The 2021 Kia Sorento has 4 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 201,036 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 335 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the power train. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
VISIBILITY25V6490002025-09-2539,536 affected
Defect
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…
POWER TRAIN22V7600002022-10-1169,038 affected
Defect
Kia Motors, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Sorento and 2021-2023 K5 vehicles. The vehicle's "fail-safe" limited-mobility drive mode may be impaired, when prompted by a transmission oil pump malfunction, which can result in a complete loss of drive power.
Consequence
Loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the transmission, as necessary. Dealers will also update the transmission control unit software. All repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 9, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this…
TRAILER HITCHES22V7030002022-09-1970,887 affected
Defect
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…
Consequence
A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
Remedy
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…
Kia Motor America (Kia) is recalling certain 2021 Sorento and 2021-2022 K5 vehicles equipped with 2.5L turbocharged engines. Fuel may leak at the pipe connection between the high-pressure fuel pump and fuel rail.
Consequence
A fuel leak increases the risk of a fire.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect and tighten, or replace the fuel pipe as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 21, 2021. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC214.
Complaints by component
POWER TRAIN
118
ENGINE
57
1crashes
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
42
1crashes
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
37
1crashes
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
17
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
11
1crashes
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
7
STEERING
5
STRUCTURE:BODY
5
AIR BAGS
4
2crashes
Total complaints335
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Car losing power”
“Car losing power”
“Car losing power”
“The vehicle is suffering from a chronic, cascading powertrain and fuel management defect that has resulted in a critical safety hazard: sudden engine stalling. Over the last 17,000 miles, the vehicle has experienced three severe engine/emissions failures that the manufacturer has been unable to…”
“The vehicle is suffering from a chronic, cascading powertrain and fuel management defect that has resulted in a critical safety hazard: sudden engine stalling. Over the last 17,000 miles, the vehicle has experienced three severe engine/emissions failures that the manufacturer has been unable to…”
“My vehicle lost power and accelerated quickly yet unpredictably, and the check engine light came on. A local shop told me it was "an old code" for the transmission and that if it does that again to take it to dealer. It occurred again. Kia dealer states this vehicle has a recall and has been…”
“The contact owns a 2021 kia sorento. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle unexpectedly jerked and then lost motive power with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where…”
“My windshield randomly cracked from driver side top edge and down in a diagonal direction. There is no visible impact from an object hitting my windshield, which might be a manufacturer defect. This is my daily drive vehicle but the crack is in my line of sight while driving and is not safe. This…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationDP22003 Opened 2022-09-12 · closed 2023-12-12
Loss of Motive Power
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…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2021 Kia Sorento as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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