Kia Sorento Years to Avoid — and the Years to Buy
Every Kia Sorento model year from 2003 to 2026, benchmarked against each other with 13,942 federal complaints, 41 recall campaigns, and the odometer readings owners put in their reports.
Avoid: 2011–2014, 2016. These years top the Sorento's complaint rankings by volume and severity.
Safer bets: 2003–2004, 2006–2009, 2018, 2020–2022 — the quietest years with at least four years on the road.
The trouble strip
One cell per model year. The whole answer in one glance — click any year for the full report.
The defining problem
Engine tops the Kia Sorento file with 4,192 complaints, concentrated in the 2012–2017 model years, most often reported around 87,890 miles. The year pages break down what fails and when.
Every year, ranked
| Year | Verdict | Complaints | Recalls | Top problem | Trouble index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Few reports | 7 | 2 | — | 1 |
| 2025 | Too early to call | 115 | 3 | Electrical | 6 |
| 2024 | Too early to call | 53 | 2 | Electrical | 4 |
| 2023 | Typical | 196 | 3 | Electrical | 9 |
| 2022 | Better year | 281 | 6 | Transmission & drivetrain | 11 |
| 2021 | Better year | 353 | 4 | Transmission & drivetrain | 14 |
| 2020 | Better year | 188 | 1 | Engine | 12 |
| 2019 | Typical | 622 | 2 | Engine | 30 |
| 2018 | Better year | 334 | 3 | Engine | 18 |
| 2017 | Below average | 1,032 | 4 | Engine | 46 |
| 2016 | Avoid | 1,624 | 8 | Engine | 74 |
| 2015 | Below average | 960 | 3 | Engine | 43 |
| 2014 | Avoid | 1,373 | 6 | Engine | 63 |
| 2013 | Avoid | 1,296 | 5 | Engine | 62 |
| 2012 | Avoid | 1,206 | 5 | Engine | 64 |
| 2011 | Avoid | 2,076 | 8 | Electrical | 100 |
| 2010 | Few reports | 3 | 2 | — | 0 |
| 2009 | Better year | 79 | 3 | Airbags | 4 |
| 2008 | Better year | 319 | 3 | Airbags | 18 |
| 2007 | Better year | 224 | 4 | Airbags | 13 |
| 2006 | Better year | 382 | 1 | Electrical | 17 |
| 2005 | Typical | 457 | 0 | Electrical | 23 |
| 2004 | Better year | 341 | 0 | Engine | 18 |
| 2003 | Better year | 421 | 1 | Engine | 18 |
Questions buyers ask
What Kia Sorento years should I avoid?
Federal complaint records point to 2011–2014, 2016 as the Kia Sorento years to avoid — they drew the highest volume of serious complaints relative to the model's other years.
What is the most common Kia Sorento problem?
Engine tops the Kia Sorento file with 4,192 complaints, concentrated in the 2012–2017 model years, most often reported around 87,890 miles.
What are the best Kia Sorento years to buy used?
The quietest Kia Sorento years in federal records are 2003–2004, 2006–2009, 2018, 2020–2022 — each with at least four years on the road and well-below-average complaint volume for this model.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Counts cover the Kia Sorento only, scored against this model's own worst year — not against other models. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.