2022 Kia Sorento Phev problems, complaints & recalls

2022 Kia Sorento Phev recalls (5)

• Recall 23V610000Aug 31, 2023144,979 vehicles
  BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA

  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.

  Remedy: 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.

• Recall 23V027000Jan 25, 202334 vehicles
  FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY

  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.

  Remedy: 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.

• Recall 22V703000Sep 19, 202270,887 vehiclesPark outside
  TRAILER HITCHES

  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.

  Remedy: 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.

• Recall 22V447000Jun 23, 202217,199 vehicles
  SEAT BELTS:FRONT · SEAT BELTS:PRETENSIONER

  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.

  Remedy: 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.

• Recall 22V127000Mar 4, 2022213 vehicles
  SEAT BELTS:FRONT · SEAT BELTS:PRETENSIONER

  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.

  Remedy: 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 defect investigations

• DP22005Opened Jan 27, 2023Closed Aug 7, 2023led to recall 22V063000

  Pedestrian alert sounds

  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 Marc…

• RQ22003Opened Aug 8, 2022Closed May 26, 2023led to recall 23V094000

  Seat Belt Pretensioners May Rupture

  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 …

Recent 2022 Kia Sorento Phev complaints

Excerpts of the newest owner complaints, lightly cleaned of personal details. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

1. Filed Sep 4, 2026OHElectrical System

   On XXX, during a 13 hour return trip from [XXX], while traveling at speeds of approximately 80 mph on the interstate in mountainous terrain with my family in the vehicle, the instrument cluster displayed a message instructing me to stop driving and take the vehicle to service due to a battery problem. After the message cleared, a warning light remained illuminated until the vehicle was shut off and restarted. This occurred three separate times during that trip, beginning…

   NHTSA complaint #11762127 · source
2. Filed Jun 4, 2026COElectrical System

   Engine wiring is covered in soy based products which attract rodents as a source of food. Rodents then chew various wires and damage the electrical system. The check engine light has popped on twice in one year with both times requiring service repair for the chewed wires. There is a potential for electrical fires or other various failures due to rodents chewing through the wires. Kia has known about this problem for over a decade and continues to use soy based coverings in…

   NHTSA complaint #11742016 · source
3. Filed Mar 11, 2026TXEngineAcceleration & Cruise ControlTransmission & Drivetrain

   The drive train and motor slow to a near stop in traffic when trying to clear a lane and makes it very dangerouos for other traffic to have to wait for me to clear a lane. There is something wrong and we complained about this before the warranty ran out, but they could not find anything. The car stops in traffic unexpectedly. I am not sure if sensors are causing this or what, but it has put me in danger of collision many times. We have to plan an exceedingly long time to…

   NHTSA complaint #11723548 · source
4. Filed Aug 3, 2025IDBrakesElectrical SystemTransmission & Drivetrain

   My Sorento PHEV popped a P0c4e code and now the car is gutless on electric power. Kia cleared the code in an attempt to fix it but now the code is gone and it’s still weak. When I let off the brake it rolls when it used to have the power to hold it. I used to be able to get on the freeway and now I can’t get up to speed in town (35mph). It’s running in some sort of limp mode and Kia can’t see any codes. It’s loud, too. Each gear whines. It whines when I hit the brake and it…

   NHTSA complaint #11678045 · source
5. Filed May 20, 2025CATransmission & Drivetrain

   I have gotten the notice Refill Inverter Coolant and Hybrid System Failure and lost acceleration and the all power. The first time this happened was in Dec 2024 with about 60,000 miles on the car. Dealer flushed system and it worked fine until April 2025 at about 71000 miles Hybrid system failure alert again, barely able to accelerate from stop light, made to a parking space just as I lost power steering. After about 2 hours to cool off car started and could be driven home.…

   NHTSA complaint #11662012 · source
6. Filed Feb 6, 202522,500 miWACrashDriver Assistance & Safety Tech

   The contact owns a 2022 Kia Sorento PHEV. The contact stated that while reversing the vehicle, the rearview camera failed to display a clear image, and the grid lines were not properly aligned. The contact crashed the vehicle into his mailbox. There were no injuries sustained and no police report was filed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V610000 (Back Over…

   NHTSA complaint #11641051 · source
7. Filed Jan 24, 2025CABrakesDriver Assistance & Safety Tech

   Several times over the past 12 months, the car has applied emergency braking when a car approaches me from behind in the lane to my left. The dealer was not able to replicate the problem but I have captured it twice on my dash cam. I was only able to intentionally replicate the problem once on my own but it has happened 15-20 times. If I do not press the accelerator, the car will come to a stop without me pushing the brake. When the emergency brake is applied, the warning…

   NHTSA complaint #11638383 · source
8. Filed Nov 26, 2024OKElectrical SystemEngineFuel, Hybrid & EV Propulsion

   While driving down the highway the EV side of my PHEV wouldn't switch to gas. The car wouldn't accelerate past 40-50 mph and drained the remaining battery till my car shut off and forced me to the side of the road. Been to the dealer multiple times (over 4) for the same issue. They claim they recreate it and no resolution has been done.

   NHTSA complaint #11627399 · source

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Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation public data, as of Oct 10, 2026. Complaints are submitted by owners and are not verified by NHTSA or by us; a complaint does not prove a defect exists. View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov Methodology