NHTSA lists 4 safety recalls and 157 owner complaints for the 2023 Kia Sorento (including the hybrid).
One recall for this model year tells owners not to drive or to park outside until repaired:Trailer hitch, park outside (22V-703). Check your VIN below to see whether yours is affected.
4Safety recalls
157Owner complaints
4Complaints citing a crash
2Complaints citing a fire
Data: NHTSA recall and complaint filesUpdated Sep 27, 2026
Recalled components: trailer hitch, electrical system, backover prevention and rearview camera, and equipment. Most-reported area: electrical system (47 complaints, 30%). Includes the Sorento Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid.
4 safety recalls for the 2023 Kia Sorento
Do-not-drive and park-outside recalls first, then newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.
Debris and moisture accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (PCB) may cause an electrical short, which can result in a fire.
Risk: A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will inspect the vehicle, and, as necessary, replace the fuse and/or tow hitch harness module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 11, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC249.
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2016-2022 Sorento, 2021-2022 Sorento Hybrid (HEV), 2022-2023 Sorento Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV), and 2017-2022 Sportage vehicles equipped with a tow hitch harness installed as original equipment, or purchased as an accessory through a Kia dealership.
NHTSA listings: SORENTO HYBRID, SORENTO PHEV. Kia campaign SC249.
The heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) blower motor wiring harness may be inadequate, which can result in a fire.
Risk: A fire increases the risk of injury.
The fix and full notice
Fix: 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.
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Sorento vehicles.
NHTSA listing: SORENTO. Components: Electrical system: wiring, fuses and circuit breakers; Visibility: defroster/defogger/hvac system, fan/motor. Kia campaign SC351.
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."
Risk: A rearview camera that does not properly display an image can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: 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.
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2022-2023 Sorento, Sorento Hybrid, and Sorento Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) vehicles.
NHTSA listings: SORENTO, SORENTO HYBRID, SORENTO PHEV. Kia campaign SC280.
Equipment
Aug 15, 2023
labels
Fails federal standard 208 (occupant crash protection)
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."
Risk: 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.
The fix and full notice
Fix: 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.
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Sorento vehicles.
NHTSA listing: SORENTO. Kia campaign SC277.
Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
What owners report
The areas named in the 157 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2023 Sorento. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Electrical system47 · 30%
Engine45 · 29%
Powertrain26 · 17%
Fuel and propulsion system17 · 11%
Forward collision avoidance15 · 10%
Most named: warnings (10); adaptive cruise control (5)
Brakes14 · 9%
Speed control13 · 8%
Unknown or other40 · 25%
A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%.
Kia Sorento recalls and complaints by model year
The highlighted bars are the 2023 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2021 Sorento drew the most (132) and the 2023 drew 112.
Owner complaints
2023: 157 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Owner complaints by model year, Kia Sorento
Model year
Complaints
2016
1,250
2017
804
2018
254
2019
426
2020
135
2021
268
2022
223
2023
157
2024
49
2025
127
2026
6
Safety recalls
2023: 4 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Kia Sorento
Model year
Recalls
2016
8
2017
4
2018
3
2019
2
2020
1
2021
5
2022
9
2023
4
2024
2
2025
4
2026
2
Crash test ratings
NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
Tested version
Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover
Kia Sorento HEV SUV AWD
Rollover risk 15.9%
Kia Sorento HEV SUV FWD
Rollover risk 15.9%
Kia Sorento PHEV SUV AWD
Not rated
Not rated
Not rated
Not rated
Kia Sorento SUV AWD
Rollover risk 15.9%
Kia Sorento SUV FWD
Rollover risk 15.9%
Questions
What are the most common 2023 Sorento problems?
The areas owners name most often in NHTSA complaints: electrical system (47), engine (45), powertrain (26). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can name several areas.
Is the 2023 Kia Sorento safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2023 Kia Sorento earns 4 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
How do I check if my Sorento has an open recall?
Enter the 17-character VIN from your dashboard, door jamb or registration at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup lists unrepaired recalls for that exact vehicle. Safety recall repairs are free at Kia dealers.
Sources and method
NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Sep 27, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Sep 26, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP).
NHTSA model names covered: SORENTO, SORENTO HYBRID, SORENTO PHEV.
Complaint counts are unverified owner reports. They rise with sales volume and time on the road, so compare model years with care. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.