KIA SORENTO HYBRID

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:BODY CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWARE

Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Sorento, 2025 Sorento Hybrid, and 2025 Sorento Plug-In Hybrid vehicles. A software error in the Body Domain Control Unit (BDC) may cause a loss of low beam headlights and taillights. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."

Risk: A loss of headlights and taillights can reduce visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.

BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA

Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2022-2023 Sorento, Sorento Hybrid, and Sorento Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) vehicles. The mounting clips for the rearview camera may break, which can cause the rearview camera image not to appear properly on the display. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."

Risk: A rearview camera that does not properly display an image can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.

SEAT BELTS:FRONT

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.

Risk: An exploding seat belt pretensioner can project metal fragments into the vehicle, striking vehicle occupants and resulting in injury.

TRAILER HITCHES

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.

Risk: A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Driving on highway car would suddenly lose power.it has happened 7 times. 4 times the car told you to get off road pull to sideband leave engine running to have battery recharge.after doing this sometimes it would allow you to continue.not always sometimes would continue to have no power. car has been to 2 dealerships nothing resolved yet. they tell me to wait.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

Driving on highway car would suddenly lose power.it has happened 7 times. 4 times the car told you to get off road pull to sideband leave engine running to have battery recharge.after doing this sometimes it would allow you to continue.not always sometimes would continue to have no power. car has been to 2 dealerships nothing resolved yet. they tell me to wait.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Driving on highway car would suddenly lose power.it has happened 7 times. 4 times the car told you to get off road pull to sideband leave engine running to have battery recharge.after doing this sometimes it would allow you to continue.not always sometimes would continue to have no power. car has been to 2 dealerships nothing resolved yet. they tell me to wait.

ENGINE

While driving my 2025 Kia Sorento SX Hybrid on a normal hot day, I experienced a sudden and dangerous loss of power. I had briefly exited the freeway to pick up my children and left the vehicle running. After re-entering the freeway, the car failed to accelerate despite pressing the gas pedal to the floor. It felt stuck in first gear, with the engine revving but no response. The hybrid battery showed nearly empty, and the car would not switch properly between electric and gas modes. A warning appeared instructing me to “park the car and leave the engine on to charge the battery,” which I did. After idling for several minutes, I slowly drove—with hazards on and speed under 25 mph—to the nearest Kia dealer 1.5 miles away. This incident could have been catastrophic if it occurred while merging into traffic. The dealer has been unable to replicate the issue and is offering no fix. This was a sudden hybrid system failure with no warning lights or prior symptoms. It severely affected drivability and put my family at risk. After researching, I found that multiple other owners of 2025 Kia Sorento Hybrids have reported similar power loss incidents since May 2025, especially during warm weather. This is a serious safety issue. A car that unexpectedly loses propulsion—especially while merging or accelerating—can cause a major crash. I urge NHTSA to investigate this defect in the hybrid system and issue guidance or a recall before someone is injured or killed.

POWER TRAIN

While driving my 2025 Kia Sorento SX Hybrid on a normal hot day, I experienced a sudden and dangerous loss of power. I had briefly exited the freeway to pick up my children and left the vehicle running. After re-entering the freeway, the car failed to accelerate despite pressing the gas pedal to the floor. It felt stuck in first gear, with the engine revving but no response. The hybrid battery showed nearly empty, and the car would not switch properly between electric and gas modes. A warning appeared instructing me to “park the car and leave the engine on to charge the battery,” which I did. After idling for several minutes, I slowly drove—with hazards on and speed under 25 mph—to the nearest Kia dealer 1.5 miles away. This incident could have been catastrophic if it occurred while merging into traffic. The dealer has been unable to replicate the issue and is offering no fix. This was a sudden hybrid system failure with no warning lights or prior symptoms. It severely affected drivability and put my family at risk. After researching, I found that multiple other owners of 2025 Kia Sorento Hybrids have reported similar power loss incidents since May 2025, especially during warm weather. This is a serious safety issue. A car that unexpectedly loses propulsion—especially while merging or accelerating—can cause a major crash. I urge NHTSA to investigate this defect in the hybrid system and issue guidance or a recall before someone is injured or killed.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

The contact owns a 2025 Kia Sorento Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The message "Check Fluids. Fluids Are Low" was displayed. The contact stated that the vehicle was able to restart but failed to respond upon depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that an inverter coolant component had sustained a hole from a pebble or a bug, causing the coolant leak. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 2,000.

SEAT BELTS

I took my car into Winn Kia dealership in Fremont, Ca to have my recall completed which entailed seat belts and airbags. They claimed to have completed the recall and gave me my car back a few days later. A month or so later, they called and ask me to bring my car in so they could complete. After back and forth, they couldn’t confirm if the recalls were done and advised I take it to another sister dealership which I did. I took it to Dublin Kia and they confirmed via email that Wynn Kia in fremont, Ca did not connect my seatbelts and air bags properly - they stated they missed that step when completing the recalls. I drove my car around with my 2 year old daughter niece and nephew in the car for over a month without seatbelts and airbags connected without knowing.

AIR BAGS

I took my car into Winn Kia dealership in Fremont, Ca to have my recall completed which entailed seat belts and airbags. They claimed to have completed the recall and gave me my car back a few days later. A month or so later, they called and ask me to bring my car in so they could complete. After back and forth, they couldn’t confirm if the recalls were done and advised I take it to another sister dealership which I did. I took it to Dublin Kia and they confirmed via email that Wynn Kia in fremont, Ca did not connect my seatbelts and air bags properly - they stated they missed that step when completing the recalls. I drove my car around with my 2 year old daughter niece and nephew in the car for over a month without seatbelts and airbags connected without knowing.

ENGINE

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)