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Owner-Reported Problems · NHTSA

2011 Kia Sorento — Problems & Complaints

NHTSA has 1,519 owner complaints on file for this vehicle. Every report below was filed by a real owner with the US government's road-safety agency.

1,519
Complaints
filed with NHTSA
42
Involved a Crash
owner-reported
63
Involved Fire
owner-reported
50
Injuries
across all reports
Years to Avoid

Kia Sorento — Complaints by Model Year

Years flagged AVOID have at least twice this model's average complaint count — the strongest public-data signal of a bad year.

3 complaints

1,519 complaints

880 complaints

981 complaints

987 complaints

751 complaints

1,252 complaints

804 complaints

254 complaints

Problem Areas

What Owners Complain About Most

Engine 284 reports
Structure 268 reports
Power Train 265 reports
Electrical System 246 reports
Unknown Or Other 214 reports
Air Bags 183 reports
Service Brakes 132 reports
Exterior Lighting 102 reports
In Their Own Words

Recent Owner Reports

Unknown Or Other ODI 11633387 12/31/2024

Engine fire, extinguished by the fire dept. Car was parked at the time. Dealer informed us that the fire recall was completed on 10-29-2021 and now we are over the 150,000 mileage warranty so no repair can be done by Kia. I will submit 2 more claims for transmission and brakes for the same Kia.

Suspension ODI 11633395 12/31/2024

Transmission, shocks and struts had to be replaced. Kia was having a hard bump knock when it changed gears driving down the highway, we had it looked at several times by the Kia dealer and they couldn't find anything wrong. Eventually had to replace the parts above.

Service Brakes ODI 11633397 12/31/2024

Rear brakes failed, had to replace them. This is the 3rd repair not covered by Kia.

Engine ODI 11633421 12/31/2024

Engine light flashes fast then Kia will slow down to about 30 mph when going up a hill, I've make claims on this Kia for the fire loss, transmission, brakes and now it won't run unless I pay $85 to have the sensor reset which lasts a short time and the light starts flashing again. Was told it doesn't qualify for a new engine because the mileage is over 150,000.

Exterior Lighting ODI 11445724 12/31/2021

Headlights go on and off while driving at night, especially when using turn signals. We cannot use Kia Sorento at night. All bulbs are OK

Same Vehicle

Recalls & Crash Tests

Complaints are one half of the picture — see the official recalls and NHTSA crash-test stars for the 2011 Kia Sorento, or check your exact car by VIN with the free VIN lookup.

Check Another Car

Problems Checker

Any year, make and model: open the Car Problems Checker. Data: NHTSA (US DOT, public domain), cached up to 7 days.

Questions

FAQ

Is the 2011 Kia Sorento reliable?
Owners have filed 1,519 safety complaints with NHTSA for the 2011 Kia Sorento, most often about engine. Compare the complaint counts across model years above — a year with far more complaints than the model's average is the strongest 'avoid' signal in public data.
Which Kia Sorento years should I avoid?
The rule of thumb used by analysts: a model year whose complaint count is well above the model's own average (we flag 2× or more) usually had a real manufacturing or design problem — not just noisy reporting. Use the year-by-year strip on this page.
Where do these complaints come from?
Directly from NHTSA, the US government road-safety agency. Any owner can file a Vehicle Owner Questionnaire; NHTSA publishes them as public domain data. We cache each lookup for up to 7 days.
Do complaints mean a recall is coming?
Sometimes. NHTSA opens defect investigations when complaint patterns emerge, and investigations can end in recalls. Check the recalls page for this vehicle to see what has already been recalled.