Kia America, Inc.: Trailer Hitches
Kia America, Inc. reported this defect to federal regulators on Sep 19, 2022 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 70,887. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
Park away from buildings
NHTSA attached a park-outside advisory to this campaign. It applies to specific production runs, so check your own VIN with the manufacturer or at nhtsa.gov/recalls before driving the vehicle.
The defect
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2016-2022 Sorento, 2021-2022 Sorento Hybrid (HEV), 2022-2023 Sorento Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV), and 2017-2022 Sportage vehicles equipped with a tow hitch harness installed as original equipment, or purchased as an accessory through a Kia dealership. Debris and moisture accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (PCB) may cause an electrical short, which can result in a fire.
The risk
A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
The remedy
Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will inspect the vehicle, and, as necessary, replace the fuse and/or tow hitch harness module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 11, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC249.
18 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 Kia Sorento Hybrid | 33 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 2023 Kia Sorento Phev | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 Kia Sorento | 194 | 6 | 1 | 4 |
| 2022 Kia Sorento Hybrid | 12 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 2022 Kia Sorento Phev | 22 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| 2022 Kia Sportage | 46 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| 2021 Kia Sorento | 255 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| 2021 Kia Sorento Hybrid | 21 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 Kia Sportage | 54 | 2 | 7 | 3 |
| 2020 Kia Sorento | 140 | 1 | 12 | 11 |
| 2020 Kia Sportage | 166 | 2 | 13 | 11 |
| 2019 Kia Sorento | 435 | 2 | 19 | 10 |
| 2019 Kia Sportage | 71 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| 2018 Kia Sorento | 255 | 3 | 11 | 12 |
| 2018 Kia Sportage | 165 | 3 | 12 | 7 |
| 2017 Kia Sorento | 808 | 4 | 32 | 13 |
| 2017 Kia Sportage | 404 | 4 | 28 | 14 |
| 2016 Kia Sorento | 1,262 | 8 | 50 | 29 |
What this page is, and what to do next
A recall is not an opinion. It is a Part 573 report a manufacturer is required by federal law to file once it decides a defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety, and it commits them to repairing the vehicle at no cost to the owner. The three passages above are the manufacturer’s own wording as published by NHTSA.
This page describes the campaign. It cannot tell you whether one particular car has already been through the shop — that is tracked by VIN, and only the manufacturer knows it. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a franchised dealer, quoting campaign number 22V703000.
Full record for the 2023 Kia Sorento Hybrid → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →