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2006 Kia Sorento

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2006 Kia Sorento do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 242.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

208 reports with mileage · 34 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 67 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Exterior Lighting. Review the 56 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 53 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

12 crash reports8 fire reports7 injury reports

Air Bags complaints

19 reports
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97,000 miles · Oct 17, 2014
Air Bags

"PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG OFF" WARNING LIGHT COMES ON INTERMITTENTLY WHEN THERE IS A PASSENGER IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT. ALSO THE RED AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT IS ON CONSTANTLY WHEN THERE IS A PASSENGER IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT. THERE IS A RECALL FOR THIS VERY PROBLEM ON 06 AND 07 SORENTOS MADE AFTER JUNE 06 BUT MY KIA WAS MADE P…

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"PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG OFF" WARNING LIGHT COMES ON INTERMITTENTLY WHEN THERE IS A PASSENGER IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT. ALSO THE RED AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT IS ON CONSTANTLY WHEN THERE IS A PASSENGER IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT. THERE IS A RECALL FOR THIS VERY PROBLEM ON 06 AND 07 SORENTOS MADE AFTER JUNE 06 BUT MY KIA WAS MADE PRIOR TO THIS DATE AND IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. I AM AFRAID FOR THE SAFETY OF ANY PASSENGER IN THIS SEAT AND FEEL IT SHOULD BE COVERED BY THE RECALL. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10648512

90,000 miles · May 14, 2013
Air Bags

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 KIA SORENTO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PASSENGER AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED WHILE THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT WAS OCCUPIED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO HAVE A DIAGNOSTIC PERFORMED WHICH LOCATED THE FAILURE AT OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER ADVISED THAT THE VE…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 KIA SORENTO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PASSENGER AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED WHILE THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT WAS OCCUPIED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO HAVE A DIAGNOSTIC PERFORMED WHICH LOCATED THE FAILURE AT OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER ADVISED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 11V473000 (AIR BAGS). THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 90,000. UPDATED 06/18/13*LJ UPDATED 06/21/2013 *JS

NHTSA ODI #10511848

57,882 miles · May 11, 2012
Air Bags

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 KIA SORENTO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED THAT THE OPEN SOUND CONTROL (OSC) SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED BUT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILE…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 KIA SORENTO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED THAT THE OPEN SOUND CONTROL (OSC) SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED BUT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 57,882 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 58,882.

NHTSA ODI #10458103

32,000 miles · May 7, 2012
Air Bags

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 KIA SORENTO. THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED WITH THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE OCCUPIED WHEN THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE WARNING LIGHT REMAINED ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING WHERE THE TECHNICIAN ADVISED THAT THE SEAT PACK WOULD HAVE T…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 KIA SORENTO. THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED WITH THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE OCCUPIED WHEN THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE WARNING LIGHT REMAINED ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING WHERE THE TECHNICIAN ADVISED THAT THE SEAT PACK WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED.THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 32,000.

NHTSA ODI #10457675

30,000 miles · Nov 22, 2011
Air Bags

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 KIA SORENTO. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED THE CONTACT NOTICED THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THE AIR BAG SENSOR ON THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE SEAT HAD TO BE REPLACED. NHTSA RECALL CAMPAIGN …

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 KIA SORENTO. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED THE CONTACT NOTICED THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THE AIR BAG SENSOR ON THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE SEAT HAD TO BE REPLACED. NHTSA RECALL CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 11V473000 (AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE) MAY BE RELATED TO THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE RECALL ONLY INCLUDED 2007 AND 2008 KIA SORENTOS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 30,000.

NHTSA ODI #10436703

32,000 miles · Sep 5, 2011
Air BagsElectrical SystemExterior Lighting

ALL MY LIGHTS BOTH INTERNAL & EXTERNAL ARE BURNING OUT EVERY FEW MONTHS. AND I'VE HAD TO REPLACE MY BATTERY TIMES ALSO. MY HEADLIGHTS ARE REPLACED EVERY 4-5 MONTHS NOW, FIRST STARTING OUT EVERY YEAR HAS NOW DROPPED TO MONTHS. THE BATTERY LASTS FROM 10-13 MONTHS BEFORE HAVING TO BE REPLACED. NOW PARKING & BRAKE LIGHTS ARE BURNIN…

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ALL MY LIGHTS BOTH INTERNAL & EXTERNAL ARE BURNING OUT EVERY FEW MONTHS. AND I'VE HAD TO REPLACE MY BATTERY TIMES ALSO. MY HEADLIGHTS ARE REPLACED EVERY 4-5 MONTHS NOW, FIRST STARTING OUT EVERY YEAR HAS NOW DROPPED TO MONTHS. THE BATTERY LASTS FROM 10-13 MONTHS BEFORE HAVING TO BE REPLACED. NOW PARKING & BRAKE LIGHTS ARE BURNING OUT AT A RATE OF ABOUT EVERY 6 MONTHS. CALLED MY LOCAL KIA SERVICE REP AND HE SAYS MY DASH AND CONSOLE WOULD HAVE TO BE RIPPED OUT TO REPAIR, AND OF COURSE IT IS NO LONGER COVERED UNDER WARRANTY.ALSO MY INTERIOR LIGHTS ON DASH,CONSOLE AND INSIDE ON THE HEADER NO LONGER WORK. HAVE CHECKED ALL FUSES AND CAN FIND NOTHING UNUSUAL. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10423771

Mileage unknown · Feb 26, 2010
Air BagsSeatsCrash

I WAS IN A CAR ACCIDENT IN JUNE 2009, IN A 2006 KIA SORENTO. I WAS HIT BY A VEHICLE TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 60-70MPH. THE IMPACT WAS SO SEVERE, THAT I ENDED UP IN FRONT OF THE VEHICLE THAT I WAS PUSHED INTO. THE RESULT OF THIS ACCIDENT WAS TOTAL LOSS OF VEHICLE. MY AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, AND THAT DRIVER SIDE SEAT BACK BR…

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I WAS IN A CAR ACCIDENT IN JUNE 2009, IN A 2006 KIA SORENTO. I WAS HIT BY A VEHICLE TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 60-70MPH. THE IMPACT WAS SO SEVERE, THAT I ENDED UP IN FRONT OF THE VEHICLE THAT I WAS PUSHED INTO. THE RESULT OF THIS ACCIDENT WAS TOTAL LOSS OF VEHICLE. MY AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, AND THAT DRIVER SIDE SEAT BACK BROKE. DOCTORS SAID THAT HAD MY SEAT BACK NOT BROKE, I WOULD NOT HAVE SUSTAINED SUCH DEBILITATING INJURIES THAT I AM NOT GOING TO HEAL FROM. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10314735

Mileage unknown · Oct 1, 2008
Air BagsCrash

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 KIA SORENTO. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE OF ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE FRONTAL AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THERE WERE NO INJURIES, BUT BOTH VEHICLES WERE DAMAGED. THE VEHICLE WA…

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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 KIA SORENTO. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE OF ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE FRONTAL AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THERE WERE NO INJURIES, BUT BOTH VEHICLES WERE DAMAGED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A COLLISION CENTER FOR REPAIRS. RECENTLY, THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. HER VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED AND THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY AGAIN. PRIOR TO THIS CRASH, THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED UNTIL THE ENGINE WAS TURNED OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER AND THEY ORDERED A PART RELATED TO THE AIR BAG COMPONENT. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED OF THE SAFETY RISK INVOLVED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE AND VIN WERE UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 29,000.

NHTSA ODI #10244105

500 miles · Feb 15, 2007
Air BagsCrashInjury

TL*- THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE 2006 KIA SORENTO LX WAS IN A CRASH ON 02/12/07 WHILE DRIVING 30-35 MPH, AN D MAKING A LEFT HAND TURN ONTO A SIDE STREET WITH THE STREET CONDITION CLEAR IN THE EVENING HOURS ANOTHER VEHICLE HIT THE PASSENGER'S SIDE DOOR OF THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE AND THE AIRBAG DIDN'T DEPLOY. THE CONTACT STATED …

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TL*- THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE 2006 KIA SORENTO LX WAS IN A CRASH ON 02/12/07 WHILE DRIVING 30-35 MPH, AN D MAKING A LEFT HAND TURN ONTO A SIDE STREET WITH THE STREET CONDITION CLEAR IN THE EVENING HOURS ANOTHER VEHICLE HIT THE PASSENGER'S SIDE DOOR OF THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE AND THE AIRBAG DIDN'T DEPLOY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS A DEFECT IN THE AIRBAG MANUFACTURING. HE FELT THAT AIRBAGS WERE SUPPOSED TO BE DESIGNED TO DEPLOY UNDER THESE TYPES OF CONDITIONS. *AK

NHTSA ODI #10182615

Official recalls

1

09V130000 · Exterior Lighting:brake Lights:switch

Apr 17, 2009

HUYNDAI-KIA IS RECALLING 139,844 MY 2006-2007- SEDONA, SPORTAGE, SORENTO AND MY RONDO AND AMANTI VEHICLES. THE STOP LAMP SWITCH IN THE AFFECTED VEHICLES MAY MALFUNCTION. A MALFUNCTIONING STOP LAMP SWITCH MAY CAUSE THE BRAKE LIGHTS TO NOT ILLUMINATE WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED OR MAY CAUSE THE BRAKE LIGHTS TO REMAIN ILLUMINATED WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS RELEASED. A STOP LAMP SWITCH MALFUNCTION MAY ALSO AFFECT THE OPERATION OF THE BRAKE-TRANSMISSION SHIFT INTERLOCK FEATURE SO THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTER WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO BE SHIFTED OUT OF THE PARK POSITION. IT MAY ALSO CAUSE THE ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) MALFUNCTION LIGHT TO ILLUMINATE, AND IT MAY NOT DEACTIVATE THE CRUISE CONTROL WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: ANY OF THESE MALFUNCTIONS, ALONE OR IN COMBINATION, MAY LEAD TO A CRASH.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE STOP LAMP SWITCH FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 17, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT KIA'S CONSUMER ASSISTANCE CENTER AT 1-800-333-4542.

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

1

DP21003 · Throttle Control System Vulnerabilities

Opened Nov 12, 2021 · Closed Jun 20, 2023

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Vehicle Speed Control:throttle

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a petition letter dated October 10, 2021, requesting an investigation of possible defects in the electronic throttle control (ETC) system on certain Kia vehicles resulting in the opening of DP21-003. Accordingly, Model Year (MY) 2005-2016 Kia Optima/K5, MY 2006-2015 Kia Sorento, MY 2007-2016 Hyundai Elantra, MY 2007-2016 Hyundai Santa Fe, MY 2006-2015 Hyundai Sonatas are all part of the subject population. The petition was originally filed as a Vehicle Owner Questionnaire that can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under reference (ODI) number 11439675.On November 12, 2021, ODI opened Defect Petition DP21-003 to evaluate the petitioner?s request. ODI performed trend analyses of the VOQs related to vehicle speed control issues for all the subject vehicles and found that none of the 52 Model/Model Year Hyundai/Kia vehicles demonstrated any actionable trend that warranted an investigation.Petitioners submitted 1119 VOQs and non-VOQ cases in which sudden uncommanded acceleration (SUA) or loss of motive power (LOMP) incidents were alleged.For the 1119 reports, 220 were incidents involving crashes, from which 69 subject Hyundai-Kia vehicles were inspected by Hyundai/Kia dealer technicians, Hyundai/Kia engineers, and/or third-party representatives.ODI found the inspections identified no vehicle defects related to the ETC system.Of the 220 crash-involved reports, 13 Event Data Recorder (EDR) records were downloaded successfully and 11 of those indicated driver error: (i.e.) pedal misapplication.A condition where the accelerator pedal is mistakenly applied instead of the brake pedal when the driver wants to stop the vehicle.In addition, ODI reviewed a scientific journal paper published in Forensic Science International in 2016 by Mr. Park et al ., as well as related test videos. ODI does not believe there is any evidence of uncontrollable SUA occurrences in any of the tests reviewed. NHTSA's Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance (OVSC) reviewed the allegations regarding the potential noncompliance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 124.Based on the information provided, the Agency concludes there is insufficient information for us to determine if a possible non-compliance exists.Finally, both Hyundai and Kia informed ODI that all their vehicles manufactured after 2012 were equipped with an ETC management system, in which the engine speed will go to idle when the system sees signals from both the brake pedal and accelerator pedal at the same time; this is commonly known as the brake-throttle override system.After thoroughly assessing the material submitted by the petitioner, information already in NHTSA's possession, information submitted by Hyundai and Kia in response to an Information Request letter, and the potential risks to safety implicated by the petitioner's allegation, NHTSA does not believe that a formal investigation is warranted. After full consideration of appropriate factors, the petition is denied. A Federal Register Notice (FRN) further detailing NHTSA?s reasons for denial of the petition will be published.

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