2025 Kia Sorento — Known Issues & Recalls

Your sunroof suddenly shattered and exploded outward while you were driving on the highway, making a loud noise with no warning. Fortunately, the inner cover was closed so glass didn't enter the cabin, and no one was injured, though glass did fly off the vehicle. Your dealership replaced both the sunroof glass and the inner cover under warranty. The repair typically involves removing and reinstalling the sunroof assembly and its internal components.

Your sunroof spontaneously shattered while you were driving on the freeway, with glass pieces falling into the cabin. No object hit the sunroof and there was nothing above the car that could have caused the damage. The sunroof will likely need to be completely replaced.

Your vehicle's push-button start system repeatedly fails to recognize your key fob, even when you're holding it or inside the car, preventing the engine from starting and leaving you stranded. The dealership provided a temporary workaround (a manual reset procedure), but this shouldn't be necessary on a new vehicle, and the problem keeps returning. The issue has also triggered your alarm on separate occasions, which is difficult to silence, and the unpredictability makes your vehicle unreliable for daily use. Fixing this will likely require the dealership to replace the key fob receiver module or perform reprogramming of the vehicle's security system.

Your engine unexpectedly revved up on the highway about a month ago while cruise control was active, causing the vehicle to accelerate beyond the set speed until you manually braked and shifted gears. Last night, your transmission made severe noise, shifted hard, and revved on its own; this morning it completely seized at an intersection with no warning lights or error codes appearing beforehand. A transmission that locks up while driving is a serious safety hazard, and you should have the transmission assembly inspected immediately—this may require transmission rebuild or replacement.

Your Sorento's transmission hesitates when you're starting from a stop or driving slowly, which can put you in an unsafe position when navigating through traffic. The dealership says nothing is wrong, but you've found others reporting the same issue online. The fix will likely involve a transmission software update or internal transmission service by a dealer.

Your transmission is shifting between automatic and manual modes on its own, even though your gear shifter stays in the automatic position. The dashboard will show the car is in manual gear 1 while the shifter displays automatic mode, and the transmission won't shift until you accelerate to around 5,000 RPM. This happens several times a month and started within the first 100 miles of ownership. The issue likely involves a transmission control module or shift solenoid that needs diagnosis and possible replacement.

Your car's battery is draining when parked due to a problem with the Kia Connect fuse, which draws power even when the vehicle is off. The dealership has confirmed this is a known issue affecting multiple owners and removed the fuse as a temporary fix since no software update is available yet. Your battery has died 7 times in less than 7,000 miles, and Kia has not issued a recall. Fixing this will likely require either a software update when available or replacement of the Kia Connect module or related electrical components.

Your 2025 Kia Sorento's battery has died twice in less than 2 months (first at 5,800 miles), even though you've done nothing wrong with doors or lights. The first time, the exterior lights flickered for a while before dying; the second time, the lights didn't flicker and your key fob stopped working. The dealership suggested operator error after the first incident, but there were no warning signs either time. Your car likely has a charging or battery drain problem that needs proper diagnosis.

While driving at 40 mph and approaching a stopped car, you pressed the brake pedal all the way down but the brakes didn't respond properly—the pedal felt grinding and shaky instead of providing the normal resistance you'd expect. The forward collision warning system also didn't alert you to the nearby vehicle. This resulted in a crash.

Your 2025 Kia Sorento suddenly lost power when you pressed the accelerator and entered limp mode, forcing you to stop in traffic intersections. The engine didn't respond normally, and the power loss kept disengaging and re-engaging as you drove home. Your vehicle is subject to a recall (25V548) warning that engine damage could cause loss of propulsion, and although the dealership couldn't reproduce the issue, this experience raises serious safety concerns. The fix will likely involve inspection and possible replacement of engine connecting rod bolts as specified in the recall.

While your wife was slowly pulling into a parking spot, your car suddenly accelerated as if the gas pedal was fully pressed, causing it to hit a parking pole. You found online reports of similar incidents but discovered there was no official recall for this issue. The forward collision avoidance system may have malfunctioned or failed to prevent the acceleration.

You were involved in a crash with a deer at 80 mph, and your car's airbags failed to deploy. Additionally, the forward collision avoidance system did not activate automatic braking. This is a serious safety concern that should be reported to Kia immediately.

Your instrument cluster display freezes while you're driving, leaving you unable to see your speed, fuel level, tachometer, turn signal status, cruise control settings, or which gear you're in. The only way to fix it is to disconnect your car's battery to reset the system. This is a serious issue because you can't monitor critical driving information like your current speed.

Your 2025 Kia Sorento has experienced repeated complete electrical failures at 11,345 miles, leaving you stranded multiple times between March and December. During these failures, the vehicle loses all power, the headlights flicker like a strobe, and the power locks won't work—trapping you and your belongings inside. The battery was replaced after the second failure, but the problem recurred, and jump starts wouldn't hold a charge. This unpredictable power loss creates a serious safety concern, especially when transporting children, since you can't unlock the doors or restart the vehicle. The dealership will need to perform a comprehensive electrical system diagnostic and may need to replace the battery again, check the charging system, or repair underlying electrical faults.

Your car won't start after sitting parked for just one day, requiring jump starts — this has happened 4 times since January 2025, shortly after a December software update. You've disconnected aftermarket accessories and disabled features like wireless charging and auto-door lights, but the problem persists. A battery test showed the battery itself is healthy, meaning something in your car's electrical system is draining power constantly even when the car is off, which could potentially become a fire hazard if left unaddressed. The fix likely involves a dealership-only firmware update to identify and stop whatever is drawing excessive power when the car is parked.

Your engine is shutting down while driving, forcing your car to run on battery power alone, which isn't safe or sustainable. Restarting the vehicle temporarily fixes the problem, but it keeps happening every couple of weeks, and your check engine light comes on with an engine control system error code. The dealership has reset the error twice, but the problem returns shortly after each visit.

While driving at 65 mph on the freeway, your sunroof suddenly exploded with a loud noise, with glass scattering around the vehicle. You pulled over safely and found the center of the sunroof had completely shattered and the glass was facing upward. There was no evidence of anything hitting the vehicle or any external cause for the sunroof to fail. The sunroof assembly will likely need to be completely replaced and inspected for manufacturing defects.

Your lane departure warning system is triggering frequently even when there's no apparent reason, which is distracting while you're driving. You're concerned this could cause an accident, especially when you need to focus on unexpected road hazards. The system may need to be recalibrated or the camera sensors checked to prevent false alerts.

Road debris punctured your inverter's cooling system, causing it to lose all coolant. You first saw a "Check drive motor cooling system" warning on your dashboard that isn't explained in your owner's manual. After driving normally on the highway for about 15 miles, your car started struggling to accelerate and brake when switching to electric power, and steering became difficult. The dealer confirmed the coolant leak; the repair will likely involve replacing the damaged inverter radiator and refilling the cooling system.

Your car's transmission occasionally won't shift from reverse to drive, showing an error message saying "gear already selected." The vehicle stays stuck in reverse for 1-2 minutes before the system resets itself, which creates a safety hazard while you're waiting. Your dealer has been unable to recreate the problem during service visits despite multiple attempts. The issue likely requires a software update or transmission control module replacement to fix the electronic glitch.