2012 Kia Sorento: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 1194 complaints
1194
Total Complaints
88,000mi
Median Mileage
ENGINE
Top Issue
32
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

44,000 25th Percentile
88,000 Median Mileage
117,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ENGINE
458
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
127
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
79
AIR BAGS
77
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
65
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
55
POWER TRAIN
53
SERVICE BRAKES
32
STRUCTURE:BODY
30
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
29

Severity Assessment

32
Crashes
115
Fires
59
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"THE PROBLEM I AM HAVING IS INTERMITTENT. WHEN I PUSH THE START BUTTON SOMETIMES THE CAR THE LUNGES BACKWARDS WHILE THE CAR IS STILL IN PARK IT ONLY DOES THIS WHEN I AM STARTING THE CAR. IT ALSO MAKES AN AUDIBLE NOISE AT THE SAME TIME IT IS " BUCK JUMPING". I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALER SEVERAL TIM..."
"THE PROBLEM I AM HAVING IS INTERMITTENT. WHEN I PUSH THE START BUTTON SOMETIMES THE CAR THE LUNGES BACKWARDS WHILE THE CAR IS STILL IN PARK IT ONLY DOES THIS WHEN I AM STARTING THE CAR. IT ALSO MAKES AN AUDIBLE NOISE AT THE SAME TIME IT IS " BUCK JUMPING". I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALER SEVERAL TIM..."
"THE PROBLEM I AM HAVING IS INTERMITTENT. WHEN I PUSH THE START BUTTON SOMETIMES THE CAR THE LUNGES BACKWARDS WHILE THE CAR IS STILL IN PARK IT ONLY DOES THIS WHEN I AM STARTING THE CAR. IT ALSO MAKES AN AUDIBLE NOISE AT THE SAME TIME IT IS " BUCK JUMPING". I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALER SEVERAL TIM..."

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