AutoUtility currently tracks 422 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2019 Kia Sorento. Engine & Cooling issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 154 complaints (36.5% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 10 filings cite a crash, 19 cite a fire, 10 report one or more injuries.
- • Total NHTSA Complaints: 422 reports
- • #1 Reported Problem Area: Engine & Cooling (154 reports • 36.5% of submitted complaints)
- • Secondary Problem Areas: Electrical System (67), Body & Structure (55)
- • Crash-Citing Complaints: 10 filings
- • Fire-Citing Complaints: 19 filings
- • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 10 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Most Reported Problems for 2019 Kia Sorento
Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records
Engine & Cooling
Electrical System
Body & Structure
Powertrain & Transmission
Driver Assistance & Safety Tech
NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #23V639000 BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
Symptoms Mentioned in NHTSA Owner Reports for 2019 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
Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2019 Kia Sorento
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"Engine burning oil Failed oil consumption test done by dealership - had to get engine replaced Still noticing stuttering and fluctuating power at times. Failure of Snow White Pearl paint delamination issue causing the top-coat to lift off of underlying primer. Rust has started in some of the spots"
"Engine, a Lambda 3.3 v6 started knocking periodically and consuming oil at about a half a quart a week. It is a know problem with this motor and well documented in its existence in all Hyundai and Kia vehicles using this engine. We now have been told that the head bolts are partially stripped...."
"The contact owns a 2019 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving 64 MPH, the contact detected a shimmy and knocking coming from the front wheels. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was a common failure with similar vehicles. The vehicle was taken..."
"The paint is peeling in sheets, especially above the windshield, leaving the vehicle unprotected and vulnerable to rust. There were no chips or damage in this area prior to the paint beginning to peel away and once it started it's been progressing very quickly. Other owners have reported similar..."
"Spontaneous fire under hood. Nothing was malfunctuoing, no warning lights. All fluids were good, no temp issues. Parked to to run inside to use rr, was paged and came out car is on fire"
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 | 252 | 12 | 3 | View 2018 Problems → |
| 2019 Kia Sorento Current Page | 422 | 10 | 2 | Current |
| 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 2019 Kia Sorento
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 89 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 | 98 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 48 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 16 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine & Cooling NHTSA category: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering NHTSA category: STEERING | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| TRAILER HITCHES | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel System NHTSA category: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance NHTSA category: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,BACK OVER PREVENTION | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,LANE DEPARTURE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lane Departure Warning NHTSA category: LANE DEPARTURE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility / Glass NHTSA category: VISIBILITY | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Back Over Prevention / Camera NHTSA category: BACK OVER PREVENTION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,STRUCTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,LANE DEPARTURE,BACK OVER PREVENTION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SEATS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,POWER TRAIN | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,POWER TRAIN | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING,TRAILER HITCHES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| FIRERELATED | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| LANE DEPARTURE,BACK OVER PREVENTION,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM,LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SEAT BELTS,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Seats & Restraints NHTSA category: SEATS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SEATS,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,STRUCTURE,SEATS | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension NHTSA category: SUSPENSION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,POWER TRAIN,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires NHTSA category: TIRES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,BACK OVER PREVENTION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 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.