KnownCarProblems2019 Kia Sorento Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 431 complaints with NHTSA about the 2019 Kia Sorento, most often about the engine (39% of complaints, typically around 71,500 miles). It is 8th of 24 Sorento model years by number of complaints and has 2 recalls.
⚠ Safety advisory1 recall for this car came with a park-outside warning. See below and check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Most common 2019 Kia Sorento problems
Engine
169 complaints · 39%Half of these problems showed up before 71,500 miles.
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond as intended. The contact pulled over to the right side of the road and waited for several minutes before the vehicle started working as intended. The check engine…
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormal sound and then lost motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over and was able to drive to the residence. The vehicle was taken to an independent…
Other or unspecified
111 complaints · 26%Half of these problems showed up before 11,000 miles.
Friday on an open street (no bridge or any other external force known) my sunroof basically imploded covering my passenger driver and myself in 1000 of glass pieces. I was lucky there were no subsequent injuries since I slowed down and hit the break and noone crashed into my car
Carpeting. Gap in the carpeting at the third row. The separation of the carpet was not something we knew about because it was hidden by dealer prep. It was discovered the first time we used the 3rd row for our grand children and were also installing better floor mats.
Electrical
68 complaints · 16%Half of these problems showed up before 18,000 miles.
The power windows are a safety hazard. They are all on an automatic feature, so when you touch the button they will either go down or go up all the way, and you cannot stop them. It's impossible to put the window down or up part of the way. My child's finger got caught in the window when I tried to raise it up half…
While driving on highway, radio on and only connected via bluetooth. The radio screen was flickering and then shut down as if I manually turned off . As this happened the dashboard lights and my headlights shut off. I had to safely pull over and by the time that I did, I couldn't record it for evidence as it rebooted…
Body and structure
55 complaints · 13%Parts named most often: body, interior panels.
Driving eastbound on I-66 east of cartharpin road, my Sorento's sunroof exploded. The traffic was light at mid-morning, no construction in the area, smooth pavement, I was going about 65 MPH. Exploding sound, I thought it was a blowout. Discovered large hole in the middle of the sunroof. Previous evening we had…
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle began shaking and a burning odor emanated from the 12v accessory outlet. The contact stated that theâ instrument and meterâ did not illuminate. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the…
Transmission
51 complaints · 12%Half of these problems showed up before 12,500 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission.
When accelerating from stop (19th ave and vineyard) the car will hesitate then take off at a fast rate of speed. There has been instances where the brake system hesitates to stop, almost like a delayed reaction (mostly while traveling on local streets such as west bound baseline rd). The brakes squill (all the time…
My 2019 v6 Kia Sorento stumbles and hesitates under part throttle, low RPM, acceleration regardless of speed. It's more noticeable in city driving, but is present when traveling on the highway. Keeping the transmission in 'sport' mode reduces the severity, but does not eliminate it. When I place the gear selector in…
Fuel system
28 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 75,000 miles. Parts named most often: delivery.
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 21v519000 (fuel system, gasoline) however, the VIN was not included in the…
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, an abnormally strong fuel odor was detected inside the vehicle. The vehicle was parked outside the garage due to the strong fuel odor. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who advised the…
Driver assistance
24 complaints · 6%Parts named most often: warnings, blind spot detection, automatic emergency braking, assist.
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Sorento. While driving approximately 60 MPH, the forward collision warning message suddenly displayed. Moments later, the vehicle abruptly stopped without any other vehicles in the vicinity. After turning the vehicle off and restarting the engine, the vehicle operated normally; however, the…
While driving on the interstate highway for a duration of 1 to 3 hours the "collision avoidance system" faults out, lights a warning on the dash and totally stops functioning. The text warning goes away after a few seconds and a triangular warning light stays on. The system remains inoperable for the balance of the…
Lights
22 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 8,500 miles. Parts named most often: headlights, turn signal, tail lights.
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds with headlights on low, the headlight displayed a shadow and bounced. The vehicle was taken to the university Kia of durham (5105 durham-chapel hill blvd, durham, nc 27707 [phone]) where the headlights were adjusted and…
Refer to complaints 11111999 (7/17/18) and 11142824 (10/26/18) on this site which are similar. When driving in dark, rural areas with low beams on, two inverted "half moon" shadows disrupt the driver's ability to see. As the vehicle turns, these headlights also turn (as they are designed to do) and this makes the…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2019 Kia Sorento recalls
Backup camera: camera
Risk: A rearview camera that does not display an image can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the rearview camera and add additional water proofing to the camera harness, or replace the camera as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed march 8, 2024. Owners may contact kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is sc282.
Full defect summary
Kia america, inc. (kia) is recalling certain 2019 sorento vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error, water may leak into the rearview camera, which can cause the rearview camera image not to appear on the display. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard number 111, "rear visibility."
Equipment: trailer hitches
Risk: A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
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.
Full defect summary
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. 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.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Loss of motive power
Summary
The national highway traffic safety administration (NHTSA) received a letter dated july 13, 2022, petitioning the agency to initiate a safety defect investigation into loss of motive power allegations attributed to oil drain pan assembly failures on certain hyundai motor america, inc. And kia america, inc. Vehicles spanning model years (my) 2005-2021. The petitioners cited examples of complaints indicating that the subject vehicles were experiencing rapid loss of engine oil due to oil drain plug back outs, resulting in loss of motive power and/or catastrophic engine damage. Additional complaints were provided which alleged that the oil drain pans lack sufficient structural integrity and are
Questions about the 2019 Kia Sorento
- What are the most common problems with the 2019 Kia Sorento?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: engine (169 complaints, typically around 71,500 miles); other or unspecified (111 complaints, typically around 11,000 miles); electrical (68 complaints, typically around 18,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2019 Kia Sorento have?
- 2 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from September 15, 2023 (backup camera). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2019 a bad year for the Kia Sorento?
- It is 8th of 24 Sorento model years by number of complaints, with 431 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.