2025 Kia Sorento Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year mainly describe two kinds of trouble: hesitation or a sudden loss of power from the engine and transmission, and electrical faults such as a dead 12-volt battery, a frozen or blank instrument display, and driver-assist alerts that fire when nothing is there. Many complaints come from vehicles with very low mileage, several within the first few thousand miles, and a number involve dealers who could not reproduce the symptom.

1. 1
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Hesitation and loss of power from engine/transmission

   • 22 complaints (29%)
   • median 4,000 mi at 1.0 yrs old (3 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2025–2026

   Owners describe the engine revving without the vehicle picking up speed, rough or jerky shifts, and at times a hard stumble or shudder when accelerating from a stop or merging. Some complaints mention the car dropping into a reduced-power mode with a speed restriction message on the dash, or the engine cutting out entirely at highway speed. Several report that the dealer could not duplicate the problem or found no stored fault codes, though some had a high-pressure fuel pump replaced and one owner had misfire codes read from a personal scanner. Reported across a wide mileage range, with many at low mileage (under about 5,000 miles) and a few past 15,000 miles.

   Recall 25V5480002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask for the service history and whether any stored codes, misfire or fuel-system repairs were recorded. A test drive that includes a rolling start and a highway merge can help reveal hesitation that does not show up at idle.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My vehicle has an ongoing acceleration problem that feels like the engine and transmission are not communicating correctly. There are times when the vehicle will not accelerate even though the RPMs increase. Instead of picking up speed, it feels like the engine is pulling the vehicle back. This creates hesitation and uncertainty about whether the car will respond when I press the accelerator. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11702095, filed 2025-11

   “While driving at speeds below 25 mph, my transmission seems to get caught between gears. When I press the accelerator, the engine revs, but the car doesn’t accelerate as it should. It feels like the power just drops out. There were no warning lights or indicators on the dashboard. The exact same thing happened again the very next day, at low speed, in the same general area. Both times, the car suddenly lost power in traffic, leaving me unable to move normally. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11694539, filed 2025-10
2. 2
   Electrical system

   12-volt battery drains and electrical no-starts

   • 9 complaints (12%)
   • median 39,000 mi at 1.7 yrs old (2 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2025–2026

   Owners report the vehicle failing to start after sitting parked, sometimes repeatedly, and needing a jump start; a few mention lights flickering before going out or the remote not locking the doors. Some say they were told at first that a door or light had been left on, and one owner links the dead battery to an over-the-air update. One complaint describes the car stalling and losing braking assist, with the dealer diagnosing an electrical failure. Typically reported within the first year of ownership, often after the vehicle sits for a day or more.

   Recall 25V0060002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the data connectivity and body control software updates were applied, and check for a battery test or any prior jump-start or charging records.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “This is the 4th time car is unable to start after being parked for one day and it had to be jump starting. At first I thought it was some accessory, specifically a dashcam and aftermarket ambient lights, so I disconnected both and I even turned off the wireless charging pad and disable the function to turn the lights on when doors open and it didn't help, dead car again after 1 day parked. Car was purchased new in august of 2025 and this issue started this past january coincidentally after an OTA update in december. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11720671, filed 2026-02

   “Vehicle only has 5839 miles and this is the 2nd time the battery has been dead. First time was Dec 18th 2025. Vehicle purchased 7/5/25. 2nd time 2/5/26. First time the outside lights flickered for a long time before finally going off. 2nd time the outside lights didnt flicker and key fob wont even lock the car. We took the vehicle in for service after 1st dead battery instance and they told us we must've not closed a door or left a light on which drained the battery. Will be scheduling another service so they can fix the issue. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11715949, filed 2026-02
3. 3
   Electrical system

   Instrument cluster and infotainment screen faults

   • 22 complaints (29%)
   • median 4,425 mi at 1.0 yrs old (4 state mileage, few)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2024–2026

   Complaints describe the gauge cluster freezing or the center screen blanking while driving, so speed, fuel level, gear position and warning information cannot be read. Some report the screen affected by turn signals or incorrect speed readings, and others describe warning chimes for phone use or driver attention when nothing is happening. Owners say the issue had to be reset by restarting the car or disconnecting the battery. Reported throughout the first year, with no clear mileage pattern in the sample.

   Recall 26V0460004 related service bulletins

   What to check: Confirm the instrument panel and infotainment software updates were installed, and ask whether any screen or cluster replacements were done.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The driver’s door windows/lock button cluster on my 2025 Kia Sorrento LX will randomly not work. None of the buttons will work so I am unable to roll any of the windows down or lock or unlock the doors. The only way to fix this is to turn off the car and restart it.”

   NHTSA complaint #11692241, filed 2025-10

   “The dashboard has a screen display. I couldn’t see my fuel tank information. Every time I would use my turn signal a large green circle would take over the screen. Followed by loss of the screen, meaning no speedometer, rpm, etc. As the problem continued the speedometer started displaying incorrect numbers. Saying I was going 70 miles an hour when I was actually going about 55. Gage for fuel and heat (notifying if car is overheating, was lost for the entirety of my drive).”

   NHTSA complaint #11757326, filed 2026-08
4. 4
   Forward collision avoidance

   False automatic emergency braking and collision alerts

   • 23 complaints (30%)
   • median 2,106 mi at 0.8 yrs old (4 state mileage, few)
   • 5 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2024–2026

   Owners describe the forward collision system beeping and applying the brakes hard when no vehicle or obstacle is in the path, including while changing lanes on an open road and when pulling away from a light. Complaints say the braking was abrupt enough to jolt occupants, and some owners turned the feature off afterward. Other complaints describe the brakes feeling weak or pulsating during normal stops. Reported mostly at low speeds and in traffic; mileage not consistently stated in the sample.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the ISLA and camera/radar software updates were applied, and test the braking feel on a quiet road before buying.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My wife was slowly pulling into a parking spot at kohls and the car lunged like the gas pedal was pressed all the way down and hit parking pole in spot . I googled to see if this was an issue reports and found information on this not actual recall but reports on this issue . Kia has done nothing with this case”

   NHTSA complaint #11717627, filed 2026-02

   “It feels like the engine is starting to cut out and as soon as that happens, the electronics in the car seem to start fighting each other. They adaptive steering and the lane assist it feels like they don’t work together anymore and I’m always fighting it or it won’t stay in the right lane and the car jerks from line to line. If I turned the lane assist off then it drives OK but the engine still is doing something funny.”

   NHTSA complaint #11676436, filed 2025-07
5. 5
   Other or unknown

   Driver attention warning that cannot be turned off

   Mentioned in 4 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners report a frequent chime and a coffee-cup message prompting them to take a break, appearing on highway trips without signs of fatigue, and say they were told the alert cannot be disabled. Complaints describe the warning as distracting because it requires looking down at the display. Reported on highway drives, with no mileage pattern in the sample.

   What to check: Ask the seller to demonstrate the driver attention settings menu so you know which alerts can be adjusted.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “During highway trips the info cluster starts chiming and a coffee cup light comes on the dash saying I should consider taking a break! This happens frequently and is distracting as I need to look down from the road to access what the warning is. I'm being told now that it is not able to be disabled. It's distracting and there's no way I would have bought the car with such a distraction during highway driving.”

   NHTSA complaint #11758296, filed 2026-08

   “While driving this warning alert will show up on the screen of my vehicle. It is important to note that this happens WHILE driving and when NO ONE is using their phone or using the touchscreen of the car. No one is ever searching something on their phone OR on the car’s touchscreen system.”

   NHTSA complaint #11692242, filed 2025-10

Buying note. This model year has a high share of complaints filed at very low mileage, so a full service history and confirmation that the software updates and open recalls were completed matter more than the odometer. A longer test drive covering low-speed creeping, a highway merge and a few hard stops will tell you more than a short lot loop.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.