2004 KIA Sorento Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Sorento years
- About as many complaints as other years 14th of 24 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- None on file
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 220 complaints with NHTSA about the 2004 KIA Sorento. That ranks 14th out of 24 Sorento model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is engine (46 complaints, 21%), typically at around 112,000 miles. Complaints mention 11 crashes, 12 fires, 16 injuries. There are no safety recalls on file for this model year.
_%E2%80%93_f_14102025.jpg){kind=link}
- 220owner complaints
- 0safety recalls
- 0NHTSA investigations
- 11complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2004 KIA Sorento problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 46 | 21% | 112,000 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 46 | 21% | 68,000 | — | — |
| Power Train | 40 | 18% | 84,235 | — | — |
| Suspension | 30 | 14% | 103,000 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 28 | 13% | 96,200 | — | — |
| Structure | 28 | 13% | 122,500 | — | — |
| Steering | 24 | 11% | 99,000 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 14 | 6% | 89,450 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 14 | 6% | 55,500 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 13 | 6% | 124,094 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 8 | 4% | 120,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 7 | 3% | 116,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 7 | 3% | 109,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 6 | 3% | 106,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 4 | 2% | 33,700 | — | — |
| Tires | 4 | 2% | 52,501 | — | — |
| Equipment | 3 | 1% | 148,500 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 2 | 1% | 100,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 2 | 1% | 64,000 | — | — |
| Wheels | 2 | 1% | 101,696 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Seats | 1 | 0% | 1,500 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 1 | 0% | 138,057 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2004 KIA Sorento recalls (0)
No safety recalls are on file for the 2004 KIA Sorento.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
Crank pully bolt snapped. Causing crank pully to fall, and critical belts to fail.
This kia was housed and stored in a garage for most of its life and driven only in the summer. In the winters of michigan is was housed in a clean dry garage. This kia was a 2 owner car. I am the second owner. I had driven it one winter and this summer took it to get an alignment because it pulled…
While my daughter was driving on the highway, the brakes failed. The mechanic showed me the brake lines toward the rear suspension rusted through. Also the support for the rearend rusted through making the vehicle dangerous to drive. The brake lines from front to back were changed and i am looking…
2004 kia sorrento 97,000 miles. The left and right side rear control arm brackets rusted off.
I bought my 04 sorento from my aunt who was the only owner. It had a power steering issue at that time which took several attenpts to fix. About a month later we we visiting family and had to turn around. Upon stopping we noticed smoke from the engine compartment so i grabbed my 4 y/o daughter out…
Other KIA Sorento years
← 2003 Sorento · 2005 Sorento →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Sorento | 6 | 2 |
| 2025 Sorento | 76 | 3 |
| 2024 Sorento | 42 | 2 |
| 2023 Sorento | 123 | 3 |
| 2022 Sorento | 193 | 6 |
| 2021 Sorento | 254 | 4 |
| 2020 Sorento | 137 | 1 |
| 2019 Sorento | 431 | 2 |
| 2018 Sorento | 255 | 3 |
| 2017 Sorento | 806 | 4 |
| 2016 Sorento | 1,254 | 8 |
| 2015 Sorento | 753 | 3 |
| 2014 Sorento | 988 | 6 |
| 2013 Sorento | 981 | 5 |
| 2012 Sorento | 880 | 5 |
| 2011 Sorento | 1,520 | 7 |
| 2010 Sorento | 3 | 1 |
| 2009 Sorento | 55 | 2 |
| 2008 Sorento | 217 | 3 |
| 2007 Sorento | 154 | 4 |
| 2006 Sorento | 242 | 1 |
| 2005 Sorento | 307 | 0 |
| 2004 | 220 | 0 |
| 2003 Sorento | 305 | 1 |
See all KIA Sorento problems by year, every KIA model, or the KIA VIN decoder.
Similar KIA models
Embed this 2004 KIA Sorento badge on your site
Copy this code into your blog or forum post. It shows live complaint and recall counts and links back here.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2004 KIA Sorento?
Owners most often report engine, engine and engine cooling, power train problems. The top one, engine, accounts for 46 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2004 KIA Sorento?
No safety recalls are on file for this model year.
Was the 2004 KIA Sorento a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Sorento model years, the 2004 has about as many complaints as a typical year. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.