2026 Kia Sorento Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2026 Kia Sorento, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Brakes233.3%
- Driver assistance233.3%
- Engine233.3%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2026 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at 2 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed and went to the floorboard. The vehicle failed to stop and rolled forward. The Forward Collision Avoidance feature also failed, causing the vehicle to crash into a building. No warning light was illuminated. The air bags did not deploy. The contact and his wife did not sustain any injuries. A police report was filed. The vehicle was able to be driven away from the crash site. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who sent the computer system to the manufacturer; however, no data was retrieved. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The insurance company was made aware of the failure but had not yet deemed the vehicle totaled. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that they would notify NHTSA of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 600.
I am reporting a suspected brake system malfunction. About one block before my destination, I stopped at a traffic light and applied light pressure to the brake pedal. The vehicle slammed and jerked to a stop unexpectedly. Moments later, while turning into a parking space, I pressed the brake pedal again and the vehicle did not stop as expected. The SUV went over the cement parking post and struck a tall sign about 10 to 12 feet ahead. A large bush around the sign slowed the vehicle before it could continue into a tree. This created a serious safety risk to me and my passengers, who included one adult and two young children. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured. The suspected failed system is the brake system. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. It was towed after the incident because I did not feel it was safe to drive. At this time, the problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent repair facility because the vehicle is pending inspection. The vehicle has been reported to the manufacturer, and an insurance claim has been opened. UNKNOWN whether any electronic braking or driver-assistance system also contributed. I did not observe any warning lamps or messages before the incident. The main symptom before the crash was abnormal brake behavior at the traffic light, when light brake pressure caused the vehicle to slam and jerk to a stop unexpectedly.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2026 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at 2 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed and went to the floorboard. The vehicle failed to stop and rolled forward. The Forward Collision Avoidance feature also failed, causing the vehicle to crash into a building. No warning light was illuminated. The air bags did not deploy. The contact and his wife did not sustain any injuries. A police report was filed. The vehicle was able to be driven away from the crash site. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who sent the computer system to the manufacturer; however, no data was retrieved. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The insurance company was made aware of the failure but had not yet deemed the vehicle totaled. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that they would notify NHTSA of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 600.
I am reporting a suspected brake system malfunction. About one block before my destination, I stopped at a traffic light and applied light pressure to the brake pedal. The vehicle slammed and jerked to a stop unexpectedly. Moments later, while turning into a parking space, I pressed the brake pedal again and the vehicle did not stop as expected. The SUV went over the cement parking post and struck a tall sign about 10 to 12 feet ahead. A large bush around the sign slowed the vehicle before it could continue into a tree. This created a serious safety risk to me and my passengers, who included one adult and two young children. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured. The suspected failed system is the brake system. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. It was towed after the incident because I did not feel it was safe to drive. At this time, the problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent repair facility because the vehicle is pending inspection. The vehicle has been reported to the manufacturer, and an insurance claim has been opened. UNKNOWN whether any electronic braking or driver-assistance system also contributed. I did not observe any warning lamps or messages before the incident. The main symptom before the crash was abnormal brake behavior at the traffic light, when light brake pressure caused the vehicle to slam and jerk to a stop unexpectedly.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
We bought this car new on XXX. On XXX as my family and I were returning from a vacation, re-entering the interstate, the gas engine on the Sorento hybrid would not start. There was no warning or error message. I put the pedal to the floor and it would not pick up speed as we entered XXX. I tried switching the drive mode to sport, then to smart. Nothing worked. The fastest I could get the car going was about 50mph for a few seconds, then it slowed to 40 mph as traffic was bearing down on us, starting with an 18 wheeler truck that I could see in my rearview mirror. I had to put my emergency blinkers on and drive on the little bit of shoulder that there was on a bridge, and pull off onto the shoulder as fast as I could. The interstate was loaded with traffic today, going 75 mph. It was only fortunate that there was a break when the car rolled onto the interstate at about 40 mph. This car almost caused a wreck which could have killed me and my whole family, including my [XXX] daughter. If there hadn't been enough of a shoulder for me to get mostly off the road, the thick traffic going 75mph would have all had to slow to 40mph, without anyone plowing into the car in front of them. As it was, trucks were flying past me one foot from the side of my car going 75 mph. If one of them was off a little, my whole family could be dead or in the hospital now. After I turned the car off, and then on again, the gas engine started operating as normal. We got home, albeit with a flat from driving through the trash on the shoulder. I have now taken the car to two dealers and they could not repeat the problem. I told Kia I didn't trust the car any more and that if they couldn't fix it, I wanted my money back. They told me yesterday that they will not do a buyback. And they've been claiming for weeks that they plan to have an engineer look at it. All the while, we don't have a car. It has been sitting at the dealer because it is unsafe. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U
The contact owns a 2026 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving 75 MPH, the check engine warning light started flashing and the vehicle entered LIMP Mode. The contact pulled over, turned off, and restarted the vehicle, and the vehicle operated as intended while driving to the residence. The contact stated that the following day, while driving 75 MPH with an 18-wheeler behind the vehicle, the vehicle hesitated, shuddered, and jerked. The check engine warning light was consistently illuminated, and the message "Engine Management System - Follow Up Check Required" was displayed. Additionally, the Mobile App displayed the message "Engine Issues" with DTC: P030100. The contact pulled over, turned off, and restarted the vehicle, but the failure persisted while driving to the dealer. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with cylinder injector failure. The dealer replaced the cylinder injector; however, the failure recurred while driving 30 minutes later. The contact pulled over, turned off, and restarted the vehicle, but the failure persisted, and the vehicle made abnormal sounds. The vehicle failed to exceed 25-30 MPH and was taken to the dealer. The dealer had not yet provided the result of a diagnostic test. The manufacturer was contacted and informed that the latest diagnostic report submitted by the dealer on June 22, 2026, stated that the vehicle was diagnosed with a gasket failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 7,000.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .