2023 Kia SORENTO HYBRID

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Average

Quick Summary

The 2023 Kia SORENTO HYBRID has 52 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 0.7x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is engine problems (23% of all complaints), specifically: car parked automatically while in drive. won't allow car to shift to drive or reverse due to "driving conditions not met". hybrid system light also randomly comes on..

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

0.7x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

ENGINE

12 complaints

23%

• car parked automatically while in drive. won't allow car to shift to drive or reverse due to "driving conditions not met". hybrid system light also randomly comes on.
• While driving on Oregon I-205 south bound received a refill inverter coolant warning. I was on my way to the dealer for other issues and decided to let the dealer fix it. About five miles down the freeway I began to lose power. I was in the center lane and had to move over two lanes of traffic whi
• Vehicle loses power from combustion engine and drives only on electric battery. Hybrid system doesn’t engage correctly and vehicle will accelerate extremely slowly after a delay and will only achieve roughly 30 mph with accelerator fully pressed. This vehicle has been sent to the dealer multiple

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“car parked automatically while in drive. won't allow car to shift to drive or reverse due to "driving conditions not met". hybrid system light also randomly comes on.”

— NHTSA complaint filing

FUEL SYSTEM

10 complaints

19%

• While driving on Oregon I-205 south bound received a refill inverter coolant warning. I was on my way to the dealer for other issues and decided to let the dealer fix it. About five miles down the freeway I began to lose power. I was in the center lane and had to move over two lanes of traffic whi
• Vehicle loses power from combustion engine and drives only on electric battery. Hybrid system doesn’t engage correctly and vehicle will accelerate extremely slowly after a delay and will only achieve roughly 30 mph with accelerator fully pressed. This vehicle has been sent to the dealer multiple
• At times vehicle hesitates or doesn't responses when accelerator is pushed. Has occurred several times when moving into traffic from a yield lane or stop. Fortunately it hasn't lead to an accident but was very scary. Researching this problem on-line, this has been reported by many Sorento owners. Th

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“While driving on Oregon I-205 south bound received a refill inverter coolant warning. I was on my way to the dealer for other issues and decided to let the dealer fix it. About five miles down the freeway I began to lose power. I was in the center lane and had to move over two lanes of traffic whi”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ELECTRICAL

7 complaints

13%

• The contact owns a 2023 Kia Sorento Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, a loud and squeaky noise was intermittently coming from the driver's side cabin. The Highway Driving Assist (HDA) system warning message was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, wher
• car parked automatically while in drive. won't allow car to shift to drive or reverse due to "driving conditions not met". hybrid system light also randomly comes on.
• Vehicle loses power from combustion engine and drives only on electric battery. Hybrid system doesn’t engage correctly and vehicle will accelerate extremely slowly after a delay and will only achieve roughly 30 mph with accelerator fully pressed. This vehicle has been sent to the dealer multiple

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“The contact owns a 2023 Kia Sorento Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, a loud and squeaky noise was intermittently coming from the driver's side cabin. The Highway Driving Assist (HDA) system warning message was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, wher”

— NHTSA complaint filing

TRANSMISSION

5 complaints

10%

• At times vehicle hesitates or doesn't responses when accelerator is pushed. Has occurred several times when moving into traffic from a yield lane or stop. Fortunately it hasn't lead to an accident but was very scary. Researching this problem on-line, this has been reported by many Sorento owners. Th
• Critical Issue: Gasoline leaks into engine. That causes increasing engine oil level significantly and mixed with engine oil. I dropped off me car (mileage: 11731) at Kia Pro in Glendale, CA on 5/1/2025 as soon as I confirmed that engine oil level exceeds the maximum (twice of max) and smelled Gasoli
• Vehicle suddenly loses power while driving. Engine does not turn on, vehicle will run on battery until battery is dead, then putting the vehicle in park once stopped. Vehicle will not accelerate normally since the engine does not turn on. Only goes 10-20 mph. Lights on the dash come on, prompting to

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“At times vehicle hesitates or doesn't responses when accelerator is pushed. Has occurred several times when moving into traffic from a yield lane or stop. Fortunately it hasn't lead to an accident but was very scary. Researching this problem on-line, this has been reported by many Sorento owners. Th”

— NHTSA complaint filing

VISIBILITY

4 complaints

• I purchased my Kia Sorrento several months ago and the windshield has chipped or cracked at least four times in that period when traveling at high speeds on the freeway. I contacted the Kia Dealership and Kia Customer Service and they have not responded to my request for assistance.
• The contact owns a 2023 Kia Sorento Hybrid. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in the garage, the windshield cracked from the top to the base on the passenger's side. The contact stated that there was no indication of an external cause for the failure. The dealer was notified of th
• I was driving my 2023 Kia Sorento on the I-5 freeway going about 70 MPH when the front-half of the panoramic sunroof spontaneously shattered and dropped glass into the cabin of the car. There was no debris, falling objects, or any other event to cause the glass the break. We were at a wide open ar

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“I purchased my Kia Sorrento several months ago and the windshield has chipped or cracked at least four times in that period when traveling at high speeds on the freeway. I contacted the Kia Dealership and Kia Customer Service and they have not responded to my request for assistance.”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

ENGINE(~50K mi)

$500

FUEL SYSTEM(~50K mi)

$500

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

TRANSMISSION(~50K mi)

$500

VISIBILITY(~50K mi)

$500

Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 52 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
ENGINE: car parked automatically while in drive. won't allow car to shift to drive or reverse due to "driving conditions not met". hybrid system light also randomly comes on.
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
FUEL SYSTEM: While driving on Oregon I-205 south bound received a refill inverter coolant warning. I was on my way to the dealer for other issues and decided to let the dealer fix it. About five miles down the freeway I began to lose power. I was in the center lane and had to move over two lanes of traffic whi
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ELECTRICAL: The contact owns a 2023 Kia Sorento Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, a loud and squeaky noise was intermittently coming from the driver's side cabin. The Highway Driving Assist (HDA) system warning message was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, wher
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
TRANSMISSION: At times vehicle hesitates or doesn't responses when accelerator is pushed. Has occurred several times when moving into traffic from a yield lane or stop. Fortunately it hasn't lead to an accident but was very scary. Researching this problem on-line, this has been reported by many Sorento owners. Th
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)