Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2014 Kia Sorento owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while the engine hood was opened and raised, the hydraulic hood lift struts failed causing the hood to close down onto the contact's right hand. The contact's hand was trapped under the hood for approximately 30 minutes before help arrived. During the incident, the contact sustained a bruised right hand which did not require medical treatment. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 30,000.
I was informed to report the incidence of paint chipping on this form, although it is not a safety risk. From the images I upload you can see 2 years ago (4/23/2020)there were a couple of small areas of paint chipping where the windshield meets the roof of the car. These areas to my knowledge had no previous damage to them. There are/were a couple areas where there were minor dents (not pictured) which over the years began to peel as well. However just in the last few months (mainly over the winter) those small areas and new areas of peeling have started and grown at an enormously fast rate. I'm afraid to bring my car to a car wash now as it may chip more paint away. …
First off, we love the KIA Brand of vehicles. This is our fourth Kia. We also presently own a 2010 Optima with white paint and no peeling issues. Our Sorrento is currently showing (as of today) 133418 Miles. Sad to say that this is the only KIA we have ever owned with this very defective paint issue. Several months ago, I started to see several other 2014 Sorrento with the same peeling paint issues, so it wasn't just our vehicle. Your company is in the business of producing sophisticated and desirable vehicles designed by engineers who can cover all the bases in the manufacturing process. With the exception of this faulty paint issue, KIA has achieved this goal. I can only hope that KIA recognized this paint failure early and will go on to the next design phase. …
We have a 2014 Kia Sorento SLX Pearl white and the paint first started coming off in the front on the hood and bumper cover which we had repaired for a ridiculous amount of money. The body shop said it would be cheaper to just order a new bumper cover and paint it instead of stripping away all the paint on the old one and then painting due to the amount of labor hours required to do so. I have the bill. Then It started coming off around the door/pillar area on the driver side which we then paid again to have repaired. Now as of this week a large piece of pain has just peaked away around the size of a dollar bill on the passenger side pillar above where the door closes into. This is ridiculous that for no reason the paint is just coming off in large sections without any manipulation at all. …
It appears there are numerous people with the same issue with the pearl white paint on the 2014 Kia Sorento, paint bubbling and coming off in chunks. Kia should be ashamed of themselves for doing this to consumers. This is a DEFECT and needs to be rectified immediately. I received quotes for the car to be completely painted and it was from $9,000 to over $12,000. This is more than outrageous. I bought my car BRAND NEW. Cars are very expensive and now my resale value has diminished tremendously. Kia dealership could care less as well as corporate. If it was within the 36,000 miles you might get help, but anything over that, TOO BAD!!! I will NEVER purchase another vehicle from Kia. I wish someone would start a class action lawsuit against Kia because this is immoral to say the least. …
After about 59,000 miles I noticed that the paint on my vehicle began to bubble and chip then rapidly began peeling off. Over the years this has gotten progressively worse and has now moved to different parts of the vehicle. I have included images of the vehicle and all of the locations it is peeling. I also included an image of water pooling between the paint and vehicle. This is a great concern as my vehicle is still is continuing to peel and the entire paint job is now compromised and leading to rust and damage to the body. The various parts of the vehicle that are peeling are the roof, the driver and passenger sides above the windows, as well as now the diver's side fender. Pretty soon my entire vehicle is no longer going to be white but rather be rust colored. …
My vehicle's SNOW PEARL WHITE paint is flaking off in large chunks on the windshield pillars (both sides), as well as chipping all over the body. The chipping began in 2018 (2 years after purchase) and the large chunks began in 2022. Paint chunks have flown off my car while driving on the highway. Missing paint is now leading to the body of the car rusting. My car is available for inspection. The dealership has inspected the problem and informed me I am not the first person they have encountered with this same problem. It is specifically common with SNOW PEARL WHITE PAINT. Bubbles are forming under the paint in other spots now, and I am worried about the possibility of it coming off in larger chucks on the hood- which could possibly create a projectile/vision obstruction. I have provided photos to the manufacturer in 2022 and started a case number. I have not heard back since.
Purchased 2014 Pearl White KIA Sorento LX 4/2014. 4/2017 - paint bubbled and chipped on left A pillar. Dealer repaired paint under warranty. 12/2018 - paint continued to bubble and chip on hood and roof. Took to dealer but told would not cover under warranty. Complaint not noted on invoice 7/2020 - paint repaired on left A pillar in 2017 started chipping again. 1/2022 - 13"x3.5" paint section on right A pillar came off. Paint chipping on roof racks. 6/2022 - right front fender bubble and chip. Dealer/Service center - Southwest KIA Round Rock has repaired and looked a paint issue as noted above. The areas where the paint has chipped and not repaired by KIA is rusting due to metal exposure to environmental elements. The rust will weaken the body of the vehicle if not repaired immediately. No warning or messages for this problem.
I have a Pearl White 2014 Kia Sorrento that I bought used with approximately 50,000 miles from Rick Case Kia in Sunrise, Florida. It has 117,000 miles on it today and multiple parts of the paint that is peeling on the hood and roof. I noticed the first paint defect when I bought it, which was on the roof (This is where to largest peel is now). I didn't think too much about it because it was small. I have had lots of trouble with this vehicle like engine failure and wheel hub failure. Then at around 65,000 miles, I noticed that the roof paint had peeled more to be 2 to 3 inches in size. I then called Wallace Kia in Stuart, FL to request a covered repair and they told me that my paint warranty had expired. Since then the paint has continued to peel with exposed rusted metal with some paint defects to be the size of my hand.
At first, I thought it was due to normal wear on the vehicle. And would need a touch of paint job. I started seeing other vehicle with the same areas of paint issues on the road as mines. 2014 Kia Sorento LX - Pearl White paint peeling around windshield and off hood. Bubbles started forming form under paint and paint blisters and peels away quickly in large chunks from vehicle. Went to dealership and they told me paint is only under warranty for 36k miles, but after seeing all the complaints online with white Sorento, I realized there is a problem with KIA paint. However, they suggested calling Kia directly. When calling them they have no recall for this paint issue that has been caused by a defect in the paint that for some reason happens after their 36k miles warranty.Kia neeed to fix this issue.
Body complaints in other Sorento years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2014 Kia Sorento?
NHTSA has 160 complaints about the body & structure of the 2014 Kia Sorento, 16% of the model year's 988 complaints. The component named most often is body (153 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2014 Kia Sorento body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure recall for the 2014 Kia Sorento, though it has 6 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 2014 Kia Sorento body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 72,000 miles, and 11% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 2 fires and 1 injury to body & structure 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.