Problems · by component
2015 Kia Sorento steering problems
33 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2015 Kia Sorento cite steering, 4% of all 755 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
33
4% of all complaints
Crashes
5
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
10
Reported by owners
What owners say about the steering
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“The contact owns a 2015 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal popping sound coming from the steering column. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the steering column became severely loose, and the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The vehicle was restarted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and the contact was informed that the steering column might have failed and needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the mechanic had not completed a full diagnostic test on the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The approximate failure mileage was 76,289.”
“The contact owns a 2015 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving 2- 4 MPH on a bumpy driveway, the front end of the vehicle and the steering started shuddering violently. Additionally, the contact had noticed that the steering wheel was abnormally loose, and there was significant play in the steering wheel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the contact was informed that the steering coupler had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.”
“The contact owns a 2015 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the brakes locked up, the steering seized, and the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that there were several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact was barely able to pull off the highway. The contact was not able to restart the vehicle. The contact had the vehicle towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine had seized and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.”
“My car has been giving me problems for about three months now and we’ve changed about four or five parts on the engine/transmission and it’s still acting up. We’ve called the Kia dealership several times to alleviate the problem but they are giving us the runaround about the three recalls that pulled up for the 2015 Kia Sorrento and they saying that we have to pay $150 for diagnostic per recall, which I don’t understand that if it’s not our fault then they should cover the diagnostic and the recall. We’ve contacted them on several occasions about the situation with my brake lights being on after I turn my car off and they stay on until my battery is almost dead. They don’t want to fix the HECU I believe the electric short that Kia have been experiencing. This car is the worst car I’ve ever had. I’ve never had to experience anything close to what I’m experiencing with Kia. They are an absolute disgrace it’s almost like they’re trying to pocket diagnostic money for themselves because there’s no way I have to pay almost $500 for three recalls, that’s no fault of our own. If I had the money to get another car, I would. They told us that we can trade it in if we…”
“The contact owns a 2015 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed a popping sound coming from the steering column. The contact stated that the failure occurred while making a turn. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent at first but had become a persistent failure. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a fractured steering column. The contact was informed that the steering column needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. In addition, the contact stated that the independent mechanic had not provided a full diagnostic report. The contact was informed that the steering column needed to be disassembled to be able to provide a complete diagnostic report. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 88,000.”
“Rear Coupler parts. Yes it is available for inspection on request. My safety was put at risk, #1 the rear wheels lock when turning, and makes a horrendous noise whilst turning. I live in a snowy state so this is very dangerous to have wheels lock up and have tires shredded. This is my third set of wheels as we just figured out the issue (coupler) this could cause accidents and hurt/injure/cause serious bodily harm to others. I have tried reaching out to the dealership but they said it is out of warranty and the dealership gave an outrageous quote. They have not inspected it but it has been reported to them. The vehicle has been inspected by a mechanic and confirmed it is the coupler, while steering and shredding the tires. There were no lights or warning signals, it just happened while turning.”
Showing 6 of 33 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 3, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.