Total Complaints
42 filings
KIA SORENTO HYBRID · model year
42 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report, and 2 active recalls for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
5 / 5 ★
New Car Assessment Program
The 2025KIASORENTO HYBRID carries 42 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 0 fires, 2 injuries, and 0 fatalities. For crash performance, NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gave this cohort an overall 5/5 rating, with 4/5 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 2025 SORENTO HYBRID is engine with 11 filings, followed by power train (10) and fuel/propulsion system (7). 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 2 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 38 investigation files overlapping the 2025 SORENTO HYBRID, and 1 remain open. 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
42 filings
Crashes Reported
1 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| ENGINE | 11 |
| POWER TRAIN | 10 |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 7 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 6 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 3 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 2 |
| AIR BAGS | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 1 |
| LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST | 1 |
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL
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 suc
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:BODY CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWARE
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
1. I'm not sure what component or system malfunctioned. The dealership has said something different every time it's had to be taken in. The first time they said it could have been the dip stick. The second time they said they didn't know but did an update to the car's system. Last week, was the third time we've had to take it in and they said they are doing an oil change and replacing the air intake hose assy, GDI fuel pump, High pressure fuel pump, valve cover assy, oil filter and oil but didn't say if this would fix the issue. 2. We have loss confidence in this car's safety and reliability and the dealership's ability to repair it. It's been in the shop multiple times and continues to fail. The issue with the vehicle is that when we got a warning the power to the car shuts off. It doesn't allow you to do anything with the gas pedal no matter what speed you are going. We have experienced this multiple times on city streets and the highway. The potential for an accident is very high wh
1. I'm not sure what component or system malfunctioned. The dealership has said something different every time it's had to be taken in. The first time they said it could have been the dip stick. The second time they said they didn't know but did an update to the car's system. Last week, was the third time we've had to take it in and they said they are doing an oil change and replacing the air intake hose assy, GDI fuel pump, High pressure fuel pump, valve cover assy, oil filter and oil but didn't say if this would fix the issue. 2. We have loss confidence in this car's safety and reliability and the dealership's ability to repair it. It's been in the shop multiple times and continues to fail. The issue with the vehicle is that when we got a warning the power to the car shuts off. It doesn't allow you to do anything with the gas pedal no matter what speed you are going. We have experienced this multiple times on city streets and the highway. The potential for an accident is very high wh
1. I'm not sure what component or system malfunctioned. The dealership has said something different every time it's had to be taken in. The first time they said it could have been the dip stick. The second time they said they didn't know but did an update to the car's system. Last week, was the third time we've had to take it in and they said they are doing an oil change and replacing the air intake hose assy, GDI fuel pump, High pressure fuel pump, valve cover assy, oil filter and oil but didn't say if this would fix the issue. 2. We have loss confidence in this car's safety and reliability and the dealership's ability to repair it. It's been in the shop multiple times and continues to fail. The issue with the vehicle is that when we got a warning the power to the car shuts off. It doesn't allow you to do anything with the gas pedal no matter what speed you are going. We have experienced this multiple times on city streets and the highway. The potential for an accident is very high wh
The contact owns a 2025 Kia Sorento Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle went into LIMP Mode, and the vehicle decelerated to 35 MPH. The vehicle was driven to the residence and was later towed to the local dealer. While at the dealer, the cause of the failure was not determined, and the failure had self-corrected. The vehicle was retrieved; however, approximately 1,500 miles late,r the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 2,300.
Mileage: 2,300
I was driving onto a busy intersection from a parking lot. When I went to pull into traffic, the truck wouldnt go, it lost power and we coasted into oncoming traffic , I coasted right , and the dash flashed limited mode max speed 20 mph in yellow lights. The peddle was on the floor at that point. We had kids in the car and it was going 17 mpr in 55 mph cars on us swerving around us. I coasted at 17 mpr downgrade 2 miles before I could get a place to pull over. I turned it off and sat for a while. Turned it back on and it had power again. We made it to the house, I towed it to KIA next day, they claim no codes went off and nothing wrong with it. Cars that lose power entering freeways without warning tells me there is something seriously wrong. No problem prior. I leased it new. It has 5000 miles. Its been at kia since mid-december 2025. I contacted corporate and they said it doesn't trigger their warranty and they are done with it. I was told to bring it back when
Incident #1: Car suddenly and without warning had complete loss of power, with gas engine shutting off and only using battery power. Car was traveling at 45mph in morning traffic. Pedal was pushed to the floor, but car would only go a maximum of 20mph. Warning dash lights then appeared saying "Hybrid Malfunction/Pull Over Immediately/Turn off car". I was able to pull off road and turn off car and then turn back on. Car ran normally the 2 miles back home. Incident #2: 2 days later, while driving my kids to school the car again, suddenly and without warning had complete loss of power, with gas engine shutting off and only using battery power. Again, warning dash lights: "Check Hybrid System. Stop Safely!". I did so and car ran normally back to my house (distance approx: 2.5 miles). I immediately called KIA of Beaverton and they said to have it towed right away. Once at dealer, they were unable to diagnose any issues and said that no codes showed up, but also said that the car "deleted
Incident #1: Car suddenly and without warning had complete loss of power, with gas engine shutting off and only using battery power. Car was traveling at 45mph in morning traffic. Pedal was pushed to the floor, but car would only go a maximum of 20mph. Warning dash lights then appeared saying "Hybrid Malfunction/Pull Over Immediately/Turn off car". I was able to pull off road and turn off car and then turn back on. Car ran normally the 2 miles back home. Incident #2: 2 days later, while driving my kids to school the car again, suddenly and without warning had complete loss of power, with gas engine shutting off and only using battery power. Again, warning dash lights: "Check Hybrid System. Stop Safely!". I did so and car ran normally back to my house (distance approx: 2.5 miles). I immediately called KIA of Beaverton and they said to have it towed right away. Once at dealer, they were unable to diagnose any issues and said that no codes showed up, but also said that the car "deleted
Incident #1: Car suddenly and without warning had complete loss of power, with gas engine shutting off and only using battery power. Car was traveling at 45mph in morning traffic. Pedal was pushed to the floor, but car would only go a maximum of 20mph. Warning dash lights then appeared saying "Hybrid Malfunction/Pull Over Immediately/Turn off car". I was able to pull off road and turn off car and then turn back on. Car ran normally the 2 miles back home. Incident #2: 2 days later, while driving my kids to school the car again, suddenly and without warning had complete loss of power, with gas engine shutting off and only using battery power. Again, warning dash lights: "Check Hybrid System. Stop Safely!". I did so and car ran normally back to my house (distance approx: 2.5 miles). I immediately called KIA of Beaverton and they said to have it towed right away. Once at dealer, they were unable to diagnose any issues and said that no codes showed up, but also said that the car "deleted
Was driving home from work, and suddenly all the indicator lights came on on the dash, (check engine, warring lights, indicator that the battery was critically low, etc etc.) the car notified me to safely pull off the road. I pulled off the road in limp mode, the engine would not engage when pedal was pressed, and then lost power. I was stuck in the middle of the lane on a side road in park. I turned the car off, then turned it back on and let it idle for a bit thinking it may be the battery (which is new). After several minutes drove it home and have not had any other issues. I researched this issue on the internet and there were reported similar problems exactly like this. Note. I put it on a reader at home and it did not show any codes.
While driving, have had the engine of my 25 Sorento Hybrid stop working. An emergency notice comes on the screen (see photo) stating to pull over safely. The hybrid system error message has come on 4-5 times in the last month. The vehicle will not drive more than 15-20 miles per hour and has virtually no acceleration making it very dangerous to drive in or around high speed/traffic areas. Took it to a local Kia dealership where I was told nothing was wrong and their only guess was that it was related to the battery and cold weather. The same messaged/incident has happened 2x since bringing it into the dealership. With the most recent being 1/22/26. Problem first arose on 1/9/26. There are dozens of reports of this in online threads over the past few months with Kia hybrid engines
While driving, have had the engine of my 25 Sorento Hybrid stop working. An emergency notice comes on the screen (see photo) stating to pull over safely. The hybrid system error message has come on 4-5 times in the last month. The vehicle will not drive more than 15-20 miles per hour and has virtually no acceleration making it very dangerous to drive in or around high speed/traffic areas. Took it to a local Kia dealership where I was told nothing was wrong and their only guess was that it was related to the battery and cold weather. The same messaged/incident has happened 2x since bringing it into the dealership. With the most recent being 1/22/26. Problem first arose on 1/9/26. There are dozens of reports of this in online threads over the past few months with Kia hybrid engines
While driving, have had the engine of my 25 Sorento Hybrid stop working. An emergency notice comes on the screen (see photo) stating to pull over safely. The hybrid system error message has come on 4-5 times in the last month. The vehicle will not drive more than 15-20 miles per hour and has virtually no acceleration making it very dangerous to drive in or around high speed/traffic areas. Took it to a local Kia dealership where I was told nothing was wrong and their only guess was that it was related to the battery and cold weather. The same messaged/incident has happened 2x since bringing it into the dealership. With the most recent being 1/22/26. Problem first arose on 1/9/26. There are dozens of reports of this in online threads over the past few months with Kia hybrid engines
My wife first drove the vehicle and started noticing intense fumes entering the cabin which required rolling down the windows. There were no alerts from the car at this time or engine lights. We checked to see if the exhaust got plugged and it was not. I later drove the car that same day and it would not accelerate when I tried to right turn onto a main road. The check engine light then popped on and loud alerting from the vehicle cause me to have to pull over and shut the vehicle off. We had it towed by the dealer and the last thing we heard was that gas and oil had leaked together and it would take 5 days to get the part to fix it.
Will be driving when it switches to EV mode it will have no power and go into limp mode. Can't go over 30 mph. This is now the second time this has happened. Dealership tried to say it was because of temperature. Come on.
Will be driving when it switches to EV mode it will have no power and go into limp mode. Can't go over 30 mph. This is now the second time this has happened. Dealership tried to say it was because of temperature. Come on.
Will be driving when it switches to EV mode it will have no power and go into limp mode. Can't go over 30 mph. This is now the second time this has happened. Dealership tried to say it was because of temperature. Come on.
Beginning at approximately 750 miles on a brand-new 2025 Kia Sorento Hybrid EX, the vehicle experienced a flashing Check Engine Light accompanied by severe shaking while driving, rough idling, loss of power, and loud engine/exhaust noise. The vehicle became difficult and unsafe to operate due to the vibration and reduced drivability. These symptoms appeared suddenly on November 22, less than three weeks after purchase. The vehicle was taken to the dealership on November 24. Their technician retrieved diagnostic codes P0300 (Random Misfire) and P0304 (Cylinder #4 Misfire) and identified a failed ignition coil on Cylinder #4. The coil was replaced, and the dealership reported the issue resolved. However, less than 24 hours later, with the vehicle still under 800 miles, the exact same symptoms reoccurred: heavy shaking while driving, vibration while idling, loss of power, and unstable engine operation. This indicates the underlying issue may be more serious than a single coil failure.
Beginning at approximately 750 miles on a brand-new 2025 Kia Sorento Hybrid EX, the vehicle experienced a flashing Check Engine Light accompanied by severe shaking while driving, rough idling, loss of power, and loud engine/exhaust noise. The vehicle became difficult and unsafe to operate due to the vibration and reduced drivability. These symptoms appeared suddenly on November 22, less than three weeks after purchase. The vehicle was taken to the dealership on November 24. Their technician retrieved diagnostic codes P0300 (Random Misfire) and P0304 (Cylinder #4 Misfire) and identified a failed ignition coil on Cylinder #4. The coil was replaced, and the dealership reported the issue resolved. However, less than 24 hours later, with the vehicle still under 800 miles, the exact same symptoms reoccurred: heavy shaking while driving, vibration while idling, loss of power, and unstable engine operation. This indicates the underlying issue may be more serious than a single coil failure.
Beginning at approximately 750 miles on a brand-new 2025 Kia Sorento Hybrid EX, the vehicle experienced a flashing Check Engine Light accompanied by severe shaking while driving, rough idling, loss of power, and loud engine/exhaust noise. The vehicle became difficult and unsafe to operate due to the vibration and reduced drivability. These symptoms appeared suddenly on November 22, less than three weeks after purchase. The vehicle was taken to the dealership on November 24. Their technician retrieved diagnostic codes P0300 (Random Misfire) and P0304 (Cylinder #4 Misfire) and identified a failed ignition coil on Cylinder #4. The coil was replaced, and the dealership reported the issue resolved. However, less than 24 hours later, with the vehicle still under 800 miles, the exact same symptoms reoccurred: heavy shaking while driving, vibration while idling, loss of power, and unstable engine operation. This indicates the underlying issue may be more serious than a single coil failure.
Myself and many other 2025 Kia Sorrento hybrid owners have complaints of the lane keep assist system, causing the vehicle to wobble back-and-forth within the lane. Causing dizziness to drivers. Sometimes wobbling so much that it could cause an accident. Here is the link to the Reddit forum where other owners have complained of the same issue: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
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.