Problems · by component
2025 Kia Sorento Hybrid engine problems
26 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2025 Kia Sorento Hybrid cite engine, 53% of all 49 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
26
53% of all complaints
Crashes
0
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
Reported by owners
What owners say about the engine
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“FAILED COMPONENT: Fuel rail pressure sensor (DTC P019100), 2025 Kia Sorento. Dealer (Kia of Glendale) replaced it XXX; the original part should be with the dealer or Kia. I have both repair orders and videos of two incidents. SAFETY RISK: On XXX, climbing a hill on [XXX], the car would not exceed ~14 mph. 5-10 minutes later, entering the freeway, it would not exceed ~12 mph. On XXX recurred: the car lurched, dropped from ~20 mph, surged to ~33 mph, then lost speed to 0. My wife pulled over and it shut off once stopped. Shortly after, it lost power on a hill and regained it with a lurch. Both on video. No crash, fire or injury. REPRODUCED/CONFIRMED BY DEALER: Not at first. I brought it in XXX and was told XXX that a 50-mile test drive found nothing, but the repair order shows 26,319 in and 26,321 out: 2 miles. It failed again XXX and was towed in. The dealer then pulled P019100 and replaced the sensor. That repair order says a road test was done but gives no distance (26,594 in, 26,602 out: 8 miles total). OTHER INSPECTIONS: Kia America consumer affairs reviewed my complaint and paperwork. No police or insurance involvement. WARNING LAMPS: None. No lights or…”
“October 27, 2026 while accelerating onto a major highway my hybrid SUV would not accelerate beyond 25-30 mph. Several trucks came up on me very quickly!! I pulled over and shut down the vehicle. I started it again and proceeded back on the highway, but still could not accelerate beyond 25-30. Once again, I felt I was at risk. I managed to get home (approx 3 miles) by driving at 30 mph with my 4 way flashers on. No check engine light came on, but I thought I heard a thumping or knocking under the hood. I had the vehicle towed to Fred Beans Kia Mechanicsburg, PA. They could not find anything wrong and are returning the vehicle as is. I have a complaint in with the service manager and am quite concerned.”
“The contact owns a 2025 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving 75 MPH, the vehicle experienced a slight loss of automotive power and the vehicle decelerated to 35 MPH. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the failure was not duplicated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 28,448.”
“I am submitting this complaint to report two separate incidents involving a sudden and significant loss of acceleration in my vehicle while merging onto the freeway. These incidents created dangerous driving conditions and placed both myself and my children at risk. First Incident – July 2026 In July 2026, my vehicle experienced a sudden loss of acceleration while I was merging onto the freeway. I was traveling uphill in a single-lane merge area with no shoulder available to pull over safely. During this incident, the vehicle would not accelerate beyond approximately 40 mph, and I was forced to maintain that speed for several miles. I had both of my children in the vehicle at the time. After merging onto the far-left lane of the freeway, I needed to cross four lanes of traffic to reach my exit. The vehicle's inability to accelerate normally created a significant safety hazard, as I had limited ability to keep pace with surrounding traffic or maneuver safely. Second Incident – October 2026 In October 2026, the issue occurred again while I was merging onto the freeway. I was unable to accelerate beyond approximately 69 mph. When I released the gas pedal, the…”
“XXX - 9:35am EST: Lost acceleration power while driving on interstate, hybrid battery rapidly depleted forcing gas engine to engage at high RPMs in effort to maintain speed and charge hybrid battery. Decelerated from 65mph to roughly 40 mph within 1 mile of traveling distance, resulting in maneuvering of car over to right hand shoulder to park in the middle of [XXX] between [XXX] and [XXX]. Called [XXX] dispatch to request unit to park behind vehicle with emergency lights on to make other drivers aware while tow truck was called. While having the engine on and awaiting tow truck, vehicle dashboard displayed 'Check Hybrid System' warning message and began idling at lower RPMs than usual while gas engine was running. Vehicle towed XXX at 10:40am to local Kia dealership for serving, as vehicle was under full warranty. As of XXX, dealership has yet to conduct diagnostics, noting during drop off of keys that only (1) technician certified to work on BEVs and HEVs was employed full-time by the dealership service department. Dealership has yet to reach out for additional information, option of courtesy vehicle, or to offer assistance with submission of claim for rental…”
“My 2025 Kia Sorento Hybrid SX-Prestige has repeated issues with the engine and drive train. On December 30th, 2025 it was diagnosed with a blocked breather hose sensor, causing the check engine light to come on. On July 1, 2026, the car rapidly decelerated while driving on the highway (limp mode), creating an unsafe condition, with an alert to charge the battery. The car also seemed to struggle getting up to speed, and shifted gears less smoothly, and at higher engine RPMs than it had previously. The deceleration behavior was confirmed by the Kia Technician. On July 21st, 2026, the car again rapidly decelerated while driving on the highway (limp mode), creating another unsafe condition, but no alert to charge the battery was received. This time the fuel rail pressure sensor was replaced. The car is now sitting in my driveway, completely dead. I drove it 2 days ago, and nothing appeared amiss. Yesterday morning, the doors would not unlock using either key fob, so I used the physical key to enter the car. It would not start. My husband measured the voltage from the battery terminal (inside the fuse box under the hood) to the bolt on the wheel strut at ~3 Volts.…”
Showing 6 of 26 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 11, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.