2010 KIA Sorento: common problems

Owners of the 2010 KIA Sorento filed 3 complaints with NHTSA, most often about air bags and engine. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 3
involving a crash: 2

What fails most often

1 Air bags 33% of all complaints
2 Engine 33% of all complaints
3 Suspension 33% of all complaints

Circle size and colour show each component’s share of NHTSA complaints. Schematic only, not a drawing of the exact model.

Air bags: 1 complaints (33% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Engine: 1 complaints (33% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Suspension: 1 complaints (33% of all).

Symptoms owners describe

How many of the 3 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).

engine failure or replacement1 · 33%
oil leak or consumption1 · 33%
stalls while driving1 · 33%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash
Air bags	1	1
Engine	1	1
Suspension	1	0

What owners report

Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.

The contact stated that the engine oil notification system failed to indicate that the engine oil was empty, causing the contact to crash into a curb before the engine stalled. The contact sustained injuries to the right side of her body. A police report was not filed.
Engine · crash · 2013-12-12 · NHTSA complaint #10555796
I had an accident while getting off highway the person in front of me suddenly stopped and I rear ended her car. My car was pushed in from front and air bags did not pop out. It concerns me. At what speed should they deployed?
Air bags · crash · 2013-02-01 · NHTSA complaint #10496103
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 kia sorento. While driving at any speed, the vehicle pulled to the right without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who re-balanced the tires and re-aligned the wheels, but the failure recurred. The contact notified two kia dealers about the failure.
Suspension · 2016-04-12 · NHTSA complaint #10855055

When owners complained

NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.

20132
20161

Comparison

By complaint count this model year ranks 17,150 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 47% most complained about).

On average one model year of the Sorento has 410 complaints (25 years in the data). This year has 3, below average.

What to check before buying

Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
Engine. Cold start, unusual noises, oil leaks and engine codes.
Suspension. Wheel alignment, control arms, subframe, even tire wear.

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 2010 KIA Sorento?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: air bags, engine, suspension. Total complaints: 3. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: engine failure or replacement (33%), oil leak or consumption (33%), stalls while driving (33%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2010 KIA Sorento?

NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.

Should I buy a 2010 KIA Sorento from a US auction?

Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.

Other 2010 models

Read also

Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.