Cracking windshields, bad brakes, engine, and electrical system problems are among the top complaints received by the NHTSA from vehicle owners
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The 2022 Kia Sorento is a family-friendly SUV that is meant to enhance the drive. The automaker claims it has “power for every experience.” Yet, customers are faced with serious issues, including problems with defective visibility because of windshields that crack, brakes that malfunction, engines that lose power, and tow hitch harnesses that are a fire hazard.
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There are 28 complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA) about the 2022 Kia Sorento. These relate to more than a dozen components and systems. But the ones that attract the most complaints are visibility (specifically windshields cracking spontaneously), faulty brakes, engine problems, and electrical issues. There have also been complaints about the powertrain, with owners citing transmission problems.
One complaint listed under the Vehicle Speed Control category describes how a parked Sorento suddenly “rolled away and crashed into a neighbor’s fence.” According to the complaint, the dealer refused “to diagnose the vehicle until the cosmetic repairs were completed.” Now the owner places rocks under the SUV and activates the emergency brakes to prevent another roll away.
Additionally, there are 6 recalls that affect the Sorento, 2 of which only affect the Hybrid and Plug-In Hybrid models.
A further problem is that owners are complaining that dealerships don’t have the necessary parts required to fix the problem. The recall notice issued on September 19, 2022 advises owners “to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. The remedy is currently under development. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed on November 14, 2022.”
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Power Train | |
| Engine | |
| Electrical System | |
| Service Brakes | |
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Visibility/wiper | |
| Steering | |
| Trailer Hitches | |
| Vehicle Speed Control | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking |
Seeing clearly out of any vehicle should be a top priority. However, the defects with the 2022 Sorento’s auto glass are making it difficult for customers to see out of the SUV.
The very first NHTSA complaint about the 2022 Kia Sorento was from an owner in Indiana on January 11, 2022 whose windshield cracked. “My vehicle (2022 Kia Sorento) was purchased (on) 11/08/21. It only has 1,777 miles at this exact time. My windshield started cracking on my driver’s side from the sunroof down. This is ridiculous for a vehicle so new. I’ve read this is a chronic issue with the Tellurides. Kia refuses to do anything about it.”
There are another 5 complaints filed under Visibility and Visibility/Wiper. In fact, all visibility complaints relate to windshield cracks.
An owner from Texas has the same sentiments as the Indiana owner. “We have a new 2022 Kia Sorento. The windshield, without any impacts at all, cracked overnight in our garage – from (the) lower driver corner up across to (the) passenger side, right in line of sight of (the) driver. Kia refuses to answer their phones to remedy this problem.”
An owner from California, assuming the windshield was hit by a small stone, says by the time they got their brand new car home from the dealership, a 2-3 inch crack was 12 inches long. “Googling around it seems like I am not the only one who is facing this issue and there was in fact some recall too in the past with Kia cars.”
Another common complaint is that dealerships refuse to help.
The law mandates that all manufacturer communications, including technical service bulletins (TSBs) sent to dealerships are supplied to the NHTSA.
However, the automaker hasn’t issued any communications about the auto glass, probably because it doesn’t want to be held liable.
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Any problems with vehicle brakes become an immediate safety issue.
Several owners report serious vibrations when braking at speed. Others state that their Sorentos’ brake rotors are warped, which makes them shake violently when driving. This, says an owner from California who has seen many similar complaints online, seems to be because “the vehicle has an undersized brake system that produces a lot of heat.” Also, when the SUV comes to a stop slowly, “the brake pedal feels like it grinds or makes a crunch noise”
A New York owner reports that the vehicle’s brakes failed to engage while they were driving on a highway, “which almost caused us to have an accident.” Fortunately, “the autonomous emergency braking system engaged and prevented the accident.”
An owner from Washington states that they have had “intermittent brake issues” without error codes or visual indications.
In July, 2022, the owner’s wife was driving “ when she noticed the brakes weren’t responding normally and she was able to press the brake pedal all the way to the floor. This happened again the following day and she recognized that something was wrong.” Due to safety concerns, the SUV was towed to the dealership. Two months later, the vehicle still had problems even though the service department replaced the brake master cylinder twice. It “evidently has a leak issue.”
Another very different issue experienced by an owner in Indiana relates to the soy-based wire shielding. The dealership says the wires must be repaired because a rodent has chewed through them. But the Kia warranty doesn’t cover this kind of damage.
Problems owners are experiencing with Sorento engines include transmission issues, a lack of acceleration, and loss of power.
An owner from North Carolina had a transmission failure warning with a new 2022 Sorento that had only 775 miles on the clock. The warning said: “Check transmission oil immediately!” (The) vehicle became sluggish and I had to turn on hazards to crawl it back home.” Because the dealership couldn’t replicate the problem, they couldn’t help. A few days later, “the error message re-appeared with (the) engine performing sluggishly.”
“After researching online, several Kia Sorrentos are encountering the same error and transmission failures with less than 2,000 miles. Kia is failing to identify and remedy the issue nationally.”
When an owner from Illinois couldn’t accelerate, she turned the SUV off and then on again a few minutes later. But, again, the dealership couldn’t identify the problem. Then it happened again on the highway, when the owner’s 1-year-old child was in the car. The “Dealership again says it sees nothing wrong with the car and is charging me to test the fuel. Sounds like Kia has a problem on their hands that they should address before a terrible accident happens.”
A car that lost power was in Texas while the owner was driving at highway speed. It happened 3 more times, but 3 different dealerships failed to find a problem. “They saw all the codes for past problems but nothing was current so couldn’t be diagnosed. Twice it wouldn’t start in the morning. Once it died while idling. The dealership said the solution was to wait a few hours to see if it would reset. Kia was incapable of fixing the problem or even helping with my expenses. The car was only a few weeks old.”
There are 4 complaints listed as electrical system problems. The most serious is from an owner in Texas whose tow hitch appears to have been responsible for the SUV catching on fire. This was little more than a month before Kia issued an urgent recall for 70,887 vehicles with tow hitch harnesses in danger of an electrical short that can result in a fire.
The complaint states that the car alarm went off about 2 hours after the owner had parked in his driveway. “I looked out (the) window and saw flames engulfing (the) rear of (the) vehicle. Called 911. Firefighters extinguished (the) flames.”
The fire crew said the fire was probably electrical and had started near the tow hitch receptacle. The tow hitch was installed by a Kia dealer a few weeks after he had bought the car.
“I’d never used the hitch until the day of the fire. That afternoon I bought a Kuuat bicycle rack with lights. The bike store installed the rack and plugged it into the hitch receptacle. I did errands for several hours with nothing appearing amiss.” Then, after parking, the fire started. “No injuries and no other damage. Looks like total loss.”
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Brian Jones spent more than 30 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
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We have a 2022 sorrento and had a mouse eat some of the wiring. Had it fixed at a kia dealer, all was well until 3 weeks later. It just shut off and had zero power. Opened the hood and engine was very hot. Started it up and temp gage was normal.let it set for a few minutes and drove it home. Took it back to the dealer…now it has tire pressure low warnings, sun roof won’t close if on an incline, shuts dow while driving-bern arms dealer for 6 weeks and just texted that there is a history of over heat codes, but they couldn’t get it to throw the error while it was there
I have a 2022 sorento and have had it towed to the shop 2 times within 3 weeks. The check engine light comes on and it still runs but has no get up and go and the ac stops working. It says engine management system. Dealership said last time it was a fuse and had to replace multiple fuses then it worked fine for maybe 3 weeks and it’s at the shop once again. Also when I turn it on/off it makes a gurgling noise.
I have a 2022 Kia Sorento. Its at 6,000 miles and just broke down! It turns on but wont go in drive or refuses to. I had it towed to Kia and they said they don’t know what’s wrong but thinks its the transmission… Do I have a lemon? What can I do to get out of this? Someone please help me
In August 2022, I purchased a brand new ‘22 Sorento SX and immediately fell in love with it! Fast forward to May ‘23 and I have had to get the vehicle towed twice to the dealership in a 3 week period. The first time, I was sitting in the vehicle with it running, and all of a sudden the vehicle shut down and attempted to come back on. The vehicle showed that it was running but the engine never turned over and 2 messages showed up. One message was on the dash and said “Check Tire Pressure Monitoring System” while on the entertainment screen it said “Battery Discharge Warning. Please use the system after starting the vehicle.” Service department stated that the starter assembly needed to be replaced! It did not seem right to me because I’ve had the vehicle 9 months and 12k miles. After 10 days I picked up my vehicle and after 3 days/50 miles the vehicle was being towed again. I went to the grocery store and when I tried to start the vehicle, it was showing the same messages again. Towed to the dealership and received an EMAIL that ANOTHER starter assembly was ordered! The only difference this time is that the service department said that a fuse blew as well. Not completely sure what all this means but I’m wondering if I have a LEMON! Anyone else experience anything similar?
I’ve got two recalls on it that I’m told don’t matter or apply even after getting a letter, emails, and a notice on my app. Sometimes it won’t accelerate, sometimes it does while on cruise control, navigation is never correct, steering wheel gets so hot when the heated feature is on that I can’t touch it. I get alerts from whatever sensors are triggered saying something is wrong (it varies) then the next day error is gone. I’ve had my dash light up 3 times now letting me know I’ve got 30 seconds to shut the car off before losing power. Car works the minute I turn off then on. I’ve got Kia connect telling me that it’s unlocked all the time when it’s not and I’ve had it lock and unlock my Kia for no reason… and more. I’ve tried getting it serviced but they just tell me nothing is wrong. I’ve taken video, pictures, screenshots and still they say “didn’t happen, car is fine”
We have a 2022 Kia Sorento and the check engine light came on around 13,000 miles. We took it to the dealership and they told us they had to replace the transmission. On top of that there isn’t a single transmission in the country and they have no idea how long it will take to get one. Now we are stuck with a loaner until who knows when.
I have a 22 Sorento with less than 15000 miles, had it exactly 53 weeks. Radiator blew up while driving highway speed on a road trip. 3-4 weeks before any dealer in a 200 mile radius can even look at it! I’m out $2000 so far with rental car & towing. Kia Consumer line less than helpful so far. Kia doesn’t provide loaners. What kind of customer service is that?
Transportation back and forth to work and every day living. Without transportation because of a bad engine.
Hello, I have a 2022 Kia Sorento. Transmission went out at 10000 miles and took 5 weeks to get it fixed. Now it’s back in the shop again for another 3-4 weeks. The car only has 14,000 miles and I call Kia head quarters and was told to find another dealership to fix the problem and all dealers have told me that it would take two weeks before anyone can get to it. So less than a year and a half my car would be in the shop for more than two months. Valley Kia Fontana ca
Two Things: First, my windshield cracked on my 2022 Kia Sorento 3 hours after we bought it. Second, First time I floored the gas pedal on the highway to pass a swerving driver 40-70 mph pass, the engine light came on and the car was bucking. 300 Mile on the odometer! I pulled over and restarted the car and it was okay. Never depressed throttle again like that. The car does ride very smooth so I hope its not plagued with issues.
I have a 2022 Kia Sorento Plug-in Hybrid. Purchased in NOV 2022. Today I went to start the vehicle and could not get it to go into drive or reverse. It is saying that it is still plugged in. Tried connecting and disconnecting also used the emergency disconnect and nothing. Have to tow it back to the dealer tomorrow.
Purchased 2021 Kia Sorento X-line, 30,000 km on it now and problems with the transmission, jumps ahead when started or hard jerk when putting it in reverse. Also, my wife said it’s sluggish on takeoff like it’s going stall. I had a 2014 Kia Sorento with lots problems too. I should have stayed away. 😭
I bought a kia Sorento 2022 MQ4 model in Dubai and on the second day it self i felt the transmission pattern is irregular unlike other cars as it jerks when reducing and reaccelerating as if am driving a manual gear car and don’t know how to balance between clutch and gas pedal, it feels like depressing the clutch without pressing the gas pedal and the car will jerk/hesitate to move on.
2022 kia sorrento the dealership has had it more times than me at 4000 miles. engine sluggish super load shifting gears. They said ti was some update they did and i got it back only for it to keep doing it . what are my options
I also have a 22 Sorento with only 3k miles (bought 11/6/21). The car started presenting problems about 2 weeks ago, where it will just not move while in traffic. Today (9/27/22) my car won’t move at all and I’m waiting for the tow truck. I’m so upset as I use this car to go to work and back with my 2 very young daughters, now I
idk what’s going to happen. I really wish I did not buy this car!! I wonder if I’m protecting under the lemon law.
I bought a 2022 Kia sorento in Jan of 2022 and it’s September now and it broke drown I was driving back from work when the car just stop and it gave a code PO302 I had to get it towed back to the dealership and won’t give me a rental had to rent one im verry disappointed with Kia hopefully they fixed it.
I purchased a 22 kia soret hybrid s AWD…….3 payments in and boom…stopped running. It’s been in the shop since may 25…. They gave me a POS 21 Sportage as a loaner but damn man….even if they fix it….I’ve lost faith that I can do a cross country trip. I honestly just don’t want it back at this point…I don’t trust it. What should I do?