2015 Kia Sorento Recalls and Problems

NHTSA lists 3 safety recalls and 750 owner complaints for the 2015 Kia Sorento.

Recalled components: brakes and fuel system. Most-described problem: engine failure or replacement (173 complaints, 23%). Most-reported area: engine (360 complaints, 48%; median mileage when it happened: 87,300).

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

Year to avoidBest year

3 safety recalls for the 2015 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's investigations file, dated Oct 2, 2026, lists no investigations for the 2015 Kia Sorento apart from an audit query, which reviews a company's recall and reporting duties rather than the vehicle.

What owners report

Owners have filed 750 complaints with NHTSA about the 2015 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

• Engine failure or replacement173 · 23%
  Median 87,700 miles at failure, from 82 reports with mileage
• Stalling or shutting off105 · 14%
  Median 88,500 miles at failure, from 62 reports with mileage
• Check engine light78 · 10%
  Median 89,800 miles at failure, from 46 reports with mileage
• Loss of power or limp mode62 · 8%
  Median 85,900 miles at failure, from 34 reports with mileage
• Headlight or exterior light problems62 · 8%
  Median 86,000 miles at failure, from 28 reports with mileage
• Smoke or a burning smell40 · 5%
  Median 89,000 miles at failure, from 23 reports with mileage
• Engine knocking, ticking or rattling38 · 5%
  Median 83,600 miles at failure, from 20 reports with mileage
• Shaking, shuddering or vibration31 · 4%
  Median 67,500 miles at failure, from 18 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

• Engine360 · 48%
  Median 87,300 miles at failure, from 172 reports with mileage
• Body structure100 · 13%
  Most named: body (95) · Median 60,000 miles at failure, from 27 reports with mileage
• Exterior lighting91 · 12%
  Most named: headlights (4) · Median 76,000 miles at failure, from 40 reports with mileage
• Electrical system58 · 8%
  Median 69,000 miles at failure, from 30 reports with mileage
• Powertrain42 · 6%
  Median 74,000 miles at failure, from 23 reports with mileage
• Brakes36 · 5%
  Median 93,000 miles at failure, from 17 reports with mileage
• Steering33 · 4%
  Median 67,600 miles at failure, from 22 reports with mileage
• Unknown or other113 · 15%
  Median 67,000 miles at failure, from 32 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 2015 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 2015 drew 63.

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.

2015 Sorento MPG

Questions