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What 875 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 Kia Sorento Plug-in Hybrid

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (875)Crash / fire / injury (104)Engine (460)Electrical system (127)Brakes (101)Airbags (79)Lights (60)Transmission & drivetrain (55)Fuel system (38)Body & structure (35)Speed control (29)Visibility & wipers (28)

29 of 875 complaints match · Speed control · clear filters · page 2 of 2

Jul 13, 2012Speed control

DRIVING ON FREEWAY AT APPROX. 75MPH , CAR JERKED, ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, VEHICLE DECELERATED AND WHEN GAS PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED IT DID NOT WORK AT ALL. HAPPENED 5 OTHER TIMES PREVIOUS TO THIS AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. DEALER DID A REFLASH OF SOME COMPUTER CHIP. THAT DID NOT FIX PROBLEM, 6TH TIME I HAD PROBLEM ON 7/12/12 I WAS THEN TOLD BY DEALER THAT THE THROTTLE BODY AND HOUSING NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10465588

Apr 11, 2012Speed control

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 KIA SORENTO SX. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 35 MPH WHEN THE VEHICLE LUNGED FORWARD. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO ACCELERATE WHILE THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE THROTTLE BODY FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 17,000.

NHTSA ODI 10454845

Feb 1, 2012BrakesAirbagsSpeed controlCrash1 injury

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2012 KIA SORENTO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING ON A MOUNTAINOUS ROAD AT APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE VEHICLE UNEXPECTEDLY INCREASED ACCELERATION. THE CONTACT APPLIED THE BRAKE PEDAL, BUT THE PEDAL DEPRESSED TO THE FLOOR. THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE AND CRASHED INTO THE REAR OF ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE EVENTUALLY STOPPED AFTER CRASHING INTO A CEMENT WALL. THE AIRBAG LOCATED IN THE STEERING WHEEL DID NOT DEPLOY UPON IMPACT. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED AND THE CONTACT SUSTAINED INJURIES TO THE HEAD AND THE ENTIRE BODY. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. THE INSURANCE DECLARED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED AND STATED THAT THE AIR BAGS AND BRAKES WERE FAULTY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 385. UPDATED 11/20/15*LJ *TR

NHTSA ODI 10446155

Oct 27, 2011Speed control

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 KIA SORENTO SX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD ACCELERATE SUDDENLY AT ANY GIVEN TIME WITHOUT WARNING. THE ENGINE WOULD EXHIBIT AN ABNORMAL INCREASE IN RPMS AND THE CONTACT WOULD THEN HAVE TO DEPRESS THE BRAKES TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE A FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED AND THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 450 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 600.

NHTSA ODI 10433016

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Working with the data? Download all 875 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 19, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2012 Kia Sorento Plug-in Hybrid verdict →