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What 130 owners told NHTSA about the 2020 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 (130)Crash / fire / injury (20)Engine (63)Electrical system (19)Transmission & drivetrain (17)Fuel system (9)Trailer Hitches (9)Brakes (5)Lights (5)Visibility & wipers (5)Driver assistance (4)Steering (4)

3 of 130 complaints match · Brakes · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Jul 24, 2025AirbagsBrakesCrash2 injuries

I REALLY DONT REMEMBER THE DRIVER IMPACTED THE FRONT DOOR AREA OF MY VEHICLE.

NHTSA ODI 11675968

Apr 5, 2021BrakesCrash3 injuries

VEHICLE STOPPED IN FRONT OF US ON A STATE HIGHWAY. I SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES. THE CAR FAILED TO STOP WITHIN REASONABLE DISTANCE AND PULLED HARD TO THE LEFT. CAUSING US TO STRIKE A CONCRETE WALL DESTROYING THE CAR AND MASONRY WALL. THREE OCCUPANTS SUSTAINED MINOR IMJURIES. BRAKES ALWAYS FELT WEAK BUT SINCE WE BOUGHT IT AS A NEW CAR WE DIDN'T KNOW ANY BETTER. UPON LOOKING OVER THE CRASH SCENE ONLY A SINGLE SKID MARK WAS OBSERVED FROM OUR CAR. IT APPEARS THAT THE BRAKES ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE CAR DID NOT ENGAGE OR THE ABS SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED CAUSING ONLY THE LEFT SIDE TIRES TO BRAKE FULLY. I AM AWARE OF BRAKE ISSUES WITH THIS MODEL CAR AND IT MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE CRASH. CAR WAS SEEMED A TOTAL LOSS.*DT

NHTSA ODI 11406564

Feb 20, 2021BrakesCrash1 injury

THE ABS DOES NOT WORK CORRECTLY. WHEN I CONTACTED KIA THEY SAID THAT THE BRAKES ARE SUPPOSED TO PULSATE MY KIA DOES NOT DO THAT WHEN I HAVE TO SLAM ON MY BRAKES THE BRAKES DO WHAT I CALL SKIP WHERE MY FOOT IS USUALLY PUSHED OFF BRAKES AND STOPS BRAKING COMPLETELY. DUE TO THIS MY FAMILY ALMOST LOST OUR LIVES WHEN I COULD AVOID A DEER THAT RAN OUT INTO THE ROAD WHEN I WAS EVATUCATING FOR HURRICANE DELTA.

NHTSA ODI 11397141

Working with the data? Download all 130 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 2020 Kia Sorento Plug-in Hybrid verdict →