The complaint count jumps back up to 418, and this is the year owners start quoting the knock code by number.

This is a real difference from 2016 to 2018 and it is worth checking by VIN rather than assuming. Kia's Product Improvement Campaign PI1805 — a Product Improvement Campaign is a free fix offered outside the safety-recall system — installs the Knock Sensor Detection System on this year, but Kia's owner letter describes the scope as "a software update on some 2019 MY Sorento vehicles equipped with 2.4L Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) engines to protect the engine from excessive connecting rod bearing damage." The word is *some*, where the 2016 to 2018 letter said *all*. A follow-up bulletin, PI1805Y/Z, tells dealers what to do "if, after installation of the KSDS, any one of the subject vehicles below return to the dealer with Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) P1326 (Knock Signal Range/Performance)." And the money question has the same answer as every other Sorento year in this range: Kia's engine short-block warranty extension, WTY008, covers 2012 to 2014 model years only. There is no extension on a 2019 engine.

The 3.3-litre V6 has its own 2019 pattern and it is not the bearing story. One owner: "My 2019 Sorento 3.3L suffered high oil consumption followed by a severe oil leak at the back of the head/engine block threads." Others describe the scale rather than the location — "The engine is consuming approximately 5 quarts of oil every 7 to 10 days while I drive about 300" miles, and "Vehicle starting 'eating' excessive amounts of oil about 95,000 miles. We are now about 115,000 miles and I am adding nearly 5 quarts of oil" between changes. Unlike the 2016 and 2017 V6, this year has no head-gasket engine-replacement extension behind it: Kia's WTY035 stops at the 2017 model year. What the 2019 V6 does have is a fuel-pump extension, described next.

Two separate Kia programmes cover fuel pumps on this year, and neither is advertised. WTY034 covers the high-pressure fuel pump on 2019 and 2020 Sorentos with the 3.3-litre V6 built from 24 January 2018, extending coverage "from 5 years / 60,000 miles to 15 years / 180,000 miles, whichever comes first, starting from the date the vehicle was first put into service." WTY033 covers the low-pressure fuel pump on 2018 and 2019 Sorentos built between 31 March 2017 and 24 July 2019, which "may develop a fuel leak over time and after prolonged exposure to extreme high temperature due to insufficient thickness of the fuel pump port", extended "from 5 years/60,000 miles to 15 years / unlimited miles." Between them, almost every 2019 Sorento has a covered fuel pump of one kind or another. Hard starting, hesitation under load, or a petrol smell after a hot day are all reasons to quote these codes at a Kia service desk before paying anyone.

This campaign is specific to this model year. Kia is recalling 2019 Sorentos because "due to a manufacturing error, water may leak into the rearview camera, which can cause the rearview camera image not to appear on the display", failing federal rear-visibility standard FMVSS 111. Dealers "will inspect the rearview camera and add additional water proofing to the camera harness, or replace the camera as necessary, free of charge"; Kia's code is SC282. Owner letters went out in March 2024, which is recent enough that plenty of cars have not had it done. Reverse the car during the test drive and watch the screen.

A distinct 2019 cluster is an oil warning light with nothing behind it. "The oil pressure switch on my 2019 KIA Sorento comes on when coming to a stop. This has occurred even after an oil change and checking the o[il]", and "The oil pressure switch is faulty. The oil indicator light comes on when I'm idling, and I'm also losing 1 quart of oil every 1,000 miles." Kia's Warranty Extension Program WTY026 addresses "an Oil Pressure Switch leak" on 2014 to 2018 model-year vehicles and raises coverage from 10 years and 100,000 miles to 15 years and 150,000 miles — note the model-year list in Kia's own bulletin ends at 2018, so a 2019 owner should ask the dealer to check eligibility by VIN rather than assume. A community review of this generation notes that an oil pressure switch leak was itself the subject of a federal investigation. The distinction that matters on a test drive: a light at idle with a full dipstick is a different problem from a light with oil missing.

Recall 22V703 covers 2016 to 2022 Sorentos fitted with a Kia tow-hitch harness, factory-fitted or dealer-supplied. Debris and moisture on the harness module's printed circuit board "may cause an electrical short, which can result in a fire", parked or driving. Kia advises parking outside and away from structures until the repair is done, and dealers replace the fuse and/or the module free of charge. Kia's code is SC249. Owners of neighbouring model years filed complaints about waiting months for the part, so if the VIN shows this open, ask about parts availability before agreeing a handover date.

Two threads worth naming honestly. First, fire: "Spontaneous fire under hood. Nothing was malfunctioning, no warning lights. All fluids were good, no temp issues", and "while driving home, the vehicle suddenly caught fire without any warning." These are individual filings, not a recall, but they are the reason the tow-hitch campaign should not be left open. Second, several owners reference a class-action settlement — "this vehicle has theta 2 engine.. which is part of class lawsuit kia settled" — as the basis for a repair claim. No Kia Sorento document in our sources confirms a settlement entitlement for this model year, and Kia's only published engine warranty extension for the Sorento four-cylinder stops at 2014. Owners citing a settlement may still be right about their own claim, but nothing in Kia's Sorento bulletin file supports treating it as a guaranteed free engine.

SC340 is Kia's voluntary emissions service campaign upgrading the engine control module software on 2016 to 2020 Sorentos with the 2.4-litre Theta II engine, because certain engines "may have engine calibrations that were not optimized for emissions standards under certain specific conditions." It is free and it is not a safety recall. CS2304 upgrades the body-control software on 2016 to 2020 Sorentos so the ignition is restricted if a locked car is broken into without the key, and CS2312 adds a reinforced ignition-cylinder protector and window decals; Kia's owner letter describes the software as addressing "the social media theft method" and says it has been free at authorised Kia dealers since 2023. Confirm both by name, then price the insurance.