2025 Kia Sorento Phev Recalls & Complaints

Incident: April 9, 2026 · Filed: October 9, 2026

traveling on 6 lane divided highway at highway speed no traffic ahead for approximately 10 car lengths collision warnings fcs activated steered/swerved and braked. 2. Returned from KIA Dealership assured it should not happen again, 289 miles later driving 6 lane divided highway clear ahead warnings cuts power. Crash at highway speed. KIA Dealer states "NO problems found" "Functioning as designed". Yes Collision red and orange flashing lights, beeping alerts.

Incident: September 1, 2026 · Filed: September 27, 2026

A check engine coolant system light came on, so I took the car to the local Kia dealership in downtown LA. They checked the battery coolant level and found it was completely empty and recommended I check for leaks. I later took the vehicle to Kia of Irvine for an inspection, and they found a rock had entered through the front grille and punctured the radiator, causing the leak. The front grill is both very exposed and low to the ground without any kind of protective shield/mesh blocking ordinary road debris from entering and damaging the exposed radiator and other vital engine components. Kia denied warranty coverage, claiming this was an "outside influence". However, online I found numerous complaints by other Kia owners over this same issue, as well as class action lawsuits against other car manufacturers alleging the same issue.

Incident: June 30, 2026 · Filed: September 8, 2026

multiple active faults, 12 active DTC codes, which have disabled the ABS, ESC and airbag communication lines, the dealer we took the car to refused to perform a full diagnostic and repair. I have been in contact with Kia corporate and they have consistently said that cannot make a dealer perform service. The dealer where we purchased the vehicle cannot see us until October.

Incident: September 6, 2026 · Filed: September 8, 2026

Warning Message CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM, First incident driving on the road car gave warning message 10 mins later car went in limp mode in the middle of road and did not allow me too move (took to dealership they had the car for four days ,they reported no codes was found )2. Second Incident driving on highway and car gave warning message shortly after warning sign car start to not let me accelerate and was going very slow on highway, manage to pull over and engine light and message came up diagnostic fault code.

Incident: August 12, 2026 · Filed: August 13, 2026

The contact owns a 2025 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving approximately 75 MPH, the vehicle lost drive power. The vehicle decelerated and was coasted over to the side of the road. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights flashed on the instrument panel while the vehicle was decelerating. While on the side of the road, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. Additionally, the message "Hybrid Power Control Unit" was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer but was not diagnosed because the dealer was unable to reproduce the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that while the dealer was attempting to duplicate the failure, the vehicle was not being driven at highway speeds like when the failure had occurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

Incident: August 1, 2026 · Filed: August 8, 2026

I am writing to report a safety concern with my 2025 Kia Sorento plug-in hybrid. On multiple occasions, after starting the vehicle, the instrument panel appears normal, but the vehicle does not enter the ready state. The ready indicator does not illuminate and the vehicle will not shift into drive or reverse. The vehicle will however, unfortunately, shift into neutral and roll, but with no power. The only way to restore normal operation is to completely turn the vehicle off and restart it. This intermittent condition creates a safety concern because it can leave the vehicle unexpectedly immobilized, with no power, and allow the vehicle to move/roll with no control. I respectfully request that Kia investigate this issue for a possible software or hybrid control defect. Please document my report and inform me of any software updates, improvements or service recalls.

Incident: July 7, 2026 · Filed: August 7, 2026

The contact owns a 2025 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that on two occasions while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle lost automotive power and the message "Hybrid System Failure" was displayed. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road, turned off, and restarted, but the failure persisted, and the vehicle failed to accelerate above 20 MPH. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the fuel pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred a week later. The vehicle was taken to another dealer where the failure could not be duplicated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

Incident: June 4, 2026 · Filed: July 23, 2026

On [XXX], at approximately [XXX], I attempted to replace a flat tire on my 2025 Kia Sorento while the vehicle was parked on a flat, firm paved surface. I used the factory-supplied emergency scissor jack, rated at 1,200 kg or 2,645.5 lbs. and placed it at the designated factory pinch-weld jacking point. The plugin hybrid Kia Sorrento has a curb weight of over 4000 lbs which is more than the rated weight of the Kia supplied car jack. This is extremely irresponsible and dangerous. While raising the vehicle only enough to remove and replace the tire, the jack’s structural frame buckled, bent, and popped out from under the vehicle causing the vehicle suddenly fall back to the ground. While no one was hurt in the incident someone could have been injured or killed by the falling vehicle or by the car jack which popped out from under the car as it was crushed. In this instance, no one was underneath the vehicle, and no injury occurred although it would have been very easy for this to have resulted in serious injury or death if the jack failure occurred while the tire was removed or a tire iron engaged during the failure. I feel fortunate to not have been seriously injured. There was no visible deformations or other symptoms before the failure. The problem was not reproduced because the jack sustained permanent structural damage and could not safely be used again. The vehicle and failed jack were inspected by Serramonte Kia, 600 Serramonte Boulevard, Colma, CA 94014, on [XXX], at approximately [XXX]. The failed jack has been retained and is available for inspection upon request. Photographs and dealership documentation are also available. Because Kia supplied this jack specifically for emergency tire changes on this vehicle, and it failed during its intended use under proper conditions, I request investigation into whether the jack has inadequate structural strength or design margin, defective materials or manufacturing, or another safety defect INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Incident: June 11, 2026 · Filed: July 6, 2026

1st incident: Vehicle was unable to accelerate when attempting to speed up on freeway entrance ramp- high RPMs while continuing to decelerate and eventually vehicle would not move at all anymore. The driver assist system continued to activate the brakes due to high RPMs even though the vehicle could not accelerate. Very unsafe driving conditions on a busy freeway as the car could not go faster than 30 mph, and eventually stalled out completely. Vehicle brought to dealership and replaced fuel pump as they said there was a leak found. 2nd incident: Vehicle was unable to accelerate when attempting to speed up on freeway entrance ramp- high RPMs while continuing to decelerate. Driver assist was turned off in this instance. Car currently still at dealership, as they have so far been unable to identify the problem. Both incidents created very unsafe driving conditions, as the freeway speed limit is 75 mph and my car was unable to go over 30 mph despite fully depressing the gas pedal and having plenty of gas in the tank. Both instances occurred when the hybrid battery was low (<15%).

Incident: July 5, 2026 · Filed: July 6, 2026

Hybrid Control Unit failure was the fault that came up on the screen. 3rd time within 3 months now. The HCU was just replaced a week ago at the KIA dealership and the vehicle is only 1 year old. This left my wife stranded on the side of a busy highway in 100 degree temps over the 4th of July holiday.