2020 Kia Sorento problems
The 2020 Kia Sorento has 199 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (35%) concerns engine. After that come electrical system (10%) and drivetrain & axles (9%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 199 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 35% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 16 and 21
- Injuries and deaths
- 29 and 1
- Typical mileage
- 18,000 miles 35 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 19 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 5 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 3 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 1 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 2 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 1 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 2 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 2 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Among the 35 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 18,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 16 complaints mention a crash; 21 complaints mention a fire; 29 injuries reported; 1 death reported. Its complaints are more severe on average than those of 89% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2020 ranks 15th most-complained-about out of 22 model years of the Kia Sorento with enough data (161 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 1 safety recall campaign.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
I was driving on the highway at 65 mph with other flow of triffid. As I was crested a hill, I had notice ahead there was emergency vehicles ahead about half-three quarter mile and I had let go of the accelerator. By the time I had looked down in front of me there was a vehicle that appeared to not have stopped due to not seeing any brake lights. By the time I realized the vehicle had stopped, I rear ended him. During the collision the was six people in the vehicle including myself.
The vehicle was not even 3.5 years old, it had been serviced in February 2023 and there was no warning before the fire began. The vehicle stopped accelerating and I immediately pulled over. The fire began as soon as I stopped the car and the vehicle was engulfed within minutes. My daughter and I were in the car. We barely escaped before the vehicle was on fire. I did not have a vehicle hitch on the vehicle and this was unrelated to the vehicle recall notice that I received several weeks after my incident.
Vehicle was purchased aug 2020. As of jan 10, 2021 "check blind spot collision warning (bcw) system" light came on about 6 times. If the light comes on while driving, the vehicle feels like it downshifts. Light has also come on while waiting for a red light. The bcw system was turned off the last two times the warning light came on. The last time it came on was jan 10, 2021 at approximately 10:45pm. I was driving on a city street. The bcw system was turned off & there were no vehicles next to me.
The contact had rented a 2020 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, both the front passenger and rear passenger's side windows exploded. The contact stated that there was no external cause to the failure. There were no warning lights illuminated. The dealer and the manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired, and was returned to the vehicle rental company. The failure mileage was 4,537. The VIN was unavailable.