On XXX, during a 13 hour return trip from [XXX], while traveling at speeds of approximately 80 mph on the interstate in mountainous terrain with my family in the vehicle, the instrument cluster displayed a message instructing me to stop driving and take the vehicle to service due to a battery problem. After the message cleared, a warning light remained illuminated until the vehicle was shut off and restarted. This occurred three separate times during that trip, beginning approximately five hours from home. I attempted to reach a Kia dealership in [XXX], and was unable to get anyone on the phone. Having no alternative, I continued driving home. On XXX, during a two and a half hour highway drive on flat terrain, the vehicle displayed "Battery system hot: switching to HEV mode." Separately, and for several months, charging at home on a Level 1 charger repeatedly stops approximately ten minutes into the session. A check engine light appears and clears after two restarts. The vehicle was at an authorized Kia dealership from XXX, for fifteen days. Their scan at 90,776 miles found diagnostic trouble code P1B9700, High Voltage Battery Temperature Deviation, stored in the Battery Management System with freeze frame data captured. The dealership drove the vehicle 387 miles, primarily in EV mode in 40 mile increments, and returned it with the notation "no repairs attempted at this time, unable to duplicate concern at this time." No Kia Techline case was opened and no field technical specialist was involved. The freeze frame data has not been provided to me despite written requests. The dealership described its procedure as clearing the history code before attempting to duplicate the concern. No repair has been performed. The vehicle remains in daily use by my wife. Kia Consumer Affairs case 26352951 is open. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The worst 2022 Kia Sorento PHEV problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Transmission9
- Electrical7
- Engine5
- Brakes3
- Driver assistance3
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Transmission9
- Electrical7
- Engine5
- Brakes3
- Driver assistance3
- Fuel system2
- Seat belts2
- Acceleration1
- Body1
- Visibility1
Recalls 5
Back over prevention: sensing system: camera
- What is wrong
- Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2022-2023 Sorento, Sorento Hybrid, and Sorento Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) vehicles. The mounting clips for the rearview camera may break, which can cause the rearview camera image not to appear properly on the display. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
- Risk
- A rearview camera that does not properly display an image can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and replace the rearview camera housing, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 27, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1‑800‑333‑4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC280.
Recall number 23V610000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: storage: tank assembly
- What is wrong
- Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2022 Sorento Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV) vehicles. The fuel tank may have been improperly molded, which can result in a fuel leak.
- Risk
- A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.
- Remedy
- Deales will inspect and replace the fuel tank, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 22, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1‑800‑333‑4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC261.
Recall number 23V027000 · Recall details
Trailer hitches
- What is wrong
- 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.
Recall number 22V703000 · Recall details
Seat belts: pretensioner
- What is wrong
- Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Sorento Hybrid and 2022 Sorento Plug-in Hybrid vehicles. In the event of a crash, the front driver-side and/or passenger-side seat belt pretensioner(s) may explode upon deployment.
- Risk
- An exploding seat belt pretensioner can project metal fragments into the vehicle, striking vehicle occupants and resulting in injury.
- Remedy
- Dealers will secure the seat belt pretensioners with a cap, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 17, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1‑800‑333‑4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC241. This recall expands and replaces the federal safety agency recall number 22V‑127. Vehicles already repaired under the previous recall will need to have the new remedy completed.
Recall number 22V447000 · Recall details
Seat belts: front
- What is wrong
- Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2022 Sorento Hybrid and Sorento Plug-in Hybrid vehicles. In the event of a crash, the front driver-side and/or passenger-side seat belt pretensioner(s) may explode upon deployment.
- Risk
- An exploding seat belt pretensioner can project metal fragments into the vehicle, striking vehicle occupants and resulting in injury.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the seatbelt pretensioner(s), free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 3, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1‑800‑333‑4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC231. This recall is replaced by the federal safety agency recall number 22V‑447. Vehicles already repaired under this recall will need to have the new remedy completed.
Recall number 22V127000 · Recall details
See all 5 recalls for the 2022 Kia Sorento PHEV
Defect investigations
Pedestrian alert sounds
the federal safety agency received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, the federal safety agency opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified the federal safety agency he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by the federal safety agency regarding the subject matter of the petition.
DP22005
Seat Belt Pretensioners May Rupture
On August 8, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this Recall Query (RQ) based on 3 incidents alleging front seat belt pretensioners that may rupture during deployment, on model year (MY) 2020-2022 of various Hyundai and Kia Models, resulting in 3 injuries (note: one incident occurred outside the U.S. and its territories).Between October 2021 and March 2023, Hyundai and Kia have filed the following 11 safety recalls for pretensioner rupture: the federal safety agency Recall No. 21V‑796, 22V‑069, 22V‑123, 22V‑127, 22V‑218, 22V‑354, 22V‑447, 22V‑458, 22V‑816, 23V‑094, and 23V‑210.Hyundai/Kia have stated that the abnormal deployment of the pretensioners is due to over-pressurization of the pretensioner pipe that can cause metal fragments to enter the vehicle occupant compartment, which can result in injury to vehicle occupants.The various makes/models covered by the above recalls include approximately 405,900 certain 2020-2022 Hyundai Accent, 2021-2022 Hyundai Elantra and Elantra HEV, 2021-2022 Hyundai Santa Fe HEV, 2022-2023 Hyundai Santa Fe PHEV, 2020-2022 Hyundai Venue, 2021-2023 Genesis G80, 2023 Genesis G80 EV, 2023 Genesis G90, 2023 Genesis GV60 EV, 2022-2023 Genesis GV70, 2021-2023 Genesis GV80, 2021-2022 Kia Sorento HEV, and 2022 Kia Sorento PHEV.In response to ODI's investigation, in December 2022, Hyundai notified ODI that they would be conducting testing to validate subject vehicle seat belt pretensioners. This evaluation included sled testing and software testing which was performed by Hyundai and its suppliers. The tests were intended to evaluate pretensioner deployment characteristics based on the unique deployment signature of the subject and peer vehicles. ODI met with representatives from Hyundai on several occasions during the investigation to discuss testing progress and data. As a result of the testing, Hyundai was able to simulate the pretensioner failures. It was determined by Hyundai during testing, the front driver-side and/or passenger-side seat belt pretensioners may explode upon deployment in the event of a crash which can cause metal fragments to enter the vehicle occupant compartment.Hyundai thus notified ODI of their decision to proceed with a safety recall, to expand the scope of the previous safety actions.In view of the recall actions taken by Hyundai and Kia, ODI concerns have been addressed. The agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances.
RQ22003
Technical service bulletins for the 2022 Kia Sorento PHEV 50
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Owner notification (WTY042)
- Dealer principal memo (WTY042)
- Dealer parts & service manager memo (WTY042)
- Question and answer (WTY042)
- Reimbursement form (WTY042)
- Partial repair – electrical a/c compressor
- Infotainment system software update using update.kia.com
- Infotainment software update procedure
- AVN5.0W DTC P17A000 daignostic procedure
- Technical service bulletin: horn assembly inspection and replacement (WTY042)
What 2022 Kia Sorento PHEV owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Engine wiring is covered in soy based products which attract rodents as a source of food. Rodents then chew various wires and damage the electrical system. The check engine light has popped on twice in one year with both times requiring service repair for the chewed wires. There is a potential for electrical fires or other various failures due to rodents chewing through the wires. Kia has known about this problem for over a decade and continues to use soy based coverings in their engine without any mitigation for rodents.
The drive train and motor slow to a near stop in traffic when trying to clear a lane and makes it very dangerouos for other traffic to have to wait for me to clear a lane. There is something wrong and we complained about this before the warranty ran out, but they could not find anything. The car stops in traffic unexpectedly. I am not sure if sensors are causing this or what, but it has put me in danger of collision many times. We have to plan an exceedingly long time to pull into traffic so we don't get run over. Anti slip also doesn't turn off even though it says it is off. The car will slip a little bit and then shut the motor down to a crawl making it very dangerous in traffic. The 4x4 doesn't seem to work as we turn it on to try to eleminate slipping. The slipping mostly occurs because of the motor becoming doggedly slow and then decides to speed up. The 4x4 on and the turning of the anti-slip do not work because it still slips and shuts down. The other tires don't seem to slip or do anything. Please help!!!
My Sorento PHEV popped a P0c4e code and now the car is gutless on electric power. Kia cleared the code in an attempt to fix it but now the code is gone and it’s still weak. When I let off the brake it rolls when it used to have the power to hold it. I used to be able to get on the freeway and now I can’t get up to speed in town (35mph). It’s running in some sort of limp mode and Kia can’t see any codes. It’s loud, too. Each gear whines. It whines when I hit the brake and it regenerates electricity. It regens so little now that it doesn’t hardly slow me down anymore until I stand on them and use the brake pads. Kia said that it might be a sensor in the electric motor but it’s not replaceable and you have to replace the whole motor. Even though it’s under warranty, it’s 15 hours labor to replace it. I have family with the same car and theirs has done the same thing in the past and had to be replaced. My dealer said that they have seen a bunch of these throw that same code and have to have the motor replaced. She said she is expecting Kia to start replacing them for free or possibly recall them because of how many she has seen all doing the same thing.
I have gotten the notice Refill Inverter Coolant and Hybrid System Failure and lost acceleration and the all power. The first time this happened was in Dec 2024 with about 60,000 miles on the car. Dealer flushed system and it worked fine until April 2025 at about 71000 miles Hybrid system failure alert again, barely able to accelerate from stop light, made to a parking space just as I lost power steering. After about 2 hours to cool off car started and could be driven home. Got Refill inverter coolant alert.
The contact owns a 2022 Kia Sorento PHEV. The contact stated that while reversing the vehicle, the rearview camera failed to display a clear image, and the grid lines were not properly aligned. The contact crashed the vehicle into his mailbox. There were no injuries sustained and no police report was filed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V610000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 22,500.
Several times over the past 12 months, the car has applied emergency braking when a car approaches me from behind in the lane to my left. The dealer was not able to replicate the problem but I have captured it twice on my dash cam. I was only able to intentionally replicate the problem once on my own but it has happened 15-20 times. If I do not press the accelerator, the car will come to a stop without me pushing the brake. When the emergency brake is applied, the warning sound is heard in the car and the dash lights up with the emergency braking icon and emphasizes the left rear of the vehicle. I have been to the dealer twice for this issue. The first time they told me it was due to a faulty camera mount under recall. It was replaced but the issue continued. The second time they told me they decreased the sensitivity of some sensor. The issue continued.
While driving down the highway the EV side of my PHEV wouldn't switch to gas. The car wouldn't accelerate past 40-50 mph and drained the remaining battery till my car shut off and forced me to the side of the road. Been to the dealer multiple times (over 4) for the same issue. They claim they recreate it and no resolution has been done.
The contact owns a 2022 Kia Sorento PHEV. The contact stated the upon starting the vehicle, an abnormally loud revving sound was coming from the engine while the vehicle was idling. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle hesitated upon the depression of the accelerator pedal while traveling at various speeds. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was initially taken to Seelye Kia of Battle Creek (791 W Dickman Rd, Battle Creek, MI 49037) where the contact was informed that the acceleration issue was normal vehicle operation due to the Hybrid feature. The vehicle was then taken to another dealer where the contact was provided the same issue as the dealer. The contact stated that the hesitation had worsened and had become more frequent. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was provided a case number. The vehicle was not repaired and remained in the possession of the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.
When accelerating to pull out of driveway and enter traffic, while struggles to find correct gear causing tires to spin and loud clunking noise. Forward collision detects objects that are not there causing vehicle emergency breaking to engage
Compare the 2022 Kia Sorento PHEV
Other model years
Questions about the 2022 Kia Sorento PHEV
Is the 2022 Kia Sorento PHEV reliable?
Owners have filed 22 complaints about the 2022 Kia Sorento PHEV, 1.7 times a typical Sorento PHEV model year.
What is the 2022 Kia Sorento PHEV year score?
The 2022 Kia Sorento PHEV scores 53 out of 100 (below average). The score compares it with the other model years of the Kia Sorento PHEV: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.
What is the most common problem with the 2022 Kia Sorento PHEV?
Transmission and drivetrain, with 9 complaints. Next is electrical (7).
How many recalls does the 2022 Kia Sorento PHEV have?
5 recalls, covering back over prevention, fuel system, gasoline and trailer hitches.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2022 Kia Sorento PHEV?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history