2022 Kia SORENTO problems and owner complaints
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
187 owner complaints analyzed
6 distinct recall campaigns
27,330 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 2022 model year. Data snapshot: . 20 complaints include usable failure mileage.
Most common problems
Power Train is the most frequently named component, appearing in 63 of 187 complaints (33.7%). A complaint can name multiple components.
| Topic | Matching reports | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Transmission and shifting | 43 | 23.0% |
| Braking behavior | 19 | 10.2% |
| Electrical and battery issues | 19 | 10.2% |
| Engine operation | 17 | 9.1% |
| Steering behavior | 12 | 6.4% |
| Fuel system concerns | 5 | 2.7% |
Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Power Train | 63 |
| Engine | 52 |
| Unknown Or Other | 37 |
| Electrical System | 29 |
| Service Brakes | 17 |
| Fuel/Propulsion System | 14 |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 14 |
| Steering | 10 |
Power Train: 63; Engine: 52; Unknown Or Other: 37; Electrical System: 29; Service Brakes: 17; Fuel/Propulsion System: 14; Vehicle Speed Control: 14; Steering: 10
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 9 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 3 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 6 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 2 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 0 |
| 150,000 and above | 0 |
Under 25,000: 9; 25,000 to 49,999: 3; 50,000 to 74,999: 6; 75,000 to 99,999: 2; 100,000 to 149,999: 0; 150,000 and above: 0
Under 25,000 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (9). 167 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 40 |
| 2023 | 45 |
| 2024 | 22 |
| 2025 | 44 |
| 2026 | 36 |
2022: 40; 2023: 45; 2024: 22; 2025: 44; 2026: 36
Pattern summary
Power Train leads the component reports. Transmission and shifting appears in 43 complaint narratives. Braking behavior appears in 19 complaint narratives. Electrical and battery issues appears in 19 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Complaint evidence
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
Owner report 11454126 · 2022-02-25 (February 25, 2022)
Transmission failed at 1561 miles. Will accelerate to 3000rpm do a 1-2 shift then immediately bang back into 1st. Car was flat bedded to dealer. Awaiting new transmission which is on backorder.
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11454126 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11471967 · 2022-07-01 (July 1, 2022)
On 06/29/2022 brand new vehicle with 775 miles had a transmission failure warning appear on the dashboard. "Transmission system error! Check transmission oil immediately!" vehicle became sluggish and had to turn on hazards to crawl it back home. Brought to local dealership and they could not see any error codes or replicate the problem and gave us back the vehicle. On 07/01/2022 with 865 miles the error message re-appeared with engine performing sluggishly - turned on hazards drove it into dealership so they can see and try to identify prob…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11471967 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11466412 · 2022-05-27 (May 27, 2022)
Bought the vehicle brand new in late 2021, and began noticing some vibration when braking at any speed. The vehicle at this point has less than 10,000 miles and the brakes are vibrating really bad. The manufacturer has not issued a recall and their best fix is turning the brake rotors and calling it a day. Never had I had such a poor experience with this manufacturer.
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11466412 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11467379 · 2022-06-03 (June 3, 2022)
This vehicle has less than 10,000 miles on the odometer and the brake rotors are warped. They are undersized and will overheat under normal braking. Called the dealership and attempted to get warranty work complete, however the manufacturer, KIA Motors USA, has not responded or offered to replace the rotors under warranty. This isn't the only Sorento with this issue, I have submitted one similarly last week.
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11467379 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11466607 · 2022-05-29 (May 29, 2022)
On Saturday, April 9 when breaking at a stop sign my car slammed on my breaks for me and the dash lit up with multiple warning lights, indicating an issue with the "check lane departure warning system." The car seemed to drive okay, no additional strange breaking situations, but the warning lights stayed on for a day. I called my dealer, and they saw the vehicle on April 22nd. Between the 9th and that date the warning lights eventually went off, then came on again (but no strange breaking). Then were off by the time I went to the dealership. …
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11466607 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11470208 · 2022-06-21 (June 21, 2022)
6700 miles and vehicle began exhibiting Check ESC, Check Engine, Emergency Brake lights. Daily driven, vehicle does not sit for more than a day at a time. 7092 miles now, local dealership inspection lead to concluding that a rodent has chewed through wires and must be repaired. Claims KIA warranty does not cover such damage. Of the SEVERAL (6+) vehicle I have owned/financed/driven over the last 3 years, this is the first and only incident involving a wiring harness chewed. NOT HAPPY! Quick research shows there's a bit of a problem with KIA ma…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11470208 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11492502 · 2022-11-06 (November 6, 2022)
Transmission will not shift or rev to high for next gear then will drop back to correct rpm an shift. Car will stall out or not shift.Problem has been duplicated at dealer. Was at dealership with no correction available at time KIA Engr. advised no call back. Engine light stayed on would not reset at all dealer plus was told transmission replacements is only correction .Car had10K on it less then year.
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11492502 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11494553 · 2022-11-22 (November 22, 2022)
Vehicle's rpm goes up but the vehicle does not move and then goes back into shift or shifts into neutral without manually doing it. It stalls and refusing to shift while driving, coasting or at stoplight/sign. It unpredictable when it's going to happen, Have almost gotten hit from being since it looks like I'm going and the car is not. No lights come on and I have reached out to numerous Kia services and keep getting runaround. I was told that there was no recall and looked it up and there is. Power window and reverse camera continue to not fun…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11494553 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11459971 · 2022-04-07 (April 7, 2022)
Random mild to loud squeaking (sounds like a tortured mouse sound) coming from steering column. The only way to temporarily stop the noise is to stop and turn steering wheel all the way to the right then to the left. Because it is random, it did not squeak for my dealership, when the drove it around the block. It usually starts after about a mile down the road, when it does happen. It only squeaks when driving straight. Does not squeak when making a turn or at a stop. Certain weather conditions or speeds do not effect when this noise occu…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11459971 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11518794 · 2023-04-24 (April 24, 2023)
While traveling on the highway about 70m/hr. the glass sunroof exploded while operation the vehicle. The glass explored/shattered in upwards direction. There was not trucks or overpass around for any object to fall from or strike the vehicle/sunroof. The explosion was comparable to shotguns or "like a bomb". My first thought was that tire blown but I didn't loose steering. After the assurance, I pull over immediately to the side of the route in safe place to inspect the vehicle. After the inspection of the vehicle, I noticed that sunroof glass …
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11518794 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11638631 · 2025-01-26 (January 26, 2025)
The vehicle experienced multiple critical mechanical failures, including defective injectors, transmission issues, and a malfunctioning differential. The dealer repaired some of the previous issues, such as the differential in August 2024 and the transmission in October 2024 (which required three weeks of repair). However, they refused to repair the defective injectors, even after the NHTSA issued an alert on September 1, 2024, regarding injector problems. I was never notified of this alert. On January 8, 2025, while driving with my family, th…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11638631 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11668787 · 2025-06-24 (June 24, 2025)
The fuel injectors, it is available for inspection. The vehicle feels like it is going to stop unexpectedly, or will not accelerate when it is suppose to, which leads me to feel unsafe driving it with my children. This is the same exact issue we had previously and it was confirmed and fixed by the dealership. The component was previously inspected and confirmed but since happening again has not been- I called the dealership and told them about the issue and they stated my vehicle was not included and they are on a month wait list. The check…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11668787 at NHTSA ↗