NHTSA lists 254 complaints for the 2018 Kia Sorento, 12 of them mention a crash and 11 mention a fire. 10 complaints mention an injury, with 11 injuries and 1 deaths reported.
Data build 2026-10-09.
NHTSA lists this vehicle as KIA SORENTO.
At a glance
Complaints
254
With crash
12
With fire
11
With injury (complaints)
10
Injuries
11
Deaths
1
Recalls
3
Do not drive recalls
0
Park outside recalls
1
Recall potential units (maximum)
70,887
Investigations
1
Open investigations
0
Manufacturer communications
196
Complaints per 100k sold: 235.521. Units sold: 107,846; sales year: 2018; basis: calendar_year_us_sales_proxy_for_model_year. goodcarbadcar.net.
Where the complaints are
Top systems
System
Complaints
Share of this vehicle's complaints
ENGINE
106
41.7%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
41
16.1%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
37
14.6%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
30
11.8%
STEERING
26
10.2%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
13
5.1%
AIR BAGS
10
3.9%
POWER TRAIN
9
3.5%
STRUCTURE
9
3.5%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
8
3.1%
Top subsystems
System
Subsystem
Complaints
STRUCTURE
BODY
9
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
7
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
HEADLIGHTS
3
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
WARNINGS
3
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
ENGINE
2
LANE DEPARTURE
ASSIST
2
VISIBILITY
SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY
2
BACK OVER PREVENTION
WARNINGS
1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
12V/24V/48V BATTERY
1
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
1
One complaint can name several systems, so shares can add to more than 100 percent.
Confidence is the model's own probability for the label it chose (0 to 1), not accuracy.
Model-generated labels on tagged complaints only. Model years 2013 and newer are tagged in full; 2012 in part (see tagged_share); earlier model years have no tags. NHTSA's own flags remain separate in the complaints block.
Defect: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2016-2022 Sorento, 2021-2022 Sorento Hybrid (HEV), 2022-2023 Sorento Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV), and 2017-2022 Sportage vehicles equipped with a tow hitch harness installed as original equipment, or purchased as an accessory through a Kia dealership. Debris and moisture accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (PCB) may cause an el (excerpt)
Consequence: A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury. (excerpt)
Remedy: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will inspect the vehicle, and, as necessary, replace the fuse and/or tow hitch harness module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 11, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC249. (excerpt)
Defect: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2018 Kia Sorento vehicles. The cowl crossbar that connects to the Motor Driven Power Steering (MDPS) steering column may be improperly welded, allowing the steering column to separate.
Consequence: If the steering column separates, it can cause a loss of steering ability, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the cowl crossbar, free of charge. The recall began October 26, 2018. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC167.
Defect: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2018 Kia Sorento vehicles. The side curtain air bags on these vehicles have a component that may detach during deployment of the inflatable curtain air bag.
Consequence: If the component detaches during deployment, it may enter the passenger compartment and be a projectile within the vehicle cabin, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver and passenger side curtain air bags, free of charge. The recall began on December 18, 2017. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC159.
Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.
Investigations
1 investigations; 0 open.
DP22003
Opened: 2022-09-12. Closed: 2023-12-12.
Loss of Motive Power
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a letter dated July 13, 2022, petitioning the Agency to initiate a safety defect investigation into loss of motive power allegations attributed to oil drain pan assembly failures on certain Hyundai Motor America, Inc. and Kia America, Inc. vehicles spanning Model Years (MY) 2005-2021. The Petitioners cited examples of complaints i
Systems: ENGINE.
Linked campaign numbers: None listed.
Manufacturer communications
196 manufacturer communications.
Communications by system
System
Count
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
73
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
70
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
22
ENGINE
21
EQUIPMENT
19
STEERING
19
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
16
POWER TRAIN
16
11037563
Date: 2026-09-25. Type: Service Campaign. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, EXTERIOR LIGHTING.
VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN: OWNER RENOTIFICATION (SC330 Flight 301) - This document is the owner renotification advising that Kia is conducting a Voluntary Service Campaign to replace the multi-function switch knob with improved parts on certain 2016-2018 MY Sorento vehicles.
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: WARRANTY EXTENSION CAMPAIGN: MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH REPAIR (WTY031) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information associated with
11034003
Date: 2026-06-08. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: THEFT DETERRENT IGNITION CYLINDER PROTECTOR AND DECAL INSTALLATION (CS2312) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin prov
VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: THETA II 2.4L GDI EMISSIONS: ECM LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SC340 REVISION 5) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information to
11030382
Date: 2026-03-18. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ENGINE.
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: WARRANTY EXTENSION CAMPAIGN: OIL PRESSURE SWITCH (OPS) REPLACEMENT (WTY026 REVISION 2) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides informa
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: THETA II 2.4L GDI EMISSION SECM LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SC340 REV 4) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin p
11028908
Date: 2026-02-19. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: THEFT DETERRENT IGNITION CYLINDER PROTECTOR AND DECAL INSTALLATION (CS2312) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin prov
VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: OWNER NOTIFICATION (SC340 FLIGHT 103 / UM) - This document is the owner notification advising that Kia is conducting a Voluntary Emissions Service Campaign to improve the emissions software logic in the Electronic Control Module (ECM) for certain 2016-2020 MY So
11026825
Date: 2025-12-18. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: THEFT DETERRENT IGNITION CYLINDER PROTECTOR AND DECAL INSTALLATION (CS2312) - This bulletin provides information to install a Theft Deterrent Ignition Cylinder Protector on certain 2010-2022MY Kia vehicles outlined on page 19, which may not have bee
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION CAMPAIGN: OWNER NOTIFICATION (CS2312) - This document is the owner notification advising that Kia is conducting Customer Satisfaction Campaign. A software upgrade that addresses the social media theft method has been made available to owners of eligible Kia model vehicles free
Notes on this record
Complaints from the API and bulk file are merged and deduplicated by ODI number; the API alone misses records.
System and subsystem counts are numbers of distinct complaints, recalls or communications that name them. One record can name several systems, so shares across systems can add to more than 100 percent; a single share never exceeds 100 percent.
Recalls are counted once per campaign, investigations once per action and manufacturer communications once per NHTSA id, even when NHTSA lists several model names for the same record.
A sales denominator is a calendar-year proxy, not the population of vehicles still in use. Rates are copied from verified pipeline output.