2019 Kia Sorento: engine and transmission complaints
HIGH COMPLAINT SIGNAL
52%
206 of 395 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system
52% of relevant owner complaints filed with NHTSA on the 2019 Kia Sorento are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. That is a model-level pattern, not bad luck.
Worse than 68% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).
Excludes 31 airbag, lighting and seat-belt recall complaints that would otherwise mask the signal (unadjusted: 48%).
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
SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE07/18/2019CRASH2 INJURED
MY KIA SORENTO 2019 HAS BEEN ACTING WEIRD FOR A WHILE. I HAD TALKED TO THE SERVICE GUYS AND I WAS TOLD ALL IS FINE. HERE ARE SOME OF THE MAJOR ISSUES: 1. THE CAR HAS AN ISSUE OF ACCELERATION. ONCE IT REACHES 45MPH IT BECOMES NOISY AND IT FEELS LIKE THE ENGINE IS ABOUT TO EXPLODE. THE ANSWER FROM THE SERVICE GUYS:" …
KIA and HYUNDAI - all of their cars are unsafe. I have attached a letter to the NJ State Attorney General to explain some of the issues. These cars are absolutely unsafe and we have no peace of mind. They are killing us, literally. Please do all you can to immediately stop them. I cannot explain how upsetting this …
ENGINE12/19/2022FIRE1 INJURED
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at 40 MPH, the check engine light illuminated the instrument panel. The next day, the contact stated that while driving into her independent mechanic's shop, white smoke began to emit from the vehicle as the vehicle caught fire. The contact imme…
Three of 206 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 (2)
TRAILER HITCHES
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 e…
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2019 Sorento vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error, water may leak into the rearview camera, which can cause the rearview c…
This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.
Before you buy a 2019 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.
2 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.
