2003 KIA Sorento

Typical pattern

6.5% of complaints about the 2003 KIA Sorento came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2003 vehicle — around the middle of the 228 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 7.3 yr in service. The most-reported system is engine cooling (82 complaints), typically at 5.1 yr or about 67,290 miles.

Complaints: 416
Median age at failure: 7.3 yr
Median mileage: 72,000 n=335
Crash / fire / tow: 5.5% of reports
Safety recalls: 1

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

System

0y2y4y6y8y10y12y14y

Engine cooling

82 reports · 67,290 mi

5.1 yr

1.2%

Engine

43 reports · 120,000 mi

11.8 yr

11.6%

Fuel system

41 reports · 82,000 mi

7.3 yr

2.4%

Fuel / propulsion

34 reports · 113,000 mi

11.9 yr

5.9%

Steering

31 reports · 79,000 mi

9.7 yr

6.5%

Air bags

30 reports · 65,000 mi

6.2 yr

20%

Electrical system

30 reports · 67,000 mi

5.4 yr

Power train

22 reports · 58,947 mi

6.6 yr

9.1%

Suspension

17 reports · 79,000 mi

9.6 yr

Service brakes, hydraulic

16 reports · 20,000 mi

2.7 yr

Exterior lighting

16 reports · 36,000 mi

3.8 yr

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

05V353000 2005-08-04

Fuel system, gasoline:delivery:hoses, lines/piping, and fittings

CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES MAY EXPERIENCE A FUEL LEAK FROM FUEL TUBES NEAR THE FUEL TANK DUE TO AN INTERFERENCE FIT WITH THE VEHICLE FLOOR PANEL.

FUEL LEAKAGE, IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.

In owners’ own words

Fuel system mileage not reported 2 mo in service

CONSUMER PURCHASED VEHICLE ON 11/25/02. VEHICLE TURNS OVER, BUT WILL NOT START. CAR HAS BEEN IN FOR SERVICE 3 TIMES. PROBLEM IS THE FUEL INJECTION PUMP, BUT DEALER CAN NOT REPAIR. TS

Fuel system 150 mi 5 mo in service

I PURCHASED A 2003 KIA SORENTO IN FEB 2003, VEHICLE SPINS OVER FOR QUITE SOMETIME AND THEN SLOWLY FINALLY TURNS OVER, I HAVE TAKEN IT INTO THE DEALER 2 TIMES NOW AND THEY HAVE SAID IT WAS THE FUEL RELAY SWITCH AND VEHICLE STILL HAS THE PROBLEM SO I AM TAKING IT INTO THE DEALER FOR THE 3RD TIME AND THEY SWEAR IT IS A FUEL PROBLEM SO WE'LL SEE IF IT'S GOING TO GET FIXED.*JB

Fuel system 300 mi 6 mo in service

VEHICLE TAKES A LONG TIME TO START. SOMETIMES AS LONG AS TEN SECONDS. THE ENGINE CRANKS AND CRANKS AND THEN FINALLY TURNS OVER. HAVE BEEN TOLD IT MAY BE THE FUEL PRESSURE RISER SWITCH. HAS NOT BEEN FIXED YET. *NLM

Air bags mileage not reported 7 mo in service crash / fire / tow

THE VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT, AND NONE OF THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. *JB

Other Sorento model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.