2025 Kia Sorento Phev

Routine

Owners filed 11 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the unknown or other. It has been recalled 3 times.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Unknown or Other4
000
Electrical System2
000
Power Train1
100
Fuel System, Gasoline1
000
Engine1
000
Communication › Auto Crash Notification1
000
Air Bags1
000

3 safety recalls

Part 573 reports
Electrical System › Instrument Cluster/Panel26V046000
Filed Jan 26, 202642,677 vehiclesKia America, Inc.

Defect. Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2025 Kia K4, 2025-2026 Sorento, Sorento Hybrid, Sorento Plug-In Hybrid Electric (PHEV), 2026 Sportage, Sportage Hybrid, Sportage PHEV, K5, EV9, Carnival, and Carnival Hybrid vehicles. Due to a software error, the instrument panel display may fail. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 101, "Controls and Displays" and 138, "Tire Pressure Monitoring System."

Risk. An instrument panel display that fails to show critical safety information, such as the speedometer, tire pressure, or warning lights, increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy. The instrument panel display software will be updated over-the-air (OTA) or by a dealer, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed March 26, 2026. Owners may contact Kia Customer Service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC361. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov on February 9, 2026.

Electrical System › Body Control Module › Software25V006000
Filed Jan 13, 202574,469 vehiclesKia America, Inc.

Defect. Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Sorento, 2025 Sorento Hybrid, and 2025 Sorento Plug-In Hybrid vehicles. A software error in the Body Domain Control Unit (BDC) may cause a loss of low beam headlights and taillights. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."

Risk. A loss of headlights and taillights can reduce visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy. Dealers will update the BDC software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 21, 2025. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC331.

Fuel System, Gasoline › Delivery › Hoses, Lines/Piping, and Fittings24V920000
Filed Dec 10, 20241,385 vehiclesKia America, Inc.

Defect. Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2025 Sorento Plug-In Hybrid vehicles. During a crash, the steering rack may damage the fuel line, which can result in a fuel leak.

Risk. A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.

Remedy. Dealers will install a cover around the fuel line, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 10, 2025. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC328.

What owners reported

Newest filings
Unknown or Other
Filed Sep 8, 2026GA

Warning Message CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM, First incident driving on the road car gave warning message 10 mins later car went in limp mode in the middle of road and did not allow me too move (took to dealership they had the car for four days ,they reported no codes was found )2. Second Incident driving on highway and car gave warning message shortly after warning sign car start to not let me accelerate and was going very slow on highway, manage to pull over and engine light and message came up diagnostic fault code.

Air Bags
Filed Sep 8, 2026NJ

Multiple active faults, 12 active DTC codes, which have disabled the ABS, ESC and airbag communication lines, the dealer we took the car to refused to perform a full diagnostic and repair. I have been in contact with Kia corporate and they have consistently said that cannot make a dealer perform service. The dealer where we purchased the vehicle cannot see us until October.

Engine
Filed Aug 13, 202630,000 milesCO

The contact owns a 2025 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving approximately 75 MPH, the vehicle lost drive power. The vehicle decelerated and was coasted over to the side of the road. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights flashed on the instrument panel while the vehicle was decelerating. While on the side of the road, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. Additionally, the message "Hybrid Power Control Unit" was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer but was not diagnosed because the dealer was unable to reproduce the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that while the dealer was attempting to duplicate the failure, the vehicle was not being driven at highway speeds like when the failure had occurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

Electrical System
Filed Aug 8, 2026NY

I am writing to report a safety concern with my 2025 Kia Sorento plug-in hybrid. On multiple occasions, after starting the vehicle, the instrument panel appears normal, but the vehicle does not enter the ready state. The ready indicator does not illuminate and the vehicle will not shift into drive or reverse. The vehicle will however, unfortunately, shift into neutral and roll, but with no power. The only way to restore normal operation is to completely turn the vehicle off and restart it. This intermittent condition creates a safety concern because it can leave the vehicle unexpectedly immobilized, with no power, and allow the vehicle to move/roll with no control. I respectfully request that Kia investigate this issue for a possible software or hybrid control defect. Please document my report and inform me of any software updates, improvements or service recalls.

Fuel System, Gasoline
Filed Aug 7, 2026MI

The contact owns a 2025 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that on two occasions while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle lost automotive power and the message "Hybrid System Failure" was displayed. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road, turned off, and restarted, but the failure persisted, and the vehicle failed to accelerate above 20 MPH. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the fuel pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred a week later. The vehicle was taken to another dealer where the failure could not be duplicated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

Unknown or Other
Filed Jul 23, 2026CA

On [XXX], at approximately [XXX], I attempted to replace a flat tire on my 2025 Kia Sorento while the vehicle was parked on a flat, firm paved surface. I used the factory-supplied emergency scissor jack, rated at 1,200 kg or 2,645.5 lbs. and placed it at the designated factory pinch-weld jacking point. The plugin hybrid Kia Sorrento has a curb weight of over 4000 lbs which is more than the rated weight of the Kia supplied car jack. This is extremely irresponsible and dangerous. While raising the vehicle only enough to remove and replace the tire, the jack’s structural frame buckled, bent, and popped out from under the vehicle causing the vehicle suddenly fall back to the ground. While no one was hurt in the incident someone could have been injured or killed by the falling vehicle or by the car jack which popped out from under the car as it was crushed. In this instance, no one was underneath the vehicle, and no injury occurred although it would have been very easy for this to have resulted in serious injury or death if the jack failure occurred while the tire was removed or a tire iron engaged during the failure. I feel fortunate to not have been seriously injured. There was no visible deformations or other symptoms before the failure. The problem was not reproduced because the jack sustained permanent structural damage and could not safely be used again. The vehicle and failed jack were inspected by Serramonte Kia, 600 Serramonte Boulevard, Colma, CA 94014, on [XXX], at appr

Electrical System
Filed Jul 6, 2026SC

Hybrid Control Unit failure was the fault that came up on the screen. 3rd time within 3 months now. The HCU was just replaced a week ago at the KIA dealership and the vehicle is only 1 year old. This left my wife stranded on the side of a busy highway in 100 degree temps over the 4th of July holiday.

Unknown or Other
Filed Jul 6, 2026TX

1st incident: Vehicle was unable to accelerate when attempting to speed up on freeway entrance ramp- high RPMs while continuing to decelerate and eventually vehicle would not move at all anymore. The driver assist system continued to activate the brakes due to high RPMs even though the vehicle could not accelerate. Very unsafe driving conditions on a busy freeway as the car could not go faster than 30 mph, and eventually stalled out completely. Vehicle brought to dealership and replaced fuel pump as they said there was a leak found. 2nd incident: Vehicle was unable to accelerate when attempting to speed up on freeway entrance ramp- high RPMs while continuing to decelerate. Driver assist was turned off in this instance. Car currently still at dealership, as they have so far been unable to identify the problem. Both incidents created very unsafe driving conditions, as the freeway speed limit is 75 mph and my car was unable to go over 30 mph despite fully depressing the gas pedal and having plenty of gas in the tank. Both instances occurred when the hybrid battery was low (<15%).

Communication › Auto Crash Notification
Filed Jun 29, 2026293 milesOH

The contact owns a 2025 Kia Sorento. The contact stated the messages "Take A Coffee Break" and "Hands on Steering Wheel" consistently illuminated while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who stated that there was no issue with the vehicle. While driving approximately 60 - 70 MPH, the Forward Collision Avoidance system activated, causing the vehicle to swerve towards the right, and the brakes activated. The contact manually turned the steering wheel and depressed the accelerator pedal to continue driving. The vehicle was returned to the dealer; however, the dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure because there was no data on the EDR. The dealer rebooted the software; however, 23 days later, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was returned to the dealer, and the contact was informed that the software was updated. The vehicle had not been driven since the second software update. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The contact opened a case with the Better Business Bureau. The failure mileage was 293.

Power TrainCrash
Filed Mar 22, 2026MD

On March 13, 2026, Friday, at about 3:00 pm, was driving XXX on US XXX toward the XXX stop and go traffic backup for several miles. Sun was behind direction of traffic flow. Temperature was low-mid 50s and road was dry and no rain or snow. Winds were 10-15 mph with gusts to 25 mph. Road was 3 lanes in the east direction with one lane closed. Attempting to keep about a 3 foot distance from car in front. My was is a Kia 2025 Sorento PHEV model purchased in July 2024 and has had regular servicing. I was keeping a firm pressure on brake pedal to not allow car to roll into the car in front. Suddenly, the car surged forward into the other car. Keep both feet on the brake pedal to attempt to stop the car. Hit the other car and pushed it forward a foot or 2. The advertized FCA feature of the car appeared to have failed. It has stopped me in one prior situation. Damage to my Sorento is still be to determined. The car in front appears to have a body panel crease in the back tailgate. The damage appears to be at knee height. The car will be check out by KIA servicing this week (March 23rd, 2026). The car has several other quirks, but this is the most scary. Mileage is 9800. Most of my driving is main roadways = city streets, US and Interstates. No recalls seem to address this situation. However, may other quirks are also not addressed. Report was filled with Maryland State Police.

Unknown or Other
Filed Jan 8, 2025TX

Spare tire jack collapsed when jacking up the vehicle. I don’t think the jack is rated for a PHEV Sorento.

11 of 11 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2022
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
20260100Routine
2025 — this page11300Routine
20242000Routine
20238200Routine
202222500Routine

Compare every Sorento Phev year →

Reading this record

No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Recall repairs are free for as long as the recall stands. Check whether a specific car still has open work at NHTSA's VIN lookup.

Most recent recall on file: Jan 26, 2026. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.