Most common 2011 Kia Sorento problems
Share of the 1,520 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Kia Sorento complaints by model year
Best Sorento years: 2020, 2018, 2024. Years to avoid: 2011, 2016, 2017, 2013, 2014. Compare all years →
2011 Kia Sorento recalls (7)
Engine
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2011 Sorento vehicles. An engine compartment fire can occur while driving.
Remedy: Dealers will install Knock Sensor Detection System (KSDS) software and replace the engine as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 9, 2024.
Service brakes, hydraulic › Antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip › Control unit/module
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2010-2019 Borrego, 2014-2016 Cadenza, 2010-2013 Forte, Forte Koup, Sportage, 2015-2018 K900, 2011-2015 Optima, 2011-2013 Optima Hybrid, Soul, 2012-2017 Rio, 2011-2014 Sorento, and 2010-2011 Rondo vehicles.
Remedy: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will replace the HECU fuse, free of charge.
Power train › Automatic transmission
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Kia Sorento vehicles manufactured October 19, 2009, to January 31, 2013. In the affected vehicles, if excessive force is applied to the gear shift lever, the brake-shift interlock mechanism may chip or crack allowing the transmission being able to be shifted out…
Remedy: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake-shift interlock mechanism, free of charge. The recall began on November 9, 2015. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542.
Exterior lighting › Brake lights › Switch
Kia Motors Corporation (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2007-2010 Rondo, model year 2007-2011 Sedona, Sorento and Sportage, model year 2010-2011 Soul, model year 2008-2011 Optima, model year 2010 Forte, model year 2007-2009 Amanti, and model year 2009 Borrego vehicles.
Remedy: Kia will send an interim notification to owners in May 2013. When parts are available, owners will receive a second notification and dealers will replace the stop lamp switch, free of charge.
Power train › Driveline › Driveshaft
Kia is recalling certain model year 2011 sorento 2wd vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions and 2.4l engines manufactured from the start of production through May 22, 2010. The intermediate shaft May suffer from noise and excessive wear due to a misalignment of the intermediate shaft with the right side output gear.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the right side output gear and intermediate shaft free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin during May 2011. Owners May contact Kia at 1-800-333-4542.
Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components › Disc › Caliper
Kia is recalling certain model year 2011 sorento vehicles manufactured from September 14, 2010, through October 4, 2010. Some of the rear brake calipers May not have been properly machined.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the rear calipers and replace it if necessary free of charge. The safety recall began on December 10, 2010. Owners May contact Kia consumer assistance center at 1-800-333-4542.
Show 1 more recall
Electrical system › Wiring
Kia is recalling certain model year 2010 soul and model year 2011 sorento vehicles manufactured from September 7, 2009 through July 30, 2010. A limited number of wiring harnesses supplied by jci and used for the lighting in the Kia soul vehicle's advanced lighting speakers, located in the front door trim panels, and the Kia…
Remedy: Dealers will replace the wiring harnesses for the lights in the Kia soul vehicle's advanced lighting speakers, and the wiring harness for the Kia sorento vehicle's interior accent illumination.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 10 possible defects involving the 2011 Kia Sorento:
Headlight Failure
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this Preliminary Evaluation (PE) based on seventy-four Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs) reporting headlight failures on model year (MY) 2011-2013 KIA Sorento vehicles.In its response to ODI's June 25, 2020, information request letter (portions of which were submitted under request for confidentiality), Kia Motor America (Kia) provided design details of the…
Non-crash Vehicle Fires
During this Preliminary Evaluation (PE), the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) assessed the scope, frequency and potential safety-related consequences of non-crash vehicle fires caused by both engine failures and failures of other vehicle systems/components in model year (MY) 2011-2014 Kia Optima, MY 2011-2014 Kia Sorento and MY 2010-2015 Kia Soul vehicles equipped with Theta II, Gamma, Nu and Lambda II engines…
Panoramic Sunroof Breakage
On October 21, 2013 the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE13-035 in order to further examine claims that the sunroof would spontaneously break on 2011-2013 Kia Sorento vehicles.The majority of these claims occurred while the vehicle was in motion.Glass shattering while driving may distract the driver, and the resulting glass particles which enter the passenger compartment may injure occupants.To date,…
Transmission Intermediate Driveshaft
On April 25, 2011, Kia Motors Corporation submitted a defect notification letter to NHTSA regarding a transmission intermediate driveshaft condition in approximately 12,690 model year (MY) 2011 Kia Sorento 2-wheel drive vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions and 2.4L engines (NHTSA Recall No.
Engine Fires
On March 29, 2019, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened two Preliminary Evaluations (PE19-003 on Hyundai and PE19-004 on Kia) to broadly investigate incidents of non-crash fires (regardless of origin or operational status of the vehicle) on various model year Hyundai and Kia vehicles.
Panoramic Glass Sunroof Breakage
The investigation focused on spontaneous breakage (fracture) of the panoramic sunroof (sunroof) on MY 2011-2013 Kia Sorento vehicles. The sunroof is constructed of tempered glass (often referred to as ?safety glass?), which, when broken, crumbles into granular chunks rather than splintering into jagged shards.
Loss of Motive Power
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a letter dated July 13, 2022, petitioning the Agency to initiate a safety defect investigation into loss of motive power allegations attributed to oil drain pan assembly failures on certain Hyundai Motor America, Inc. and Kia America, Inc. vehicles spanning Model Years (MY) 2005-2021.
Throttle control system vulnerabilities
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a petition letter dated October 10, 2021, requesting an investigation of possible defects in the electronic throttle control (ETC) system on certain Kia vehicles resulting in the opening of DP21-003.
Non-crash Vehicle Fires
In a letter dated June 11, 2018, the Center for Auto Safety (CAS) petitioned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to initiate a safety defect investigation into non-collision related fires on model year (MY) 2011-2014 Kia Optima and Sorento, and Hyundai Sonata and Santa Fe vehicles. In a letter dated July 24, 2018, CAS requested that MY 2010-2015 Kia Soul vehicles be added to the petition.
Hyundai and Kia ABS Module Fires
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received eight Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) and eight Kia America, Inc. (Kia) Part 573 Recall Reports between 2016 and 2023. The combined 16 safety recalls all involve the antilock braking system (ABS) modules or Hydraulic Electronic Control Units (HECU) manufactured by the equipment supplier Mando.
What 2011 Kia Sorento owners say
Engine & cooling all 316 →
The contact owned a 2011 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving at 25 mph, a UPS truck veered off into her lane causing the contact to crash her vehicle into a curb. The contact stated that the next morning, she saw that her vehicle was leaking an immense amount of oil. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was taken to a repair shop where it was diagnosed with nothing needing to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact then stated while driving at 55 mph, the vehicle stalled and the contact saw smoke emerging from the engine compartment. Upon exiting the vehicle, the contact opened the hood to fire behind the engine. There were no injuries. The air bags did not deploy. The fire department was contacted but did not extinguish the fire. …
The contact owned a 2011 Kia Sorento. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated while reversing out of the garage, there was smoke coming from underneath the hood. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was out of the garage. The contact stated that the turned off the vehicle and opened the hood. The contact stated that there was a significant amount of black smoke coming out of the engine compartment. The contact stated that he attempted to disconnect the positive battery thermal but was unable to do so. The contact stated that he applied a fire extinguisher to the engine compartment; however the smoke persisted and the vehicle caught on fire. The contact stated that the fire then extended to the entire vehicle. …
Body & structure all 268 →
Both rear doors will not open from the outside. Driver rear door had child lock engaged when outside latch stopped working making the door completely inoperable. Upon contacting Kia consumer affairs it was stated that although both front door actuators are covered under a campaign number the rear doors are not covered. Kia consumer affairs refused to cover replacement of rear door actuators. Due to both rear doors being inoperable from the outside if an accident was to occurs while my children were in the vehicle emergency personal would not be able to get to them. No warning lamps or prior warning of fault before part malfunction.
Exhaust system flex pipe was repaired and the next day the exhaust muffler/ resonator failed at the seam, causing hot gases to escape into the undercarriage and melt the lower bumper cover assembly on the right passenger side. See photos attached.
Transmission & drivetrain all 265 →
The contact owns a 2011 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that there was a knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. While driving at various speeds, the vehicle jerked with the transmission slipping gear with an engine misfire. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to Auto Zone and a code for the knock sensor failure was retrieved. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact had replaced the spark plugs on the vehicle. While driving 65 MPH, the vehicle went into LIMP Mode. The contact restarted the vehicle and continued driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who confirmed that the knock sensor had failed. The dealer related the failure to the NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V877000 (Engine); however, the VIN was not included. The dealer cleared the code, but the vehicle was not repaired. …
The contact owns a 2011 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost automotive power while the accelerator pedal was being depressed. No warning light was illuminated. The contact research and was became aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V626000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was taken back to the residence; the contact stated that an independent mechanic arrived at the residence and diagnosed the vehicle and determined that an undisclosed part needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 165,000.
2011 Kia Sorento engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.4L 4-cyl | 6-speed automatic | FWD | 21 / 28 / 24 |
| 2.4L 4-cyl | 6-speed automatic | 4WD | 21 / 26 / 23 |
| 2.4L 4-cyl | 6-speed manual | FWD | 20 / 26 / 22 |
| 3.5L 6-cyl | 6-speed automatic | FWD | 20 / 25 / 22 |
| 3.5L 6-cyl | 6-speed automatic | 4WD | 18 / 24 / 20 |
EPA ratings. Class: SUV.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2011 Kia Sorento a good car?
Based on 1,520 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2011 Sorento rates avoid: 5.8× as many complaints as a typical year of the Sorento at the same age. It is one of the Sorento years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2011 Kia Sorento?
The engine & cooling — 316 complaints, 21% of all complaints for this model year, most often about engine. Next are the body & structure (268) and transmission & drivetrain (265).
How many recalls does the 2011 Kia Sorento have?
There are 7 recalls for the 2011 Kia Sorento, the most recent from December 21, 2023 (engine). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Kia Sorento?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2020, 2018 and 2024. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2011, 2016, 2017, 2013 and 2014. See the full Kia Sorento years comparison.
At what mileage do 2011 Kia Sorento problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 80,000 miles; 29% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
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.