2025 Kia Sorento: What to check before buying

Sudden power loss is the dominant pattern, mostly on hybrid models. The gas engine cuts out, a hybrid system warning tells the driver to pull over, and the car crawls along at about 20 to 25 mph on electric power, sometimes at highway speed. Many cases start within the first few thousand miles and come back after dealers find nothing wrong. Other reports describe hesitation when pulling away from a stop, the transmission stuck in first gear, a "gear already selected" error that traps the car in reverse, and an early misfire from a failed ignition coil.

Hybrid limp mode is the main pattern. The gas engine shuts off, warnings fill the dash, and the car stays capped near 20 mph until it is restarted. In one case the failure returned within a month of a High Power Control Unit replacement. Other reports describe 12V batteries that go dead without warning, inverter radiators punctured by road debris that trigger a "Check drive motor cooling system" alert, and window and door lock switches that stop working until restart. One owner reports a parked car backing up on its own and pinning them. One report concerns an exterior lighting recall.

Limp mode kicks in with a message limiting speed, usually to 20 mph, sometimes while slowing from highway speed or pulling into traffic. Drivers report coasting with the pedal on the floor while traffic swerves around them. One crash follows a speed limit warning, a hard brake pedal, and brakes that pulse violently. One failure happens in near-freezing weather, and dealers often cannot reproduce the problem. Another is reported at about 4,000 miles. A separate report describes the instrument cluster freezing, which hides speed and gear position.

Limp mode at highway speed, with a sharp drop in speed, leads these reports. Dealers often cannot find a cause, and in one case the problem returned about 1,500 miles after the first event. Other drivers describe RPMs rising with no gain in speed, slipping, and refusing to move from a stop until shifted back through park. One report describes strong fumes in the cabin, then power loss with gas and oil leaking together, followed by a 5 day wait for parts. Road debris puncturing the inverter radiator can leave the car undrivable.

The airbags fail to deploy in serious crashes. Both reports involve crashes, with 3 injuries in total. One is a head-on collision in which the other vehicle's airbags deploy. The other is a deer strike at 80 mph, where the driver also says the car made no attempt to brake. Neither driver saw a warning light or any other sign of a fault beforehand. The reports are few, but each describes a failure of a core crash protection system.

Lane keep assist makes the car wobble back and forth inside its lane. Hybrid owners say it can make drivers dizzy and sometimes swerves enough to risk a crash. A separate complaint involves the driver attention warning, which comes on often for no clear reason and distracts the driver. One owner says the distraction contributed to a near miss with a horse and buggy. Both problems involve driver assistance features acting when nothing is wrong.

The sunroof explodes at highway speed with a sound like a gunshot. Glass scatters outward, and the driver sees no sign that anything struck the car. In a separate problem, both side mirrors partly fold inward at highway speed in wind, blocking the view of blind spots. That owner also reports a check engine light on since the car was 5 days old and a dealer that cannot take the car in until a loaner is available.

A sudden lockup while turning can stop the car in the road with every warning light on. Effort at the wheel becomes heavier than in a car without power steering. In that case the dealer found a loose wiring harness rubbing against the steering shaft. Another report describes the engine starting to cut out while adaptive steering and lane assist seem to fight each other, jerking the car between lane lines until lane assist is turned off.