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2004 Kia Sorento

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2004 Kia Sorento do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 242.

About this comparison →
220Owner complaints

Model-year median: 242

0Recall campaigns

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0Investigations

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected year
305
2003220
2004307
2005242
2006154
2007
Compare all Sorento years →

Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

Engine
46Engine And Engine Cooling
46Power Train
40Suspension
30Electrical System
28
All reported categories
Structure
28Steering
24Air Bags
14Exterior Lighting
14Unknown Or Other
13Fuel/propulsion System
8Service Brakes
7Vehicle Speed Control
7Fuel System, Gasoline
6Service Brakes, Hydraulic
4Tires
4Equipment
3Electronic Stability Control (esc)
2Visibility
2Wheels
2Seat Belts
1Seats
1Visibility/wiper
1

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

187 reports with mileage · 33 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Engine. Review the 46 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 46 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 40 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

11 crash reports12 fire reports9 injury reports

Seats complaints

1 reports
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1,500 miles · Aug 17, 2005
Seats

A FEW WEEKS AFTER PURCHASING MY 2004 KIA SORENTO, I NOTICED THE DRIVERS SEAT ROCKING BACK AND FORTH WHEN ACCELERATING AND BRAKING. DEALER REPLACED SEAT RAIL. THAT FAILED TO RESOLVE PROBLEM. SINCE THEN THE DEALER HAS AGAIN REPLACE THE SEAT RAIL AND THE WHOLE SEAT WITHOUT RESOLVING THE PROBLEM. KIA REP SAYS THAT IT IS NORMAL F…

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A FEW WEEKS AFTER PURCHASING MY 2004 KIA SORENTO, I NOTICED THE DRIVERS SEAT ROCKING BACK AND FORTH WHEN ACCELERATING AND BRAKING. DEALER REPLACED SEAT RAIL. THAT FAILED TO RESOLVE PROBLEM. SINCE THEN THE DEALER HAS AGAIN REPLACE THE SEAT RAIL AND THE WHOLE SEAT WITHOUT RESOLVING THE PROBLEM. KIA REP SAYS THAT IT IS NORMAL FOR ELECTRIC SEATS IN KIAS TO ROCK LIKE MINE DOES. I BELIEVE THE SEAT WILL EVENTUALLY FAIL DURING AN ACCIDENT RENDERING IT AND THE SEAT BELT USELESS.*AK

NHTSA ODI #10133207

Official recalls

0

No recalls in this snapshot.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.

Go deeper into Kia Sorento problems

Kia Sorento transmission problems →Kia Sorento electrical problems →