Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2013 Kia Sorento owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that after having routine maintenance on the vehicle, the contact entered the vehicle, and became aware that the driver's side seat failed to move and had fractured. The local dealer was contacted and informed the contact about re-adjusting the seat and the associated fees for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. Additionally, the vehicle failed to start. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.
Currently The KIA described above has a right rear seat that is not safely usable. The seat back does not smoothly unlatch from the upright position. When jiggling succeeds in unlatching the seat back allowing the seat back to go to the fold down position the latch jambs in that position. This jamming prevents rear seat passengers from safely riding in this seat or making use of the seat back to secure a child care seat. A Technical Service Bulletin issued by KIA describes the safety issue. I quote the bulletin. "The bulletin provides information related to some 2011-2013MY Sorento (XMa) vehicles, produced from October 26, 2009 to November 5, 2012, which may exhibit a concern related to the second row seats being inoperative or difficult to release. It is important to note that some amount effort is required to fold the 2nd row seats. …
In the past two weeks the Warning lamp for front passenger seat remains lit up indicating airbag problem in that area second row seats clip areas to lift seats and allow entry to third row were very hard to operate and now malfunctioned and don't work at all to lift seats. This has been checked out by Kia dealer last year to no resolve(they were able to lift seats up with great effort), but I am not able to get the seats lifted rendering access to 3rd row impossible for use.
The heated seats were turned on high. It was cold outside. Two hours later the occupant got out of the car and discovered blisters on leg from seat heat. Several large blisters from burns. The seat should not be hot enough to burn someone and cause blisters
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The paint all over the car had begun to delaminate and its only a 2013. The entire front of the hood, the side bar of the windshield on both the passenger and driver sides, and the roof along the windshield are flaking off manufacturers paint in large sheets. The back side has begun to develop small chips that will eventually match the front. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Because the loss of the protective paint on my car can and has been leading to rust issues on the metal underneath the paint. This is known to weaken the vehicle's body structure. This is especially problematic in potential areas of the car that are prone to collision, thereby compromising the vehicles safety over time, if allowed to continue to delaminate. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 Kia Sorento. Approximately two weeks after the contact purchased the vehicle, she began smelling tar. The vehicle ws taken to the dealer, but the technician was unable to diagnose the failure. The failure recurred and the headlights burned out. The dealer replaced the headlights and stated that there was a recall; however, the contact did not receive any recall notice. Approximately three weeks ago, the failure recurred and the driver seat began to burn, jamming the driver side door. The contact called 911 and the fire department extinguished the fire. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed away by the insurance company. The VIN and NHTSA campaign number were unavailable. The failure mileage was 37,000.
Kia Sorento 2013 2nd row seat (passenger side) stuck down, this is the 2nd time I have had it fixed. I bought the car brand new in 2012, and it has always been difficult to operate, lever sometimes would feel stuck. I would have to sometimes press on the seat to make the lever work, or shake the seat while pulling on the lever. First time it broke while trying to put the seat down it would not go down and felt like the lever was not engaged happened at home December 2015. I had it fixed on feb 11 2016 at the dealership, and it was considered under warranty. It broke again a month ago August 2018 while I was parked and trying to put the seat back up, it would not go back up. The lever would move but it did not allow the seat to go back up. I brought it in for an estimate on sept 6 2018. The estimate says "needs lever, cables and hinges") $500 parts and $300 labor. …
My child who is currently 13, has managed to pull the rear passenger handle off the vehicle twice in the 6 years we have owned it requiring replacement both times as the piece holding the handle in is plastic and has shattered. The first time he was only 7. It is unacceptable for a door handle to be able to be destroyed by a child multiple times. Also, the handle which allows the second row seat to fold forward for passengers to gain access to the third row does not work. We have asked for this to be fixed at the dealership multiple times but they have been unable to get it to work properly either. Obviously both of these problems occur when the vehicle is stationary.
Rear seat stuck. Rear passenger seat lever has always been a little hard to activate to raise or lower the seat. It took a combination of pulling the lever and giggling the seat to get it to engage. That little trick recently stopped working and my rear passenger side seat is now permanently stuck in the down position. I did an internet search on a way to fix the problem and found multiple complaints which indicates that this is a systemic problem with Kia sorrentos. They'll warranty the power train for 100,000 miles but this seat only made it for about 50,000 miles.
Passenger side 2nd row seat was extremely difficult to fold down since the first day I bought it. Now it is stuck and will not fold down at all. The latch seems to be broken. My kids were stuck in the 3rd row seat until I could remove my baby's car seat base to lay down the driver side 2nd row to let them climb out. Had I been in a hurry to get them out it would have been impossible to do so.
Seat complaints in other Sorento years
Frequently asked questions
How common are seat problems on the 2013 Kia Sorento?
NHTSA has 33 complaints about the seats of the 2013 Kia Sorento, 3% of the model year's 982 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2013 Kia Sorento seat problems?
No. NHTSA lists no seats recall for the 2013 Kia Sorento, though it has 5 recalls 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 2013 Kia Sorento seat problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 64,000 miles, and 19% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 1 fire and 1 injury to seats 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.