2003 Kia Sorento power train problems
22 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the power train on the 2003 Kia Sorento — 7% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“My 2003 kia sorento drives for 15 minutes and stalls out. I wait 5 min and it'll start and drive for a block or 2and continues to that until I get it towed home”
filed Nov 6, 2017
“Vehicle broke down in traffic. Froze up,stalled. Loss of steering. Had it towed to shop & was told the crank shaft sensor & related parts to the crank shaft had to be replaced. Cost for towing & repairs were over $700.”
filed Mar 18, 2017
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Related service bulletins
Kia: there may be erratic shifting, shift shock, and a malfunction light on with stored trouble codes. This is caused by a problem within the transfer motor. *rm
034 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 1, 2011
Power Train problems in other Sorento years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 Sorento | 19 | 28% |
| 2024 Sorento | 3 | 8% |
| 2023 Sorento | 19 | 17% |
| 2022 Sorento | 61 | 33% |
| 2021 Sorento | 125 | 54% |
| 2020 Sorento | 18 | 14% |
| 2019 Sorento | 50 | 12% |
| 2018 Sorento | 9 | 4% |
| 2017 Sorento | 37 | 5% |
| 2016 Sorento | 122 | 10% |
| 2015 Sorento | 42 | 6% |
| 2014 Sorento | 69 | 7% |
Other reported problem areas on the 2003 Kia Sorento
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints naming this component group. Complaints are unverified owner reports; mileage is computed only from complaints that included a usable odometer reading.