Your vehicle report
2004 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
- 220
- Received Jan 2004 to Dec 2021
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Frame rusts and corrodes through33 complaints · 15% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Engine stalls and loses power while driving24 complaints · 11% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Head gasket leaks coolant into engine12 complaints · 5.5% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
No recalls naming this model year are listed in this data. This does not establish that your vehicle is free of safety problems.
View recall detailsBrakeNews 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: 11 crashes, 12 fires, 16 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 19 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
- Steering wheel seizes or locks suddenly
- Power steering cuts out while driving
- Tires blow out or tread separates
1 more problem
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 |
|---|---|
| 2004 | 11 |
| 2005 | 4 |
| 2006 | 2 |
| 2007 | 18 |
| 2008 | 20 |
| 2009 | 8 |
| 2010 | 11 |
| 2011 | 19 |
| 2012 | 14 |
| 2013 | 23 |
| 2014 | 21 |
| 2015 | 20 |
| 2016 | 21 |
| 2017 | 5 |
| 2018 | 10 |
| 2019 | 9 |
| 2020 | 3 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 0 |
| Total | 220 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frame rusts and corrodes through | 33 | 15% | – | |
| Engine stalls and loses power while driving | 24 | 11% | – | |
| Head gasket leaks coolant into engine | 12 | 5.5% | – | |
| Serpentine belt breaks or slips off | 11 | 5.0% | – | |
| Vehicle catches fire from wiring | 9 | 4.1% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 7 | 3.2% | – | |
| Steering wheel seizes or locks suddenly | 5 | 2.3% | – | |
| Power steering cuts out while driving | 5 | 2.3% | – | |
| Fuel tank or line leaks gasoline | 4 | 1.8% | – | |
| Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips | 4 | 1.8% | – | |
| Airbag warning light stays on | 3 | 1.4% | – | |
| Transfer case shifts into 4-wheel drive unexpectedly | 3 | 1.4% | – | |
| Tires blow out or tread separates | 3 | 1.4% | – | |
| Headlights dim or fail at night | 3 | 1.4% | – | |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 3 | 1.4% | – | |
| Timing chain fails and destroys engine | 3 | 1.4% | – | |
| Suspension clunking or rattling noise over bumps | 3 | 1.4% | – | |
| Engine knocking from rod or main bearings | 3 | 1.4% | – | |
| Front brake rotors warp and wear early | 3 | 1.4% | – |
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
No safety recalls naming the 2004 Kia Sorento are listed in the data through October 2026. Check your VIN with NHTSA for current information; an empty list is not a safety assessment.
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 2004 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