Kia Sorento vs Nissan Pathfinder: which is more reliable?
The Kia Sorento is ahead of the Nissan Pathfinder on the federal record, 75/100 against 71/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
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)
Nissan Pathfinder
- 14 model years scored
- 2,708 owner complaints on record
- about 30 complaints per year on the road
- 49 recall campaigns, 30 safety-critical
- best year 2012 (95/100) · worst 2013 (26/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Sorento against Pathfinder
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 | Sorento | Pathfinder | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 72 BUY | 65 CAUTION | +7 |
| 2024 | 86 BUY | 68 CAUTION | +18 |
| 2023 | 85 BUY | 75 BUY | +10 |
| 2022 | 80 BUY | 71 BUY | +9 |
| 2021 | 87 BUY | — | — |
| 2020 | 90 BUY | 94 BUY | -4 |
| 2019 | 81 BUY | 89 BUY | -8 |
| 2018 | 83 BUY | 86 BUY | -3 |
| 2017 | 65 CAUTION | 82 BUY | -17 |
| 2016 | 44 AVOID | 89 BUY | -45 |
| 2015 | 71 BUY | 67 CAUTION | +4 |
| 2014 | 60 CAUTION | 38 AVOID | +22 |
| 2013 | 68 CAUTION | 26 AVOID | +42 |
| 2012 | 73 BUY | 95 BUY | -22 |
| 2011 | 49 AVOID | 92 BUY | -43 |
What owners actually complain about
Kia Sorento
- Engine — 3,488 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 1,180 complaints
- Electrical System — 1,115 complaints
Nissan Pathfinder
- Power Train — 782 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 471 complaints
- Engine — 467 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Sorento's complaints concentrate in Engine, the Pathfinder's in Power Train. 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
Kia Sorento — avoid: 2011, 2016.
Nissan Pathfinder — avoid: 2013, 2014.
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 Kia Sorento prices at about $40,800 and a Nissan Pathfinder at about $40,800 — they price within $1 of each other, which at this level is the same money, and they return 23.0 against 23.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Kia Sorento or the Nissan Pathfinder more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Kia Sorento scores 75/100 against the Nissan Pathfinder's 71/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Kia Sorento and Nissan Pathfinder years should I avoid?
Kia Sorento: 2011, 2016. Nissan Pathfinder: 2013, 2014. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Kia Sorento and the Nissan Pathfinder?
The largest complaint group on the Kia Sorento is Engine (3,488 complaints); on the Nissan Pathfinder it is Power Train (782).
Is the Kia Sorento or the Nissan Pathfinder cheaper to own?
A recent used Kia Sorento prices at about $40,800 and a Nissan Pathfinder at about $40,800, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.