NHTSA Safety Recalls
2003 Kia Sorento Recalls
The 2003 Kia Sorento has 1 NHTSA safety recall on file, the newest reported on August 4, 2005.
A recall covers a range of VINs, not every 2003 Kia Sorento. Whether a recall on your own car is still open shows only on a VIN check; recall repairs are free.
- Recalls
- 1
- Owner complaints
- 305
- Crashes reported
- 10
- NHTSA crash test
- ★★★★☆
NHTSA campaigns
filed with NHTSA
3 fires
frontal crash, no overall star before 2011
On a 2003 Kia Sorento, the 17-character VIN is on the driver-side dashboard, visible through the windshield, or on the door jamb sticker.
1 recall on the 2003 Kia Sorento
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
- Campaign
- 05V353000
- Reported
- August 4, 2005
- Vehicles affected
- up to 2,935
- Risk NHTSA names
- fire
- Same campaign
- only the 2003 Kia Sorento
2003 Kia Sorento complaints by year
NHTSA has received 305 owner complaints about the 2003 Kia Sorento, the newest on March 20, 2025. Of these, 10 describe a crash (3%) and 3 a fire; owners reported 12 injuries and 1 death.
In complaints about the 2003 Kia Sorento, the component group named most often is the engine and engine cooling (27%), followed by the engine (14%) and the fuel system, gasoline (13%).
The 2003 Kia Sorento's only recall also concerns the fuel system, gasoline.
Where 2003 Kia Sorento owners gave the mileage (242 complaints), the median was 74,000 miles.
Component groups named in complaints
- Engine And Engine Cooling81
- Engine43
- Fuel System, Gasoline41
- Fuel/Propulsion System34
- Steering31
- Air Bags30
Complaints received, by year
| 2002 | 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 11 | |
| 2004 | 17 | |
| 2005 | 13 | |
| 2006 | 28 | |
| 2007 | 35 | |
| 2008 | 18 | |
| 2009 | 24 | |
| 2010 | 17 | |
| 2011 | 21 | |
| 2012 | 23 | |
| 2013 | 15 | |
| 2014 | 26 | |
| 2015 | 23 | |
| 2016 | 13 | |
| 2017 | 11 | |
| 2018 | 3 | |
| 2019 | 4 | |
| 2025 | 1 |
Complaints about the 2003 Kia Sorento peaked in 2007, when NHTSA received 35. 23% arrived between 2002 and 2006, the model year's first years on the road.
Adjusted for how many complaints NHTSA received about all 2003 vehicles, the 2003 Kia Sorento drew 0.7× the complaints of the median Kia Sorento year in the same window: 12th highest of the 19 ranked years.
NHTSA crash-test stars
- Overall: none before 2011
- Frontal: 4/5
- Side: 5/5
- Rollover: 3/5
The 305 complaints about the 2003 Kia Sorento are unverified owner reports, and a model sold in large numbers collects more of them.
Kia Sorento by model year
Other 2003 Kia models
Newest record on this page: March 20, 2025. Data: NHTSA recall and owner-complaint files. How these figures are counted