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2016 Kia Sorento Recalls & Complaints

8

open safety recalls on record

Critical

1,624 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.27 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Critical18V907000

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

fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can raises the risk of a fire.

Remedy & full details

Kia has notified owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the fuel pipe, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 17, 2019. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC172.

Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2011-2017 Optima, 2012-2017 Sorento and 2011-2018 Sportage vehicles that previously received an engine replacement under recall number 17V-224, warranty, or the Knock Sensor Detection System (KSDS) Product Improvement Campaign. The high pressure fuel pipe that connects to the fuel pump outlet may have been damaged, misaligned or improperly torqued during the engine replacement procedure, possibly causing a fuel leak.

Critical22V703000 Park outside

Trailer Hitches

fire while parked or driving can raises the risk of injury.

Remedy & full details

Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will inspect the vehicle, and, as necessary, replace the fuse and/or tow hitch harness module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 11, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC249.

Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2016-2022 Sorento, 2021-2022 Sorento Hybrid (HEV), 2022-2023 Sorento Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV), and 2017-2022 Sportage vehicles equipped with a tow hitch harness installed as original equipment, or purchased as an accessory through a Kia dealership. Debris and moisture accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (PCB) may cause an electrical short, which can result in a fire.

Serious15V446000

Seat Belts:Front:Buckle Assembly

If the front passenger seat belt cannot be latched, an occupant sitting in the front passenger seat has an increased risk of injury in the event of a crash.

Remedy & full details

Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger seat belt buckle cover, free of charge. The recall began on August 18, 2015. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC123.

Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2016 Kia Sorento vehicles manufactured October 23, 2014, to December 10, 2014. The affected vehicles have a front passenger seat belt whose buckle latch assembly may prevent the front passenger from fastening the seat belt.

Serious16V770000

Seats

In the event of a crash, the driver seatback frame could break and fail to restrain a seat occupant, raises the risk of injury.

Remedy & full details

Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the welds and replace the driver seatback frame, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on December 9, 2016. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC140.

Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2016 Kia Sorento vehicles manufactured March 3, 2016 to March 21, 2016. The driver's seatback frame may have been produced with inadequate weld joints and, as a result, the seatback may not function as designed in the event of a rear-end collision.

Serious16V862000

Trailer Hitches

If the trailer brake lights stay illuminated while being used, other drivers may be confused, raises the risk of a crash.

Remedy & full details

Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the trailer tow hitch harness, free of charge. The recall began January 18, 2017. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC142.

Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Sorento vehicles manufactured October 27, 2014, to August 25, 2016, and 2017 Sportage vehicles manufactured December 10, 2015, to August 26, 2016. The affected vehicles are equipped with an accessory trailer hitch wiring harness that, due to a malfunction of the tow hitch module, may result in the trailer brake lights being constantly illuminated. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, " Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."

Serious16V480000

Suspension:Rear

The improper weld may break, affecting the rear suspension alignment, thereby raises the risk of a crash.

Remedy & full details

Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the welds at the rear suspension cross-member, replacing the rear cross-member assembly, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began July 27, 2016. Owners may contact Kia Customer Service Department at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC137.

Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2016 Sorento vehicles. A component of the rear suspension may not be properly welded.

Serious15V089000

Vehicle Speed Control:Accelerator Pedal

If the vehicle is unable to be accelerated, there is an increased risk of a crash.

Remedy & full details

Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the accelerator assembly, free of charge. The recall began on February 19, 2015. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC115.

Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2016 Sorento vehicles manufactured October 27, 2014, to January 29, 2015. Due to an improperly soldered component in the accelerator pedal assembly, the driver may not be able to accelerate the vehicle.

Serious22V612000

Power Train:Automatic Transmission:Lever And Linkage:Column Shift

vehicle rollaway raises the risk of a crash and injury.

Remedy & full details

Dealers will inspect and replace the automatic transmission shift lever assembly components, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 7, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC246.

Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2016 Sedona and Sorento vehicles. The vehicles may have been manufactured with faulty automatic transmission shift lever assembly components, preventing the shift lever from locking, which can allow the vehicle to rollaway.

Complaint volume

1,624 this model-year 7 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

42Crashes
76Fires
32Injuries
0Deaths

Across 1,624 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

Engine690 · 42%Unknown Or Other164 · 10%Power Train119 · 7%Structure · Body103 · 6%Electrical System103 · 6%Steering80 · 5%Exterior Lighting61 · 4%Vehicle Speed Control56 · 3%
  1. Engine — 690 reports
  2. Unknown Or Other — 164 reports
  3. Power Train — 119 reports
  4. Structure:Body — 103 reports
  5. Electrical System — 103 reports
  6. Steering — 80 reports
  7. Exterior Lighting — 61 reports
  8. Vehicle Speed Control — 56 reports
  9. Fuel/Propulsion System — 53 reports
  10. Service Brakes — 23 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 (1) · 2004 · 2005 · 2006 (1) · 2007 (4) · 2008 (3) · 2009 (3) · 2010 (2) · 2011 (8) · 2012 (5) · 2013 (5) · 2014 (6) · 2015 (3) · 2016 · 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.