2025 Kia Sorento complaints

I am unable to disable the "consider taking a break" warning, this is highly distracting and I don't understand why I can disable ever other warning on the vehicle. This warning goes off so easily even when I'm not distracted or tired and it's unsafe!

While operating the vehicle and utilizing the cruise control, the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and the Antilock Braking System (ABS) warning lights turn on. These lights will remain on until the vehicle is turned off and a new drive begins. They only activate during the use of cruise control and at times it has caused the brake pedal to become extremely tough to press. This is a concern if maintaining cruise control and an emergency braking situation arises, the brake may not engage it is designed to do and cause a vehicle accident.

We have a brand new 2025 Kia Sorento and suddenly the AC stopped working. Took it into the service center who could not identify the problem but didn't see any damage. They got it working again and we drove it for a couple of days and it stopped working again as anticipated. We brought it back in and they now report debri damage, now not covered by kia warranty. I searched online and this seems to be a common issue with the unit and that the grill design does not protect the engine and is prone to significant damage to the vehicles engine components that Kia will not cover under warranty.

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.

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.

On 10/3 driving at roughly 60mph on the freeway, when going to accelerate, the vehicle would not accelerate with no power going to the engine. The gas motor was not engaging, and the car rapidly decelerated to around 20mph in an incredibly unsafe situation. Coasting it off the freeway, it was towed to the local Kia dealership. No warning lights or any indicators went off during that event. 10/9/2025, I picked up the vehicle after they replaced the high-pressure fuel pump and high-pressure fuel line, I noticed the battery was very low and thought it would charge while driving. As I left the dealership, the vehicle did not engage the gas engine and quickly avoided acceleration - no power was going to the engine. The battery reached a catastrophic low, and the engine failed in a busy intersection - creating another extremely unsafe situation - as I was turning around to return to the dealership. This time the hybrid system warning system went off and the battery and oil lights went on. While waiting for the tow truck, the vehicle would not turn off. It is currently with the dealership, 41k miles on vehicle, 1 year old.

Transmission concern. Randomly rolls forward (about 1-2 feet) when placed in reverse. It rolls forward before it finally catches to reverse. I have rolled into and tapped another vehicle when exiting a parking spot. I have taken it to two different Dealers and they said basically it does that and I need to account for it. This car is a liability.

My Sorento has a transmission issue or something similar. It slips, it dies down and sometimes when I come to a stop and try to move, it won’t move. I have to put it back in park and then put it in drive. I have had several near miss accidents due to all these issues. It has been repaired twice but it has never fixed the issue and the dealer claims there is nothing wrong.

On July 5th 2025 round 5:15 pm EST, while driving in the center lane of the highway at approximately 73 mph, the check engine light and multiple amber warning lights suddenly turned on. This occurred at just 1,920 miles on a brand-new vehicle. At the time of the incident, the vehicle stopped responding to the accelerator and would not move forward. Fortunately, traffic was light, and I was able to steer safely to the shoulder. However, I was traveling with my family, and under heavier traffic conditions or with vehicles closely following, this sudden loss of power could easily have resulted in a serious multi-vehicle accident. Following the above incident, I brought my vehicle to the Kia dealership for a diagnostic check. However, they did not take any corrective action, stating that the check engine light was not currently illuminated—even though I provided photo evidence and the fault code P069811 captured from the Kia app. This raises serious concerns, as I cannot predict when the issue might occur again. According to multiple reports on Kia forums and blogs, many owners of new vehicles have experienced the same problem, yet Kia has not addressed it. This is a serious, life-threatening safety issue while driving, and this trim should be publicly acknowledged as having low reliability and safety concerns until a resolution is found.

The contact owns a 2025 Kia Sorento. Upon starting the vehicle and shifting into reverse(R); the vehicle failed to respond with the message "Service In" displayed on the instrument panel. The contact repeatedly depressed the accelerator pedal, but the vehicle failed to respond. The contact placed the gear shifter back into park(P) and then shifted back into reverse(R) and the vehicle started to accelerate slightly before coming to a complete stop with the accelerator pedal depressed. After repeatedly depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle jolted backwards. The contact decided to park(P) the vehicle and scheduled an appointment with the dealer for service. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 4,850.

At highway speeds and in windy conditions, both side view mirrors partially fold inwards obstructing the ability to check blinds spots. The vehicle was purchased new from a dealership a month ago. The dealership has been notified of this issue as well as the check engine light being on since the vehicle was 5 days old and we were told they are unable to take the vehicle in until they have a loaner car available. Attached are two images of the driver's sideview mirror showing the approximate distance the mirror folds inwards with little effort.

Transmission caught between gears at speeds below 25mph. Engine revs without acceleration: Drivers report pressing the accelerator, and the engine's RPMs increase, but the vehicle does not speed up as expected. Driver returned the vehicle to Dealership and reported the incident. Dealership reported, malfunction could not be replicated. No indicator or warning lights present. The same incident occurred the following day for second time. Both incidents occurred around [XXX].on [XXX] at low operating speeds. Sudden loss of power places you and those around you in harm's Way when traveling at/below posted speed limits. Other Drivers around you don't know that your car is unable to move. This is a safety hazard. Clearly the transmission is failing in malfunctioning. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

August 18, 2025 at 3pm PT; My 2025 Kia Sorento X-Line was parked in my driveway facing the street. I had the engine on, and in Park mode, AC on, back hatch door open. No one was in the vehicle. I was standing behind the vehicle when it then started to go in reverse, then stopped for 2 seconds. It then proceeded to go into reverse again. The garage door was open. The vehicle pushed me into the blades of our lawn mower (it is stored in the garage on its end, so the blades face the garage door), and continued to push me and the lawn mower into our gardening tool supply rack. I did all I could to stop the vehicle with my body and yell for help. I was trapped. The vehicle eventually stopped because the back hatch door was open and caught on the upper part of the garage frame. I got myself unstuck and got out to the right, and went straight to the passenger front door to check out the gear shift. It was still in Park mode. All was captured on our Ring camera. I called Kia corporate customer service and received a case number (25476533) and was told I would hear back in 10 business days. This was after calling the dealership twice directly (Elk Grove Kia) leaving a detailed message with no response.

NHTSA Complaint – Kia Sorento Vehicle: 2025 Kia Sorento Component/System: Engine, Fuel/Propulsion System, Power Train Date of Incident: [XXX] Location: [XXX] , southbound Description of the Problem: While driving my 2025 Kia Sorento southbound on [XXX] , the accelerator did not respond properly both on a flat road and while going uphill. The engine failed to provide adequate power, creating a serious safety risk on the highway. The vehicle is currently at the dealer for inspection, which will take place on Monday. However, I am extremely frustrated that I have not been provided a loaner or rental vehicle, even though I need transportation immediately. Additionally, as a U.S. citizen, I feel I am being treated unfairly and receiving discriminatory service compared to others in similar situations. No warning lights or messages appeared before the incident. The dealer has not confirmed or fixed the issue yet. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives. I am reporting this issue to document the safety risk, service denial, and potential discrimination, and to seek proper investigation. Inspection Availability: UNKNOWN – vehicle can be inspected upon request. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

On [XXX], while driving home at highway speeds, I attempted to accelerate and the vehicle bucked and sputtered violently. The check engine light came on, and my OBD scanner showed multiple misfires in Cylinder 1. I have also experienced suspected transmission slipping from a full stop and during highway driving—RPMs will spike (up to ~5,500) with little or no increase in speed, sometimes after releasing the accelerator. These issues have occurred multiple times prior to [XXX]. On [XXX], while traveling 80–85 mph, I released the accelerator and the RPMs again spiked to ~5,500 while the vehicle rapidly lost speed and barely moved. Starting mileage at first occurrence is unknown, but Kia should have this documented from a prior service visit. The condition is ongoing and worsening, creating a serious safety risk by causing loss of acceleration and unpredictable power surges while in traffic. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

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.

On numerous occasions during extreme ambient hot temperatures, one of the body sensors keeps malfunctioning giving me an error message about the front parking sensor malfunction. I have reported this to my local dealership on a number of occasions, but as soon as I place the vehicle in park the message clears. The error has shown up on a history report with they connect a scanner to the OBD port but have yet to rectify this issue. Started before I hit 15k miles and is randomly generated.

Have had an issue of losing power while on an interstate traveling back from work twice now. After the second time I reported to my local dealership. While driving home, my vehicle lost power and was extremely slow and unresponsive. Check engine light came on but when checked under the diagnostics of the entertainment system, showed no issues present. Light turn off but still was having issues with responsiveness. When arriving home connected my personal ODB scanner tool to the vehicle and showed 1 code P0301Cylinder 1 Misfire. Had take. Pics of the code and of my OBD tool and cleared the code. Car started functioning correctly again. But still took to dealership for analysis. Dealership could not find any issues or codes, probably cause I cleared the code which allowed the vehicle to run normally again.

While traveling to VA from TX, [XXX] and on [XXX] the vehicle hesitated to accelerate multiple times. Some were from a complete stop, and other times it occurred when accelerating to merge on the highway. On [XXX], I pulled out of a driveway onto a very busy road and upon increasing pressure on the gas, the vehicle shook (similar to the behavior of a manual when letting up off the clutch and not applying even pressure to the gas. Due to the vehicle's hesitation, I as almost hit by a large truck traveling on my exact path. This was the sole instance that warranted a call to Kia Corporate, as I feel the issue is a significant safety concern. I placed the vehicle in service 11-12 JUN and the attached receipt highlights that the dealer was unable to replicate the issue. As of 16 JUN, the vehicle is still exhibiting the same issue intermittently, along with the break pedal popping when ascending or descending on a hill/ramp. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2025 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while her husband was driving 50 MPH, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. Due to the failure, the contact's husband coasted the vehicle off to the shoulder of the highway. The vehicle was restarted; however, the failure persisted. The contact called the dealer and made an appointment to have the vehicle serviced. The contact drove the vehicle without failure. The dealer performed a diagnostic test, but no fault was found with vehicle. The contact was instructed to pick up the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was filed. The vehicle was not repaired and remained with the dealer. The failure mileage was 213.

Driver Attn Warning randomly goes off frequently for no reason, this malfunction involves the front camera causing this frequent warning for no reason. This faulty issue gives the driver the sense that it should be ignored as it goes off for no reason, this makes this safety system null and void. It is equivalent to the blind spot warning going off so that the driver ignores it over time leading to them pulling in front of a car in there blind spot. The dealer and manufacturer know about this issue but refuse to do anything to fix it, the dealer says it's in the software of the car and they can't change it and Kia refers me back to the dealer, it's a frustrating run around for the customer. No it has not been inspected by insurance or police. The driver attention warning feature with a coffee cup began flashing a warning as soon as we pulled it off the lot

Was turning right onto the road when the steering locked up and every safety warning light came on. My car literally stopped moving in the middle of the road. I wasn't literally right down the road from my house so thankfully I was able to get the car back to my house. The steering felt worse than not having power steering. I called and the dealership Matt Blac KIA of Toms River, and they had my car towed to the dealership around 10 am on April 4th. Around 4pm I was told they still had no idea what was wrong with my car, and to come pick up a loaner car. On April 5th at 4:42 pm I received a text stating the wiring harness wasn't secured properly and rubbed the steering shaft, and they had to contact Kia to see how to proceed. April 11th was told the part arrived and hopefully sometime next week I would get my vehicle. As of right now I still don't have my vehicle and have no idea of when I will get it back. My main concern is that this was a serious oversight on the assembly of this car, and could have had very different results if I was not in my neighborhood and was on a busier road.

The contact owns a 2025 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that upon purchasing the vehicle brand new from the dealer and driving the vehicle to the residence, the contact became aware that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V006000 (Electrical System, Exterior Lighting) after conducting a VIN search the same day. The dealer and the manufacturer were not contacted. The mileage on the vehicle was 10. The actual mileage was 530.

Outside temp was 33 degrees F with a slightly lower windchill. I started the car and, when I accelerated to 30 mph, my car began to beep and the dashboard indicated the speed was limited to 30 mph. It went into limp mode and resisted when I tried to go above 30. We were towed to Kia but they could not replicate the issue and said it may have been due to the cold. A Google search showed others with 2025 model Kias also had the issue and they also happened during colder temps. I was glad I was on a 40 mph road and not a highway or it could have been a dangerous issue. There was no indication of any issue until I tried to accelerate to 30 mph. It drove fine the night before when it was also below freezing.

While driving my 2025 Kia Sorento on the highway, I noticed a coolant leak and an overheating warning. I immediately pulled over, and the vehicle was towed to a Kia dealership for inspection. After diagnosing the issue, the dealership claimed that small pebbles had damaged the radiator, leading to the coolant leak. They stated that this was considered an accident, not a defect, and therefore was not covered under warranty. Why This is a Concern: After researching online, I discovered that many other Kia owners are experiencing the same issue, suggesting that the radiator may be vulnerable to road debris due to poor design or insufficient protection. A radiator should be durable enough to withstand normal highway driving conditions. A failure like this could cause engine overheating and sudden breakdowns, posing a serious safety risk to drivers and passengers. Request for Investigation: Since this issue is affecting multiple Kia Sorento owners, I believe it should be investigated as a possible design flaw. If the radiator is too fragile to handle everyday road debris, Kia should issue a recall or Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) to address the defect and ensure driver safety.

The contact owns a 2025 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while his wife was driving approximately 25 MPH in the snow with the windshield wipers activated, the windshield wipers became stuck in the middle of the windshield due to snow accumulation in the area between the windshield and the hood. The contact's wife pulled over to the side of the road and noticed that the accumulated snow had turned into built-up ice, which obstructed the windshield wipers functionality. The contact's wife removed the ice in the area between the windshield and the hood and continued driving. The contact stated that the failure recurred while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the windshield wiper gear shaft was damaged and the arm that originated from the windshield wiper motor was bent due to the built-up ice. The dealer determined that the windshield wipers motor assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 1,600.

The contact leased a 2025 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving, the vehicle failed to increase over 20 MPH. The 20 MPH limited message was displayed. The brake pedal was hard to depress. The driver pulled over and called the salesman at the dealer, who discussed red flags. The contact turned the vehicle off and restarted. While driving 45 MPH, turning left, the brake pedal was applied, but the brakes violently pumped upwards for about nine car lengths. The vehicle eventually slowed down. The speed decreased from 40 MPH to 20 MPH, and he crashed into a Toyota Corolla stopped at the light. There was an unknown abnormal warning sound detected. There were no reported injuries, airbags, fire, or police report filed. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the bumper was cracked and two unknown sensors were damaged. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, who investigated the failure and determined that the brakes and smart cruise control were working as designed. Additionally, informed him not to utilize the cruise control in the city, read the manual, and learn the vehicle. The approximate failure mileage was 65.