IllustrationWHEN SOMEONE SITS IN THE PASSENGER SEAT, THE SENSOR DOES NOT DETECT PASSENGER. THE LIGHT STAYS IN THE OFF POSITION AND THE AIR BAG LIGHT IN THE DASHBOARD WILL NOT CUT OFF. *TR
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
Seat Belts complaints
4 reportsMY 2005 KIA SORENTO HYDROPLANED . THE SUV FLIPPED OVER 3 TIMES AND HIT AN CONCRETE WALL. MY AIRBAGS AND SEAT BELT FAILED TO SECURE ME . KIA SAYS THAT MY CAR DOES NOT HAVE ROLL OVER AIRBAGS THAT THEY ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR MY INJURIES. I FEEL THAT KIA SHOULD OWN UP TO THE POORLY MADE SUV THAT THEY DESIGN . *TR
ON 4/30/08 MY KIA SORENTO WAS HIT FROM BEHIND ON THE INTERSTATE. WE WERE PUSHED INTO THE CAR AHEAD OF US WHO ALSO HIT THE CAR AHEAD OF THEM. WE WERE ON AN EXTENDED ON RAMP SO I ESTIMATE OUR SPEED WAS 35 MPH. AS THE TRAFFIC AHEAD OF US BEGAN TO STOP QUICKLY I APPLIED MY BRAKES, THEREFORE THE EXACT RATE OF SPEED AT THE TIME OF IM…
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ON 4/30/08 MY KIA SORENTO WAS HIT FROM BEHIND ON THE INTERSTATE. WE WERE PUSHED INTO THE CAR AHEAD OF US WHO ALSO HIT THE CAR AHEAD OF THEM. WE WERE ON AN EXTENDED ON RAMP SO I ESTIMATE OUR SPEED WAS 35 MPH. AS THE TRAFFIC AHEAD OF US BEGAN TO STOP QUICKLY I APPLIED MY BRAKES, THEREFORE THE EXACT RATE OF SPEED AT THE TIME OF IMPACT IS UNKNOWN. HOWEVER WE HIT CAR ENOUGH THAT MY DAUGHTERS LID COVERED SOFT DRINK HIT THE DASH. NEITHER OF MY CARS FRONT AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. MY CAR SUSTAINED MAJOR REAR AND FRONT AND DRIVER SIDE DAMAGE. THE CAR WAS TOTALED. OUR SEAT BELTS DID HOLD US IN. HOWEVER I RECEIVED BRUISING FROM THE SEAT BELT IN THE CHECK AND WAIST AREA AS WEAK AS AN INJURY TO MY RIGHT KNEE WHERE IT HIT THE LOWER DASH AREA. *TR
WE HAD ISSUES FROM THE BEGINNING WITH A FIRE IN THE CENTER CONSOLE OF OUR PRE-OWNED KIA. THEN WE NOTICED THE LIGHT FOR THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAGS WAS INTERMITTENT ON PICKING UP WHETHER THERE WAS A PASSENGER IN THE SEAT. OUR CLOCK WOULD GO IN AND OUT ON THE LIGHTING ESPECIALLY OVER BUMPS. THEN WE WERE REAR ENDED ON THE HIGHWA…
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WE HAD ISSUES FROM THE BEGINNING WITH A FIRE IN THE CENTER CONSOLE OF OUR PRE-OWNED KIA. THEN WE NOTICED THE LIGHT FOR THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAGS WAS INTERMITTENT ON PICKING UP WHETHER THERE WAS A PASSENGER IN THE SEAT. OUR CLOCK WOULD GO IN AND OUT ON THE LIGHTING ESPECIALLY OVER BUMPS. THEN WE WERE REAR ENDED ON THE HIGHWAY. NO AIR BAGS WENT OFF. THE SEAT BELT DID NOT ENGAGE AND HOLD EITHER ME OR MY HUSBAND BACK. THEN WHEN I FELL BACK AGAINST THE SEAT THE SEAT DID NOT STAY IN PLACE AND I FELL BACKWARDS. I WENT TO THE HOSPITAL FOR MUSCLE SPASMS. THE VEHICLE IS BEING REPAIRED FOR THE PHYSICAL DAMAGE AND THEN WILL BE BROUGHT TO THE DEALERSHIP. *NM
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.