"How reliable is the 2020 Kia Sorento?"

"Based on 173 NHTSA complaints, the 2020 Kia Sorento has a median complaint mileage of 17500 miles. The most common issue is Engine."

"What are common problems with the 2020 Kia Sorento?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2020 Kia Sorento is Engine, accounting for a significant portion of the 173 total complaints filed."

2020 Kia Sorento: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 173 complaints

173

Total Complaints

17,500mi

Median Mileage

Engine

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

6,575 25th Percentile

17,500 Median Mileage

64,756 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Engine

Unknown Or Other

Electrical System

Power Train

Trailer Hitches

Fuel/Propulsion System

Service Brakes

Exterior Lighting

Blind Spot Detection

Steering

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"I HAVE A 2020 KIA SORENTO V6. WHEN THE ENGINE IS COLD OR HAS BEEN SITTING FOR AN HOUR OR SO, THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTS ERRATICALLY BETWEEN 20 AND 40 MPH. WHEN COMING TO A STOP, AT THE SAME SPEED, THE VEHICLE SURGES FORWARD. I HAVE TAKEN THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP 3 TIMES. THEY REPROGRAMED THE ..."

"THE TRANSMISSION WILL ACT IN A VERY ERRATIC MANNER WHEN THE CAR IS FIRST DRIVEN AFTER SITTING COLD FOR SEVERAL HOURS. THIS PROBLEM APPEARS WHEN ACCELERATING, AND PERSISTS UNTIL THE CAR HAS BEEN DRIVEN A FEW MILES. *TR"

"THE DAY AFTER I PURCHASE MY NEW KIA I HAD STARTED TO WORK THE MOTOR WAS COLD AND WHEN TRYING TO SHIFT GEARS IT SLIPPING WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED OUT UNTIL MOTOR HAS WARMED UP I TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY STAYED TO JUST DRIVE IT UNTIL THE FIRST OIL CHANGE AND THEY WOULD CHECK ON IT THEN I ..."

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

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Engine 58 complaints

25th: 17,500 mi Median: 89,000 mi 75th: 150,000 mi

Power Train 15 complaints

25th: 2,400 mi Median: 5,000 mi 75th: 7,575 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

FL: 22 TX: 20 GA: 17 OH: 16 CA: 10 MN: 9 IL: 8 NC: 7 NJ: 6 PA: 6

Kia Sorento — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
2003	420	72,000	Engine And Engine Cooling	13
2004	341	99,000	Engine	15
2005	457	89,500	Engine	31
2006	382	83,750	Engine	18
2007	224	70,436	Air Bags	20
2008	317	59,600	Air Bags	19
2009	79	46,000	Air Bags	2
2011	2069	80,000	Engine	65
2012	1194	88,000	Engine	32
2013	1283	78,513	Engine	37
2014	1348	79,800	Engine	34
2015	945	73,932	Engine	33
2016	1577	65,000	Engine	41
2017	989	45,000	Engine	17
2018	318	46,225	Engine	13
2019	588	20,000	Engine	20
2021	299	34,256	Power Train	9
2022	253	27,330	Power Train	4
2023	158	12,000	Electrical System	4
2024	46	-	Electrical System	12
2025	96	530	Engine	11

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