2014 Kia Sorento problems & reliability
981 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2014 Kia Sorento, alongside 6 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.
16 complaints report injuries (24 injured, 1 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2014 Kia Sorento vehicles were involved in 53 fatal crashes with 17 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 384 | 39% |
| Structure | 160 | 16% |
| Electrical System | 152 | 15% |
| Unknown OR Other | 146 | 15% |
| Exterior Lighting | 86 | 9% |
| Power Train | 69 | 7% |
| Air Bags | 51 | 5% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 46 | 5% |
| Service Brakes | 43 | 4% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 37 | 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 80,000 miles (middle 50% between 54,000 and 112,634 miles), based on 481 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“I am submitting this complaint regarding what I believe is a premature paint defect on my Kia vehicle that has resulted in exposed bare metal and the development of rust on my vehicle. The factory paint has begun peeling and chipping away without any collision, misuse, or abnormal wear. As the paint has separated from…”
Unknown OR Other · filed Jul 28, 2026
“This is a follow up of NHTSA case# 1840444. Complaint Description: Vehicle exhibited active CAN-bus communication timeout code DTC C1642 targeting the Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU). Following the official technical safety guidelines established under NHTSA Campaign 20V519000 (Kia SC197), an isolated…”
Electrical System · filed Jul 23, 2026
“my 2014 Kia Sorento is having a paint issue and I know their is a class action law suite to get repaired. The only complaint I have is the white pearl paint is chipping off the front of the roof and on the left and right sides of the windshield . I would like to see if my car qualifies to get these areas repainted”
Structure · filed Jul 14, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Hyundai and Kia ABS Module Fires
Audit Query AQ23002 · opened Nov 17, 2023 · open
- Loss of Motive Power
Defect Petition DP22003 · opened Sep 12, 2022 · closed Dec 12, 2023
- Engine Fires
Engineering Analysis EA21003 · opened Dec 22, 2021 · closed Feb 5, 2024 · led to recall 23V877
- Throttle control system vulnerabilities
Defect Petition DP21003 · opened Nov 12, 2021 · closed Jun 20, 2023
- Non-crash Vehicle Fires
Preliminary Evaluation PE19004 · opened Mar 29, 2019 · closed Dec 22, 2021 · led to recall 21V844000
- Non-crash Vehicle Fires
Defect Petition DP18003 · opened Aug 21, 2018 · closed May 10, 2019 · led to recall 19V204000
- Scope and Timeliness
Recall Query RQ17003 · opened May 18, 2017 · closed Dec 22, 2021 · led to recall 19V101000
- Front Axle Shaft Failure
Preliminary Evaluation PE13025 · opened Jul 5, 2013 · closed Sep 20, 2013 · led to recall 13V355000
Technical service bulletins
261 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2014 Kia Sorento. The 10 most recent:
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: THEFT DETERRENT IGNITION CYLINDER PROTECTOR AND DECAL INSTALLATION (CS2312) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of…
CS2312_TSB_R2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 8, 2026
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: WARRANTY EXTENSION CAMPAIGN: OIL PRESSURE SWITCH (OPS) REPLACEMENT (WTY026 REVISION 2) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this…
WTY026_TSB_R2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 18, 2026
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: THEFT DETERRENT IGNITION CYLINDER PROTECTOR AND DECAL INSTALLATION (CS2312) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of…
TSB_CS2312_R1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 19, 2026
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: THEFT DETERRENT IGNITION CYLINDER PROTECTOR AND DECAL INSTALLATION (CS2312) - This bulletin provides information to install a Theft Deterrent Ignition Cylinder…
TSB_CS2312 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 18, 2025
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: ENGINE SUB ASSEMBLY INSPECTION/REPLACEMENT (WTY039 - REVISION 7) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a…
WTY039_TSB_R7 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 18, 2025
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION CAMPAIGN: OWNER NOTIFICATION (CS2312) - This document is the owner notification advising that Kia is conducting Customer Satisfaction Campaign. A software upgrade that addresses the social media…
CS2312_OWNR · Other · issued Dec 17, 2025
PITSTOP: TECHNICAL OPERATIONS: EXTERNAL DAMAGE TO ULTRASONIC SENSOR: This Pitstop provides information related to Parking Distance Warning (PDW) alerts and repairs involving ultrasonic sensors. The PDW system alerts the…
PS797 · Other · issued Dec 9, 2025
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: ENGINE SUB ASSEMBLY INSPECTION/REPLACEMENT (WTY039 REVISION 6) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a…
WTY039_TSB_R6 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 1, 2025
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: OCCUPANT DETECTION SYSTEM (ODS) SENSOR PAD REPLACEMENT - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar…
TSB_BOD205_R3 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 13, 2025
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: WARRANTY EXTENSION CAMPAIGN (WTY039) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area…
WTY039_TSB_R5 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 4, 2025
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 2014 Kia Sorento has 6 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 2014 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 80,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.