2007 Kia Sorento problems & reliability
154 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2007 Kia Sorento, alongside 4 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
8 complaints report injuries (10 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2007 Kia Sorento vehicles were involved in 15 fatal crashes with 11 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 58 | 38% |
| Electrical System | 21 | 14% |
| Power Train | 20 | 13% |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 18 | 12% |
| Service Brakes | 18 | 12% |
| Exterior Lighting | 12 | 8% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 10 | 6% |
| Structure | 9 | 6% |
| Engine | 7 | 5% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 6 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 75,000 miles (middle 50% between 17,488 and 110,750 miles), based on 102 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“I went in to the burlington, wa kia dealership for this recall fix. And after waiting an hour they tell me they don't have the right part. It's now been about a month later and I'm still waiting to hear when the part will be available. I don't think this is ok for a safety issue.”
Exterior Lighting · filed Oct 30, 2024
“The doors were locked by using the button on the driver side of our Kia Sorento. This is performed each time the car is traveling on the road. When the car was parked, the automatic unlock for all the doors worked for both front seat passengers but not the two rear doors. The inside handles for opening the doors on…”
Unknown OR Other · filed Nov 9, 2023
“I tried to contact the manufacturer to fix the recall but they have told me multiple times they do not have the part to replace or fix.”
Unknown OR Other · filed Aug 9, 2021
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Throttle control system vulnerabilities
Defect Petition DP21003 · opened Nov 12, 2021 · closed Jun 20, 2023
- Air Bag Occupant Classification System
Engineering Analysis EA09017 · opened Nov 19, 2009 · closed Sep 26, 2011 · led to recall 11V473000
- AIR BAG OCS
Preliminary Evaluation PE09034 · opened Jul 17, 2009 · closed Nov 30, 2009
Technical service bulletins
23 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2007 Kia Sorento. The 10 most recent:
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: INFORMATION FOR HEADLAMP CONDENSATION AND MOISTURE - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in…
TSB_BOD055_R1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 13, 2021
PITSTOP: CYLINDER HEAD STEEL BALL INSPECTION AND INSTALLATION - This Pitstop provides information regarding the inspection and installation of the steel sealing ball on: * 3.3L & 3.8L Lambda engines for 2007-2008MY…
PS067_R1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 19, 2018
PITSTOP - ENGINE COMPONENT RE-USE GUIDELINES - In general, parts and components removed during engine repairs should be considered serviceable, and should be thoroughly cleaned and transferred to the new engine.
PS539 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 2, 2018
TSB: MANDATORY REPLACEMENT OF LOCKING/SECURITY HARDWARE - By design, certain fasteners, which are designed to lock into place once fully attached, are utilized in various Kia models and are strictly intended for ?one…
TSB-GEN085R1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 18, 2017
TSB: MANDATORY REPLACEMENT OF LOCKING/SECURITY HARDWARE - By design, certain fasteners utilized in various Kia models are strictly intended for ?one time use?. Though not limited to the following, some examples are…
TSB-GEN085 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 4, 2016
TSB - USE OF AFTERMARKET USB CHARGING CABLES IN USB/12V PORTS - This article provides information regarding the use of USB ports and 12V power outlets to connect/charge mobile phones. Customers may experience issues…
PS443 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 4, 2016
Tsb: windshield washer pump inlet filter replacement - this bulletin provides information relating to possible foreign debris accumulation on the windshield washer pump inlet filter. Over time, some kia vehicles may…
TSBBOD095 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 22, 2013
Kia: due to design of drain holes in valley of lambda v6 engines, a misdiagnose of a possible oil leak source in rear main seal or oil pan, when actual leaks coming from engine valley,oil filter housing, oil pressure…
PS-211 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 1, 2012
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
Kia: provides the procedure to upgrade the engine control module (ecm) on some vehicles which may experience idle irregularity with brake pedal applied/depressed. *pe
TSB-077 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 1, 2010
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2007 Kia Sorento has 4 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2007 Kia Sorento?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 75,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.