NHTSA vehicle safety data
2005 Kia Sorento Recalls, Ratings & Complaints
The 2005 Kia Sorento has no NHTSA recall campaigns and 307 owner complaints on file as of November 3, 2026. Recall repairs are usually free at an authorized Kia dealer.
NHTSA recall and complaint data for the 2005 Kia Sorento, plus NCAP crash-test ratings. Recall data is refreshed daily from NHTSA.
2005 Kia Sorento owner complaints
Owners have filed 307 complaints with NHTSA about the 2005 Kia Sorento, describing incidents dated November 1, 2004 to September 6, 2023.
Most-cited components
- Engine 106 complaints
- Exterior Lighting 53 complaints
- Electrical System 49 complaints
- Air Bags 43 complaints
- Steering 39 complaints
- Power Train 38 complaints
Of the 307 complaints on file, 17 report a crash and 5 a fire; across all 307 complaints, owners report 20 injuries and 1 death (owner-reported, not verified by NHTSA).
Newest complaints
ODI #11581628 · Filed
Vehicle's rear end bolts rusted through had to replace the rear-end, we also had a 2004 that the frame rusted and broke in half, and the rear-end rusted out on it too. It was said it was caused by a design flaw that wouldn't allow the water to drain properly. They have recalls on it in the uk and…
ODI #11542943 · Filed
I am experiencing a recurring issue with gas backflow at the gas pump, whereby gasoline expulses back out of the nozzle and onto my hands and clothing. It happens every time.
ODI #11532923 · Filed
When driving there was a clunking noise and then the steering was hard to steer and the battery light came on & had to have it towed to find out that the harmonic balancer bolt broke. There are hundreds of complaints online about this same issue happening with these engines as this is a poor design…
Owner-reported
2005 Kia Sorento mileage at failure
254 of the 307 complaints on file for the 2005 Kia Sorento give the vehicle's mileage when the problem happened.
| Component | Median | Middle half | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | Median 95,000 miles | Middle half 65,000–115,000 miles | Based on 98 complaints |
| Exterior Lighting | Median 45,000 miles | Middle half 20,000–95,000 miles | Based on 38 complaints |
| Electrical System | Median 65,000 miles | Middle half 19,000–105,000 miles | Based on 40 complaints |
| Steering | Median 105,000 miles | Middle half 85,000–120,000 miles | Based on 34 complaints |
| Power Train | Median 95,000 miles | Middle half 50,000–105,000 miles | Based on 33 complaints |
A component's median is its 50th percentile, and its middle half runs from its 25th to its 75th percentile.
Owners give the mileage themselves, often as a round number, and NHTSA doesn't check it. A complaint that names several components counts under each one, and mileages that can't be right, such as 999,999, or 50 miles on a five-year-old car, are left out.
These figures describe the complaints owners filed. They don't predict when a particular vehicle will have a problem, and vehicles that never had one aren't counted.
Mileage from NHTSA's complaints file of October 31, 2026. How these figures are worked out
Other Kia Sorento model years
Check your 2005 Kia Sorento VIN
Not every recall applies to every VIN in a given year. Enter the 17-character VIN from your Kia Sorento at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether your specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.
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