2005 KIA Sorento Engine Problems
Owners have filed 63 complaints with NHTSA about engine problems on the 2005 KIA Sorento, 21% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 101,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “crank shaft” (25% of reports).
- 63engine complaints
- 101,000median miles at failure
- 2mention a crash
- 1mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $2,250typical repair cost reported by owners
- 40%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Crank shaft: mentioned in 16 of 63 complaints (25%)
- Harmonic balancer: mentioned in 13 of 63 complaints (21%)
- Crankshaft bolt: mentioned in 10 of 63 complaints (16%)
- Battery brake: mentioned in 5 of 63 complaints (8%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical engine repair on the 2005 KIA Sorento at $2,250, and half of them between $1,750 and $6,000.
Based on 8 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2013–2018), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do engine problems happen?
Based on 59 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 63 complaints, 2 mention a crash, 2 a fire, 1 an injury.
KIA Sorento engine complaints by model year
| Model year | Engine complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Sorento | 1 | 17% | 7,000 |
| 2025 Sorento | 19 | 25% | 4,000 |
| 2024 Sorento | 5 | 12% | 31,000 |
| 2023 Sorento | 31 | 25% | 1,600 |
| 2022 Sorento | 52 | 27% | 50,000 |
| 2021 Sorento | 68 | 27% | 33,000 |
| 2020 Sorento | 66 | 48% | 61,500 |
| 2019 Sorento | 158 | 37% | 40,000 |
| 2018 Sorento | 107 | 42% | 72,000 |
| 2017 Sorento | 387 | 48% | 64,000 |
| 2016 Sorento | 695 | 55% | 83,500 |
| 2015 Sorento | 363 | 48% | 87,780 |
| 2014 Sorento | 388 | 39% | 100,000 |
| 2013 Sorento | 496 | 51% | 89,691 |
| 2012 Sorento | 461 | 52% | 99,612 |
| 2011 Sorento | 284 | 19% | 103,000 |
| 2010 Sorento | 1 | 33% | 52,000 |
| 2009 Sorento | 4 | 7% | 140,000 |
| 2008 Sorento | 35 | 16% | 75,000 |
| 2007 Sorento | 7 | 5% | 133,000 |
| 2006 Sorento | 67 | 28% | 92,700 |
| 2005 Sorento | 63 | 21% | 101,000 |
| 2004 Sorento | 46 | 21% | 112,000 |
| 2003 Sorento | 43 | 14% | 118,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists engine for the 2005 KIA Sorento. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
When driving there was a clunking noise and then the steering was hard to steer and the battery light came on & had to have it towed to find out that the harmonic balancer bolt broke. There are hundreds of complaints online about this same issue happening with these engines as this is a poor…
The contact owns a 2005 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while turning left, the steering wheel was very difficult to turn. The contact mentioned that all her strength was needed to turn the steering wheel. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the crankshaft…
The harmonic balancer mounting bolt sheared and stripped the threads in the crankshaft of my 2005 kia serento. The mechanic had my car for 3 months trying to fix this problem. This is evidently a design issue and should have a recall issued. This problem cost me a lot of money to fix. (the car was…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2005 KIA Sorentos have engine problems?
No. NHTSA has 63 owner complaints about engine for the 2005 KIA Sorento (21% of the 307 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2005 KIA Sorento engine?
No recall currently lists engine for this vehicle.
At what mileage do engine problems start?
The median reported mileage is 101,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix engine problems on the 2005 KIA Sorento?
Owners report a typical cost of $2,250 (half paid between $1,750 and $6,000), from 8 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about engine problems on the 2005 KIA Sorento?
The most frequent phrase is “crank shaft”, in 16 of 63 complaints, followed by “harmonic balancer” (13).
Other 2005 KIA Sorento problems
See all 2005 KIA Sorento problems or engine problems across all Sorento years.