Total Complaints
935 filings
KIA SORENTO · model year
935 NHTSA complaints, 33 crash reports, and 3 active recalls for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
5 / 5 ★
New Car Assessment Program
The 2015KIASORENTO carries 935 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 33 crashes, 19 fires, 38 injuries, and 0 fatalities. For crash performance, NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gave this cohort an overall 5/5 rating, with 5/5 front crash, 5/5 side crash, and 4/5 rollover scores derived from standardized barrier and dynamic tests.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2015 SORENTO is engine with 347 filings, followed by unknown or other (111) and structure:body (93). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 3 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.
NHTSA currently has 8 investigation files overlapping the 2015 SORENTO. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
Total Complaints
935 filings
Crashes Reported
33 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Above median complaint volume — review patterns below.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| ENGINE | 347 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 111 |
| STRUCTURE:BODY | 93 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 84 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 55 |
| POWER TRAIN | 40 |
| STEERING | 32 |
| AIR BAGS | 29 |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 27 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 19 |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 19 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | 14 |
| ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) | 8 |
| VISIBILITY/WIPER | 7 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 5 |
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2013-2015 Optima and 2014-2015 Sorento vehicles. Brake fluid may leak inside the Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU), possibly resulting in an electrical short.
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
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 pi
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2013-2015 Optima and 2014-2015 Sorento vehicles previously recalled under recall 20V-519. Brake fluid may leak inside the Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU), possibly resulting in an electrical short.
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40-45 MPH, the vehicle stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle, but the engine made abnormal knocking sounds. The vehicle was towed to the residence and failed to restart. A mobile technician diagnosed the vehicle with engine failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were not contacted. The failure mileage was 98,954.
Mileage: 98,954
I am filing this complaint regarding a suspected safety defect involving the Theta II engine in my 2015 Kia Sorento. The vehicle developed progressive engine failure symptoms including: Engine knocking and abnormal mechanical noise Loss of power while driving Misfire conditions Excessive oil consumption Progressive deterioration of engine performance These symptoms began at approximately 150,000 miles and worsened over time. Given the documented history of Theta II engine failures involving rod bearing defects, sudden engine seizure, loss of power, and fire risk, I believe my vehicle is experiencing a progression of the same known defect. 2) Safety Risk to Driver and Public The engine condition created serious safety risks, including: Potential sudden engine failure while driving Loss of power in traffic or at highway speeds Increased risk of collision Potential fire hazard associated with Theta II engine failures Despite these risks, Kia and its authorized dealership advised me to con
Formal Complaint on Seized Headlight Sockets and Kiaâs Obstruction of Essential Safety Maintenance 1. Incident & Discovery of Defect: I am the owner of a 2015 Kia Sorento. Recently, one of my headlights failed. Upon attempting a routine bulb replacement, I discovered a critical hardware defect: the bulb socket is physically seized. It cannot be rotated or removed by any standard manual force. This is not a simple wear-and-tear issue; it is a mechanical seizure of a component that must remain accessible for safety maintenance. 2. Kiaâs Refusal of Technical Guidance: To resolve this without damaging the entire assembly, I contacted Kia America (Case #[XXX]) specifically requesting technical instructions or any written explanations to safely disengage the seized unit. Despite multiple attempts via phone and email, Kia explicitly refused to provide any technical guidance, flatly stating they are "not technically trained" or authorized to share such information. 3. Obstruction of "
- I was driving down 55 mph. on dark, busy highway in Sarasota, Florida (Fruitville Rd.) at approximately 6:15 a.m. on Friday, January 23, 2025. - Suddenly, without warning, the sidewall of the rear passenger side tire completely blew out in a perfect circle around the entire outside of edge. - The tire is currently available for inspection. - The Goodyear dealer claims that the blowout was caused due to underinflation. However, the tread pattern of the tire shows no signs of underinflation. - Since this is my wife's car, I check the tire pressure every other Sunday evening knowing that she'll be driving it to work the next day. - Had there been heavier traffic, the blow out could have caused a major accident if someone was following closely behind me. - The car's TPMS sensors weren't illuminated to indicate there was any low tire pressure.
Yes there was a recall in a module control panel which still is messed up. Itâs been replaced a couple x. Also the dim lights since I bought the car have a very low light were you can hardly see at night. And this SUV drinks gas on long/short trips. Iâve taken it in several times but they keep saying nothingâs wrong and I know there is I have driven my boyfriend vehicle which is a V6 and went the same exact distance and didnât have to get any fuel until I was about half way back. Something has to give. I love my Kia as I have owned 2. But something is really wrong. Please help. Thanks
Yes there was a recall in a module control panel which still is messed up. Itâs been replaced a couple x. Also the dim lights since I bought the car have a very low light were you can hardly see at night. And this SUV drinks gas on long/short trips. Iâve taken it in several times but they keep saying nothingâs wrong and I know there is I have driven my boyfriend vehicle which is a V6 and went the same exact distance and didnât have to get any fuel until I was about half way back. Something has to give. I love my Kia as I have owned 2. But something is really wrong. Please help. Thanks
Yes there was a recall in a module control panel which still is messed up. Itâs been replaced a couple x. Also the dim lights since I bought the car have a very low light were you can hardly see at night. And this SUV drinks gas on long/short trips. Iâve taken it in several times but they keep saying nothingâs wrong and I know there is I have driven my boyfriend vehicle which is a V6 and went the same exact distance and didnât have to get any fuel until I was about half way back. Something has to give. I love my Kia as I have owned 2. But something is really wrong. Please help. Thanks
The low beam headlights do not illuminate the highway sufficiently to drive safely. I lowered the aim of my high beam to be able to drive at night and not blind approaching drivers. This is unacceptable for a modern vehicle to be permitted to be sold in this condition.
I was driving down a very busy road and with no warning my car lost power. It would turn over but not start back up. I was stuck in the middle of a busy road way causing trafficâs to back up. I had to call the police to sit behind me so I wouldnât get hit from behind.
I was driving down a very busy road and with no warning my car lost power. It would turn over but not start back up. I was stuck in the middle of a busy road way causing trafficâs to back up. I had to call the police to sit behind me so I wouldnât get hit from behind.
My vehicle has a slow speed pick up and Iâm getting code p0018 and has very rough idling !
My vehicle has a slow speed pick up and Iâm getting code p0018 and has very rough idling !
My vehicle has a slow speed pick up and Iâm getting code p0018 and has very rough idling !
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Sorento. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V331000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC). The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal, and the engine seized. The contact was able to coast to the side of the road, and the vehicle failed to restart. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that prior to the failure, the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The vehicle was towed to the residence. A mobile mechanic arrived at the residence to inspect the vehicle and removed the serpentine belt, but was unable to crank the engine. However, no cause for the failure was found. The dealer was contacted, and the contact was informed that, as per the manufacturer, proof of all oil changes performed on the vehicle was needed since the vehicle was purchased, and if the proof was not provided, the vehicle would not be r
Mileage: 134,000
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked and shifted into park(P), the gear shifter failed to shift into the intended gear. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the gear shifter had seized in park(P). In addition, the contact stated that the failure had occurred while at the drive-thru picking up lunch. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact was advised to tow the vehicle to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact referenced an unknown recall with a similar failure description; however, the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 109,200.
Mileage: 109,200
Faulty motor I have changed oil early every time and every mechanic Iâve been to said the Kia motor is always doing this ! I still owe 9k on this car! Itâs burning oil so fast and not going into the engine this is a on going issue with these motors ! I just now hit 100 k miles no reason for my motor to be blowing please put the recall back on for the 2015 Kiaâs!!!
My problem is with the headlights, in that the condenser lens for the low beam lights has clouded so badly that driving at night has become so dangerous. I have changed the bulbs twice in an effort to correct the problem to no avail. And with the sealed unit not able to be disassembled to clean the lens, my only option is to replace the units at approximately $800 each. This condition in my opinion should not have occurred.
Low beam headlights would work and some times not work and then one day they stopped working completely. We've had everything checked out and there is no explanation as to why this is happening. Replaced headlights, relays, and checked wiring.
Driving on highway and suddenly heard loud tapping/rattling sound from engine and then engine died resulting in total loss of power steering and acceleration. Was able to coast through an exit and into a parking lot. My entire family was in the vehicle and if we had not been able to coast to a safe spot we could have been involved in a high speed accident. Vehicle was towed to Kia dealership and they diagnosed it as connecting rod failure. No other inspections have been done. No warning lamps displayed before the incident occurred.
I had catastrophic engine failure while driving with no warning lights indicating my engine was losing oil, the engine and power shut off at 55 miles and hour causing me to lose power steering and power assisted breaking.
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.