia Sorento?

UM generation (2012-2020). The MQ4 redesign starts in 2021.