2008 Kia Sorento Electrical System Problems
NHTSA has 41 owner complaints about electrical problems in the 2008 Kia Sorento, 19% of all 217 complaints for this model year. That is #13 highest electrical complaint count among 21 Sorento model years. These complaints report 1 crash, 5 fires, and 1 injury. Median mileage at failure: 65,500 miles.
- Electrical System complaints
- 41
- 19% of 217
- Crashes reported
- 1
- Fires reported
- 5
- Injuries reported
- 1
- Median mileage
- 65,500 mi
- Related recalls
- 1
When 2008 Kia Sorento electrical complaints were filed
First complaint Mar 7, 2009, latest Feb 22, 2026.
Electrical System recalls for the 2008 Kia Sorento
- NHTSA 13V114000Apr 1, 2013Electrical System980,377 vehicles
Exterior lighting:brake lights:switch
Kia Motors Corporation (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2007-2010 Rondo, model year 2007-2011 Sedona, Sorento and Sportage, model year 2010-2011 Soul, model year 2008-2011 Optima, model year 2010 Forte, model year 2007-2009 Amanti, and model year 2009 Borrego vehicles. Originally, in April 2013, Kia recalled 623,658 model year 2007-2010 Rondo and Sportage, model year 2007-2011 Sorento, model year 2007 Sedona, model year 2010-2011 Soul, and model year 2011 Optima vehicles. In September 2013, Kia informed the agency that it was adding an additional 356,719 vehicles to this campaign. The total number of vehicles being recalled is now 980,377. In the affected vehicles, the stop lamp switch may malfunction. A malfunctioning stop lamp switch may cause the brake lights to not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed or may cause an inability to deactivate the cruise control by depressing the brake pedal. Additionally, a malfunctioning stop lamp switch may also result in intermittent operation of the push-button start feature, affect the operation of the brake-transmission shift interlock feature preventing the shifter from being moved out of the PARK position and cause the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) malfunction light to illuminate.
Risk: Failure to illuminate the stop lamps during braking or inability to disengage the cruise control could increase the risk of a crash. Additionally, when the ignition is in the 'ON' position, the transmission shifter may be able to be moved out of PARK without first applying the brake. This may lead to unintentional movement of the car which may increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Kia will send an interim notification to owners in May 2013. When parts are available, owners will receive a second notification and dealers will replace the stop lamp switch, free of charge. Owners may contact Kia at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's recall campaign number is SC098.
Electrical System complaints by Sorento model year
Raw complaint counts per model year; newer years have had less time to accumulate complaints.
Frequently asked questions
- Does the 2008 Kia Sorento have electrical problems?
- NHTSA has 41 owner complaints about the electrical in the 2008 Kia Sorento, 19% of all complaints for this model year, including 1 that report a crash. Median mileage at failure is 65,500 miles.
- Which Kia Sorento year has the most electrical complaints?
- The 2011 Kia Sorento has the most electrical complaints (312), compared with 41 for the 2008.
- Is there a electrical recall for the 2008 Kia Sorento?
- Yes — 1 NHTSA recall campaign for the 2008 Kia Sorento concerns the electrical: 13V114000.