"How reliable is the 2008 Kia Sorento?"

"Based on 317 NHTSA complaints, the 2008 Kia Sorento has a median complaint mileage of 59600 miles. The most common issue is AIR BAGS."

"What are common problems with the 2008 Kia Sorento?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2008 Kia Sorento is AIR BAGS, accounting for a significant portion of the 317 total complaints filed."

2008 Kia Sorento: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 317 complaints

317

Total Complaints

59,600mi

Median Mileage

AIR BAGS

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

30,000 25th Percentile

59,600 Median Mileage

97,125 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

AIR BAGS

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

ENGINE

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

POWER TRAIN

SERVICE BRAKES

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 KIA SORENTO. WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH, THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG LIGHT REMAINED ILLUMINATED, WHICH INDICATED THAT THE AIR BAG WOULD NOT DEPLOY. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE AIR BAG SENSOR FAILED. AS OF NOVEMBER 7, 2007, THE DEALER HAD NOT REPAIRED THE VEHICLE. THE VIN WAS U..."

"2008 KIA SORENTO FAULTY PASSENGER AIRBAG. CONSUMER STATES THAT THE AIRBAG WORKS INTERMITTENTLY. CONSUMER STATES THAT IT DOES NOT WORK WHEN HIS FATHER IS IN THE VEHICLE. *KB THE WIRING CONNECTION WAS LOOSE AND THE SENSOR WAS RESET ON THE FIRST VISIT. THE SECOND TIME, THE DEALER STATED THEY WOULD H..."

"TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 KIA SORENTO. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE CONTACT EXPERIENCED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILURE AND TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE, SO THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO ANOTHER DEALER ON JANUARY 21, 2008. TWO MECHANICS TEST DROVE THE VEHICLE AN..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28