Door Lock & Latch complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (door latches, locks, hood and tailgate latches).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked when the contact attempted to open the trunk, however, the trunk failed to open. The contact stated that the failure recurred multiple times and after multiple attempts, the trunk was able to open. The contact stated that the failure continued to recur and the trunk became inoperable. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer. The contact stated that there were no warning lights illuminated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and they informed the contact that the warranty did not cover the failure. The failure mileage was 110,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at 20 MPH, the front passenger's side door was unintendedly unlocked, causing the door to open independently. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on several occasions. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The manufacturer has not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 50,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that the doors failed to lock securely. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the remedy for the antitheft recall issued by the manufacturer was performed. The dealer stated that the remedy would resolve the cause of the failure however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case. The failure mileage was 100,000.
Constant issue with the 3 doors staying locked. Must manually push on the plastic mechanism to unlock the door from the inside. Using the inside door knob will not unlock the doors which is a major safety hazard. I have taken it to the dealer 3 times and they can not duplicate the issue. It started out happening intermittingly, but now it is constant. The only door that works is the driver side. I took it to a local repair shop and he said it "could" be every door needs a new actuator. Very expensive repair. This should be a recall item ASAP. Low quality product failure. There are no warning lights.
The contact owns a 2011 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while attempting to unlock the vehicle with the key fob, the contact heard the doors unlocking, but the rear doors failed to unlock. Additionally, the contact stated that the failure initially started after the vehicle was serviced by the dealer. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by a dealer or an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 92,000.
The contact owns a 2011 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that the exterior front driver side door handle had malfunctioned and the door could not be opened from outside the vehicle. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were both notified. The contact was informed that the vehicle was previously serviced under a manufacturers TSB for the failure. The failure mileage was 185,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that the exterior driver side door latch disconnected and caused the contact to be unable to open the door. The handle was attached; however, the doors would not open. The failure recurred multiple times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the door handle assembly was fractured. There was no linkage from the door to the handle that would open the door properly. The vehicle was repaired. On a later occasion, the contact noticed that the interior rear passenger handle would not open the door from the inside. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 52,290.
Tl contact owns a 2007 Kia Sorento. After owning the vehicle for a week, the contact discovered that the rear seat passengers could not enter or exit the vehicle without electronically opening the door. It is very difficult to manually open the door and requires great strength. He considers this to be a safety hazard because in the event of a crash or loss of electrical power, the doors would be difficult to open. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and they it for over six days. When the contact retrieved the vehicle, he noticed that the rear doors and side passenger doors would no longer latch in the forward position. He took the vehicle back to the dealer and they were able to repair the latch failure, but the doors are still difficult to open manually. …
Frequently asked questions
Which Kia Sorento years have door lock & latch problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2011 (33) and 2014 (5) model years. Door Lock & Latch complaints make up 2% of all complaints for the 2011.
Is there a recall for Kia Sorento door lock & latch problems?
No. NHTSA lists no locks & latches recall for any Kia Sorento model year. A widespread problem may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin, so ask a dealer.
At what mileage do Kia Sorento door lock & latch problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 82,000 miles; 22% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the doors › latch (26 mentions), followed by the hatchback/liftgate › lock (2).
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.