2011 Kia Sorento Recalls and Problems

NHTSA lists 7 safety recalls and 1,518 owner complaints for the 2011 Kia Sorento.

Recalled components: brakes, engine, powertrain, exterior lighting, and 1 more. Most-described problem: door lock or latch problems (249 complaints, 16%). Most-reported area: engine (284 complaints, 19%; median mileage when it happened: 103,000).

Data: NHTSA recall, complaint and investigation filesUpdated Oct 2, 2026

Year to avoidBest year

7 safety recalls for the 2011 Kia Sorento

Do-not-drive and park-outside recalls first, then newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.

Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

NHTSA also lists 1 equipment recall for parts sold for this vehicle, not the vehicle itself: Equipment (CURT MFG. INC., 11E-041).

NHTSA investigations

NHTSA has opened 6 investigations that name the 2011 Kia Sorento, not counting audit queries; all 6 are closed. An investigation means NHTSA is reviewing reports of a problem. It is not a finding that the vehicle has a defect.

A preliminary evaluation is NHTSA's first step, to gather information and decide whether to look further. An engineering analysis is a deeper review, usually opened after a preliminary evaluation. NHTSA lists investigations by make, model and model year only, so one can apply to only some versions of a model, such as one engine; its summary says which.

What owners report

Owners have filed 1,518 complaints with NHTSA about the 2011 Sorento. Below, they are sorted by the problems owners describe and by the areas NHTSA files them under. NHTSA does not verify complaints.

Problems owners describe

• Door lock or latch problems249 · 16%
  Median 90,000 miles at failure, from 182 reports with mileage
• Airbag warning light or airbag fault135 · 9%
  Median 96,000 miles at failure, from 99 reports with mileage
• Stalling or shutting off124 · 8%
  Median 88,500 miles at failure, from 100 reports with mileage
• Check engine light83 · 5%
  Median 86,500 miles at failure, from 61 reports with mileage
• Loss of power or limp mode77 · 5%
  Median 94,000 miles at failure, from 67 reports with mileage
• Smoke or a burning smell73 · 5%
  Median 125,000 miles at failure, from 44 reports with mileage
• Headlight or exterior light problems70 · 5%
  Median 98,000 miles at failure, from 53 reports with mileage
• Jerking, lurching or harsh shifting69 · 5%
  Median 47,000 miles at failure, from 56 reports with mileage

Counted from the complaint text: a complaint counts once for each problem it describes (how we match them). Some complaints describe none of these. Compare other models in the problem owners report most for every model year.

Areas named in complaints

• Engine284 · 19%
  Median 103,000 miles at failure, from 189 reports with mileage
• Body structure268 · 18%
  Most named: body (234); body, door (28) · Median 89,000 miles at failure, from 193 reports with mileage
• Powertrain265 · 17%
  Most named: automatic transmission (37); driveline (4) · Median 34,000 miles at failure, from 225 reports with mileage
• Electrical system246 · 16%
  Most named: instrument cluster/panel (4) · Median 88,000 miles at failure, from 175 reports with mileage
• Air bags183 · 12%
  Median 95,300 miles at failure, from 133 reports with mileage
• Brakes130 · 9%
  Median 70,000 miles at failure, from 85 reports with mileage
• Exterior lighting102 · 7%
  Most named: headlights (5) · Median 98,000 miles at failure, from 73 reports with mileage
• Unknown or other213 · 14%
  Median 91,400 miles at failure, from 122 reports with mileage

A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%. Mileage is shown where at least 15 owners reported it.

Kia Sorento recalls and complaints by model year

The highlighted bars are the 2011 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2011 Sorento drew the most (281).

Crash test ratings

NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.

2011 Sorento MPG

Questions