Ford Explorer vs Kia Sorento: which is more reliable?
The Kia Sorento is clearly ahead of the Ford Explorer on the federal record: 75/100 against 59/100 across every model year we score.
The record, side by side
Ford Explorer
- 15 model years scored
- 14,935 owner complaints on record
- about 117 complaints per year on the road
- 150 recall campaigns, 32 safety-critical
- best year 2019 (82/100) · worst 2020 (28/100)
Kia Sorento
- 15 model years scored
- 8,384 owner complaints on record
- about 56 complaints per year on the road
- 63 recall campaigns, 28 safety-critical
- best year 2020 (90/100) · worst 2016 (44/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Explorer against Sorento
The comparison that decides the purchase. A nameplate is not one car — a redesign can move the record sixty points inside two years, and the two nameplates rarely move together.
| Year | Explorer | Sorento | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 67 CAUTION | 72 BUY | -5 |
| 2024 | 79 BUY | 86 BUY | -7 |
| 2023 | 76 BUY | 85 BUY | -9 |
| 2022 | 72 BUY | 80 BUY | -8 |
| 2021 | 70 BUY | 87 BUY | -17 |
| 2020 | 28 AVOID | 90 BUY | -62 |
| 2019 | 82 BUY | 81 BUY | +1 |
| 2018 | 71 BUY | 83 BUY | -12 |
| 2017 | 39 AVOID | 65 CAUTION | -26 |
| 2016 | 32 AVOID | 44 AVOID | -12 |
| 2015 | 50 CAUTION | 71 BUY | -21 |
| 2014 | 60 CAUTION | 60 CAUTION | +0 |
| 2013 | 38 AVOID | 68 CAUTION | -30 |
| 2012 | 78 BUY | 73 BUY | +5 |
| 2011 | 73 BUY | 49 AVOID | +24 |
What owners actually complain about
Ford Explorer
- Steering — 3,398 complaints
- Structure — 3,052 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 2,679 complaints
Kia Sorento
- Engine — 3,488 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 1,180 complaints
- Electrical System — 1,115 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Explorer's complaints concentrate in Steering, the Sorento's in Engine. That difference matters more to a buyer than the score gap, because it says which repair bill you are taking on.
Years to avoid on each
Ford Explorer — avoid: 2013, 2016, 2017, 2020.
Kia Sorento — avoid: 2011, 2016.
A year scores below 45 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. Every car’s years to avoid.
What each costs today
A recent used Ford Explorer prices at about $40,800 and a Kia Sorento at about $40,800 — they price within $1 of each other, which at this level is the same money, and they return 20.0 against 23.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Ford Explorer or the Kia Sorento more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Kia Sorento scores 75/100 against the Ford Explorer's 59/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The Kia Sorento carries about 56 complaints per year on the road against 117 for the Ford Explorer.
Which Ford Explorer and Kia Sorento years should I avoid?
Ford Explorer: 2013, 2016, 2017, 2020. Kia Sorento: 2011, 2016. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Ford Explorer and the Kia Sorento?
The largest complaint group on the Ford Explorer is Steering (3,398 complaints); on the Kia Sorento it is Engine (3,488).
Is the Ford Explorer or the Kia Sorento cheaper to own?
A recent used Ford Explorer prices at about $40,800 and a Kia Sorento at about $40,800, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.