The 2021 Kia Sorento Hybrid has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 88,086 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 29 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the engine. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
TRAILER HITCHES22V7030002022-09-1970,887 affected
Defect
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…
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…
SEAT BELTS22V4470002022-06-2317,199 affected
Defect
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.
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…
Complaints by component
ENGINE
10
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
9
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
6
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE
1
TRAILER HITCHES
1
Total complaints29
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“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.”
“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.”
“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…”
“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…”
“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…”
“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.”
“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.”
“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…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationDP22005 Opened 2023-01-27 · closed 2023-08-07
Pedestrian alert sounds
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2021 Kia Sorento Hybrid as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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