Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.
The 2016 Kia Sorento has 1,254 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, with the engine the most-cited part at 695. It gets 19 to 24 mpg combined on gasoline and a 5-year fuel cost of $13,530 to $17,100 at U.S. average prices. NHTSA gives it 5 overall stars. NHTSA lists 8 recall campaigns that may apply, covering the trailer hitch, transmission and drivetrain, engine, and others.
Written by AI from public EPA and NHTSA data. Not a review.
Fuel economy
19–24 mpgcombined; city 17–21, highway 23–28; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$13,530–$17,100U.S. average; Ohio $12,090–$15,280 at local prices; every version of this model year; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026
NHTSA's VIN data lists these trims for the 2016 Sorento. A trim's engine and numbers are shown as its own only where EPA names versions after the trim and no other version could be it; "seen with" means a source shows that engine on the trim, not that it was the only one. Recalls and complaints cover the whole model year: whether a recall applies to a car depends on its VIN, on NHTSA's recall lookup.
Owners have filed 1,254 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Sorento. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.
Complaints by part of the car
Part
Complaints
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Engine
695
4
32
5
Unknown or other
165
2
10
1
Power train
126
6
4
5
Structure
111
2
4
2
Electrical system
107
3
8
2
Steering
80
2
1
0
Exterior lighting
67
1
0
0
Vehicle speed control
62
5
2
3
Fuel/propulsion system
53
0
8
3
Engine and engine cooling
30
0
1
0
Service brakes
23
1
1
0
Air bags
17
10
0
8
15 more parts
Visibility/wiper
16
0
0
0
Suspension
12
0
1
0
Trailer hitches
11
0
0
0
Seat belts
10
4
0
3
Electronic stability control (ESC)
9
1
1
0
Lane departure
7
0
0
0
Visibility
7
0
0
0
Seats
6
1
1
0
Wheels
6
0
0
0
Forward collision avoidance
5
0
0
0
Back over prevention
4
0
0
0
Fuel system, gasoline
3
0
1
0
Latches/locks/linkages
3
0
0
0
Firerelated
1
0
1
0
Parking brake
1
0
0
0
Complaints by model year
Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.
NHTSA lists 8 recall campaigns for the 2016 Sorento over its history. Campaigns are matched by model and year, so each one may apply to a given car, and its repair may already be done: check a VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup for the open recalls on that exact car.
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2016-2022 Sorento, 2021-2022 Sorento Hybrid (HEV), 2022-2023 Sorento Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV), and 2017-2022 Sportage vehicles equipped with a tow hitch harness installed as original equipment, or purchased as an accessory through a Kia dealership. Debris and moisture accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (PCB) may cause an electrical short, which can result in a fire.
Risk: A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
Remedy: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will inspect the vehicle, and, as necessary, replace the fuse and/or tow hitch harness module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 11, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC249.
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2016 Sedona and Sorento vehicles. The vehicles may have been manufactured with faulty automatic transmission shift lever assembly components, preventing the shift lever from locking, which can allow the vehicle to rollaway.
Risk: A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of a crash and injury.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the automatic transmission shift lever assembly components, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 7, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC246.
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2011-2017 Optima, 2012-2017 Sorento and 2011-2018 Sportage vehicles that previously received an engine replacement under recall number 17V-224, warranty, or the Knock Sensor Detection System (KSDS) Product Improvement Campaign. The high pressure fuel pipe that connects to the fuel pump outlet may have been damaged, misaligned or improperly torqued during the engine replacement procedure, possibly causing a fuel leak.
Risk: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Kia has notified owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the fuel pipe, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 17, 2019. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC172.
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Sorento vehicles manufactured October 27, 2014, to August 25, 2016, and 2017 Sportage vehicles manufactured December 10, 2015, to August 26, 2016. The affected vehicles are equipped with an accessory trailer hitch wiring harness that, due to a malfunction of the tow hitch module, may result in the trailer brake lights being constantly illuminated. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, " Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Risk: If the trailer brake lights stay illuminated while being used, other drivers may be confused, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the trailer tow hitch harness, free of charge. The recall began January 18, 2017. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC142.
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2016 Kia Sorento vehicles manufactured March 3, 2016 to March 21, 2016. The driver's seatback frame may have been produced with inadequate weld joints and, as a result, the seatback may not function as designed in the event of a rear-end collision.
Risk: In the event of a crash, the driver seatback frame could break and fail to restrain a seat occupant, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the welds and replace the driver seatback frame, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on December 9, 2016. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC140.
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2016 Sorento vehicles. A component of the rear suspension may not be properly welded.
Risk: The improper weld may break, affecting the rear suspension alignment, thereby increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the welds at the rear suspension cross-member, replacing the rear cross-member assembly, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began July 27, 2016. Owners may contact Kia Customer Service Department at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC137.
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2016 Kia Sorento vehicles manufactured October 23, 2014, to December 10, 2014. The affected vehicles have a front passenger seat belt whose buckle latch assembly may prevent the front passenger from fastening the seat belt.
Risk: If the front passenger seat belt cannot be latched, an occupant sitting in the front passenger seat has an increased risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Remedy: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger seat belt buckle cover, free of charge. The recall began on August 18, 2015. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC123.
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2016 Sorento vehicles manufactured October 27, 2014, to January 29, 2015. Due to an improperly soldered component in the accelerator pedal assembly, the driver may not be able to accelerate the vehicle.
Risk: If the vehicle is unable to be accelerated, there is an increased risk of a crash.
Remedy: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the accelerator assembly, free of charge. The recall began on February 19, 2015. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC115.
Carmakers sent NHTSA 275 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2016 Sorento, the latest on Sep 25, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.
The parts they mention most: electrical system (105), engine and engine cooling (73), equipment (58), engine (31), steering (27).
NHTSA defect investigations
Opening an investigation isn't a finding of a defect. Outcomes are as NHTSA's summary states them. A recall is shown as an investigation's outcome only where NHTSA's summary names it; other recalls NHTSA's file lists with it are marked as listed, not caused.
Investigation
Part
Opened
Status
Preliminary evaluation PE23019 Loss of Motive Power
The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2016 Sorento.
These are searches on those sites; we don't copy or check their listings. Your ZIP is used for these links and never kept.
Specs
EPA class: small sport utility vehicle. EPA greenhouse gas score: 4–5 out of 10. Each version EPA tested:
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Version
Engine
Transmission
Fuel
City / hwy / comb
Sorento Front-Wheel Drive
2.4 L, 4 cyl
Automatic (S6)
Regular Gasoline
21 / 28 / 24
Sorento Front-Wheel Drive
2.0 L, 4 cyl, turbo
Automatic (S6)
Regular Gasoline
20 / 27 / 23
Sorento All-Wheel Drive
2.4 L, 4 cyl
Automatic (S6)
Regular Gasoline
21 / 25 / 22
Sorento All-Wheel Drive
2.0 L, 4 cyl, turbo
Automatic (S6)
Regular Gasoline
19 / 25 / 21
Sorento Front-Wheel Drive
3.3 L, 6 cyl
Automatic (S6)
Regular Gasoline
18 / 25 / 20
Sorento All-Wheel Drive
3.3 L, 6 cyl
Automatic (S6)
Regular Gasoline
17 / 23 / 19
Sorento FE All-Wheel Drive
3.3 L, 6 cyl
Automatic (S6)
Regular Gasoline
18 / 25 / 21
Sources and dates
U.S. EPA fuel economy data, file of Sep 29, 2026
NHTSA owner complaints, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA recalls, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA manufacturer communications, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA defect investigations, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings, file of Aug 7, 2026
U.S. Energy Information Administration, file of Oct 12, 2026
Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data