2021 Kia Sorento Steering Problems
- Complaints
- 6about this part
- Share
- 2%of 254 total for the year
- Median mileage
- —not reported
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 6 complaints about the steering of the 2021 Kia Sorento, 2% of the 254 complaints for this model year.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“While driving my 2021 Kia Sorento, the electronic power steering suddenly failed/intermittently cut out while the vehicle was in motion. The steering wheel became extremely stiff and difficult to turn, making the vehicle very hard to control and creating a serious risk of a crash. I had to muscle the wheel to get out of traffic turn the vehicle off and on several times before steering worked again. …”
NHTSA complaint #11765555, filed 2026-09“Power train incident - • transmission holding gears, jerking between shifts, gear shifted into S mode on its own and stuck there, unresponsive acceleration, locked up steering/inability to turn the steering wheel and total loss of drive power. • happened while merging onto a highway in one of two split lanes for highway access. A merging semi truck in the other merging lane almost ran into me because I could not give it gas. …”
NHTSA complaint #11679976, filed 2025-08“My 2021 Kia Sorento X-Line Prestige comes with Driver Assist features. One is for steering. Without warning it will disengage, particularly on a 2-lane highway, or when entering a curve in the road. This is dangerous. It needs to come with a warning that Driver Assist can flake out on 2-lanes and on curves, and is fairly useless unless you are on a straightaway on an interstate. This has happened to me multiple times since I bought the car from the Heiser dealership in Wisconsin.”
NHTSA complaint #11546505, filed 2023-09“Electrical issue all dash lights came on and couldn’t shift into gear, had to replace my main computer as it was fried at 72,000 miles, also had to get the steering column replaced total of $6,000 fixes”
NHTSA complaint #11676557, filed 2025-07“The car drifts from right to left all the time on any road surface. This was addressed at about 2,000 miles months ago and they could not get it to steer straight. I brought this up on the oil change visit and the tech never addressed this at all ! The dual clutch transmission does not shift properly. The vehicle larches hard into reverse, feels like it will sometimes stall when starting out from a stop sign or traffic light. (This is dangerous) The idle goes up and down from 750 RPM to 1,100 RPM when the car comes to a stop. (This is dangerous) The brakes feel like they are weak. …”
NHTSA complaint #11445232, filed 2021-12Related service bulletins
- 11000548May 25, 2024TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: MDPS SMALL BEARING REPLACEMENT - This bulletin provides the procedure to replace the worm gear small bearing of Motor Driver Power Steering (MDPS)…
- 10242913Sep 25, 2023PITSTOP: AWD SYSTEM CONCERN DUE TO TIRE CIRCUMFERENCE - This Pitstop provides information regarding potential concerns with the All-Wheel-Drive (AWD) system due to tire sizes of…
- 10202226Oct 5, 2021TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: PARTIAL REPAIR OF C-MDPS MOTOR, ECU, WORM GEAR AND/OR STEERING COLUMN HOUSING - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information…
- 10191841May 5, 2021PIT STOP: DIAGNOSING HAPTIC MOTOR CONCERNS - This Pitstop provides information regarding a "Check Haptic Steering Wheel System" message displayed on the cluster on some 2021MY…
- 10189545Mar 25, 2021TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: PARTIAL REPAIR OF C-MDPS MOTOR, ECU, WORM GEAR AND/OR STEERING COLUMN HOUSING - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information…
Steering: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2 | 3% |
| 2024 | 2 | 5% |
| 2023 | 7 | 6% |
| 2022 | 10 | 5% |
| 2021 | 6 | 2% |
| 2020 | 4 | 3% |
| 2019 | 11 | 3% |
| 2018 | 26 | 10% |
| 2017 | 97 | 12% |
| 2016 | 80 | 6% |
| 2015 | 33 | 4% |
| 2014 | 35 | 4% |
| 2013 | 22 | 2% |
| 2012 | 20 | 2% |
| 2011 | 53 | 3% |
| 2008 | 5 | 2% |
| 2007 | 3 | 2% |
| 2006 | 33 | 14% |
| 2005 | 39 | 13% |
| 2004 | 24 | 11% |
| 2003 | 31 | 10% |
Other parts of the 2021 Kia Sorento
143 complaintsEngine
68 complaintsElectrical system
47 complaintsOther or unknown
42 complaintsFuel system
24 complaintsVehicle speed control
13 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
11 complaintsForward collision avoidance
10 complaintsBody and structure
5 complaintsAir bags
4 complaintsExterior lighting
3 complaintsLane departure
3 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2021 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