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2021 Kia Sorento

Hybrid Gas Compact SUV

202720262025202420232022202120202019201820172016
Specs & fuel economyRecallsComplaintsCrash ratings
F
Safety Signal
39 / 100
FSafety Signal · 39 / 100
5Recalls · 3 critical
263Complaints · owner reports
4★Crash rating · NHTSA overall
37 mpgFuel economy · best combined
⚠️
Active NHTSA advisory: park outside and away from structures until repaired. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and see the recall details below.

The 2021 Kia Sorento is sold in the U.S. as a hybrid and gas compact SUV with 5 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Sorento Hybrid, is EPA-rated at 37 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for this model year, 3 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of F. Owners have filed 263 complaints, most often about power train. NHTSA crash-tested it at 4 stars overall.

Specs & fuel economy (EPA)

ConfigurationPowertrainDriveEngine / motorCityHwyCombAnnual fuel*
Sorento HybridHybridFWD1.6L 4-cyl turbo + 270V Li-Ion393537$1,700
Sorento FWDGasFWD2.5L 4-cyl242926$2,400
Sorento FWDGasFWD2.5L 4-cyl turbo222925$2,500
Sorento AWDGasAWD2.5L 4-cyl232524$2,600
Sorento AWDGasAWD2.5L 4-cyl turbo212824$2,600

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year and EPA reference fuel/electricity prices. Source: fueleconomy.gov vehicle records.

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The 2021 Kia Sorento is in the years where transmission, electronics and drivetrain repairs land on the owner. Compare extended-coverage quotes in about two minutes.

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Recalls (5)

Electrical System

critical
39,536 vehicles

Problem: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Sorento vehicles. The heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) blower motor wiring harness may be inadequate, which can result in a fire.

Risk: A fire increases the risk of injury.

Fix: Dealers will replace the wiring harness and blower motor resistor, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 23, 2026. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC351. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning October 9, 2025.

NHTSA campaign 25V649000 · reported Sep 25, 2025 · Kia America, Inc.

Power Train

high
69,038 vehicles

Problem: Kia Motors, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Sorento and 2021-2023 K5 vehicles. The vehicle's "fail-safe" limited-mobility drive mode may be impaired, when prompted by a transmission oil pump malfunction, which can result in a complete loss of drive power.

Risk: Loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.

Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the transmission, as necessary. Dealers will also update the transmission control unit software. All repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 9, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC250.

NHTSA campaign 22V760000 · reported Oct 11, 2022 · Kia America, Inc.

Trailer Hitches

critical
Park outside70,887 vehiclesHybrid only

Problem: 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.

Risk: A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.

Fix: 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.

NHTSA campaign 22V703000 · reported Sep 19, 2022 · Kia America, Inc.

Seat Belts

high
17,199 vehiclesHybrid only

Problem: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Sorento Hybrid and 2022 Sorento Plug-in Hybrid vehicles. In the event of a crash, the front driver-side and/or passenger-side seat belt pretensioner(s) may explode upon deployment.

Risk: An exploding seat belt pretensioner can project metal fragments into the vehicle, striking vehicle occupants and resulting in injury.

Fix: Dealers will secure the seat belt pretensioners with a cap, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 17, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC241. This recall expands and replaces NHTSA recall number 22V-127. Vehicles already repaired under the previous recall will need to have the new remedy completed.

NHTSA campaign 22V447000 · reported Jun 23, 2022 · Kia Motors America

Fuel System, Gasoline

critical
21,575 vehicles

Problem: Kia Motor America (Kia) is recalling certain 2021 Sorento and 2021-2022 K5 vehicles equipped with 2.5L turbocharged engines. Fuel may leak at the pipe connection between the high-pressure fuel pump and fuel rail.

Risk: A fuel leak increases the risk of a fire.

Fix: Dealers will inspect and tighten, or replace the fuel pipe as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 21, 2021. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC214.

NHTSA campaign 21V519000 · reported Jul 8, 2021 · Kia Motors America

NHTSA investigations

Electrical System:Propulsion System — Pedestrian alert sounds (closed)

NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matt

Opened Jan 27, 2023 · closed Aug 7, 2023 · action DP22005

Engine — Loss of Motive Power (closed)

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a letter dated July 13, 2022, petitioning the Agency to initiate a safety defect investigation into loss of motive power allegations attributed to oil drain pan assembly failures on certain Hyundai Motor America, Inc. and Kia America, Inc. vehicles spanning Model Years (MY) 2005-2021. The Petitioners cited examples of complaints indicating that the subject vehicles were experiencing rapid loss of engine oil due to oil drain plug back outs, resulting in loss of motive power and/or catastrophic engine damage. Additional complaints were provided which alleged that the oil drain pans lack sufficient structural integrity and are

Opened Sep 12, 2022 · closed Dec 12, 2023 · action DP22003

Owner complaints

263 complaints filed

4 involved a crash, 1 a fire, 1 injuries, 0 deaths reported by owners.

Filed by year — 2021: 35 · 2022: 73 · 2023: 24 · 2024: 33 · 2025: 45 · 2026: 53

Most-cited components

  • Power Train — 133
  • Engine — 74
  • Electrical System — 57
  • Unknown Or Other — 44
  • Fuel/Propulsion System — 25
“i have 2021 Kia Sorento Hybrid, which a regular message stating that it needs to refill inverter coolant fluid keeps coming up, even though the car coolants level is full. This is not a new problem for the all the Kia users that have this model. Also, Kia and their network of dealerships have known of this problem for …”Sep 2, 2022 · Engine · NHTSA owner report
“Refil inverter fluid warning light is on constant, this doesn’t allow the driver to access any digital information while vehicle is on. The vehicle is also having issues with the entertainment consul, Bluetooth connection issues along with the ability to access apple car play. Dealership says it’s Kia and nothing i…”Aug 30, 2022 · Electrical System · NHTSA owner report
“Vehicle has a constant, unresolved error reporting that Inverter Coolant level is abnormal. Occurs daily. Dealership is unable to determine whether it is an issue. Has been taken to the dealership 2 times in the last 3 months. The warning also occupies the dashboard screen and cannot be dismissed, preventing me from vi…”Jul 25, 2022 · Fuel/Propulsion System · NHTSA owner report

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Crash ratings

ConfigurationOverallFrontalSideRolloverRollover risk
SUV AWD★★★★☆★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆16%
SUV AWD★★★★☆★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆16%
SUV FWD★★★★☆★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆16%
SUV FWD★★★★☆★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆16%
SUV FWD★★★★☆★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆16%
SUV FWD★★★★☆★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆16%

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program. Standard driver-assist: forward collision warning, lane departure warning.

Other Sorento model years

A

2027 Sorento

0 recalls · 0 complaints

B

2026 Sorento

2 recalls · 5 complaints

D

2025 Sorento

4 recalls · 125 complaints

B

2024 Sorento

2 recalls · 47 complaints

F

2023 Sorento

4 recalls · 156 complaints

F

2022 Sorento

9 recalls · 221 complaints

B

2020 Sorento

1 recalls · 134 complaints

C

2019 Sorento

2 recalls · 426 complaints

D

2018 Sorento

3 recalls · 252 complaints

F

2017 Sorento

4 recalls · 801 complaints

F

2016 Sorento

8 recalls · 1,248 complaints

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records (ids 43123, 43272, 43273, 43278, 43279). Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

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