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Transmission and drivetrainPart report

2022 Kia Sorento Transmission and drivetrain Problems

Complaints
68about this part
Share
35%of 194 total for the year
Median mileage
24,864miles
Trend
RisingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% higher than in the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 68 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2022 Kia Sorento, 35% of the 194 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 24,864 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.

“I am submitting a formal safety complaint regarding my 2022 Kia Sorento, which is experiencing a dangerous and recurring loss of engine power during acceleration. This issue presents a significant safety hazard, particularly during situations requiring immediate acceleration such as highway merging, crossing intersections, and passing traffic.”

NHTSA complaint #11736537, filed 2026-05

“At stop lights trying to excel it stales for a couple of seconds then resumes. Does this on and off all day because I drive for a living. Finally the check engine light is on and now have to replace the whole turbo because it’s failing. I just got the car mid march of 2026. I have kids and scared to drive around and the car fail on me.”

NHTSA complaint #11742570, filed 2026-06

“The engine light came on and then two hours later the entire system started flashing and the engine started stalling. The car would not accelerate and had to be taken to Kia. This is the SECOND time this has occurred. The first time, the engine froze and I could not accelerate on the highway. I barely got to the side and had to get towed to Kia. Please, please investigate this vehicle and the power train.”

NHTSA complaint #11679208, filed 2025-08

“on my way home Friday evening from work. After exiting the expressway , I made a right turn on the street going towards my house. My steering wheel locked to the right and almost caused me to run into another car. If I had not be driving slow than the speed limit or still on the expressway, this would have been a very bad accident, if not fatal! This is after the dealership made repairs on my vehicle and deemed it safe to drive.”

NHTSA complaint #11734731, filed 2026-04

“1)Transmission keeps slipping on a car that is one year old. Typically it’s from a park>drive or park>reverse but it also happens while accelerating. The worse instance so far has been while I was pulling across an intersection and my gas pedal was to the floor and the car just froze like it was in neutral… rpms went up but car “disengaged” and I had to let off the gas and try again and it engaged. This was a HUGE safety issue as cars were coming at me and I was stuck. …”

NHTSA complaint #11548659, filed 2023-10

Related recalls

Related service bulletins

Transmission and drivetrain: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
20251925%
2024511%
20232217%
20226835%
202114456%
20201813%
20195112%
201894%
2017375%
201612610%
2015426%
2014727%
2013697%
2012556%
201126517%
2009916%
20082311%
20072013%
20063514%
20053812%
20044018%
2003227%

Other parts of the 2022 Kia Sorento

Engine
52 complaintsOther or unknown
43 complaintsElectrical system
31 complaintsBrakes
18 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
17 complaintsVehicle speed control
16 complaintsFuel system
14 complaintsSteering
10 complaintsForward collision avoidance
8 complaintsLane departure
4 complaintsSuspension
3 complaintsExterior lighting
2 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2022 Kia Sorento

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 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