2014 Kia Sorento · symptom sheet

Headlights too dim or fail

68owner reports
75,000median miles
$900median quote
0involved a crash

Newest report Oct 18, 2024 · checked Sep 9, 2026

84 of the 941 complaints on this car are about the exterior lighting. 68 of those describe headlights.

Tick what matches of 68 reports

too dim to see the road

a headlight went out

moisture inside the lens

the beam is too short

the dealer said it is normal

What got replaced

Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the headlight assembly (58 reports) and the bulb (32 reports).

Recalls and investigations

No recall on the exterior lighting covers the 2014 model year as of Sep 9, 2026.

NHTSA investigations into the exterior lighting on the Sorento

PE20-008opened Jun 1, 2020

Exterior Lighting · model years 2011 to 2013

Headlight failure. Closed jan 25, 2022.

NHTSA summary

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this Preliminary Evaluation (PE) based on seventy-four Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs) reporting headlight failures on model year (MY) 2011-2013 KIA Sorento vehicles.In its response to ODI's June 25, 2020, information request letter (portions of which were submitted under request for confidentiality), Kia Motor America (Kia) provided design details of the headlight system showing that each headlight circuit is independently powered by the Smart Junction Box (SJB), a power control module. Kia claimed that the design minimizes the chance of both headlights failing simultaneously due to a headlight connector defect, a component located downstream of the SJB. Kia also advised that the SJB contains a safety feature designed to monitor power consumption for each headlight circuit; if excessive current is being demanded by either headlight the SJB will open the circuit (i.e., stop supplying current). Lastly Kia presented testing showing that the maximum headlight connector temperature achieved prior to the SJB opening the circuit was below the autoignition temperature of the plastic material the connector housing is made of, which Kia maintains eliminates the potential for a fire originating from an electrically overheated headlight connector. In its review of all available data, ODI determined that the majority of both VOQ and Kia customer complaints (1,339 reports in total) involved the loss or dimming of a single low beam headl

None of these investigations covers the 2014 model year.

What owners paid

6 of the 68 reports quote a price. Each dot is one quote. The middle half runs $335 to $2,489.

$335$900$2,489

$0k$2k$4k$6k$8k

When it happens

The middle half of failures fell between 65,000 and 91,000 miles, from the 37 reports that gave a mileage.

116

517

918

519

1920

1521

622

223

624

What owners wrote

“The headlights go out without any warning. The fog lights work fine. I have had signal bulbs replaced many times but the worst complaint is the headlights.”
Filed Feb 26, 2024

“Headlight Dim setting are so weak the vehicle over runs the lighting at speeds over 40 mph. Unsafe to drive vehicle on major highways, and on secondary roads where street lighting is sparse, or non existent.”
Filed Jan 15, 2023

“No matter what bulbs you put in the headlights they do not shine bright enough or far enough for you to drive safely at night. We have stopped driving the suv at night because the only way to have enough light to see the road is if they are on bright then they bright light oncoming traffic.”
Filed May 5, 2022

“I have to replace the low beam and high beam bulbs several times a year. The low beams are SO dim, I canât even tell if they are on- forcing me to drive with my bright lights on all the time. The bulbs blow all the time- I have driven without low beams and not none they were blown. The lights are now constantly flickering while driving. Very dangerous.”
Filed Feb 18, 2022

Should you keep driving it?

This page can't tell you that. 0 of 68 reports involved a crash. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.

File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation.