Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2006 Kia Sorento owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I was in a slow head on crash, to avoid hitting other cars person swerved into my lane. Didn't even set the airbags off. As soon as the accident occurred my brake & battery light came on. When I got the car back the lights were still lit, took it back & they blamed it on a belt. I had put a reconditioned alternator in 11 days before the accident, drove fine with a questionable battery. Now the power steering work occasionally & the alternator is not charging the battery. I just want my car to work like it did before the accident. But I must say this is the fourth alternator I have put in this vehicle, three rebuilt, but the third one was brand new, I am averaging an alternator every two years. Bought this car used in the same year it came out & it only had 16,000 miles. It now has approximately 90,000. I wish my problem was only frequently burn out lights. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Kia Sorento. While the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed smoke emerging from the front of the vehicle. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to Nissan Kia of middletown (4961 route 17m, new hampton, ny 10958) where it was diagnosed that the fuse and electrical box needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 93,000.
While stopped at a traffic light, the car was running fine. When the light turned green, I took my foot off the brake and all the lights on my dash illuminated and the car immediately shut off. I shift into park and restart the car with no problems as if nothing happened. No other issues occurred until today (3 weeks later). This time I started my car and was driving through a parking lot with no signs of a problem. After I stopped, to let a car out in front of me, I took my foot off the brake to proceed. Immediately as I stepped on the gas, the dash illuminated, the steering wheel locked, and the car shut off. I tried restarting it a few times, but it wouldn't budge at all. I shut off all electrical devices, such as headlights, radio, and hazard lights and tried starting it again. This time it started as if nothing was wrong. …
While driving my 2006 Kia Sorento on Wednesday December 17, 2014, a week before christmas, the crankshaft pulley bolt loosened up. Under tremendous pressure from the engine the steel pulley bent skewing all belted driving systems: power steering, electrical, electricity to engine, A/C, wipers, heating and defrosting systems, and etc causing me to lose complete control of car while turning corner at busy intersection; loosing steering, complete engine shutdown, panic, and putting me in 'harm's way'! My wife and I had specifically bought this SUV because we care and drive our 3 beautiful grandchildren to school/back and to all activities and so many other children (their friends) going to the same places and activities. …
Kia Sorento 2006. Crank shaft bolt sheared off. Total control of vehicle lost. Can not drive vehicle. Contacted Kia motors who stated they know this happens. Exact words of person on phone were "you should have replaced the crank shaft bolt with an upgraded model". As I am a private owner and never got any information from Kia this was never done. The dealership was helpful in that they said they would look at the vehicle for a fee, in which case they stated that they could fix it for a large amount and that it was the crank shaft bolt which was the problem. Lol I asked them if they were going to put in the upgraded version I was told about, and they said they only have one kind which is the original part. …
After reading many of these complaints, they are the same as mine. My car has shut off while driving at least four times, the last time I had to have it towed to my regular mechanic. Since the check engine light did not stay on at first he was unable to determine what was wrong. Now that I see many other people have had the same problem I now know what I am up against. I guess Kia is waiting for someone to be killed with them driving and can not pull over due to no power, then get hit from behind. Then and only then will they do a recall after someone loose their life, just because they want to keep quite. I now know what to tell my mechanic that is wrong. I will copy several of these complaints and take it to him. I will also call my local tv stations to report this as well, I refuse to sit around allow someone to be killed in order to save Kia money. …
Parked the car one night, next morning only clicks, clicking coming from fuse box too. New battery, battery and brake light are on, car dies after sputtering. This is a new $5,000 engine with only 20,000 miles due to a crankshaft pulley break ruining the original one. Now, it won't crank, obdii returns codes p0763 and p0101 which are shift solenoid and mass air flow electrical. The cooling fan relaly is burned as well as the fuse box circuit board it goes into. Have a mechanic coming to check it but not too optimistic given the car's history. Luckily, I only drove 3 miles to my other home when the second time for quitting occurred where it is still, now I'm out of a car and lots of obligations to fulfill and walking.
I purchased this vehicle used from a local dealership back in 2013.it had 53000 miles on it I bought the extended warranty and have been unable to use it due to when the issues developed. Within three months I had to replace the passenger side then driver side low beam lights and the front and rear tail lights. This has occurred while driving. I had to do this about once a year. I recently June 2016 changed the passenger side bulb low beam again. Now I have noticed I have no tag lights. I ordered replacement bulbs from the dealership and had them installed and they still do not work. Yet no fuses are blown and there is no smell of burning wires or melted wires anywhere.
I went to the bank in November of 2014. I shut my car off because its started to make a loud noise . I tried to start it when I was done and it would not start. I was able to get a jump to start it back up but it keep on dying. I was finally able to get it started enough to get it home . It died right before my house so we had to push it into the driveway. When I was driving it home the electrical kept cutting in and out and it was making a loud noise. Come to find out the crankshaft pulley bolt broke off into the engine.I only had the car for 8 months and paid $8700.00 for the car.
Since the day I purchased this vehicle I have had to replace the headlights or tail lights almost every other month. I believe there is something wrong with the electrical system. Lately the lights and the fan will not shut off on the car. I had to pull out the battery just to get it to go off. The ac and heater switch back and forth constantly. One day you can only use the heater then the next week you can only use the ac. I have replace switches over and over and it only temporarily fixes these problems. Gas mileage is absolutely terrible.
Electrical complaints in other Sorento years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2006 Kia Sorento?
NHTSA has 53 complaints about the electrical system of the 2006 Kia Sorento, 22% of the model year's 242 complaints. The component named most often is wiring (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2006 Kia Sorento electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2006 Kia Sorento, though it has 1 recall for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2006 Kia Sorento electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 83,000 miles, and 17% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 1 fire and 0 injuries to electrical system problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.