AutoUtility currently tracks 252 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2018 Kia Sorento. Engine & Cooling issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 102 complaints (40.5% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 12 filings cite a crash, 11 cite a fire, 10 report one or more injuries, 1 reports one or more fatalities.
- • Total NHTSA Complaints: 252 reports
- • #1 Reported Problem Area: Engine & Cooling (102 reports • 40.5% of submitted complaints)
- • Secondary Problem Areas: Exterior Lighting (41), Electrical System (29)
- • Crash-Citing Complaints: 12 filings
- • Fire-Citing Complaints: 11 filings
- • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 10 injury filings • 1 fatality filings
Most Reported Problems for 2018 Kia Sorento
Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records
Engine & Cooling
Exterior Lighting
Electrical System
Steering System
NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #18V656000 STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
Driver Assistance & Safety Tech
Symptoms Mentioned in NHTSA Owner Reports for 2018 Kia Sorento
Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis
AutoUtility uses deterministic phrase matching to identify recurring symptom descriptions within consumer-submitted NHTSA complaint narratives.
Engine Coolant Intrusion / Oil Leak
Loss of Motive Power While Driving
Smoke, Burning Odor or Thermal Event
Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2018 Kia Sorento
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"The High Pressure Fuel Pump failed while driving on highway. I took it to the Kia dealership and they told me of the issue. There were no prior warnings of issues Kia recalled all 2019-2020 kia sorentos with this same issue. This component should not have failed at 63k miles and Kia should extend..."
"The abs module has failed. Yes vehicle is available for inspections if wanted and would be appreciated. Had it scanned by dealership and it’s too expensive to fix. Lights on are abs. Traction control. Auto hold. Autonomous braking. Thank you"
"The contact owns a 2018 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving 50 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. There was smoke coming from the rear of the vehicle. The contact exited the freeway and waited for AAA to tow the vehicle to the..."
"I am a working parent filing a formal complaint against Kia America and Classic kia of Carrollton for non-compliance with the Theta II Class Action Settlement mandates. My vehicle experienced a qualifying engine failure and is currently held at the dealership. The dealership is actively refusing to..."
"My wife and I were Driving when I tried to stop and the brakes failed. Within seconds the vehicle caught fire in the engine compartment. I had to slam the transmission into park cause the doors would not open. When my wife tried to escape out the passenger side the flames came into the cabin..."
Complaint History for Kia Sorento
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2026)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 Kia Sorento | 747 | 20 | 3 | View 2015 Problems → |
| 2016 Kia Sorento | 1245 | 29 | 8 | View 2016 Problems → |
| 2017 Kia Sorento | 798 | 13 | 4 | View 2017 Problems → |
| 2018 Kia Sorento Current Page | 252 | 12 | 3 | Current |
| 2019 Kia Sorento | 422 | 10 | 2 | View 2019 Problems → |
| 2020 Kia Sorento | 132 | 9 | 1 | View 2020 Problems → |
| 2021 Kia Sorento | 26 | 0 | 5 | View 2021 Problems → |
| 2022 Kia Sorento | 218 | 5 | 9 | View 2022 Problems → |
| 2023 Kia Sorento | 154 | 4 | 4 | View 2023 Problems → |
| 2024 Kia Sorento | 45 | 4 | 2 | View 2024 Problems → |
| 2025 Kia Sorento | 119 | 7 | 4 | View 2025 Problems → |
| 2026 Kia Sorento | 0 | 0 | 2 | View 2026 Problems → |
Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2018 Kia Sorento
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 59 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Reported Injury Entries | Reported Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 72 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering NHTSA category: STEERING | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 20 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS | 8 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| TRAILER HITCHES | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine & Cooling NHTSA category: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| AIR BAGS,STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| BACK OVER PREVENTION,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,SEATS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,POWER TRAIN | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| FIRERELATED | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| TIRES,WHEELS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility / Glass NHTSA category: VISIBILITY | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VISIBILITY,STRUCTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Official NHTSA Defect Investigations (1)
Formal safety defect inquiries and engineering analyses opened by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)
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 spanning Model Years (MY) 2005-2021. The Petitioners cited examples of complaints indicating that the subject vehicles were experienc...
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.