NHTSA Safety Recalls
2012 Kia Sorento Recalls
The 2012 Kia Sorento has 5 NHTSA safety recalls on file, the newest reported on September 25, 2023.
A recall covers a range of VINs, not every 2012 Kia Sorento. Whether a recall on your own car is still open shows only on a VIN check; recall repairs are free.
- Recalls
- 5
- Owner complaints
- 880
- Crashes reported
- 21
- NHTSA crash test
- ★★★★☆
NHTSA campaigns
filed with NHTSA
77 fires
overall, 5 stars max
On a 2012 Kia Sorento, the 17-character VIN is on the driver-side dashboard, visible through the windshield, or on the door jamb sticker.
5 recalls on the 2012 Kia Sorento
Service brakes, hydraulic: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip: control unit/module
- Campaign
- 23V652000
- Reported
- September 25, 2023
- Vehicles affected
- up to 1,730,192
- Risk NHTSA names
- fire and injury
- NHTSA advisory
- park outside, away from buildings
- Same campaign
- also 2011, 2013–2014 Sorento, 11 other models
Engine
- Campaign
- 20V750000
- Reported
- December 2, 2020
- Vehicles affected
- up to 294,756
- Risk NHTSA names
- fire and injury
- Same campaign
- also 2013 Sorento, 5 other models
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
- Campaign
- 18V907000
- Reported
- December 19, 2018
- Vehicles affected
- up to 71,653
- Risk NHTSA names
- fire
- Same campaign
- also 2013–2017 Sorento, 2 other models
Engine and engine cooling: engine
- Campaign
- 17V224000
- Reported
- March 31, 2017
- Vehicles affected
- up to 618,160
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2013–2014 Sorento, 2 other models
Power train: automatic transmission
- Campaign
- 15V626000
- Reported
- October 6, 2015
- Vehicles affected
- up to 377,062
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Federal standard
- FMVSS 114, theft protection and rollaway prevention
- Same campaign
- also 2011, 2013 Sorento
2012 Kia Sorento complaints by year
NHTSA has received 880 owner complaints about the 2012 Kia Sorento, the newest on September 22, 2026. Of these, 21 describe a crash (2%) and 77 a fire; owners reported 36 injuries.
In complaints about the 2012 Kia Sorento, the component group named most often is the engine (52%), followed by the electrical system (14%) and the air bags (9%).
1 of the 2012 Kia Sorento's 5 recalls also concerns the engine.
Where 2012 Kia Sorento owners gave the mileage (601 complaints), the median was 90,000 miles.
Component groups named in complaints
- Engine461
- Electrical System127
- Air Bags81
- Unknown Or Other81
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic69
- Exterior Lighting60
Complaints received, by year
| 2011 | 7 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 27 | |
| 2013 | 29 | |
| 2014 | 53 | |
| 2015 | 32 | |
| 2016 | 44 | |
| 2017 | 86 | |
| 2018 | 109 | |
| 2019 | 138 | |
| 2020 | 60 | |
| 2021 | 65 | |
| 2022 | 39 | |
| 2023 | 60 | |
| 2024 | 91 | |
| 2025 | 20 | |
| 2026 | 20 |
Complaints about the 2012 Kia Sorento peaked in 2019, when NHTSA received 138. 17% arrived between 2011 and 2015, the model year's first years on the road.
Adjusted for how many complaints NHTSA received about all 2012 vehicles, the 2012 Kia Sorento drew 1.5× the complaints of the median Kia Sorento year in the same window: 5th highest of the 19 ranked years.
NHTSA crash-test stars
- Overall: ★★★★☆
- Frontal: 4/5
- Side: 5/5
- Rollover: 4/5
The 880 complaints about the 2012 Kia Sorento are unverified owner reports, and a model sold in large numbers collects more of them.
Kia Sorento by model year
Other 2012 Kia models
Newest record on this page: September 22, 2026. Data: NHTSA recall and owner-complaint files. How these figures are counted