The Lane Check

CarsKia › Sorento › 2014

2014 Kia Sorento: engine and transmission complaints

HIGH COMPLAINT SIGNAL
52%
451 of 866 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system

52% of relevant owner complaints filed with NHTSA on the 2014 Kia Sorento are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. That is a model-level pattern, not bad luck.

Worse than 67% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).

Excludes 118 airbag, lighting and seat-belt recall complaints that would otherwise mask the signal (unadjusted: 46%).

NHTSA data checked September 13, 2026
Share this car

Looking at a specific Sorento?Check its VIN: the full report, quotes about its own engine, and whether its recalls are still open. First report free.

Check a VIN
Drivetrain complaints
451
engine, transmission, fuel
Total complaints
984
this model year
Fires reported
45
owner-reported
Recall campaigns
6
23 crashes · 24 injuries

Complaints by component

ENGINE386 · 39%
STRUCTURE160 · 16%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM153 · 16%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER146 · 15%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING86 · 9%
SERVICE BRAKES84 · 9%

The years either side

2010
too few complaints
2011
44%
551 of 1,517
2012
68%
513 of 877
2013
65%
557 of 981
2014
52%
451 of 984
2015
61%
396 of 749
2016
68%
792 of 1,248
2017
65%
434 of 801
2018
59%
118 of 252
2019
52%
206 of 426
2020
65%
81 of 134
2021
too few complaints
2022
57%
104 of 187
2023
43%
63 of 149

Manufacturers fix things mid-generation. A bad year next to a clean one is common; the fix usually arrived in between.

Cleaner alternatives

Other midsize SUVs with no elevated signal in 2014

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

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM02/13/2023FIRECRASH3 INJURED
During a moderate T-bone collision at the driver rear side quarter panel, the back seat of the vehicle almost immediately was in flame, injuring all three occupants, not fatally, fire originated underneath the rear seat near the refueling port, which had the cap in place.
ENGINE06/01/2020FIRE2 INJURED
TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2014 KIA SORENTO. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING ANOTHER DRIVER WAS HONKING TO INFORM THE CONTACT THAT THERE WERE FLAMES UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. THE FRONT PASSENGER OPENED THE DOOR AND CONFIRMED THAT THERE WAS A FIRE. THE CONTACT WHO WAS THE DRIVER AND THE FRONT PASSENGER WERE ABLE TO COME TO …
SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANC11/05/2023CRASH1 INJURED
Replaced engine 1/31/23 had open recall per 21v331was not repaired even though they wasn’t suppose to return vehicle according to recall. They said It would be safe to drive.Said they had no remedy to fix they would call me. Few days car stalls alternator was hanging had to replace. They didn’t replace properly. With i…

Three of 451 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 (6)

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
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 rec…
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2013-2015 Optima and 2014-2015 Sorento vehicles. Brake fluid may leak inside the Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU), …
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2013-2015 Optima and 2014-2015 Sorento vehicles previously recalled under recall 20V-519. Brake fluid may leak inside the H…

This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.

Before you buy a 2014 Kia Sorento

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.

Check a VIN

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.