Our new 2026 Sorento jerks violently at low speeds while coming to a stop. At times, to stop the brake pedal needs to be pushed fully to the floor. Our dealer said they have not been able to replicate the problem.
Additionally our brakes make a high pitched squeal when backing up.
The most alarming part of your post is the brake pedal needing to be pushed fully to the floor. That's a massive safety hazard and is absolutely not a normal quirk of any new vehicle. When a brake pedal sinks to the floor intermittently, it almost always points to a failing brake master cylinder. The internal seals inside the cylinder can sometimes bypass or leak pressure when you press the pedal slowly, causing it to fall completely to the floor without actually squeezing the brake rotors. If your Sorento is a Hybrid or PHEV, it uses a complex electronic brake actuator to blend regenerative braking with the physical brakes, and a glitch in that system can also cause a sudden loss of pedal pressure. Even if the dealer couldn't replicate it on a quick test drive, you need to firmly insist they keep the car and thoroughly test the master cylinder and hydraulic system.
As for the violent jerking when coming to a stop, this is unfortunately a very common complaint depending on which engine your Sorento has. If you have the 2.5L turbo gas engine, it's paired with an 8 speed dual clutch transmission (DCT). Unlike a traditional automatic, a DCT uses automated manual clutches. When you brake to a stop, the computer has to suddenly disengage those clutches so the engine doesn't stall, which often results in a harsh jerk, clunk, or a feeling like the car just dropped into neutral. If you have the hybrid model, that low speed jerk is often the computer struggling to smoothly hand off the braking force from the electric regenerative system to the physical brake pads.
The high pitched squeal when backing up is actually the least worrisome issue here. Because you spend 99% of your time driving forward, your brake pads "bed in" and wear specific to that forward rotation. When you put the car in reverse, the brake pads are pushed in the opposite direction against their metal retaining clips. This slight shift changes the contact angle with the rotor and causes a high frequency vibration, which you hear as a squeal. It's generally harmless, and a mechanic can usually silence it by simply taking the rear brakes apart and applying a special high temp brake grease to the metal backing plates of the pads.
Don't let the dealer brush off that sinking brake pedal. Document every time it happens and push them to dig deeper into the hydraulics.
