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What 976 owners told NHTSA about the 2014 Kia Sorento Phev

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 (976)Crash / fire / injury (70)Engine (384)Body & structure (159)Electrical system (150)Lights (86)Brakes (78)Transmission & drivetrain (68)Airbags (51)Fuel system (50)Steering (35)Speed control (31)

3 of 976 complaints match · Speed control · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Dec 14, 2022FirerelatedSpeed controlFire

The contact owned a 2014 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, the vehicle accelerated to 40 MPH, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The brake pedal was depressed; however, the brakes failed to stop the vehicle. There was smoke coming from underneath the hood, and then flames came from underneath the hood. The parking brake was applied, and the vehicle was able to come to a complete stop. The contact safely exited the vehicle before the vehicle was engulfed in flames. No injuries were sustained, and no medical attention was received. The fire department arrived on the scene and extinguished the fire. Police and fire department reports were filed; however, the fire department was unable to determine the cause of the fire. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and was not yet deemed totaled by the insurance company. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The failure mileage was approximately 132,000.

NHTSA ODI 11497440

Sep 27, 2019Speed controlCrash

CAR WAS IN DRIVE IN A PARKING LOT, WHEN ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS PUSHED IT STUCK AND WOULD NOT RELEASE, CAR SPED AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED EVEN WITH BRAKE AND EMERGENCY BRAKE ON. I TRIED TAKING CAR OUT OF GEAR AND IT WENT INTO REVERSE AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED. FINALLY I WAS ABLE TO TURN CAR OFF BUT I AM SCARED TO DRIVE IT.

NHTSA ODI 11258506

Oct 9, 2014Electrical systemSpeed controlCrash1 injury

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 KIA SORENTO. UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE, THE GEAR WAS SHIFTED INTO REVERSE AND THE ENGINE REVVED WHEN THE CONTACT LIGHTLY DEPRESSED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. AS A RESULT, THE VEHICLE BACKED INTO A STEEL POST. THE FRONT PASSENGER HAD TO HELP THE CONTACT SHIFT THE GEAR INTO NEUTRAL IN ORDER TO STOP THE VEHICLE FROM ACCELERATING. SUDDENLY, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED FORWARD INTO A FIELD AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED WHILE THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE CONTACT HAD TO PRESS THE IGNITION START BUTTON IN ORDER TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED MINOR ANKLE INJURIES, WHICH DID NOT REQUIRE MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO STATED THAT THERE WAS A MANUFACTURED ELECTRICAL CORD THAT WAS CONNECTED TO THE ACCELERATOR, WHICH MAY HAVE CAUSED THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE CODES DID NOT ILLUSTRATE THAT THIS WAS THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE SPEED WAS UNKNOWN. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 12,900. UPDATED 12/01/14*LJ *AS

NHTSA ODI 10643560

Working with the data? Download all 976 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 14, 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 2014 Kia Sorento Phev verdict →