2021 Kia Sorento Electrical System Problems

I am writing to formally file a complaint regarding my 2021 Kia Sorento and the repeated lack of resolution from the dealership where the vehicle was purchased and serviced. I have taken my vehicle to the dealership multiple times to address ongoing and serious safety concerns. Despite having active warranties on the transmission and powertrain, I have continually been told that there is nothing they can do, and my concerns have not been properly addressed. The vehicle is experiencing persistent issues, including: The transmission jerking and jarring when shifting gears The dashboard and center display screen intermittently go completely black while driving These issues do not occur constantly, but they happen frequently enough to pose a significant safety risk. I regularly have my grandchildren in the vehicle, and their safety, as well as my own, is my highest priority. Each time I have contacted the dealership to report these problems, I have been met with excuses and resistance to even scheduling an appointment. Due to the lack of cooperation, I felt I had no choice but to drop off my vehicle on April 13, 2026, without an appointment in order to have it addressed. I am extremely disappointed in the level of service and treatment I have received. As a loyal customer—this being my third vehicle purchased from the same dealership—I have never experienced this type of disregard. I also feel that I have not been treated fairly and, at times, have been dismissed in a way that is concerning and unacceptable. I am requesting the following: A full and thorough diagnostic of my vehicle, specifically addressing the transmission and electrical issues Proper repair under warranty Clear communication regarding findings and next steps Immediate attention to these safety concerns I purchased this vehicle with the expectation of reliability and safety. At this time, I do not feel safe driving it, and I am requesting that Kia take this matter seriously

On 3/26/2026, I was driving at 45mph when the vehicle started slowing down and the auto stop light on the dash was blinking yellow. Every time it blinked, the car slowed even more. I tried to speed up, but it slowed down more. This could have caused an accident. I pulled off on the side of the road and shut the car off. I waited a few minutes and started the car. It ran alright and the light did not blink. It has been alright so far. If it occurs again, I will call the dealer to have it checked out.

My check engine light came on and went to dealer ship jn Oct of 2025 they stated the Egr needed to be replaced and would cost 1300 to repair but inform me they didn't have the piece to replace at that time to reschedule app. Also reservoir coolant light keeps coming on . I called several times to Lumberton Kia at one time they stated that they didn't have but 1 mechanic that worked on hybrids and he was behind. I finally have a appointmentthis weekto see what is exactlygoing on with my suv cause now i have a hesitation when pressing the gas and my transmission jerks.

The issue appears to involve the electric oil pump and related components. My 2021 Kia Sorento had a recall for the electric oil pump that was marked “completed” in January 2023; however, the dealership only performed a software update and did not replace any mechanical components because no fault code was present at that time. Beginning around October 2025, the vehicle started experiencing drivability issues including hesitation and bogging down when accelerating from a stop. A dealership representative later stated the electric oil pump and housing likely need replacement and that the transmission may also be affected. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. This issue creates a safety risk because the vehicle frequently hesitates or bogs down when attempting to accelerate, especially when pulling into highway traffic. When pressing the accelerator, the vehicle sometimes struggles to engage and move forward, which increases the risk of a collision. I brought the vehicle to Kia of RBC and spoke with Service Advisor Justin Hawkins. At the time of inspection, the check engine light had turned off and I was told they could not diagnose or repair the issue unless the warning light was active. I was instructed to continue driving the vehicle until the light returns. During a later conversation, dealership staff indicated the electric oil pump and housing likely need replacement and that the transmission may also require replacement, but they could not confirm this without the warning light being present.

The car has completely shutdown and nothing works while parked and has not started until the next day. This has happened 3 times in 5 months.

The contact owns a 2021 Kia Sorento. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V649000 (Electrical System, Visibility); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was called but was unreachable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue, but the contact was informed that the call could not be transferred to the recall department because the department was undergoing a training session. The contact had not experienced a failure.

My vehicle has been slow to start and I have had all other issues come on on my vehicle as far as lights as far as the forward collision warning light has came on and the check driver attention warning light has come on as well while I’m running my HVAC past the level 2. I have also had my battery tested and that has tested fine. I have had my alternator tested and the first time it came back good the second time it came back failed and the third time it came back good.

The drive mode selector in my Kia Sorento was found to be defective. The selector forces the vehicle into "Eco" mode on startup regardless of the previously selected mode. This creates unexpected throttle response at startup given the manual states leaving the vehicle in other modes (such as "Smart" or "Comfort") will be retained on key-cycle. The specific incident in question produced unexpected throttle response while backing into a highly-trafficked road and resulted in unexpected proximity to oncoming traffic. The selection module has a further failure state: the backlight lamp showing selected drive mode has gone out preventing ready identification of current drive mode.

The contact owns a 2021 Kia Sorento. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V649000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, VISIBILITY); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, with the A/C activated, there was an abnormal burning odor entering the vehicle through the vents. The burning odor was coming from the vehicle whether the A/C was in use or turned off. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. On a separate occasion, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked and failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the failure was more evident while the vehicle was driven uphill. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. However, the vehicle was not repaired. Most recently, the battery was replaced, and the contact stated that there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.

The car has completely shutdown on 3 separate occasions. It wouldn't start and all the electrical did not work. It started the next day. All this in a span of 5 out of the 8 months we purchased it. The last time, we found the fuse box was burnt when the tow truck showed up to take it to the dealership. The dealership is trying to blame us because we changed the battery after the second time and not honoring the warranty. They are trying to charge us $18,000. The car had already shut down two times before we even changed the battery. We contacted Kia corporate and nothing has been done, but just phone call saying they will call us back after they talk to the dealership. I got so scared for my wife because she was the one driving the car. This is such a dangerous problem with the fuse box. I researched car problems with Kia Sorentos and sure enough other Sorentos have been recalled, but not ours.

My car will sometimes completely stall at a light when stopped and not restart with the Automatic stop system it has happened about 5 times almost causing a wreck.

My vehicle completely shut off while I was driving with my children in the car. The dealership replaced the battery but never identified the root cause. Since then my car has been experiencing RPM surging while in Park — the engine revs up and down repeatedly on its own. The vehicle also feels sluggish and does not want to accelerate properly while driving. Additionally since taking ownership of the vehicle my window has squealed every time it rains and I roll down the window. The dealership has replaced the seals, lubricated and cleaned the window multiple times and the problem persists. The defective window seal also caused a gash in my window tint requiring replacement. I have taken my car to my Kia dealership multiple times and they have been unable to fully resolve these issues. My car is currently at the dealership right now and they still cannot find the problem. I contacted Kia Corporate on March 20, 2026 and opened a formal case. These defects have put my children in danger and I am requesting a formal federal investigation.

My 2021 Kia Sorento lx has been having issues everyday where all of my dash lights come on, my power steering goes out and I can’t shift into or out of any gears. I have taken it to a Kia dealership (towed) twice already and they can’t find out the issue or unwilling to find it out. I have contacted Kia corporate and still no response from them. Kia has also refused to give me a loaner during this issue

Electrical issue all dash lights came on and couldn’t shift into gear, had to replace my main computer as it was fried at 72,000 miles, also had to get the steering column replaced total of $6,000 fixes

My electrical system failed. While on park I was unable to shut of the vehicle using the engine start stop button. After waiting for the vehicle to automatically turn off. The vehicle started trying to restart itself. The negative battery post had to be removed for the vehicle to stop. The entire safety system failed and all warning lights are still displayed on the dash. The backup camera and radio display went completely blank and was unavailable.

I unable to accelerate to merge on to the highway. This is the second time that my car was unable to accelerate and kick into gear. The first time was in 2021/2022 a few months after getting the car.

The contact owns a 2021 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while at a red light, the vehicle stalled. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle and the vehicle returned to normal operation. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and was diagnosed, and it was determined that the battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer to be diagnosed; however, the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 43,000.

Intermittent issues with windows not operating and doors will not unlock, which means the rear doors will not open.

Windows and door locks will intermittently stop operating. When doors will not unlock the rear doors will not open. Turning vehicle off and restarting 1-6 times will usually make the problem stop for a short time.

Sometimes the vehicle will stall and not want to move. I have to try and coast off the road to kill the car and restart it. Also sometimes the radio goes completely black and doesnt come back on even if you kill the car.