Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (front, side and curtain air bags, sensors and inflators).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2008 Kia Sorento owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2008 Kia Sorrento. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the passenger's side air bag warning light illuminated and remained illuminated. The contact stated that the failure also occurred with the driver's side air bag. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The contact had researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 11V473000 (Air Bags). The failure mileage was approximately 201,000.
The contact owns a 2008 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that she contacted an independent mechanic who advised her that she needed a new OCS seat mat. The contact stated that she then contacted the dealer who advised her that there was a recall for the failure she was experiencing, however the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 11V473000 (Air Bags). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 136,000.
I bought my sorento used and the airbag light is lit on the front dash in both where the guages are and under the stereo. It doesnt matter if someone is in the seat or not. I found that there was a recall years ago so when i called Kia they told me that my vehicle had been repaired and I told them it must not have been or the repair didnt work. They then told me the date of repair. Crazy thing is they were saying it had been repaired a year before the recall was announced. I said really. Knowing Kia aint gonna pay for a repair that hadnt been part of a recall yet. Now with the newest recall its saying the brakelights might not come on when applied. But with my Sorento the brakelights wont turn off. No matter what you do even when you take the key out and lock the doors, the brakelights remain on. Right when this started the ESC OFF light on the dash came on. …
My 2008 kia Sorento has a faulty passenger air bag, or air bag sensor. The 'passenger air bag off' light has been on since I purchased this car from a dealership in January of 2019. This jeopardizes the safety of my passengers because if the sensor or software is faulty, the airbags won't deploy when needed. The vehicle was inspected by an independent mechanic, but I plan to take it to a dealership as well, it is available to be inspected upon request. I have called kia consumer affairs twice because there was a recall for this same passenger airbag issue in Kia Sorentos manufactured from 2007-2009 (SC067), but the first time they told me there was nothing I could do because the VIN wasn't listed as affected. The second time I called to get more information, they put me on hold and then hung up on me so I do not know how to progress when kia is refusing to address my concern. …
Tl* the contact owned a 2008 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that he fell asleep while driving about 54 MPH. Upon realizing what happened, the vehicle was steered off the road, into a grassy ditch, to avoid other vehicles. As the driver tried to re-enter the road, the vehicle rolled over a couple of times from east to west on opposite sides of the road and damaged the front driver's side of the vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed. The driver sustained skin loss from lacerations on his leg and neck. The neck injury was caused by the seat belt's shoulder strap. The contact was treated by the emergency vehicle team at the roadside. The vehicle was totaled and was towed to a tow yard. The dealer and the manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 145,000.
Tl* the contact owned a 2008 Kia Sorento. While making a left turn, the contact's vehicle was rear ended by another vehicle. The contact's vehicle also sustained a side impact by a different vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact sustained back, neck, and shoulder injuries as well as internal bleeding from the seat belt, which required medical attention. The front and rear passengers also sustained back and neck injuries that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot and deemed destroyed. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 86,000. The VIN was not available.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Kia Sorento. While driving approximately 35 MPH, the contact's vehicle crashed into the side of a second vehicle. The crash caused severe damage to the front end of the contact's vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. The driver sustained a head contusion, which did not require medical attention. A police report was filed and the vehicle was towed. The cause of the failure was not determined. An unknown Kia dealer in cape dorodo, missouri and the manufacturer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 103,000.
I was in an auto accident 8/18/17 tossed back and forth like a rag doll my air bag didn't deploy on impact until the 4th time and I was knock out unconscious. Don't recall my seat belt worked I recall being tossed back and forth back and forth and took my last breath. This is my 3 time doing this. It was moving I was hit in an accident.
In jan 18 2016 not knowing of any recall as we move from our home address at the time to new address, we took the Kia to dealer becaus the pass air bag shows: off. Dealer just told us this will cost $1800 to fix and never even bother to check on recalls. Now when we check NHTSA for this vehicle we found the recall campaign # 11V473000 . Wr call Kia motors and they refuse to honor the campaign recall on pass air bag on our truck claiming the part affected that makes has nothin to do with the air bag !! Passenger air bag continues to be off so when we ride in the SUV I have no protection. We called Kia today 7/23/20 and they refused to honor it or instruct dealer to reparir it . If the part affected has nothing to do with it, then why is the air bag not working if this was correct? …
My 18 year old son was driving my Kia Sorento along with his 16 year old brother in the passenger seat when the vehicle hydroplaned on a wet road. The vehicle crashed into a tree on the passengers side of the vehicle in between the front passenger wheel and the door hinge. My 18 year old managed to get out of the vehicle and get help for his brother that unfortunately had passed away on the scene. After reviewing my vehicle, I personally noticed that none of the driver's or passengers air bags were deployed. I tragically lost my 16 year old son in the mist of the situation as well as having my 18 rushed to the hospital. My concern is that when I received the report from my insurance adjuster for the loss of my vehicle... There was recall attached to the findings for these air bags for which I had never been notified of. …
Related recalls
Air bags › Frontal › Sensor/control module-inactive
Kia is recalling certain model year 2007-2008 sorento passenger cars manufactured from June 15, 2006 through November 27, 2007. The front passenger air bag May be turned off when an adult is in the passenger seat.
Remedy: Kia will update the programming in the sorento ocs control module at no charge. The recall remedy is currently available under service campaign sc076. Owners May contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542.
NHTSA investigations
AIR BAG OCS
Kia reports that for vehicles built prior to the software update of 11/27/2007, the vehicles can improperly classify an adult as a child restraint seat and thus illuminate the airbag off warning light and suppress the frontal passenger airbag.on May 12, 2009, Kia launched a technical service bulletin (sb076) campaign to re-flash all vehicles built prior to the 11/27/2007 production date.Kia also believes that…
Air Bag Occupant Classification System
The Sorento's front passenger air bag may be turned off when an adult is seated in the passenger seat. The front passenger air bag is designed to be turned off in limited circumstances including when children and small adults are seated in the front passenger seat, there is a child restraint in that seat, or the seat is not occupied.But the Sorento has misclassified adults sitting in the passenger seat.This causes…
Airbag complaints in other Sorento years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 2008 Kia Sorento?
NHTSA has 66 complaints about the air bags of the 2008 Kia Sorento, 30% of the model year's 217 complaints. The component named most often is frontal (13 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2008 Kia Sorento airbag problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 11V-473 (sensor/control module-inactive, Sep 7, 2011). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2008 Kia Sorento airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 42,000 miles, and 42% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 10 crashes, 0 fires and 14 injuries and 3 deaths to air bags 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.