Your vehicle report
2006 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
- 242
- Received Aug 2006 to Dec 2022
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Headlights dim or fail at night33 complaints · 14% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Engine stalls and loses power while driving22 complaints · 9.1% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Serpentine belt breaks or slips off15 complaints · 6.2% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #09V130000Huyndai-kia is recalling 139,844 my 2006-2007- sedona, sportage, sorento and my rondo and amanti vehicles. The stop lamp switch in the affected vehicles may malfunction. A malfunctioning stop lamp switch may cause the brake lights to not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed or may cause the brake lights to remain illuminated when the brake pedal is released. A stop lamp switch malfunction may also affect the operation of the brake-transmission shift interlock feature so the transmission shifter would not be able to be shifted out of the park position. It may also cause the electronic stability control (ESC) malfunction light to illuminate, and it may not deactivate the cruise control when the brake pedal is depressed.
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: 12 crashes, 8 fires, 14 people injured, 0 deaths.
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 16 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
Electrical & lights
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 |
|---|---|
| 2006 | 5 |
| 2007 | 6 |
| 2008 | 10 |
| 2009 | 14 |
| 2010 | 9 |
| 2011 | 39 |
| 2012 | 15 |
| 2013 | 20 |
| 2014 | 43 |
| 2015 | 35 |
| 2016 | 17 |
| 2017 | 6 |
| 2018 | 5 |
| 2019 | 5 |
| 2020 | 6 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 6 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 0 |
| Total | 242 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Headlights dim or fail at night | 33 | 14% | – | |
| Engine stalls and loses power while driving | 22 | 9.1% | – | |
| Serpentine belt breaks or slips off | 15 | 6.2% | – | |
| Tail light sockets melt and burn | 10 | 4.1% | – | |
| Airbag warning light stays on | 8 | 3.3% | – | |
| Frame rusts and corrodes through | 8 | 3.3% | – | |
| Power steering cuts out while driving | 8 | 3.3% | – | |
| Front brake rotors warp and wear early | 8 | 3.3% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 7 | 2.9% | – | |
| Fuel tank or line leaks gasoline | 6 | 2.5% | – | |
| Vehicle catches fire from wiring | 6 | 2.5% | – | |
| Steering wheel seizes or locks suddenly | 6 | 2.5% | – | |
| Timing chain fails and destroys engine | 5 | 2.1% | – | |
| Head gasket leaks coolant into engine | 4 | 1.7% | – | |
| Steering wheel shakes violently at highway speed | 3 | 1.2% | – | |
| Manual clutch wears out or fails early | 3 | 1.2% | – |
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 #09V130000April 17, 2009139,844 vehicles affected
exterior lighting: brake lights: switch
Huyndai-kia is recalling 139,844 my 2006-2007- sedona, sportage, Sorento and my rondo and amanti vehicles. The stop lamp switch in the affected vehicles may malfunction. A malfunctioning stop lamp switch may cause the brake lights to not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed or may cause the brake lights to remain illuminated when the brake pedal is released. A stop lamp switch malfunction may also affect the operation of the brake-transmission shift interlock feature so the transmission shifter would not be able to be shifted out of the park position. It may also cause the electronic stability control (ESC) malfunction light to illuminate, and it may not deactivate the cruise control when the brake pedal is depressed.
Any of these malfunctions, alone or in combination, may lead to a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the stop lamp switch free of charge. The recall began on june 17, 2009. Owners may contact kia's consumer assistance center 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 2006 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