2022 Kia Sorento
Plug-in hybrid Hybrid Gas Compact SUV
The 2022 Kia Sorento is sold in the U.S. as a plug-in hybrid, hybrid and gas compact SUV with 7 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Sorento Hybrid FWD, is EPA-rated at 37 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 9 recall campaigns for this model year, 4 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of F. Owners have filed 221 complaints, most often about power train. NHTSA crash-tested it at 4 stars overall.
Specs & fuel economy (EPA)
| Configuration | Powertrain | Drive | Engine / motor | City | Hwy | Comb | Range | kWh/100mi | Charge (240V) | Annual fuel* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sorento Plug-in Hybrid | Plug-in hybrid | AWD | 1.6L 4-cyl turbo + 67 kW AC PMSM | 35 | 33 | 34 (52 MPGe blended) | 32 mi electric | 43 | 3.4 h | $1,850 |
| Sorento Hybrid FWD | Hybrid | FWD | 1.6L 4-cyl turbo + 270V Li-Ion | 39 | 35 | 37 | — | — | — | $1,700 |
| Sorento Hybrid AWD | Hybrid | AWD | 1.6L 4-cyl turbo + 270V Li-Ion | 36 | 33 | 35 | — | — | — | $1,800 |
| Sorento FWD | Gas | FWD | 2.5L 4-cyl | 24 | 29 | 26 | — | — | — | $2,400 |
| Sorento FWD | Gas | FWD | 2.5L 4-cyl turbo | 22 | 29 | 25 | — | — | — | $2,500 |
| Sorento AWD | Gas | AWD | 2.5L 4-cyl | 23 | 25 | 24 | — | — | — | $2,600 |
| Sorento AWD | Gas | AWD | 2.5L 4-cyl turbo | 22 | 27 | 24 | — | — | — | $2,600 |
*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year and EPA reference fuel/electricity prices. Source: fueleconomy.gov vehicle records.
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Recalls (9)
Electrical System
criticalProblem: 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.
Back Over Prevention
highProblem: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2022-2023 Sorento, Sorento Hybrid, and Sorento Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) vehicles. The mounting clips for the rearview camera may break, which can cause the rearview camera image not to appear properly on the display. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Risk: A rearview camera that does not properly display an image can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the rearview camera housing, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 27, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC280.
Fuel System, Gasoline
criticalProblem: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2022 Sorento Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV) vehicles. The fuel tank may have been improperly molded, which can result in a fuel leak.
Risk: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Deales will inspect and replace the fuel tank, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 22, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC261.
Power Train
highProblem: 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.
Trailer Hitches
criticalProblem: 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.
Tires
highProblem: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2022 Sorento and Telluride vehicles. The vehicles may be equipped with an incorrect spare tire which, when installed, can impair the anti-lock braking system (ABS) and the traction control system (TCS). As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Risk: Impaired anti-lock braking or traction control systems can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the spare tire, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 27, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC244.
Seat Belts
highProblem: 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.
Engine And Engine Cooling
criticalProblem: Kia Motor America (Kia) is recalling certain 2022 Sorento vehicles. The oil supply pipe to the turbocharger may crack, which could result in an oil leak in the engine compartment.
Risk: An oil leak in the presence of an ignition source such as hot engine or exhaust components, can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will replace the turbocharger oil supply pipe, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 22, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC233.
Seat Belts
highProblem: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2022 Sorento Hybrid and 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 replace the seatbelt pretensioner(s), free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 3, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC231. This recall is replaced by NHTSA recall number 22V-447. Vehicles already repaired under this recall will need to have the new remedy completed.
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
Seat Belts:Pretensioner — Seat Belt Pretensioners May Rupture (closed)
On August 8, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this Recall Query (RQ) based on 3 incidents alleging front seat belt pretensioners that may rupture during deployment, on model year (MY) 2020-2022 of various Hyundai and Kia Models, resulting in 3 injuries (note: one incident occurred outside the U.S. and its territories).Between October 2021 and March 2023, Hyundai and Kia have filed the following 11 safety recalls for pretensioner rupture: NHTSA Recall No. 21V-796, 22V-069, 22V-123, 22V-127, 22V-218, 22V-354, 22V-447, 22V-458, 22V-816, 23V-094, and 23V-210.Hyundai/Kia have stated that the abnormal deployment of the pretensioners is due to over-pressurization of the preten
Opened Aug 8, 2022 · closed May 26, 2023 · action RQ22003
Owner complaints
221 complaints filed
5 involved a crash, 2 a fire, 4 injuries, 0 deaths reported by owners.
Filed by year — 2022: 50 · 2023: 50 · 2024: 32 · 2025: 50 · 2026: 39
Most-cited components
- Power Train — 74
- Engine — 59
- Electrical System — 41
- Unknown Or Other — 39
- Service Brakes — 20
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
| Configuration | Overall | Frontal | Side | Rollover | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUV AWD | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | 16% |
| SUV AWD | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | 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
2027 Sorento
0 recalls · 0 complaints
B2026 Sorento
2 recalls · 5 complaints
D2025 Sorento
4 recalls · 125 complaints
B2024 Sorento
2 recalls · 47 complaints
F2023 Sorento
4 recalls · 156 complaints
F2021 Sorento
5 recalls · 263 complaints
B2020 Sorento
1 recalls · 134 complaints
C2019 Sorento
2 recalls · 426 complaints
D2018 Sorento
3 recalls · 252 complaints
F2017 Sorento
4 recalls · 801 complaints
F2016 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 44361, 44141, 44482, 44217, 44218, 44220, 44221). Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.