Below are recalls and complaints reported to NHTSA for the 2021 Kia Sorento. This information is consumer-reported and provided for general informational purposes only. Vehicles like this may qualify under California lemon law depending on their individual repair history.
The following recalls were reported to NHTSA. A recall does not by itself establish that any individual vehicle is defective.
Kia Motor America (Kia) is recalling certain 2021 Sorento and 2021-2022 K5 vehicles equipped with 2.5L turbocharged engines. Fuel may leak at the pipe connection between the high-pressure fuel pump and fuel rail.
Reported consequence: A fuel leak increases the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and tighten, or replace the fuel pipe as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 21, 2021. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC214.
Kia Motors, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Sorento and 2021-2023 K5 vehicles. The vehicle's "fail-safe" limited-mobility drive mode may be impaired, when prompted by a transmission oil pump malfunction, which can result in a complete loss of drive power.
Reported consequence: Loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the transmission, as necessary. Dealers will also update the transmission control unit software. All repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 9, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC250.
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Sorento vehicles. The heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) blower motor wiring harness may be inadequate, which can result in a fire.
Reported consequence: A fire increases the risk of injury.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the wiring harness and blower motor resistor, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 23, 2026. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC351. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning October 9, 2025.
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2016-2022 Sorento, 2021-2022 Sorento Hybrid (HEV), 2022-2023 Sorento Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV), and 2017-2022 Sportage vehicles equipped with a tow hitch harness installed as original equipment, or purchased as an accessory through a Kia dealership. Debris and moisture accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (PCB) may cause an electrical short, which can result in a fire.
Reported consequence: A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
Remedy: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will inspect the vehicle, and, as necessary, replace the fuse and/or tow hitch harness module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 11, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC249.
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Sorento Hybrid and 2022 Sorento Plug-in Hybrid vehicles. In the event of a crash, the front driver-side and/or passenger-side seat belt pretensioner(s) may explode upon deployment.
Reported consequence: An exploding seat belt pretensioner can project metal fragments into the vehicle, striking vehicle occupants and resulting in injury.
Remedy: Dealers will secure the seat belt pretensioners with a cap, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 17, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC241. This recall expands and replaces NHTSA recall number 22V-127. Vehicles already repaired under the previous recall will need to have the new remedy completed.
The following are consumer-reported complaints filed with NHTSA. These are unverified allegations and are not proof that any defect exists.
On [XXX] we were driving the Kia at slow speed due to snow on the road when a warning light came on which we think said hybrid vehicle failure pull over. The car stopped and the traffic lane with the engine off. The car would not start and we were exposed to traffic. Fortunately, we were on a country road at the time about a mile from our house and we were not struck by following vehicle when the car shut off and stopped in the traffic lane. If we had been on a beltway with 60 or 65 mph traffic obviously the result would’ve been quite different. Because I felt the vehicle was not safe to drive. I had it towed to the Kia dealer in Salisbury Pocahontas Kia, who have not been able to duplicate the problem and have also not been able to tell us what was wrong with the Kia to cause this problem in the first place. Unless there is a clear reason why this happened And it can be fixed then we have no reason to believe this would not happen again and endanger our safety. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA #11637251
There is a constant error happening daily where a warning shows “refill inverter coolant” it takes up the main display and no dealer has a fix
NHTSA #11471496
I have a ‘21 Sorento hybrid. The refill inverter coolant warning light keeps coming on. The first time it happened was on a road trip. A local dealer told me to check coolant levels and when it was full, told me it was safe to drive. I had it looked at as soon as I got home. By that time, the light had gone off. They flushed and refill the coolant. It happened again within 3 weeks. I took it in again. The dealer inspected said nothing was wrong with vehicle. Safe to drive. Also said I was the second one of these they’d seen. They were told corporate is working on a fix. I starting a ticket with Kia customer service. It’s been 9 days and no response from them. I am counting on the dealers being correct and that it is safe.
NHTSA #11462799
The inverter coolant refill light will illuminate at all times even with the system serviced. Kia has serviced the system but has no solution on how to stop the light. The light also blocks out any other warning that may happen on the dash. With the light illuminated while driving, it is impossible to determine if the system is empty to cause a fire or just a faulty light. The dealership has confirmed the faulty warning light. There are no computer codes associated with the warning light.
NHTSA #11468015
Inverter coolant refill light will not turn off. This is available for inspection. This could be a possible fire risk. Issue has been confirmed at dealership. Components have been inspected by manufacturer. Issue started around 23,000 miles.
NHTSA #11471515
We had just received our Sorento back from being in the shop for 4 months due to being in an accident. Part of the repair work was to have the software updated and reprogrammed at a Kia dealership, which was completed. We picked up the car on Tuesday, Feb 15, 2022, and on Wednesday, Feb. 16, as we were traveling down hwy 27 in Lake Wales, FL, the alert began to ding and the hybrid warning came on, as well as other lights (I can't remember which ones). The car lost acceleration capability, but as we slowed and turned down another road, the car began to slightly accelerate very slowly. We were able to travel another mile, when the acceleration completely stopped. We pulled over to the side of the road and put the car in park. The engine was very rough. The message came on to leave vehicle in park to charge the hybrid battery. When we did that, the engine started for about 5 seconds, then shut off. We attempted this two more times, with the same results. We also tried to jump the car, according to the operator's manual, but it didn't work. We had to have the car towed to the dealership.
NHTSA #11452793
My Kia Sorento will shift from drive to first or second gear’s several times. I’ve been told by the dealership that I’m probably touching the shifter accidentally, I disagree. My opinion is that this is a safety concern because it slows the vehicle down. My vehicle also at times does not accelerate. These two issues are intermittent.
NHTSA #11587074
Intermittent message on dash "Refill inverter coolant" Been to dealer 6x and no fix. Reported to KIA corporate to work with dealer Have been without this car several days
NHTSA #11523067
Refill inverter coolant warning on dashboard. Took it onto local dealer, no problems located. May be a sensor issue.
NHTSA #11475036
Inverter fluid light has been coming on and staying on for over a month. It impedes the view of the digital display. The dealership has no fix nor any rental vehicles to bring my vehicle in. I have had this vehicle for 14 months. No one can tell me if this consistent light is harming my vehicle nor is there an urgency to repair. Unacceptable in a 40 grand vehicle
NHTSA #11472183
UNKNOWN. The “Replace Inverter Coolant” warning message repeatedly comes on for unknown reasons and may be quickly reset to the “Ready to Drive” status by turning the vehicle off, opening the driver side door, putting my foot on the break pedal, turning the vehicle back on and closing the door before the system readiness cycle is completed. While this is not perhaps an injury issue to anyone, it is a nuisance issue which KIA apparently refuses to issue a recall to fix. The reliability of the Inverter Coolant monitoring system is important to the driving public of KIA vehicles and a system that is unreliable should not be tolerated. This issue is also known to exist on numerous other KIA manufactured and marketed models.
NHTSA #11572604
My Kia 2021 Hybrid EX has a message warning to "refill inverter coolant". Took it to dealer and they said it's a software issue, but no remedy is available.
NHTSA #11501053
There is a warning message stating "Refill Invertor Coolant" that keeps coming up. The coolant is already full and the car functions normally. However, the warning message can only be cleared for a few seconds before it returns. The message covers up other information on the display such as digital speed and driving warnings such as lane departure. I feel this is an unsafe condition. The dealer I talked to said they are aware of the issue and trying to resolve it on another customer's car. At this time they are unable to resolve the issue.
NHTSA #11471393
Refil inverter fluid warning light is on constant, this doesn’t allow the driver to access any digital information while vehicle is on. The vehicle is also having issues with the entertainment consul, Bluetooth connection issues along with the ability to access apple car play. Dealership says it’s Kia and nothing is being done. Various forums with others having similar issues.
NHTSA #11481962
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the fluid inverter level indicator warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the dealer informed the contact that there was no known repair available for the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The failure mileage was 7,650.
NHTSA #11463873
For a few days ( especially if is a HOT day (over 80F) ) my 2021 Kia Sorento Hybrid with 15,421 miles on it displays a "Refill Inverter Coolant" message. I checked the coolant level and is OK. After my research, it seems that the factory put the wrong Blue inverter coolant instead Red (all other KIA hybrid cars have Red coolant) . I found out that there is a KIA Technical Service Bulletin SA515 that addresses this issue. Called a few dealers in GA and I have been told that they need the cars for 7-10 days for investigation. Why???? when there is a Service Bulletin.. On top of this, I have been told that I need to rent a car at my expense and fight with KIA Corp to be reimbursed. This is Outrageous!!!!!! Other dealers do not have the required Vaccum Pump to flush the system or they can schedule me after 25 days. A safety Recall shall be issued and put pressure on KIA to address this issues before a catastrophic inverter fault occurs
NHTSA #11593293
i have 2021 Kia Sorento Hybrid, which a regular message stating that it needs to refill inverter coolant fluid keeps coming up, even though the car coolants level is full. This is not a new problem for the all the Kia users that have this model. Also, Kia and their network of dealerships have known of this problem for over 1 yr and their standard answer is" we know its a software program, and will get back to you once the software code is fixed". Basically, they are dismissing the complaints and issues from the car owners. Also, this is poses a security and safety concern, since the warning light/message takes over the entire center console/display. Other relevant safety and security warnings/functionality is obstructed by it. Please force Kia to make this a mandatory recall for all Hybrid owners. There are thousands of customers impacted.
NHTSA #11482634
Recall SA512 was previously completed on my vehicle. The problem is happening again. Since there are no open recalls, I am unable to get it fixed under the recall.
NHTSA #11673619
There is a malfunction in the vehicles.computer system that gives a warning about low coolant level for the hybrid battery. It's been been seen by the KIA dealer and the issue keeps arriving.
NHTSA #11632039
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Sorento Hybrid. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V703000 (Trailer Hitches); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
NHTSA #11511518
Vehicle has a constant, unresolved error reporting that Inverter Coolant level is abnormal. Occurs daily. Dealership is unable to determine whether it is an issue. Has been taken to the dealership 2 times in the last 3 months. The warning also occupies the dashboard screen and cannot be dismissed, preventing me from viewing any vehicle details (engine temperature, tire pressure, digital speedometer)
NHTSA #11475778
If your 2021 Kia Sorento has had repeated repairs for the same problem, you may have rights under California lemon law. Tell us about it and we will review your situation at no cost and no obligation.
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The recalls and complaints shown here are reported to NHTSA and are consumer-reported, unverified allegations. They do not establish that any defect exists in any individual vehicle, and nothing on this page should be read as asserting that the 2021 Kia Sorento is defective. Counts reflect items filed with NHTSA and may not be current. “May qualify” statements are general and do not mean any particular vehicle or owner qualifies.
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