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Owner-Reported Problems · NHTSA

2020 Kia Sorento — Problems & Complaints

NHTSA has 136 owner complaints on file for this vehicle. Every report below was filed by a real owner with the US government's road-safety agency.

136
Complaints
filed with NHTSA
10
Involved a Crash
owner-reported
12
Involved Fire
owner-reported
21 / 1
Injuries / Deaths
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.

981 complaints

987 complaints

751 complaints

1,252 complaints

804 complaints

254 complaints

428 complaints

136 complaints

20 complaints

189 complaints

122 complaints

42 complaints

75 complaints

0 complaints

Problem Areas

What Owners Complain About Most

Engine 65 reports
Unknown Or Other 24 reports
Electrical System 20 reports
Power Train 18 reports
Fuel/propulsion System 10 reports
Trailer Hitches 9 reports
Exterior Lighting 5 reports
Service Brakes 5 reports
In Their Own Words

Recent Owner Reports

Electrical System ODI 11707314 12/28/2025

I wanted to add to a previous claim I had already submitted, I found an item that had fallen out of my engine, I don't know if I can submit a picture on here but I will try.

Electrical System ODI 11707320 12/28/2025

I have placed below what I have sent to Kia company.

Unknown Or Other ODI 11707188 12/26/2025

I was driving my vehicle and all the sudden all the lights on my dashboard came on, I am going to try and remember exactly which ones came on. The engine malfunction light, the ABS light, the battery light, the EPS light, the oil light, there were more lights that came on but I don't know the exact name of it. Then I heard a pop, smoke pouring through the vents, this all happe…

Electrical System ODI 11498880 12/26/2022

There already is a recall for my problem, NHTSA Recall #22V703, but Kia has refused to honor the recall after my vehicle electrical wires started burning, exactly as warned in the Recall. Kia asserts that the trailer hitch and wiring was not installed by Kia, but in fact it was installed by a Kia Dealer.

Visibility ODI 11498521 12/22/2022

Friday 12/16 car was being driven at 55 MPH on a rural road with no traffic around it when the Panoramic Sunroof exploded. Very loud boom and my wife thought she had a blow out. Immediately pulled over to check the vehicle. No tire or body damage was found until she looked on top of the vehicle. Total back panel of the Sunroof (over the back seat area) had shattered and ap…

Same Vehicle

Recalls & Crash Tests

Complaints are one half of the picture — see the official recalls and NHTSA crash-test stars for the 2020 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 2020 Kia Sorento reliable?
Owners have filed 136 safety complaints with NHTSA for the 2020 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.