AI Damage2017 KIA Sorento: common problems
Owners of the 2017 KIA Sorento filed 808 complaints with NHTSA, most often about engine and exterior lighting. The maker issued 194 service bulletins for this year. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 808
- involving a crash
- 13
- Technical service bulletins (TSB)
- 194
What fails most often
- 1 Engine 48% of all complaints
- 2 Exterior lighting 15% of all complaints
- 3 Electrical system 12% of all complaints
- 4 Steering 12% of all complaints
- 5 Fuel/propulsion system 5% of all complaints
- 6 Powertrain 5% of all complaints
- 7 Engine and cooling 3% of all complaints
- 8 Service brakes 3% of all complaints
- Engine: 387 complaints (48% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner; manufacturer bulletins for this component: 23.
- Exterior lighting: 125 complaints (15% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner; manufacturer bulletins for this component: 17.
- Electrical system: 97 complaints (12% of all); manufacturer bulletins for this component: 79.
- Steering: 97 complaints (12% of all); manufacturer bulletins for this component: 16.
- Fuel/propulsion system: 39 complaints (5% of all).
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 2 L · petrol · turbo · 4 cyl
- 2.4 L · petrol · 4 cylnamed in 8 complaints
- 3.3 L · petrol · 6 cylnamed in 15 complaints
- automatic, 6-speed
Drive: FWD, AWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 808 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 387 | 2 | 23 |
| Exterior lighting | 125 | 1 | 17 |
| Electrical system | 97 | 0 | 79 |
| Steering | 97 | 0 | 16 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 39 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 37 | 1 | 16 |
| Engine and cooling | 27 | 0 | 56 |
| Service brakes | 23 | 3 | 1 |
| Vehicle speed control | 21 | 1 | 1 |
| Structure | 17 | 2 | 10 |
| Air bags | 14 | 6 | 0 |
| Forward collision avoidance | 12 | 0 | 1 |
| Fuel system | 10 | 0 | 16 |
| Visibility | 9 | 0 | 6 |
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's wife sustained a concussion and the daughter sustained bruises on the shoulders caused by the seat belt. Medical attention was required. The vehicle was towed and deemed destroyed. A police report was filed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 94,000.
While driving at night the headlights will turn off and on usually last 10 to 15 seconds, does this at all speeds and and all roads. Will cause you to loose sight of road on non lit roads. This has happened about 10 times in the last few months
I was stopped at a red light on a city street and struck head on by another vehicle. The damage is shown below in the uploaded image. My airbags did not deploy.
The vehicle did not function when the accelerator pedal was depressed at 60 mph. The engine rpm's droppped from 4,000 to 1,000 and the accelerator and transmission was not responding. The vehicle took multiple attempts to be operated normally.
The engine has a loud rattle noise when started and the car is often hard to start, meaning when I turn the ignition key, the car may start 50 percent of the time on the first start.
The contact stated that while the vehicle was stopped and idling, the engine oil warning light illuminated, and the Apple CarPlay, radio, and HVAC system became inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the oil pressure switch was replaced under warranty.
Yesterday our car was making a knocking noise. It lost power temporarily. Upon pressing the gas pedal to the floor we were able to get up to 30 mph. We made it to a repair shop. They looked at it today. The Dip stick showed no oil. The did an oil change and it was down 3 quarts of oil.
Kia also issued a new vehicle limited warranty extension on the motor driven power steering. I believe the warranty extension should apply; however, dealer says it does not apply.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 53 of 2,102 model years in the NHTSA data (top 3% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Sorento has 305 complaints (11 years in the data). This year has 808, above average.
What to check before buying
- Engine. Cold start, unusual noises, oil leaks and engine codes.
- Exterior lighting. Headlamps, leveling, sensors and mounts after a frontal hit.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Steering. Steering play, power assist, rack and tie rods after a wheel impact.
Manufacturer service bulletins
Bulletin titles as filed with NHTSA.
- VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN
OWNER RENOTIFICATION (SC330 Flight 301) - This document is the owner renotification advising that Kia is conducting a Voluntary Service Campaign to replace the multi-function switch knob with improved parts on certain…
- TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: THEFT DETERRENT IGNITION CYLINDER PROTECTOR AND DECAL INSTALLATION (CS2312) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated…
- TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN
WARRANTY EXTENSION CAMPAIGN: MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH REPAIR (WTY031) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin…
- VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN
THETA II 2.4L GDI EMISSIONS: ECM LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SC340 REVISION 5) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin…
- TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN
WARRANTY EXTENSION CAMPAIGN: OIL PRESSURE SWITCH (OPS) REPLACEMENT (WTY026 REVISION 2) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black…
- TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN
VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: THETA II 2.4L GDI EMISSION SECM LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SC340 REV 4) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are…
- CUSTOMER SATISFACTION CAMPAIGN
OWNER NOTIFICATION (CS2312) - This document is the owner notification advising that Kia is conducting Customer Satisfaction Campaign. A software upgrade that addresses the social media theft method has been made…
- VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN
OWNER NOTIFICATION (SC340 FLIGHT 103 / UM) - This document is the owner notification advising that Kia is conducting a Voluntary Emissions Service Campaign to improve the emissions software logic in the Electronic…
- TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: THEFT DETERRENT IGNITION CYLINDER PROTECTOR AND DECAL INSTALLATION (CS2312) - This bulletin provides information to install a Theft Deterrent Ignition Cylinder Protector on certain 2010-2022MY…
- PITSTOP
TECHNICAL OPERATIONS: EXTERNAL DAMAGE TO ULTRASONIC SENSOR: This Pitstop provides information related to Parking Distance Warning (PDW) alerts and repairs involving ultrasonic sensors. The PDW system alerts the driver…
- VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN
OWNER NOTIFICATION (SC340 FLIGHT 101 / UM) - This document is the owner notification advising that Kia is conducting a Voluntary Emissions Service Campaign to improve the emissions software logic in the Electronic…
- TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN
VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: THETA II 2.4L GDI EMISSIONS ECM LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SC340) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by…
NHTSA lists 194 bulletins for this year; the 12 newest are shown here.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2017 KIA Sorento?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: engine, exterior lighting, electrical system. Total complaints: 808. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: warning lights, check engine (26%), oil leak or consumption (16%), headlights and tail lights (15%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2017 KIA Sorento?
NHTSA lists 194 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 2017 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 2017 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 2026-11-04.