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Transmission and drivetrainPart report

2021 Kia Sorento Transmission and drivetrain Problems

Complaints
144about this part
Share
56%of 255 total for the year
Median mileage
64,500miles
Trend
FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 144 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2021 Kia Sorento, 56% of the 255 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 64,500 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved, 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.

“When driving between 10 to 50 mph with foot on gas pedal my car won’t jerk sputter and lose complete loss of power while making a turn. I have to release my gas pedal and push back down and it takes a solid couple seconds to get any power back. I’ve been almost hit a couple times in the last two weeks because as I’m turning my car just loses all power.”

NHTSA complaint #11773876, filed 2026-10

“The stop go feature is not working correctly, when it does cut off at a light after releasing the brake to move forward it takes 3-5 seconds to start. when the cars behind me see that i release the brake they assume im going to move which doesnt happen at first. some occasions the stop n go just doesnt work at all.”

NHTSA complaint #11651656, filed 2025-03

“While driving the car displayed a notice in the dash stating “stop safely immediately” . We stoped the car in on the edge of traffic. After we restarted the car we shifted into Drive but the transmission wouldn’t allow the car to move. The car had reduced RPMs and wouldn’t move in drive or reverse. Ultimately had to have it towed to a nearby dealer.”

NHTSA complaint #11467676, filed 2022-06

“Transmission down shifts hard when coming to a stop or putting it in reverse. Car has been to the Kia dealership were we where told this normal. We had a expert look at the car and his diagnosis was there is something wrong with it. You can here the Transmission making a clunky sound when coming to the stop. People in parking lots have noticed this as well.”

NHTSA complaint #11467667, filed 2022-06

“I was driving to work on I-95 when a message appeared on the dash to “Stop Safely Immediately”. Less than a minute later, I lost the ability to accelerate and the vehicle was losing speed. I pulled over to the shoulder. Vehicle was towed to the dealer. They were unable to pinpoint the issue and stated the entire transmission needs to be replaced.”

NHTSA complaint #11439568, filed 2021-11

Related recalls

Related service bulletins

Transmission and drivetrain: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
20251925%
2024511%
20232218%
20226835%
202114456%
20201813%
20195112%
201894%
2017375%
201612610%
2015426%
2014727%
2013697%
2012556%
201126517%
2009916%
20082311%
20072013%
20063514%
20053812%
20044018%
2003227%

Other parts of the 2021 Kia Sorento

Engine
68 complaintsElectrical system
47 complaintsOther or unknown
42 complaintsFuel system
24 complaintsVehicle speed control
13 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
11 complaintsForward collision avoidance
10 complaintsSteering
6 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 29, 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