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EnginePart report

2015 Kia Sorento Engine Problems

Complaints
363about this part
Share
48%of 755 total for the year
Median mileage
87,340miles
Trend
StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 363 complaints about the engine of the 2015 Kia Sorento, 48% of the 755 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 87,340 miles. 6 of these say a crash was involved and 9 a fire, according to the filers. 1 recall campaign on record is filed under a similar system.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“I noticed my 2015 Kia sorrento was idling very hard. This stopped momentarily and then began again and the engine light began flashing. The vehicle struggles to accelerate and I turned the vehicle off. Upon inspecting there was no oil leak but little to no oil in the engine and no indication of a problem. The vehicle was routinely oil changed and maintained.”

NHTSA complaint #11403146, filed 2021-03, 127,000 miles

“I was accelerating on to a on ramp to interstate 405 when he engine light started to blink and car losing power at the same time. The car also proceeded to make an engine knocking noise and I exited the highway to get off and got it towed . The car has 51, 800 miles and I am original owe we and have had regular oil changes and maintenance .”

NHTSA complaint #11252584, filed 2019-08, 51,817 miles

“We had a 2015 Kia Sorento that was burning through very high amounts of oil when driven on the highway. The dealership could not find a problem but asked us to supply all oil change records which we did not have available, the car was under lease. When we brought it back to Kia, on lease, we were told we had to pay over $6000. We have not paid at this point.”

NHTSA complaint #11174523, filed 2019-02, 20,000 miles

“Driving from alamogordo nm to el paso tx which is about 90 miles distance with my two kids the engine made an awful sound and stopped. I was by a pep boys service center and they checked it out. They found that the engine locked up! The SUV only has 71150 miles on it! Now I'm on foot and don't know what else to do! Any help?”

NHTSA complaint #11223176, filed 2019-06, 71,150 miles

“With the vehicle moving at 60 miles per hour the engine suddenly accelerates and then turns off in the middle of the highway, I put it in neutral and I was able to stop next to the highway, I turned on the engine light but did not show any code and the engine did not it turned on and it turns out that the engine is blocked, my mechanic reported that it damaged the crankshaft and connecting rod”

NHTSA complaint #11350356, filed 2020-08, 74,349 miles

Related recalls

Related service bulletins

Engine: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2026117%
20251925%
2024512%
20233226%
20225227%
20216827%
20206748%
201915937%
201810742%
201738748%
201669655%
201536348%
201438839%
201349851%
201246152%
201128419%
200947%
20083516%
200775%
20066728%
20056321%
20044621%
20034314%

Other parts of the 2015 Kia Sorento

Other or unknown
114 complaintsBody and structure
100 complaintsExterior lighting
91 complaintsElectrical system
58 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
42 complaintsBrakes
37 complaintsSteering
33 complaintsFuel system
31 complaintsAir bags
30 complaintsVehicle speed control
22 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
11 complaintsElectronic stability control
8 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2015 Kia Sorento

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology