Sell your Kia Sorento in Tulsa

Kia Sorento engine problems in the complaint file, 2012 to 2025

NHTSA, the federal safety agency, files owner complaints by model year and by part. We pulled the Sorento's in September 2026, hybrids included from 2021. A complaint is one owner's account, not a proven defect, and a year that sold more SUVs collects more of them.

• 2012 to 2014. The engine leads each year: 461 of 880 complaints for 2012, 496 of 981 for 2013 and 387 of 986 for 2014. Owners describe knocking, oil running low between changes, and engines that lost power or seized on the highway.
• 2014, the paint. Body structure is second in 2014, with 160 complaints, and the ones we read describe white pearl paint peeling off the roof, hood and doors. Some 2013, 2015 and 2019 owners report peeling paint as well.
• 2015 and 2016, no engine recall. The engine is named on 360 of 750 complaints for 2015 and 694 of 1,250 for 2016, the heaviest Sorento file here. Owners describe lost power at speed, seized engines and engines Kia replaced.
• 2017. 386 of 804 complaints name the engine, with knocking, an empty dipstick and shudder. Exterior lighting follows with 125, and owners say the headlights switch off on their own at night.
• 2018 to 2020. Totals drop to 254, 426 and 135, but the engine still leads (106, 155 and 64). Owners report oil burning and knocking; one 2019 owner says the V6 went through about half a quart a week.
• 2021 and 2022. The power train leads 2022 with 75 of 223. Owners describe a Transmission System Error message, a drop into reduced power, and a gas pedal that gets no response.
• 2023 to 2025. Electrical complaints lead 2023 with 47 of 157: warning lights across the dash and engines that won't start. The 2025 file of 127 is led by the engine (41) and power train (38): sputtering, limp mode and a dual-clutch transmission that hesitates from a stop.

Source: NHTSA complaints, 2012 Sorento; 2013; 2014; 2015; 2016; 2017; 2018; 2019; 2020; 2022; 2022 Hybrid; 2022 Plug-in Hybrid; 2023; 2023 HEV; 2023 PHEV; 2025; 2025 Hybrid; 2025 Plug-in Hybrid.

The Kia engine recalls, and the other Sorento recalls to clear

Recalls cover listed VINs, not whole model years, so enter yours in NHTSA's recall lookup. The engine and drivetrain campaigns:

• 2012 to 2014, campaign 17V224. "Machining errors during the engine manufacturing process may cause premature bearing wear within the engine." Dealers inspect the engine and replace it where needed.
• 2012 and 2013, 20V750. Engine compartment fire risk: dealers check for leaks and test the engine, replacing it if needed.
• 2012 to 2017 with a replaced engine, 18V907. The swap may have left the high-pressure fuel pipe damaged, misaligned or poorly tightened, so it can leak fuel.
• 2017 with the 3.3-liter, 17V586. A crankshaft that may not have been heat treated properly can fail and stall the engine.
• 2025, 25V548. Connecting rod bolts that may have been tightened wrong can cut drive power; dealers replace the sub engine assembly.
• 2021 and 2022, 22V760. A transmission oil pump fault can also disable the backup drive mode, leaving no drive power; dealers replace the transmission as needed.

Four more recalls are about fire: 23V652 (2012 to 2014) and 21V331 (2014 and 2015) on the antilock brake control unit, 22V703 on the tow hitch wiring module of 2016 to 2022 Sorentos and 2021 to 2023 hybrids, and 25V649 on a 2021 to 2023 blower motor harness. The notices for 23V652 and 22V703 both read: "Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete."

Under 49 U.S.C. 30120, the maker must fix a recall defect free, except on a vehicle its first buyer bought more than 15 calendar years before the recall notice. Every campaign above was issued inside that limit. A 2012 or 2013 is now close to 15 years from its first sale, so a new notice for one may not be.

Source: NHTSA recalls, 2012 Sorento; 2014; 2016; 2017; 2021; 2022; 2025; 49 U.S.C. 30120 (Cornell LII).

When the engine goes and no recall covers it

The hard case is a 2015, 2016 or 2018 to 2020 Sorento, or a 2017 without the 3.3-liter, whose engine knocks, burns oil or has quit. No recall in NHTSA's file inspects or replaces the engine on those. Before you spend anything, ask a Kia dealer to check the VIN for any open campaign or coverage, and get the answer in writing. The text of recall 18V907 shows Kia has also replaced engines under warranty and under a Knock Sensor Detection System product improvement campaign.

If nothing covers it, the bill is yours. Get a written diagnosis and quote, then an offer on the Sorento as it sits. A repair that costs about what it adds to the price won't pay you back; the repair-or-sell worksheet puts the two side by side, and engine problems covers selling one that won't run. A 2023 to 2025 that hesitates or slips into limp mode has no transmission recall; see the bad transmission guide, and small problems for warning lights and a no-start.

Source: NHTSA recalls, 2012 Sorento (18V907).

Sorento details that shift the offer

No price appears here; an offer on the real SUV is the honest number.

• The engine it has. Some recalls apply to one engine only, like the 3.3-liter crankshaft or the 2021 2.5-liter turbo fuel pipe.
• Engine paperwork. On a 2012 to 2017, the repair order for a replacement engine and for the fuel pipe check that follows one.
• Oil records. Receipts for regular oil changes, on any year with oil-burning reports.
• The title. A salvage brand or a loan still on record changes who can buy it; see salvage title and car with a loan.

Source: NHTSA recalls, 2021 Sorento (21V519).

Your Tulsa options, and the odometer statement Oklahoma asks for

Our offer. Call (539) 271-2021 or fill in the sell-it-to-us form with the year, engine, miles and what's wrong. We buy some Sorentos ourselves, anywhere in Tulsa, and pay by check. One with no title or no keys still gets a look, though not every one is a Sorento we can buy, and if yours isn't, we tell you.

The partner's offer. Peddle's online offer is free and carries no obligation. Peddle arranges the pickup and covers its cost, and at pickup "Peddle issues payment immediately by check." Have the title, registration and your driver's license or ID ready. A sale through Peddle earns this site a referral fee; cash for cars compares the two routes.

Oklahoma's side. Service Oklahoma wants the title properly assigned and notarized, and adds: "When transferring ownership of a motor vehicle from 2011 or newer, a completed odometer disclosure statement is required." Every Sorento on this page is a 2012 or later. The statement is usually part of the title; when it isn't, use Form 729. The paperwork guide covers signing and the notary. Kia and its dealers have nothing to do with this site or either offer.

Source: Peddle: payment at pickup and documents; Service Oklahoma: odometer statement and title transfer.

Pick a route for the Sorento

Have the VIN, the mileage, which engine it has and your recall results in front of you. Then call (539) 271-2021 or use the sell-it-to-us form. If we can buy it, you get our offer and a check. If we can't, you hear that on the call, and you can still ask the partner for its online offer and turn it down if the number doesn't suit you.