2021 Kia Sorento power train problems
125 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the power train on the 2021 Kia Sorento — 54% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“"The vehicle has twice suffered a sudden, catastrophic loss of motive power at highway speeds (approx. 70 MPH) on the interstate, forcing the driver to coast across active traffic to the shoulder without engine pull. The engine revs freely in 'Drive' but the transmission fails to engage any gears…”
filed Jul 26, 2026
“Recall 22V-760 was performed, but the remedy failed, the exact same safety code has returned, and the manufacturer is refusing to replace the failed hardware component.”
filed Jul 23, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Related recalls
- Vehicle's "fail-safe" limited-mobility drive mode may be impaired, when prompted by a…Campaign 22V760000 · Oct 11, 2022
Power Train problems in other Sorento years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 Sorento | 19 | 28% |
| 2024 Sorento | 3 | 8% |
| 2023 Sorento | 19 | 17% |
| 2022 Sorento | 61 | 33% |
| 2020 Sorento | 18 | 14% |
| 2019 Sorento | 50 | 12% |
| 2018 Sorento | 9 | 4% |
| 2017 Sorento | 37 | 5% |
| 2016 Sorento | 122 | 10% |
| 2015 Sorento | 42 | 6% |
| 2014 Sorento | 69 | 7% |
| 2013 Sorento | 69 | 7% |
Other reported problem areas on the 2021 Kia Sorento
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints naming this component group. Complaints are unverified owner reports; mileage is computed only from complaints that included a usable odometer reading.