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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)

28 of 875 complaints match · Visibility & wipers · clear filters · page 2 of 2

Dec 13, 2013Visibility & wipers

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 KIA SORENTO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PANORAMIC MOON ROOF BECAME SHATTERED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF THE MOON ROOF. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,000.

NHTSA ODI 10555931

Jul 26, 2013Visibility & wipers1 injury

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 KIA SORENTO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, THE SUNROOF EXPLODED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT NOTHING HIT THE GLASS TO CAUSE IT TO FRACTURE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION WHERE THEY STATED THAT THEY COULD NOT DIAGNOSE THE CAUSE OF FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 24,000. THE VINE WAS UNAVAILABLE. UPDATED 01/08/14*LJ THE CONSUMER SUFFERED A CUT FROM THE GLASS. UPDATED 01/09/14

NHTSA ODI 10531972

Jan 25, 2012Visibility & wipersBody & structure

PLEASE MAKE BLIND SPOT SCORES PART OF VEHICLE SAFETY RATINGS. IT NEEDS TO BE AN ACTUAL SCORE. MOST TERRIFYING TEST DRIVE OF MY LIFE. 2012 KIA SORENTO WAS MY DREAM CAR. I HAD BUILT IT ONLINE 10 TIMES & WALKED IN -SPECS IN HAND- READY TO BUY. THE TEST DRIVE TO ME WAS A FORMALITY. THAT CHANGED DURING THE TEST DRIVE. NEW SUVS ARE ADDING HUGE PILLARS TO THE REAR OF VEHICLES, SHRINKING REAR THIRD WINDOWS, SHRINKING REAR TRUNK DOOR WINDOWS, PUSHING DRIVER SEATS TIGHTLY UP AGAINST THE DRIVER DOOR- TO SHRINK THE CAR AND BOOST GAS MILEAGE. ON TOP OF THAT, THEY ARE PURSUING "QUIETNESS" & PART OF THAT IS SHRINKING THE EXTERIOR MIRRORS. ADD THIS ALL UP & YOU CAN HIDE A SEMI IN THE BLIND SPOT OF THIS CAR. IT WAS LIKE DRIVING A WINDOWLESS CARGO VAN W/O THE BIG CARGO VAN MIRRORS. THE MIRROR ARE SMALL LIKE WHAT BELONGS ON AN ECONOMY CAR. YES, MY DRIVER SIDE MIRROR WAS WELL ADJUSTED TO ONLY SHOW A SLIVER OF THE VEHICLE. I JUST COULDN'T SEE. AS I CONTINUED SUV SHOPPING, I FOUND THIS NEW DESIGN IN MANY NEW SUVS. GIGANTIC BLIND SPOTS ARE NOW THE NEW DESIGN. I COULDN'T SEE TO CHANGE INTO THE LEFT LANE. WHEN I LOOKED OVER MY SHOULDER MY FACE WAS SO CLOSE TO THE WINDOW, ALL I COULD SEE BEHIND ME WERE THE SEPARATING PILLARS. CHANGING LANES WAS A GUESS. I DID NOT BUY MY DREAM CAR, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY I REALIZED THERE IS A NEW HIGHLY DANGEROUS DESIGN TREND IN MANY SUVS THAT NEEDS MONITORED. CONSUMERS SHOULD BE INFORMED OF THE SEVERITY OF THIS RISK AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE. WE NEED A VISIBILITY RATING SCORE ON THE LABEL OF VEHICLES. I WALKED AWAY FROM DREAM CAR. BELLS AND WHISTLES DON'T MATTER IF YOU CAN'T EVEN SEE TO DRIVE. I CONTACTED CONSUMER REPORTS AND REQUESTED A REPORT THAT SHOWS WHICH SUVS HAVE THE BEST VISIBILITY AND THEY HAD NOTHING ON THE TOPIC. IT IS NOT EVEN MONITORED. HOW CAN THIS DANGER BE BEING INSTALLED IN SO MANY VEHICLES AND GO UNCHECKED BY THE WHOLE SAFETY INDUSTRY? *TR

NHTSA ODI 10445254

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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 →