Kia Sorento Years to Avoid and the Best Years

Years to avoid: 2011 At least twice the 116 complaints of a typical Sorento year. Most described: door lock problems.
Best years: 2018 and 2019 Under three quarters of the 116 complaints of a typical Sorento year since 2016, with no open NHTSA investigation, and no do-not-drive or park-outside recall that covers all versions. The 2018 and 2019 have a park-outside recall for vehicles with a tow hitch harness. The 2020 drew few complaints too, but its first three years fell in the pandemic, when people drove less.

Based on owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, not adjusted for sales. The 2024 to 2026 models are too new to judge. See every year ranked

Data: US EPA and NHTSAUpdated Nov 12, 2026

Every model year since 2011 in one place: EPA fuel economy, NHTSA recalls, owner complaints and crash test ratings. The best fuel economy rating, 37 mpg combined, arrived in 2021. Includes the Sorento Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid.

Sorento problems by year, ranked by owner complaints

How the years are ranked

Model years ranked by owner complaints filed with NHTSA in their first three years (model year Y: filed by the end of Y+2), so every year is measured over the same time on the road. Years without three full years of data, and launch or final years with very few sold, are left out. Counts are not adjusted for how many were sold.

A typical Sorento year drew 116 complaints in its first three years: the median of its years since 2016. Years to avoid drew at least twice that, and at least 50. Best years are up to three years since 2016 with the fewest complaints, each under three quarters of a typical year since 2016 (116), with no open NHTSA investigation and no do-not-drive or park-outside recall that covers all versions; the 2020 is never picked, as its first three years fell in the pandemic. How the verdict works.

Model year	First 3 years	All complaints	Recalls
2011 Sorento Avoid Most described: door lock or latch problems	281	1,520	7
2013 Sorento Most described: stalling or shutting off	143	985	5
2021 Sorento Most described: loss of power or limp mode	132	278	5
2022 Sorento Most described: loss of power or limp mode	132	229	9
2016 Sorento Most described: engine failure or replacement	128	1,263	8
2017 Sorento Most described: engine failure or replacement	120	811	4
2012 Sorento Most described: stalling or shutting off	116	880	5
2023 Sorento Most described: loss of power or limp mode	112	170	4
2019 Sorento Best Most described: engine failure or replacement	83	437	2
2014 Sorento Most described: engine failure or replacement	78	989	6
2015 Sorento Most described: engine failure or replacement	63	755	3
2018 Sorento Best Most described: engine failure or replacement	49	255	3
2020 Sorento Most described: excessive oil consumption	29	140	1

Compare other models' worst years in the worst model years guide.

Check your Sorento for open recalls

Opens NHTSA's lookup in a new tab; your VIN goes to NHTSA, not to us. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard, the door jamb and your registration. Safety recall repairs are free at Kia dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

How to check a car for recalls, step by step

Get a vehicle history report from EpicVIN (opens in a new tab): a paid report with the car's title, odometer and salvage records, from an approved NMVTIS data provider. Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you buy. If you typed a full VIN above, the link sends it to EpicVIN and opens its checkout page for that VIN. Check the price before you pay: EpicVIN's $1 trial lasts 3 days, then becomes a monthly subscription until you cancel ($49.99 to $99.99 a month on its pages as of Oct 2, 2026). Disclosure

Year by year

Model year	Best rating	Recalls	Complaints
2026 MPG · Recalls and problems	37 mpg Hybrid	2	9
2025 MPG · Recalls and problems	36 mpg Hybrid	4	139
2024 MPG · Recalls and problems	37 mpg Hybrid	2	52
2023 MPG · Recalls and problems	37 mpg Hybrid	4	170
2022 MPG · Recalls and problems	37 mpg Hybrid	9	229
2021 MPG · Recalls and problems	37 mpg Hybrid	5	278
2020 MPG · Recalls and problems	25 mpg Gas	1	140
2019 MPG · Recalls and problems	25 mpg Gas	2	437
2018 MPG · Recalls and problems	24 mpg Gas	3	255
2017 MPG · Recalls and problems	24 mpg Gas	4	811
2016 MPG · Recalls and problems	24 mpg Gas	8	1,263
2015 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Gas	3	755
2014 MPG · Recalls and problems	22 mpg Gas	6	989
2013 MPG · Recalls and problems	24 mpg Gas	5	985
2012 MPG · Recalls and problems	24 mpg Gas	5	880
2011 MPG · Recalls and problems	24 mpg Gas	7	1,520

Best rating leaves out the plug-in hybrid, which EPA rates on gas and on electricity separately. MPG by year lists both ratings.

Owner complaints by model year

All complaints filed so far. Counts rise with sales volume and with time on the road, so recent years look better than they may turn out. The highlighted bar is the model year with the most complaints in its first three years.

2011: 1,520 complaints

Show as a table

Owner complaints by model year, Kia Sorento
Model year	Complaints
2011	1,520
2012	880
2013	985
2014	989
2015	755
2016	1,263
2017	811
2018	255
2019	437
2020	140
2021	278
2022	229
2023	170
2024	52
2025	139
2026	9

Best combined rating by model year

The best-rated version in each model year. Gas: 22 to 26 mpg (every year from 2011 to 2026); 26 since 2021. Hybrid: 36 to 37 mpg (2021 to 2026); highest in 2021.

Best gas version
Best hybrid version

2026: gas 26 mpg · hybrid 37 mpg

Show as a table

Kia Sorento best combined mpg by model year
Model year	Best gas version	Best hybrid version
2011	24	–
2012	24	–
2013	24	–
2014	22	–
2015	23	–
2016	24	–
2017	24	–
2018	24	–
2019	25	–
2020	25	–
2021	26	37
2022	26	37
2023	26	37
2024	26	37
2025	26	36
2026	26	37

Every Sorento year's ratings in one table

Comparisons

Kia Sorento vs Hyundai Santa FeMPG, fuel cost, recalls and crash tests

Questions

Which Kia Sorento years should you avoid?

The 2011 Sorento is the year to avoid: it drew at least twice the 116 owner complaints of a typical Sorento year in its first three years. Owners of the 2011 most often describe door lock problems. Complaints can't tell you whether a particular car is sound, so whatever the year, check its open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy. Safety recall repairs are free at Kia dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

What are the best Kia Sorento years?

The 2018 and 2019 Sorento are the best years: they drew 49 and 83 owner complaints in their first three years, each under three quarters of the 116 complaints of a typical Sorento year since 2016, and none has an open NHTSA investigation or do-not-drive or park-outside recall that covers all versions. The 2018 and 2019 have a park-outside recall for vehicles with a tow hitch harness. The 2020 drew few complaints too, but its first three years fell in the pandemic, when people drove less. Only years since 2016 are considered, since owners filed fewer complaints in the early 2010s. The 2024, 2025, and 2026 are not ranked yet: they have had fewer than three full years on the road.

Which Kia Sorento years have the most problems?

Counting owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, the 2011 (281) drew the most, then the 2013 (143). Owners of the 2011 most often describe door lock or latch problems.

Which Kia Sorento years have the most recalls?

The 2022 has the most safety recalls in NHTSA's file (9), then the 2016 (8). A recall can cover a problem that affects only a few cars, so open a year's page to see what each one covers. Four recalls tell owners not to drive the car or to park it outside until it is repaired, covering 2011 to 2023 models. Each year's recalls page lists them first.

What are the most common Kia Sorento problems?

In the 8,912 owner complaints NHTSA lists for 2011 to 2026 models, owners most often describe engine failure or replacement (1,335 complaints); stalling or shutting off (1,061 complaints); and loss of power or limp mode (774 complaints). One complaint can describe several problems. Each year's recalls and problems page lists what owners describe for that year.

Which Kia Sorento year has the best MPG?

The best EPA fuel economy is 37 mpg combined, first reached by the 2021 hybrid version. The plug-in hybrid, rated separately, gets up to 34 mpg on gas alone and 79 MPGe on electricity.

Sources and method

US EPA fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Nov 4, 2026.
NHTSA recall file dated Nov 12, 2026 and owner complaint file dated Nov 11, 2026; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings.

Complaint counts are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.