"How reliable is the 2018 Kia Sorento?"

"Based on 318 NHTSA complaints, the 2018 Kia Sorento has a median complaint mileage of 46225 miles. The most common issue is ENGINE."

"What are common problems with the 2018 Kia Sorento?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2018 Kia Sorento is ENGINE, accounting for a significant portion of the 318 total complaints filed."

2018 Kia Sorento: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 318 complaints

318

Total Complaints

46,225mi

Median Mileage

ENGINE

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

15,532 25th Percentile

46,225 Median Mileage

71,175 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ENGINE

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

STEERING

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

AIR BAGS

POWER TRAIN

STRUCTURE:BODY

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"2018 KIA SORENTO SXL THE AEB ( AUTONOMOUS EMERGENCY BRAKING ) DOES NOT WORK AS ADVERTISED OR EXPECTED..THIS FEATURE IS ADVERTISED AS AEB AND ALSO ON THE ELECTRONIC DASH AS AEB BUT ACCORDING TO THE VERY DEFINITION OF AUTONOMOUS MEANING WITHOUT HUMAN INTERVENTION TO STOP THE VEHICLE TO AVOID A CRASH..."

"TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 KIA SORENTO. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY, THE SMART CRUISE SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SMART CRUISE SYSTEM DID NOT DETECT THAT A VEHICLE WAS IN FRONT OF IT AND ACCELERATED FORWARD INDEPENDENTLY. STEVENS CREEK KIA IN SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA WAS MADE..."

"I AM REQUESTING THAT DOT NHTSA INVESTIGATE THE ISSUE OF KIA SORENTO'S SUNROOFS EXPLODING. WE WERE DRIVING OUR COMPANY LEASED 2018 KIA SORENTO HEADING WESTBOUND ON I-90 GOING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH TO DUE RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC DURING SUNNY WEATHER, WITH OPTIMAL ROAD CONDITIONS, AND WE WERE APPROXIMATELY ..."

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