IllustrationTHE HEAD LIGHT KEEP BURNING OUT THE RADIO AND THE CLOCK LIGHT KEEP FLICKING AND DRAING THE BATTERY WHILE DRIVING
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.
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
250–25K
2825–50K
4350–75K
4775–100K
42100–150K
23150K+
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
Electrical System complaints
53 reportsRECENTLY PURCHASED 2006 KIA SORENTO..RECALL #SC077 THE BRAKE LIGHTS INTEROIR LIGHTS ARE NOT WORKING I REPLACED ALL BULBS AND FUSES..PLEASE HELP
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 KIA SORENTO. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED, THE CONTACT NOTICED SMOKE EMERGING FROM THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO NISSAN KIA OF MIDDLETOWN (4961 ROUTE 17M, NEW HAMPTON, NY 10958) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE FUSE AND ELECTRICAL BOX N…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 KIA SORENTO. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED, THE CONTACT NOTICED SMOKE EMERGING FROM THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO NISSAN KIA OF MIDDLETOWN (4961 ROUTE 17M, NEW HAMPTON, NY 10958) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE FUSE AND ELECTRICAL BOX NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 93,000.
HEAD LIGHTS BLOW OUT EVERY COUPLE MONTHS AND THE BRAKE LIGHTS TO AND IT HAPPENS AT ALL TIME DRIVING DAY AND NIGHT WHEN DRIVING AND PARKED
PARKED THE CAR ONE NIGHT, NEXT MORNING ONLY CLICKS, CLICKING COMING FROM FUSE BOX TOO. NEW BATTERY, BATTERY AND BRAKE LIGHT ARE ON, CAR DIES AFTER SPUTTERING. THIS IS A NEW $5,000 ENGINE WITH ONLY 20,000 MILES DUE TO A CRANKSHAFT PULLEY BREAK RUINING THE ORIGINAL ONE. NOW, IT WON'T CRANK, OBDII RETURNS CODES P0763 AND P0101 W…
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PARKED THE CAR ONE NIGHT, NEXT MORNING ONLY CLICKS, CLICKING COMING FROM FUSE BOX TOO. NEW BATTERY, BATTERY AND BRAKE LIGHT ARE ON, CAR DIES AFTER SPUTTERING. THIS IS A NEW $5,000 ENGINE WITH ONLY 20,000 MILES DUE TO A CRANKSHAFT PULLEY BREAK RUINING THE ORIGINAL ONE. NOW, IT WON'T CRANK, OBDII RETURNS CODES P0763 AND P0101 WHICH ARE SHIFT SOLENOID AND MASS AIR FLOW ELECTRICAL. THE COOLING FAN RELALY IS BURNED AS WELL AS THE FUSE BOX CIRCUIT BOARD IT GOES INTO. HAVE A MECHANIC COMING TO CHECK IT BUT NOT TOO OPTIMISTIC GIVEN THE CAR'S HISTORY. LUCKILY, I ONLY DROVE 3 MILES TO MY OTHER HOME WHEN THE SECOND TIME FOR QUITTING OCCURRED WHERE IT IS STILL, NOW I'M OUT OF A CAR AND LOTS OF OBLIGATIONS TO FULFILL AND WALKING.
I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE USED FROM A LOCAL DEALERSHIP BACK IN 2013.IT HAD 53000 MILES ON IT I BOUGHT THE EXTENDED WARRANTY AND HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO USE IT DUE TO WHEN THE ISSUES DEVELOPED. WITHIN THREE MONTHS I HAD TO REPLACE THE PASSENGER SIDE THEN DRIVER SIDE LOW BEAM LIGHTS AND THE FRONT AND REAR TAIL LIGHTS. THIS HAS OCCURRE…
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I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE USED FROM A LOCAL DEALERSHIP BACK IN 2013.IT HAD 53000 MILES ON IT I BOUGHT THE EXTENDED WARRANTY AND HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO USE IT DUE TO WHEN THE ISSUES DEVELOPED. WITHIN THREE MONTHS I HAD TO REPLACE THE PASSENGER SIDE THEN DRIVER SIDE LOW BEAM LIGHTS AND THE FRONT AND REAR TAIL LIGHTS. THIS HAS OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING. I HAD TO DO THIS ABOUT ONCE A YEAR. I RECENTLY JUNE 2016 CHANGED THE PASSENGER SIDE BULB LOW BEAM AGAIN. NOW I HAVE NOTICED I HAVE NO TAG LIGHTS. I ORDERED REPLACEMENT BULBS FROM THE DEALERSHIP AND HAD THEM INSTALLED AND THEY STILL DO NOT WORK. YET NO FUSES ARE BLOWN AND THERE IS NO SMELL OF BURNING WIRES OR MELTED WIRES ANYWHERE. *TR
OUR 2006 KIA SORENTO ALL THE SUDDEN WHILE DRIVING ON A VERY BUSY IN CITY HIGHWAY, STARTED SOUNDING LIKE IT KEPT TRYING TO TURN OVER AND WE PULLED OVER. WE NOTICED IT STARTED SMELLING HOT BUT WOULDN'T TURN OFF SO MY HUSBAND TRIED TAKING OFF THE BATTERY BUT COULDN'T BECAUSE IT WAS SO HOT IT BURNED HIM AND NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM…
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OUR 2006 KIA SORENTO ALL THE SUDDEN WHILE DRIVING ON A VERY BUSY IN CITY HIGHWAY, STARTED SOUNDING LIKE IT KEPT TRYING TO TURN OVER AND WE PULLED OVER. WE NOTICED IT STARTED SMELLING HOT BUT WOULDN'T TURN OFF SO MY HUSBAND TRIED TAKING OFF THE BATTERY BUT COULDN'T BECAUSE IT WAS SO HOT IT BURNED HIM AND NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM THE ENGINE. WE FINALLY GOT IT OFF SO WE TRIED TO RESTART IT BUT THE BATTERY WAS TOTALLY DEAD. THE SHOP SAID THE ENGINE IS GONE.
I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY IN SLUSHY SNOW AND THE BRAKE LIGHT & BATTERY LIGHT CAME ON. THE ENGINE SOUNDED ROUGH. WHEN I WENT TO PULL OF THE HIGHWAY, I HAD NO POWER STEERING.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 KIA SORENTO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT AN ELECTRICAL SHORTAGE WAS CAUSING THE LOW BEAMS TO FAIL PREMATURELY. THE LOW BEAM BULBS WERE REPLACED NUMEROUS TIMES, BUT THE FAILURE WAS NOT CORRECTED. …
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 KIA SORENTO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT AN ELECTRICAL SHORTAGE WAS CAUSING THE LOW BEAMS TO FAIL PREMATURELY. THE LOW BEAM BULBS WERE REPLACED NUMEROUS TIMES, BUT THE FAILURE WAS NOT CORRECTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 30,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 KIA SORENTO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE DISPLAYED A DANGEROUS INCREASE IN TEMPERATURE. IN ADDITION, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT HE ATTEMPTED TO RESTART THE VEHICLE SEVERAL TIMES. THE FAILURE RECURRED INTERMIT…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 KIA SORENTO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE DISPLAYED A DANGEROUS INCREASE IN TEMPERATURE. IN ADDITION, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT HE ATTEMPTED TO RESTART THE VEHICLE SEVERAL TIMES. THE FAILURE RECURRED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000.
Official recalls
109V130000 · 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
1DP21003 · 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.