2023 Kia Sorento — Known Issues & Recalls

Your vehicle caught fire without warning while parked at a gas station in June 2025. You first noticed excessive smoke and a burning smell coming from the air vents shortly after starting the car, and flames quickly appeared in the rear AC vent area, causing the entire vehicle to become engulfed in flames within minutes. A recall notice arrived months later in November 2025 that may be related to the cause. The fire put you and your children in immediate danger, and Kia has not yet provided assistance despite multiple contact attempts.

Your rear window has spontaneously shattered twice without any warning or obvious cause — once overnight in February and again while driving in March, with the second incident producing an extremely loud noise and sending glass into the vehicle interior. There were no extreme weather changes, suspicious activity, or other identifiable triggers for either failure. This appears to be a recurring defect rather than an isolated incident. The repair will likely involve replacing the rear window glass and investigating the window regulator and frame for manufacturing defects.

Your radiator developed damage that your dealer attributed to a rock chip while driving on the highway. You're concerned that the radiator lacks adequate protection and that this represents a design defect rather than normal wear, especially given the risk of fire or engine damage. The manufacturer should consider adding a protective plate to prevent this type of damage from occurring during regular driving.

Your sunroof suddenly shattered and broke apart while you were driving. This happened without any warning or obvious cause. The repair will likely involve replacing the entire sunroof panel and checking the sunroof frame and tracks for damage.

Your 2023 Sorento is under recall (SC351) because the HVAC blower motor wiring harness may be inadequate and could cause a fire. You've been unable to get this fixed at your Kia dealership for three months, and there's currently no available remedy. The fix will involve Kia replacing or repairing the HVAC wiring harness once a solution becomes available.

Your 2023 Kia Sorento suddenly shut off while stopped at a red light and wouldn't restart, even though the dashboard lights worked. The engine wouldn't turn over, and jump-starting didn't help. A repair shop diagnosed a complete starter failure, which required replacement at a cost of approximately $500, plus $290 in towing fees. The fix will involve replacing the starter motor.

Your emergency lights have flashed unexpectedly while driving on the highway on 8 separate occasions, and when this happens, your car won't accelerate properly. You've had to pull over and restart the car to fix the problem each time. The dealership has checked your car three times but found no trouble codes, and couldn't reproduce the issue during a 70-mile test drive. The underlying electrical cause may need further diagnosis with extended test driving to identify the intermittent fault.

Your car's touchscreen display is not responding to your touch inputs the way it should. This could make it difficult to control your infotainment system, navigation, or climate settings through the screen. The issue may require a software update or replacement of the touchscreen unit itself.

Your transmission failed while you were driving on the highway, and the dealership determined that the entire transmission needs to be replaced. This is a complete transmission failure that will leave your vehicle unable to drive safely.

While driving on the interstate at 70 mph, the front section of your panoramic sunroof suddenly shattered and exploded with no apparent cause from road debris or hazards. This is a safety concern since it happened spontaneously at highway speed. The repair will likely involve replacing the entire panoramic sunroof glass panel and frame assembly.

Your 2023 Kia Sorento has experienced multiple serious electrical and powertrain failures since shortly after purchase. Starting in July 2023, you've dealt with flashing dashboard lights, AC blowing hot air, transmission error warnings that reduce speed and drivability, and most critically, sudden and complete electrical shutdowns while driving or stopped—including stalling at a red light without warning. Even after a full transmission replacement in July 2025, the same transmission errors and electrical shutdowns returned in December 2025, creating a serious safety risk of being stranded in traffic. Addressing these issues will likely require comprehensive electrical system diagnostics and possible replacement of the main electrical control modules, battery management system, and transmission components.

Your 2023 Sorento is displaying multiple warning lights and error codes related to electrical and safety systems. You're experiencing several interconnected problems including windshield wipers malfunctioning, non-functional lights and climate control, unexpected emergency braking activation, and the lane departure warning system pulling the steering wheel without reason. These electrical issues suggest a potential wiring problem that may affect vehicle safety and drivability. The fix will likely require a comprehensive electrical system diagnostic and wiring inspection at a Kia dealership, and you should verify whether this matches any existing recalls for your vehicle's VIN.

While driving on the Dallas North Tollway, your 2023 Kia Sorento suddenly lost acceleration, so you had to pull over. The engine then started smoking and caught fire under the hood. Your vehicle is currently at the dealership, but after over two weeks, you haven't received a clear explanation or timeline for repairs—the dealership is waiting for a Kia engineer to assess the damage. This will likely require a complete engine inspection and potential replacement of engine components and electrical systems.

Your car's engine lost power during acceleration on two separate occasions, limiting your speed to around 20 MPH even when you pressed the accelerator pedal fully. Both times this happened after coming to a stop, creating dangerous situations on busy roads with faster oncoming traffic. The dashboard displayed warning lights during these incidents, but the Kia dealership could not reproduce the problem when they inspected the vehicle. The issue may require diagnosis of your fuel injection system, transmission control module, or engine sensors to identify why acceleration is being severely limited.

Your car is experiencing multiple electrical and safety system failures including a check engine light, non-functioning rear defrost, and cruise control that won't work. Your vehicle sometimes stalls while stopped and loses power while driving, and you're seeing warning messages cycling across the dashboard for tire pressure monitoring, lane departure warning, lane keeping assist, forward collision avoidance, and speed limit systems. Even after the dealer replaced a module, the same problems returned within two days, suggesting a deeper electrical issue that needs diagnosis.

Your front end shakes noticeably when you brake, especially on the highway. The dealership claimed to fix it once, but the problem returned shortly after; when you brought it back, they refused to repair it again without charging you. Additionally, your check engine light came on while driving on the highway, and the dealership cleared it but couldn't explain why it appeared—they incorrectly suggested your gas cap was loose. Resolving these issues will likely involve inspecting your brake system components and diagnosing the engine fault code that triggered the warning light.

Your sunroof suddenly shattered while your wife was driving slowly after making a left turn, even though the sunroof cover was closed. Neither of you realized what happened until your husband inspected the vehicle at home and discovered the sunroof had exploded. The dealer confirmed the sunroof needed complete replacement.

Your 2023 Kia Sorento displayed a "Low Oil" warning while driving at 40 MPH due to loose bolts on the oil pan causing an oil leak. After a mechanic tightened the bolts, the warning returned about 4 hours later, suggesting the oil pan itself may be defective. The dealer was unable to repair the vehicle and did not find any records of known oil pan issues. Getting the oil pan replaced or the bolts properly secured by a dealer may be necessary to resolve the recurring oil loss.

When you try to use your HVAC system, you notice a burning plastic smell inside the car with no warning lights appearing. A mechanic found that your blower motor relay short-circuited and needed replacement. Even after you replaced it yourself following the mechanic's advice, the same problem happened again. You've been notified of a related recall (NHTSA Campaign 25V649000), but your dealer told you the repair isn't available yet.

At around 35,000 miles, your vehicle's fuel pump, fuel pump relay, and smart junction box all failed at the same time, leaving you stranded. Kia took about a week to diagnose and repair the problem. The repair will likely involve replacing the fuel pump assembly, relay, and possibly reprogramming or replacing the junction box module.