This automotive maintenance tutorial was specifically written to assist owners of the third generation (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020) Kia Sorento SUV in accessing, lowering, removing and installing the spare tire and wheel.

Owners of other Kia, Hyundai and Genesis vehicles such as the Soul, Seltos, Sportage, Niro, Telluride, Forte, Rio, Optima, Stinger, Cadenza, K900, Sedona, Kona, Venue, Santa Fe, Elantra, Sonata, Accent, Veloster, Ioniq, Nexo, G70, G80 and G90 may also find these instructions to be helpful.

The first two steps are to open the tailgate to access the cargo area and then raise the cover for the storage compartment.

You should see a foam organizer block with all of the spare tire tools including the floor jack, a lug nut wrench (tire iron), a large socket and a screwdriver.

For the future, I recommend always keeping a can of emergency tire sealant such as Fix-A-Flat, a Tire Patch Kit and a 12V Tire Compressor in the storage compartment.

If you have an AWD (all wheel drive) Kia Sorento and you plan on driving off-road, I would also highly recommend having a Tire Sidewall Patch Kit.

Use the flat head screwdriver to remove the black plastic cover on the spare tire hoist mechanism.

Rotate the cover 1/4 turn in the counterclockwise direction before pulling it off. Set the cover aside in a safe place.

Loosen the metal cable at least a few extra turns so that there is some slack.

Pull the metal retaining bar attached to the end of the cable out of the hole in the center of the spare wheel.

Carefully raise the corner of the vehicle with the floor jack situated on a secure surface.

Spin off the five lug nuts and set them aside in a safe place.

Pull off the flat tire and push on the spare tire.

Spin on the five lug nuts a few turns in the clockwise direction to prevent them from becoming cross threaded.

Slightly tighten the lug nuts in a criss-cross or star pattern.

Carefully lower the car from the floor jack.

Continue tightening the lug nuts in a criss-cross or a star pattern until they are snug.

If you happen to have a torque wrench, the lug nuts should be tightened to a range of 65 to 79 lb-ft or 79 to 94 lb-ft of torque depending on your Sorento's model year.

Please check your owner's manual for the correct torque specification.

When you need to replace the spare tire under the SUV, lower the cable, place the retaining bar through the hole in the wheel and then raise the spare tire by turning the hoist mechanism in the clockwise direction.

Please take a look at all of my 2016-2020 Kia Sorento DIY Repair & Maintenance Guides.