2021 Kia Sorento power train problems
133 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the power train on the 2021 Kia Sorento — 55% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“I own a 2021 Kia Sorento 2.5L Turbo AWD with approximately 150,000 miles. In the evening, while driving home after dinner with my daughter in the vehicle, I was traveling in the area of [XXX] and [XXX] when the vehicle displayed a “STOP SAFELY IMMEDIATELY” warning. The vehicle unexpectedly slowed…”
filed Sep 4, 2026
“Car stalled July 14th car has been at Kia of Bowie and they are stalling g me and dont want to do the sarter recal and are asking me for $550 for a diagnostic that I should not pay for do to this safety recall ive been telling them from the start that there was a very strong gas smell coming from…”
filed Aug 28, 2026
“On XXX im driving my 2021 Kia Sorento sx it stalled while driving in the mist of traffic engine light comes on and I had my car towed contacted Kia of Bowie they are giving me a hassle contacted them because this is a safety issue from the beginning I have mentioned gas smell coming from the oil dipstick now the car…”
filed Aug 28, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Related recalls
- Vehicle's "fail-safe" limited-mobility drive mode may be impaired, when prompted by a…Campaign 22V760000 · Oct 11, 2022
Power Train problems in other Sorento years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 Sorento | 19 | 26% |
| 2024 Sorento | 4 | 10% |
| 2023 Sorento | 20 | 17% |
| 2022 Sorento | 64 | 34% |
| 2020 Sorento | 18 | 13% |
| 2019 Sorento | 51 | 12% |
| 2018 Sorento | 9 | 4% |
| 2017 Sorento | 37 | 5% |
| 2016 Sorento | 123 | 10% |
| 2015 Sorento | 42 | 6% |
| 2014 Sorento | 71 | 7% |
| 2013 Sorento | 69 | 7% |
Other reported problem areas on the 2021 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.