Your vehicle report
2003 Kia Sorento
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 305
- Received Dec 2002 to Mar 2025
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Fuel tank or line leaks gasoline54 complaints · 18% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Engine stalls and loses power while driving26 complaints · 8.5% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Serpentine belt breaks or slips off19 complaints · 6.2% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #05V353000Certain sport utility vehicles may experience a fuel leak from fuel tubes near the fuel tank due to an interference fit with the vehicle floor panel.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 10 crashes, 3 fires, 12 people injured, 1 death.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 20 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
Electrical & lights
1 more problem
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2002 | 2 |
| 2003 | 11 |
| 2004 | 17 |
| 2005 | 13 |
| 2006 | 28 |
| 2007 | 35 |
| 2008 | 18 |
| 2009 | 24 |
| 2010 | 17 |
| 2011 | 21 |
| 2012 | 23 |
| 2013 | 15 |
| 2014 | 26 |
| 2015 | 23 |
| 2016 | 13 |
| 2017 | 11 |
| 2018 | 3 |
| 2019 | 4 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 0 |
| Total | 305 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel tank or line leaks gasoline | 54 | 18% | – | NHTSA recall #05V353000 |
| Engine stalls and loses power while driving | 26 | 8.5% | – | |
| Serpentine belt breaks or slips off | 19 | 6.2% | – | |
| Airbag warning light stays on | 12 | 3.9% | – | |
| Head gasket leaks coolant into engine | 12 | 3.9% | – | |
| Front brake rotors warp and wear early | 10 | 3.3% | – | |
| Headlights dim or fail at night | 8 | 2.6% | – | |
| Power steering cuts out while driving | 8 | 2.6% | – | |
| Frame rusts and corrodes through | 7 | 2.3% | – | |
| Steering wheel shakes violently at highway speed | 7 | 2.3% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 6 | 2.0% | – | |
| Brake pedal sinks due to leaking lines | 5 | 1.6% | – | |
| Timing chain fails and destroys engine | 5 | 1.6% | – | |
| Check engine light comes on repeatedly | 5 | 1.6% | – | |
| Vehicle catches fire from wiring | 4 | 1.3% | – | |
| Tail light sockets melt and burn | 4 | 1.3% | – | |
| Horn fails with airbag warning light | 3 | 1.0% | – | |
| Steering wheel seizes or locks suddenly | 3 | 1.0% | – | |
| Fuel pump fails and engine stalls | 3 | 1.0% | – | |
| Engine knocking from rod or main bearings | 3 | 1.0% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #05V353000August 4, 20052,935 vehicles affected
fuel system, gasoline: delivery: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
Certain sport utility vehicles may experience a fuel leak from fuel tubes near the fuel tank due to an interference fit with the vehicle floor panel.
Fuel leakage, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire.
Remedy
Dealers will replace a section of the fuel line. The recall began on october 10, 2005. Owners may contact Kia at 1-800-333-4542.
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 2003 Kia Sorento.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN