2024 Kia Sorento Owner Complaints

The cars battery drained precipitously. Was able to sit and recharge. Took it to dealership. There were several code issues P033500 and P040500 among others. In discussion it seems that it might have been the EGR valve among other things. On research this is a known problem so why is there not a recall as the car can stop suddenly. "2024 Kia Sorento Hybrid Prestige (equipped with the Smartstream 1.6L Turbo Hybrid engine), code P0405 highlights a known issue that affects several modern Hyundai and Kia hybrid models."

NHTSA ID

11765210

Incident

Sep 11, 2026

The contact owns a 2024 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 55-60 MPH, a loud boom suddenly occurred. The contact pulled to the side of the road and exited the vehicle with three passengers, including a nephew in a car seat. The passengers noticed that the panoramic glass fractured into several pieces and completely shattered. After cleaning out the vehicle, the contact put trash bags on the ceiling of the vehicle to avoid glass falling on the passengers. The contact stated concern about driving the vehicle before any repairs or replacements due to pieces of glass being in the fabric above the passenger's ears and the sound of glass fracturing every time a door is closed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed to contact to the manufacturer for further instruction. The failure mileage was 25,199.

NHTSA ID

11764322

Incident

Sep 15, 2026

Mileage

25,199 mi

My 2024 Kia Sorento has experienced a dangerous brake failure on three separate occasions in which the brake pedal went to the floor and the vehicle lost normal braking capability. The first failure occurred on 7/1/2026 and was confirmed by the Kia dealer; the master cylinder was found leaking brake fluid into the brake booster, and the brake master cylinder and brake booster assembly were replaced and the brake system was bled. The same brake-pedal-to-the-floor failure occurred again on 7/16/2026. The dealer performed diagnostic testing, including clamping the calipers, and replaced both front brake calipers. The brake failure has occurred again during the vehicle's current repair period on August 15th 2026, requiring another dealer inspection and repair. Each occurrence created a serious safety risk because the vehicle could unexpectedly lose braking capability while being driven, potentially resulting in a collision, injury, or death to the occupants or others. The vehicle and brake system have been repeatedly inspected by Kia/dealer personnel, and the repair history and replaced components are available for inspection and documentation. The vehicle is currently at the Kia dealership for continued investigation and repair. No crash or injury occurred, but the repeated loss of braking has created an ongoing and serious safety concern. I am not aware of any warning lamp or message preceding the initial failures; the primary symptom has been the brake pedal unexpectedly traveling to the floor with loss of normal braking.

NHTSA ID

11762310

Incident

Jul 1, 2026

While braking in a left hand turn lane waiting for the vehicles in front to turn left through an intersection, the vehicle stalled, shut off, and forced a manual restart in the turn lane. This same sequence happened again at another red light when the brake was engaged. The dealership the car was purchased from would not evaluate the car as they stated it is under factory warranty and should be evaluated at the manufacturer. The closest Kia manufacturer has been notified, but they have not inspected it, as they stated they have a lift malfunction and do not have the ability to run diagnostics until at least 10/16/26. No warning lamps or messages appeared prior to the hard stop. After the car stalled, there was a message that appeared stating the car would need to be manually restarted by putting it in park or neutral and engaging the start button. It took 2 tries to restart the car. A police officer did pull up behind me for my safety while the car was stalled, but they let me go when the car restarted. My safety was put at risk as this happened while actively trying pull up to and through a busy intersection in a double left-turn lane. The car stalled right before the intersection while waiting on other cars in front of me to turn left on an unprotected left turn. If I had been braking in the intersection and the car stalled, it could have caused a serious accident with oncoming traffic. I have only owned the car for 45 days. There were two separate occasions in the week prior to this incident where an attempt was made to start the car when parked, and the electrical panel came on, but the engine did not engage. In those instances, turning the car back off then turning it on started the car and no other issues were noted until the issue arose with hard stops when idling at intersections. The car is under 54,000 miles. It is available for inspection upon request.

NHTSA ID

11761179

Incident

Aug 29, 2026

The front bumper grill to this Sorento model, among others, has a major design flaw that causes the radiator to be highly vulnerable to debris. A rock struck and punctured my radiator causing it to aggressively spray engine coolant, eventually leading to my engine overheating. I found this incident to be an extremely odd and rare situation considering I was only driving on paved suburban roads. After some further investigation online, it appears there are several other customers across the country that have encountered this same issue. Many even displaying tutorials on how they have rigged their Kias with reinforced plastic grates to protect their radiators from further damage. Really? This is what consumers are being forced to do in 2026 to protect their front radiators on a modern vehicle? These damages occur way too easily on normal city roads and not on rough terrain (despite my xline model specifically being marketed as a rugged outdoor vehicle). This easily avoidable design flaw is due to the large openings in the front grill. I have driven thousands of miles across the country in far less rugged vehicles, including many years in "rocky" Colorado, and have NEVER experienced a radiator being so easily pierced by debris. Kia customers are being footed the bill for these costly repairs as this is not considered a "factory defect" when in fact it is. Not to mention this can cause catastrophic damages to the engine in some cases. This is malpractice and Kia should be held accountable. My vehicle is currently being held at a kia service center near where the incident took place and awaiting an assessment from my insurance claim specialist. Luckily no one was hurt during this incident, I just had to get my wife and newborn child an uber to the nearest hotel while I waited 2hrs on a tow truck.

NHTSA ID

11759285

Incident

Aug 22, 2026

The contact owns a 2024 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal shaking in the steering wheel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with improperly sized brake rotors. The rotors were resurfaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was subsequently returned to the dealer, and the rotors were replaced, but the failure continued. The contact stated that the wheels were affected by the rotor failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 7,000.

NHTSA ID

11746301

Incident

Feb 11, 2026

Mileage

7,000 mi

The horn isn’t making any noise at all. There were no warning lamps or messages, I didn’t know until I needed to use my horn.

NHTSA ID

11743450

Incident

Jun 11, 2026

The vehicles windshield may not be sealed properly or have moisture that builds up between the pressed glass causing reduced visibility and higher risk for crash obstructing the view of both passenger and most importantly the driver.

NHTSA ID

11740994

Incident

May 27, 2026

A few weeks ago my sunroof began with out warning began to malfunction. It stopped closing all the way . When finally close I noticed the right rear side of the roof not closing all the way. I've noticed the bracket that holds up the glass roof to the track was broken. I took the car back to my car dealership, Gerald kia of Matteson. They told me that it was my fault because the tracks wasn't greased. Something that I wasn't at first purchased a car brand new. So they told me that consider an outside influence ira it would not be covered under a factory warranty. The reason I am filling this is because of hearing about some roofs , exploding , and this could be a situation similar to that.

NHTSA ID

11734947

Incident

Apr 6, 2026

At 7,100 miles the transmission failed requiring a new transmission replacement after one year. At 16,636 miles (2years into the lease) the new transmission also failed, and the car is in the garage getting another transmission replacement after.

NHTSA ID

11733308

Incident

Apr 18, 2026

The contact owns a 2024 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that the radiator was leaking. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer and the dealer stated that a rock or road debris had caused the puncture in the radiator. The contact was advised by the dealer that it was a known failure and that there was no radiator debris shield to protect the radiator from damage. The contact was informed by the dealer that the repair was not covered under warranty. The manufacturer was contacted and informed that the contact that repair was not covered. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 23,417.

NHTSA ID

11729386

Incident

Mar 30, 2026

Mileage

23,417 mi

The Panoramic sunroof randomly exploded while driving down the highway. Nothing around us or above us to cause it. Myself, my [XXX] pregnant wife, and [XXX] daughter were in the car and had glass rain down on us after the very loud boom. We almost wrecked. The issue has not yet been inspected by the dealership but I understand this to not be uncommon. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11727717

Incident

Mar 28, 2026

EBP light comes on dash while driving. Codes have been determined by dealership but refuse to fix unless light is active. To get light off - must stop vehicle and turn on and off EBP switch and light goes off. Switch or sensor not working causing the problem.

NHTSA ID

11720380

Incident

Feb 24, 2026

Car has sensor issues. It ran into pole and median after defective collision assist said sensor was blocked. Has emission leak. Second vehicle i had with that and they wont cover under warranty. Kia refuses to by back a car do not feel safe driving. They refuse to fix things under warranty. The refuse to do anything about sensors, says its the safety features and they cannot remove them. Only offered me 19k for car. Why would I be upside down for a car that was sold to me with safety features issues..

NHTSA ID

11712048

Incident

Nov 16, 2025

1. **Component or System Failure:** - The malfunction occurred in the **automatic braking system** while the vehicle was in **snow mode**. The brakes engaged and locked the wheels, resulting in a loss of traction. - This system is available for inspection upon request to assess the failure, where the car was towed to. 2. **Safety Risk:** - The automatic brakes locking the wheels put the driver at risk by causing the vehicle to slide uncontrollably. - The situation was further exacerbated by the fact that the vehicle collided with a tree, indicating a significant safety concern. 3. **Reproduction of the Problem:** - It is unclear if the issue has been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center, but given the nature of the malfunction, it would be advisable to have it inspected by a professional to verify the problem. 4. **Inspection by Authorities:** -the vehicle was inspected by police and the towing coming stating the car was a total loss because of the damages . 5. **Warnings or Symptoms:** - There were no indications of a problem prior to the failure, such as warning lamps or messages. The incident occurred suddenly when the brakes engaged, leading to the vehicle losing traction and ultimately colliding with a tree. - The failure of the airbags to deploy on the passenger side is also a critical point that needs further investigation. ### Key Takeaways - The automatic braking system malfunctioned in snow mode, leading to a loss of traction and a collision. - Safety was jeopardized due to the vehicle's sliding and the failure of the airbags to deploy. - Further inspection by qualified professionals is necessary to confirm and address the issues.

NHTSA ID

11711697

Incident

Jan 17, 2026

The vehicle is jerky, loss of power, jolts, and very high concern of safety while in use.

NHTSA ID

11708235

Incident

Sep 9, 2025

Panoramic sunroof panel spontaneously exploded at highway speed.

NHTSA ID

11703966

Incident

Nov 26, 2025

The Panoramic roof glass shattered. It was not hit by any external debris. It just exploded scaring the driver almost losing vehicle control. The dealer inspected it and confirmed nothing external caused it, however KIA will not warrant it. Our insurance company has not inspected it yet. It is available for inspection.

NHTSA ID

11700393

Incident

Nov 17, 2025

headlights and taillights went out while driving and a few seconds and then came back on and everything on the dash also went out and came back on. i was driving at night time when this happened it put me and my child at risk. i called the dealership and they refused to fix saying that my kia is not impacted by this recall. But that i could schedule an appointment to have my headlights checked, i explained to them there is nothing wrong with my headlights this is clearly a software issue, Tonya at Kia Louisville east is still saying its not related to the recall, and is scheduling appt to have my headlights checked. no warning lamps messages or any other symptoms before this happened and has only happened the one time.

NHTSA ID

11698885

Incident

Nov 11, 2025

I was involved in an automobile collision. It was a T- Bone collision on the driver side. My vehicle flipped on it's side, the moon roof completely shattered, my seatbelt released me and I was ejected through the moon roof. The vehicle landed on top of me. All of my air bags did not deploy even though my vehicle rolled over twice.

NHTSA ID

11698884

Incident

Oct 27, 2025

My vehicle has issues with the power steering. At random times, day or night, the wheel steers to the right and I have to force my grip on the wheel to avoid crashing. It last between 3-5 seconds. No lights or alerts light up on the dashboard. Dealerships have been unable to assist me, I have gone to three different ones. They cannot identify the issue. Loss of power steering assist increases crash risk, since it’s harder to control the vehicle in tight maneuvers or emergencies. Car is available for inspection.

NHTSA ID

11698072

Incident

Jan 1, 2025

I've had a couple of issues with the electrical components. One time the drivers side door controls wouldn't roll down any of the windows or lock/unlock the doors. This is a safety issue if you needed to roll the windows down/up or lock the doors for the security of your vehicle. I've also had it where the infotainment system has cut out while driving. As far as I can tell, the vehicle could still drive but I was unsure for a minute because the engine kind of revved at the same time. There were no warning lights when the windows and locks didn't work.

NHTSA ID

11694944

Incident

Oct 2, 2025

The contact owns a 2024 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that during a routine oil change, the mechanic added an unknown oil additive to the vehicle. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle lost motive power and drove sluggishly. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for an oil change, and the mechanic observed metal shavings in the oil. The vehicle was taken to another dealer, but it had not yet been diagnosed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 31,000.

NHTSA ID

11683103

Incident

Aug 1, 2025

Mileage

31,000 mi

On August 6, 2025, I discovered that both the driver and passenger front seat belts in my 2024 Kia Sorento were installed backwards from the factory, with the buckle facing inward instead of outward. This defect has been present since the vehicle was purchased brand new, but it was only discovered and documented on this date. The issue was confirmed by an authorized Kia dealership in an official service report and in a video recorded by the service technician. I also have photos and videos taken before the dealership visit showing the same defect. This is a manufacturing defect and poses a serious safety risk to occupants in the event of a collision, as the seat belts may not function as intended. Supporting documentation is available upon request.

NHTSA ID

11681221

Incident

Aug 6, 2025

The trim on my vehicle will not stay snapped down.

NHTSA ID

11680690

Incident

Aug 1, 2025