2013 Kia Sorento Recalls and Problems

NHTSA lists 5 safety recalls and 981 owner complaints for the 2013 Kia Sorento.

Recalled components: brakes, engine, fuel system, engine and cooling, and 1 more. Most-described problem: stalling or shutting off (178 complaints, 18%). Most-reported area: engine (496 complaints, 51%; median mileage when it happened: 89,500).

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

Year to avoidBest year

5 safety recalls for the 2013 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 investigations

NHTSA has opened 6 investigations that name the 2013 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. A recall query is a review of whether a recall covered the right vehicles or whether its fix works. 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 981 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 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

• Stalling or shutting off178 · 18%
  Median 89,400 miles at failure, from 152 reports with mileage
• Engine failure or replacement170 · 17%
  Median 101,000 miles at failure, from 136 reports with mileage
• Check engine light90 · 9%
  Median 86,000 miles at failure, from 73 reports with mileage
• Loss of power or limp mode66 · 7%
  Median 88,000 miles at failure, from 57 reports with mileage
• Smoke or a burning smell58 · 6%
  Median 100,500 miles at failure, from 42 reports with mileage
• Headlight or exterior light problems56 · 6%
  Median 100,000 miles at failure, from 39 reports with mileage
• Won't start46 · 5%
  Median 100,500 miles at failure, from 34 reports with mileage
• Shaking, shuddering or vibration44 · 4%
  Median 62,500 miles at failure, from 36 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

• Engine496 · 51%
  Median 89,500 miles at failure, from 380 reports with mileage
• Electrical system116 · 12%
  Median 74,500 miles at failure, from 82 reports with mileage
• Body structure91 · 9%
  Most named: body (85); body, door (4) · Median 61,000 miles at failure, from 29 reports with mileage
• Brakes88 · 9%
  Median 72,500 miles at failure, from 36 reports with mileage
• Exterior lighting70 · 7%
  Most named: headlights (5) · Median 94,200 miles at failure, from 44 reports with mileage
• Powertrain69 · 7%
  Median 55,800 miles at failure, from 56 reports with mileage
• Air bags60 · 6%
  Median 85,000 miles at failure, from 42 reports with mileage
• Unknown or other89 · 9%
  Median 96,000 miles at failure, from 36 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 2013 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) and the 2013 drew 143.

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.

2013 Sorento MPG

Questions