I was driving down the highway when the sunroof randomly exploded, there was no debris that hit the roof or damages to the roof prior.
2023 Kia Sorento
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Fewer warning signs than most model years
Owner complaints for the 2023 Kia Sorento are lower than 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
Limited mileage data: 12 of 119 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
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.
- Electrical System. Review the 37 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 30 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 20 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Unknown Or Other complaints
35 reportsSafety concern. Vehicle suddenly could not maintain highway speed; vehicle unexpectedly decelerated. We were forced to pull over on the shoulder of the freeway. We called 911 and officers came. Officer confirmed being stopped on the shoulder of a major freeway was a very dangerous situation. We had 3 adults and two sleeping chil…
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Safety concern. Vehicle suddenly could not maintain highway speed; vehicle unexpectedly decelerated. We were forced to pull over on the shoulder of the freeway. We called 911 and officers came. Officer confirmed being stopped on the shoulder of a major freeway was a very dangerous situation. We had 3 adults and two sleeping children in the car. No warning signals in the vehicle prior to the incident.
The car is accelerating without anyone pressing down on the gas, not accelerating when our foot is on the gas, jerking unexplainably and the emergency brake warning is coming on when it has not been employed.
The car overheated while driving and my wife and daughter had to pull over to side of road. Engine Coolant was spilling everywhere. Car was towed to Raceway Kia in Freehold NJ. The dealer advised my wife that the radiator needs to be replaced and it was NOT covered under warranty. They claim that debris from the road must ha…
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The car overheated while driving and my wife and daughter had to pull over to side of road. Engine Coolant was spilling everywhere. Car was towed to Raceway Kia in Freehold NJ. The dealer advised my wife that the radiator needs to be replaced and it was NOT covered under warranty. They claim that debris from the road must have damaged the radiator and therefore it was "third party damage". I searched the web for incidents and found that this ios a design problem in the Kia Sorrento. Their design causes the vulnerability to get damage to readaitor due to leaks. This should be recalled and redesigned before someone gets seriously injured as a result.
The USB ports disconnect intermittently cause maps and phone calls to disconnect temporarily. Sometimes not connecting again until I turn off and on the car.
Vehicle gear slipping acceleration loss with difficulty in proper control of the vehicle. Vehicle has a consistent noise that comes from the accelerator as if something was loose and vibrating. The wheels don’t seem to be moving at the same time and feels like the cars slightly moves side to side as if something in the structu…
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Vehicle gear slipping acceleration loss with difficulty in proper control of the vehicle. Vehicle has a consistent noise that comes from the accelerator as if something was loose and vibrating. The wheels don’t seem to be moving at the same time and feels like the cars slightly moves side to side as if something in the structure of the vehicle has como off loose with sounds/ rattle coming from the passenger side and back. The vehicle has have wheels aligned and checked more than 6 times with continuous problems and no real solution from the dealers. The dealer has stated everything is fine and to go back if a light sensor turns on. They have said every excuse possible, from telling me that I don’t know to drive the vehicle to having the cops called on me to be removed from the premises . To the dealership telling me they will not check the vehicle. I have gone to 5 different dealership and they refuse to acknowledge my concern with the vehicle. I went ahead and place the vehicle on a lemon law and settled with Kia stating they would validate the warranty. The problem is the dealership have told me that they have to do lots of paperwork and they have to replicate the problem, but have me drive the vehicle instead of them . They stated they only drive the vehicle for about five minutes. The service advisor at time have requested authorization from me inorder for them to drive the car. When asked for a mechanic to do the testing, Ive been told they are may no be available and are working on other vehicles.I have stated the vehicle starts presenting the problem after it has been driven for a while. Again the dealership dismisses all of my claims. The vehicle doesn’t feel safe to drive and I fear a collision may happen putting my life and others at risk.
Mounting bracket for the backup camera failed and caused the camera to dangle from the car. This caused me to not be able to use the camera to view objects and surroundings directly behind the vehicle. A dealer said they fixed the part back when it was originally recalled, but the new bracket broke and the dealer is refusing to …
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Mounting bracket for the backup camera failed and caused the camera to dangle from the car. This caused me to not be able to use the camera to view objects and surroundings directly behind the vehicle. A dealer said they fixed the part back when it was originally recalled, but the new bracket broke and the dealer is refusing to fix the issue. They said the initial recall was completed and the part is now out of warranty and therefore they will not fix it, even though the exact part that was recalled originally has now failed again.
I bought a 2023 Kia Sorento SX with 11 miles on the vehicle in June of 2023, On 7/17/23, within a month and a half of driving it, it would lose all power and would not respond to excelleration, whereby coasting to the side of the road. All warning lights would come on, 3 codes popped up, one of which is the malfunction of the en…
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I bought a 2023 Kia Sorento SX with 11 miles on the vehicle in June of 2023, On 7/17/23, within a month and a half of driving it, it would lose all power and would not respond to excelleration, whereby coasting to the side of the road. All warning lights would come on, 3 codes popped up, one of which is the malfunction of the engine. I would turn it off and back on to reset the computer and it would drive. I took it to my local Kia service department and they cleared off the codes and couldn't recreate or duplicate the problem. On 8/23/23 I experienced the exact same experience the same scenario, but this time I could barely pull over it had loss of power and I was about to drive through an intersection. Took it back to service they performed a complete check without success they kept it for 2 weeks to try and duplicate the problem, wasn't fixed. The 3rd time on 5/06/24, same problem, they still don't know what causes the car to lose power. I am concerned that the car will cause a fatality to myself, my family, or to another motorist. This car is not safe to drive because the computer systems shut down while driving and it is sporadic and unnerving when it happens.
Purchased brand new 2023 Sorento on 12/30/23. On Jan 14th, with less than 300 miles on it, had 1st incident. All lights on dash came on said Engine control system, lost all ability to accelerate. Had to get out of traffic, as safely as I could. Turned car off and waited 5 min. Turn car back on, check engine light stayed on bu…
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Purchased brand new 2023 Sorento on 12/30/23. On Jan 14th, with less than 300 miles on it, had 1st incident. All lights on dash came on said Engine control system, lost all ability to accelerate. Had to get out of traffic, as safely as I could. Turned car off and waited 5 min. Turn car back on, check engine light stayed on but could give gas. Took to dealership and a code was stored in history, engine control module. 3 days later took it back to get fixed and they could reproduce problem or get any code. Put flight recorder on, drove it for 11 miles, nothing. Said they can't fix without a code. On Feb 17th, with 1500 miles, same situation. All lights on dash, cannot give any gas. Extremely dangerous in traffic. Got off road and on display it said it performed 7 checks. All showing good except Engine Management System. Shows condition with engine control system and take to dealership immediately. It was a Saturday, service was closed. Check engine light stayed on Saturday and all day Sunday. Monday, check engine off. Took to dealership, no code found. This is a brand new car and has has same problem twice now. They are saying they need a code to fix. So now I'm driving a ticking time bomb, a death trap. Scared to drive on interstate or anywhere with heavy traffic. When you loose ability to control cars speed, that's EXTREMELY dangerous. I dropped car off at KIA and will NOT pickup until they can tell me what's going on with my brand new car. Why KIA put a safety feature that "limp mode" stops the car from accelerating is beyond me. This is so scary and disappointing.
1. I have been complaining about the vehicle turning off by itself. No one is listening to me or telling me what is causing the problem. I have numerous witnesses when the car turns off by itself. It isn’t safe. It could cause a deadly accident. No it’s not the auto shut off either. I have to put the car in park and hope it rest…
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1. I have been complaining about the vehicle turning off by itself. No one is listening to me or telling me what is causing the problem. I have numerous witnesses when the car turns off by itself. It isn’t safe. It could cause a deadly accident. No it’s not the auto shut off either. I have to put the car in park and hope it restarts each time. 2. When auto shut off is in use the vehicle stalls leading it to act like it’s trying to get fuel to move and turns off. I’ve come too close to having accidents. I never know when it will do it. Sometimes I don’t drive it because I don’t want to be held liable for causing an accident and harming somebody's life. 3. I had been complaining to them that I smelled something burning but I couldn’t identify it. I asked them to keep my car and check it out and they refused. While driving in the hottest summer the AC goes out. I immediately took it to the dealership. The worker said we can’t fix it. It'll be a week before they will take my vehicle. The lady was rude and said go to another dealership. It was too hot not to have AC then on top of that it rained the rest of the week and I wasn’t able to work because I couldn’t defog my windows to drive. It finally stopped raining and I was able to get another dealership to check it out and they told me something had burned up that makes the AC work ( I have the paperwork). If they would have checked the car like I asked when I first started complaining about smelling the burning smell this could have been avoided. Also, I don’t get notifications about recalls via mail, phone, call, email etc.
Official recalls
325V649000 · Electrical System:wiring:fuses And Circuit Breakers; Visibility:defroster/defogger/hvac System:fan/motor
Sep 25, 2025
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Sorento vehicles. The heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) blower motor wiring harness may be inadequate, which can result in a fire.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A fire increases the risk of injury.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the wiring harness and blower motor resistor, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 23, 2026. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC351. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning October 9, 2025.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Visibility:defroster/defogger/hvac System:fan/motor
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Sorento vehicles. The heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) blower motor wiring harness may be inadequate, which can result in a fire.
Consequence: A fire increases the risk of injury.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the wiring harness and blower motor resistor, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 23, 2026. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC351. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning October 9, 2025.
Electrical System:wiring:fuses And Circuit Breakers
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Sorento vehicles. The heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) blower motor wiring harness may be inadequate, which can result in a fire.
Consequence: A fire increases the risk of injury.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the wiring harness and blower motor resistor, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 23, 2026. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC351. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning October 9, 2025.
23V610000 · Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Camera
Aug 31, 2023
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2022-2023 Sorento, Sorento Hybrid, and Sorento Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) vehicles. The mounting clips for the rearview camera may break, which can cause the rearview camera image not to appear properly on the display. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A rearview camera that does not properly display an image can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the rearview camera housing, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 27, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC280.
23V579000 · Equipment:other:labels
Aug 15, 2023
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Sorento vehicles. The air bag warning labels on the driver and front passenger sun visors may detach. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A detached air bag warning label will not warn occupants about the risks of air bag deployment, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the driver and front passenger sun visors, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 10, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC277.
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.
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