2011 Kia Sorento: engine and transmission complaints
HIGH COMPLAINT SIGNAL
44%
551 of 1,266 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system
44% of relevant owner complaints filed with NHTSA on the 2011 Kia Sorento are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. That is a model-level pattern, not bad luck.
Worse than 53% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).
Excludes 251 airbag, lighting and seat-belt recall complaints that would otherwise mask the signal (unadjusted: 36%).
The percentage is each model year's drivetrain complaint share. No elevated signal describes the model year, not any one car; a well-kept example of a flagged model can still be the right buy, and any of these still needs an inspection.
What owners reported
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS10/26/20153 INJURED
2011 KIA SORENTO AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON OUT THE BLUE. TOOK TO DEALERSHIP WAS ADVISED EITHER DEFECTIVE PASSANGER AIRBAG OR THE SENSOR FOR PASSENGER SEAT. WOULD HAVE TO PAY $$$ TO PUT ON DIAGNOSTIC. CAR JERKS FORWARD WHEN SWITCHING GEARS. ALSO, CAR JUST ACCELERATED BY ITSELF.. PUT THE CAR IN PARK AND IT JERKS FORWARD. ITS …
POWER TRAIN10/06/2011CRASH2 INJURED
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 KIA SORENTO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT TWO CHILDREN WERE ABLE TO SHIFT THE VEHICLE INTO NEUTRAL WHEN IT WAS PARKED AND SHUT OFF. AS A RESULT, THE VEHICLE ROLLED FORWARD UNTIL CRASHING INTO BUSHES. BOTH CHILDREN SUFFERED MINOR INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER AND THE CONT…
ENGINE01/14/2024CRASH1 INJURED
i was driving home from work on 12/22/23 when all of my dashboard lights came on and my engine died. I was in motion when this happened. I put the hazards on and put the car in park and tried to restart it. As I was doing that I was hit from behind by another vehicle. I suffered a concussion that lasted almost 2 w…
Three of 551 drivetrain complaints. The full report shows more, with quotes about the engine in the car you are looking at first.
Recall campaigns on this model year (8)
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Kia Sorento vehicles manufactured October 19, 2009, to January 31, 2013. In the affected vehicles, if …
EQUIPMENT
CURT MANUFACTURING IS RECALLING CERTAIN TOW PACKAGE WIRING HARNESSES, PART NUMBER 56024, THAT CONNECT TOW VEHICLE LIGHTING CIRCUITS TO TRAILER LIGHTING CIRCUITS SOLD FOR …
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH
Kia Motors Corporation (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2007-2010 Rondo, model year 2007-2011 Sedona, Sorento and Sportage, model year 2010-2011 Soul, model year 200…
This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.
Before you buy a 2011 Kia Sorento
Ask the seller whether the engine has ever been repaired or replaced, and whether the car has shown stalling, loss of power, rough idle, oil consumption or a check-engine light.
Drive it from a cold start and long enough to warm up. Many engine faults hide once the car is warm.
Get an independent pre-purchase inspection from a mechanic you choose, and tell them to focus on the engine.
8 recall campaigns on this model year. Whether a specific car still has one open depends on the VIN; the report checks that.
Ask for service records. A engine already replaced under warranty is a different car from one that was not.
Have the VIN?Paste it and get the full report for that car. First report free, then a 30-day pass covers a whole car search.
Experimental model-level information. This is not a vehicle inspection, vehicle-history
report, financial advice or purchase recommendation. It describes patterns across a model year, not the condition
of any individual vehicle.
