2004 Kia Sorento Problems, Recalls & Reliability
341 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2004 Kia Sorento, alongside 0 recall campaigns and 0 defect investigations. It scores 18/100 on the trouble index — one of this model's quieter years. Engine leads the reports, typically around 92,400 miles.
One of the quieter years. Relative to its siblings, the 2004 Kia Sorento has drawn well-below-average complaint volume with at least four years on the road.
Better year
Where 2004 sits among all Sorento years
What owners report
“Harmonic balancer pulley bolt broke. Very bad design. Driving down the road it broke off causing loss of power steering. Bolt snapped off inside crankshaft.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Sorento
“Crank pully bolt snapped. Causing crank pully to fall, and critical belts to fail.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Sorento
“The interior lights do not stay on the wheel i have to play with it to get them to come on and they go off all the time which is very dangerous driving at night. And my low beams do not work at all i have to drive with high beams on.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Sorento
“2004 kia sorrento 97,000 miles. The left and right side rear control arm brackets rusted off.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Sorento
“A section of the main frame rail is rotted completely through, where the rear sway control arm which attaches to the rear drivetrain. The vehicle is unsafe to drive as the rear drivetrain is at risk of detaching from the vehicle.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Sorento
“In this instance, the car failed to start. However, there were several more incidents concerning the same issues. In those instances, the car would suddenly lose power, stall out and if able to be restarted, could be driven with a lag in the engine a short distance before all the dash lights would…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Sorento
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 285 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 99,648 miles. Half of those reports fall between 64,000 and 124,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls
No recall campaigns on file for the 2004 Kia Sorento.
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2004 Kia Sorento reliable?
The 2004 Kia Sorento drew 341 complaints in federal safety records — one of this model's quieter years. Its trouble index is 18/100, scored against the model's worst year (2011).
What are the most common 2004 Kia Sorento problems?
The top reported problems for the 2004 Kia Sorento are engine (96 complaints), transmission & drivetrain (42), and electrical (42).
At what mileage do 2004 Kia Sorento problems show up?
Owners most often report 2004 Kia Sorento problems around 99,648 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 64,000 and 124,000 miles.
Does the 2004 Kia Sorento have recalls?
No recall campaigns are on file for the 2004 Kia Sorento. Recalls can be issued at any time, so check the VIN before buying.
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. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.