2015 Kia Sorento · symptom sheet
Paint peels or body rusts
- 88owner reports
- 70,000median miles
- 1involved a crash
Newest report Aug 7, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
99 of the 738 complaints on this car are about the structure. 88 of those describe paint.
Tick what matches of 88 reports
Paint on other Sorento years
Report counts are for each model year on its own, so a newer car has had less time to collect them. Model years with too few reports of it for a sheet: 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025.
What this problem usually is
Paint complaints come in two shapes: clear coat or color peeling off the roof and hood, and rust breaking through the body. About a third of the complaints here mention the roof or hood and about a third mention rust or corrosion, and a good share of them are about who pays for the fix.
What got replaced
Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the repaint (86 reports) and the panel (38 reports).
Recalls and investigations
No recall on the structure covers the 2015 model year as of Oct 2, 2026.
When it happens
The middle half of failures fell between 53,500 and 95,000 miles, from the 27 reports that gave a mileage.
Is this a known problem?
The manufacturer has sent NHTSA 1 service bulletin or notice for the 2015 Kia Sorento that deal with this problem. Newest first.
Federal rules make a manufacturer send NHTSA a copy of any notice about a defect that goes to more than one dealer or owner. Most of these are service bulletins, the repair instructions manufacturers send to dealers. NHTSA generally leaves safety recall bulletins out of this file, and recalls are listed separately.
SERVICE ACTION: PAINT PEELING OFF DOOR PANELS (SA166) This bulletin provides information related to an inspection of the door panels on some 2015MY Sorento (XMa) vehicles, produced from April 21, 2014 through May 2, 2014, which may exhibit paint peeling, flaking or bubbling from the upper surfaces of the door ...
What owners wrote
“Paint stated flaking significantly at 79k miles. It has gotten out of control and we keep this garaged and hardly drive it. I have read other Kia owners dealing with the same issue. It's not normal wear and tear with the paint. It's large chunks of paint coming off.”
Filed Feb 10, 2024 · 79,000 miles
“paint peeling/rapid delamination on 2015 Kia Sorento (Snow White Pearl color) on both passenger side front and passenger side rear doors. Prior rapid delamination on "A" pillar of both passenger and driver sides and center roof (repaired 2021, out of pocket cost $2000). Rapid delamination began approximately October, 2022, 105,000 miles on vehicle; increasingly becoming worse.”
Filed Oct 14, 2023 · 105,000 miles
“The body of the car is undergoing paint delamination. This begun at 70k miles on the roof and now rust is beginning. Then the hood. Then one side around windshield. Then the other side around the windshield. There was not any incident that triggered the paint delamination.”
Filed Sep 20, 2021 · 70,000 miles
“2015 KIA Sorento Paint peeling & chipping away from door pillars, roof where windshield meets, both let & right front fenders, hood. The color is "Snow While Pearl". Started to norice small chipping around 2017 & in April 2019 a large piece peeled off the passenger side front pillar which I had repaired. Many of the chips were touched up but it continues to occur to this day.”
Filed Aug 21, 2021
Should you keep driving it?
This page can't tell you that. 1 of 88 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. How reports land on this sheet.
Guide Taking it to a shop? How to describe this problem so it gets found
Other problems on this car
- Engine failure, knocking or rod bearing 209 reports
- Engine stalls or loses power while driving 138 reports
- Headlights too dim or fail 81 reports
- Check engine light or misfire 78 reports
- Brakes grind, pulse or wear early 37 reports
- Engine rattles or ticks 36 reports
- Engine overheats or leaks coolant 35 reports
- Windshield cracks or distorts 31 reports
- Burns oil or oil level rises 30 reports
- Airbag warning light or recall 27 reports