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2003 Kia Sorento Recalls & Complaints

1

open safety recall on record

Critical

421 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.27 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Critical05V353000

Fuel System, Gasoline:Delivery:Hoses, Lines/Piping, And Fittings

FUEL LEAKAGE, IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.

Remedy & full details

DEALERS WILL REPLACE A SECTION OF THE FUEL LINE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 10, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT KIA AT 1-800-333-4542.

CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES MAY EXPERIENCE A FUEL LEAK FROM FUEL TUBES NEAR THE FUEL TANK DUE TO AN INTERFERENCE FIT WITH THE VEHICLE FLOOR PANEL.

Complaint volume

421 this model-year 8 median, same year

Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.

What owners reported happened

13Crashes
3Fires
17Injuries
1Deaths

Across 421 complaints. Severity Index 0.27.

Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.

What owners report most

Engine And Engine Cooling46 · 11%Engine43 · 10%Fuel/Propulsion System34 · 8%Fuel System, Gasoline33 · 8%Steering24 · 6%Electrical System20 · 5%Air Bags19 · 5%Suspension13 · 3%
  1. Engine And Engine Cooling — 46 reports
  2. Engine — 43 reports
  3. Fuel/Propulsion System — 34 reports
  4. Fuel System, Gasoline — 33 reports
  5. Steering — 24 reports
  6. Electrical System — 20 reports
  7. Air Bags — 19 reports
  8. Suspension — 13 reports
  9. Exterior Lighting — 12 reports
  10. Engine And Engine Cooling:Cooling System — 11 reports

What to do

  1. Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
  2. Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
  3. Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.

Other model years

2003 · 2004 · 2005 · 2006 (1) · 2007 (4) · 2008 (3) · 2009 (3) · 2010 (2) · 2011 (8) · 2012 (5) · 2013 (5) · 2014 (6) · 2015 (3) · 2016 (8) · 2017 (4) · 2018 (3) · 2019 (2) · 2020 (1) · 2021 (4) · 2022 (6) · 2023 (3) · 2024 (2) · 2025 (3) · 2026 (2)

Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.

Questions

Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?

Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.

Do I pay for recall repairs?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.

Why are there complaints but no recalls?

Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.

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