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247 owner complaints and 2 active recall campaigns on file. Here's the breakdown — what's serious, what's noise, what a working mechanic would actually do about it.
Solid reliability overall. Common issues are concentrated in a few systems.
Worth owning if you verify the specific issues below before you buy.
Our read of the federal NHTSA complaint and recall record for this exact year and model — not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection. How we score.
Car headlamps shut off when car is in motion, first noticed when driving at night as lights were in auto setting and the dashboard shows the light setting change and the lights outside changing as well with nothing being touched. Lights have completely shut off about 5 times…
I am experiencing a serious issue with my 2018 Kia Sorento AWD related to the AWD coupling. During normal driving, the vehicle does not perform as expected, and the AWD system feels compromised, making the car unsafe and unreliable. While the vehicle doesn’t stall, it struggles…
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was heavy white smoke coming from the exhaust pipes. There was no warning light illuminated. Upon taking the vehicle to an independent mechanic for an oil change, the contact was…
Having intermittent issues with the headlights turning of while driving at night. The headlights were set on "Auto". I have had this happen multiple times! Went to local dealer to report the problem & was told that they would have to drive it at night to replicate the issue.…
Drag to your current mileage. Numbers are derived from this vehicle's complaint history.
If the steering column separates, it can cause a loss of steering ability, increasing the risk of a crash.
If the component detaches during deployment, it may enter the passenger compartment and be a projectile within the vehicle cabin, increasing the risk of injury.
Mostly yes. With a reliability score of 7.0 out of 10 based on 247 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2018 Kia Sorento is generally a sound vehicle. The areas to watch are listed in the top problem section above — most are budget items, not deal-breakers.
The 2018 Kia Sorento is acceptable, with specific caveats. Worth owning if you verify the specific issues below before you buy. The record behind that call: Electrical system: 28 complaints, classified severe, failures cluster 26,000–61,000 mi; Reliability score 7.0/10 — around the segment average; 2 recall campaigns on file. This is our read of the federal complaint and recall data — not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection.
Based on NHTSA records, the most-reported issue is engine, with 81 complaints filed. Typical failure occurs around 80,408 miles. Average repair cost runs about $3,100 at an independent shop.
The airbags is one of the costlier repair items. Average repair cost runs about $1,100 at an independent shop. Typical failure occurs around 51,617 miles. Catching early warning signs can sometimes extend life by 20–30,000 miles.
Paste your VIN into the decoder at the top of this page. We pull live from NHTSA, so you'll see exactly which campaigns apply to your vehicle and whether the dealer has logged the fix. Recall repairs are always free regardless of mileage or warranty status.
Math is straightforward: a quality service contract runs $1,800–3,500 over 3 years. With 247 complaints on file and the costliest repair averaging $1,100, one major failure more than pays for it. The catch is reading the contract — many providers exclude wear items and require pre-authorization, so cheaper plans are not always better value.