IllustrationHEADLIGHTS FREQUENTLY GO OUT. I HAVE HAD TO CHANGE THEM TWICE SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR ONE YEAR AGO. THEY GET EXTREMELY HOT AND ALMOST MELT. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND IT SEEMS LIKE THERE ARE MANY OTHERS WITH A SIMILAR PROBLEM. *JB
2005 Kia Sorento
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2005 Kia Sorento do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 242.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Sorento years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
440–25K
2525–50K
3950–75K
4675–100K
93100–150K
10150K+
257 reports with mileage · 50 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Engine. Review the 63 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Exterior Lighting. Review the 53 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 49 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
17 crash reports5 fire reports11 injury reports
Exterior Lighting complaints
53 reportsI HAVE HAD THE HEADLIGHTS O 2005 KIA SORENTO REPLACED TWICE NOW. THEY BOTH WENT OUT WITHIN A DAY OF EACH OTHER THE FIRST TIME. I HAD TO PAY 129.00 ON THE CAR WAS LES THAN I YEAR OLD. THE SECOND TIME THEY REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. THIS IS SERIOUS. ALOT OF KIA OWNERS ARE COMPLAINING BUY KIA SAYS NOTHING IS WRONG. THERE MUST BE. CAN…
Read full complaint
I HAVE HAD THE HEADLIGHTS O 2005 KIA SORENTO REPLACED TWICE NOW. THEY BOTH WENT OUT WITHIN A DAY OF EACH OTHER THE FIRST TIME. I HAD TO PAY 129.00 ON THE CAR WAS LES THAN I YEAR OLD. THE SECOND TIME THEY REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. THIS IS SERIOUS. ALOT OF KIA OWNERS ARE COMPLAINING BUY KIA SAYS NOTHING IS WRONG. THERE MUST BE. CAN YOU HELP GET KIA TO RECALL & FIX THIS PROBLEM?*AK
ON MY 2005 KIA SORENTO I HAVE BURNED OUT 4 SETS OF LOW BEAMS IN 8 MONTHS. KIA HAS NO ANSWERS FOR ME AND IT SEEMS THAT THERE IS A GROWING GROUP OF OWBERS, ON LINE, THAT ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS.*AK
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.