Kia rates the 2017 Sorento to tow a braked trailer of up to 2000kg. That much weight should be well within the limits of the car’s mechanical systems and reflects testing that Kia would have done before releasing the car. Which is to say, you won’t damage the car by towing a sub-two-tonne caravan.

Provided that is, that the caravan and car are loaded correctly and the rig is balanced and safe. This is also dependent on the vehicle being in perfect condition and you diving it correctly in the context of towing a heavy load.

The automatic transmission is your friend here, too, as it is smart enough to decide what gear it needs to be in to make the engine’s life as easy as possible and avoid unnecessary wear and tear. If you think the engine is labouring at any point, you can also lock the transmission out of overdrive and let the engine breath a little easier.

It sounds like something electronic is randomly playing up and that’s causing the intermittent problem. Modern engines like these use a raft of sensors to keep the on-board computer informed of what’s going on and keep everything running smoothly and efficiently. If just one of those sensors stops working properly, all sorts of havoc can result.

It’s a bit strange that the on-board diagnostics of the vehicle aren’t throwing up a relevant fault code when your mechanic interrogates the computer but, again, some of these modern electronic systems require some pretty specific software. Which means a trip to a Kia dealership might provide a more in-depth answer to what’s going on.

The good news is that since 2014, Kias sold new in Australia have been covered by a seven-year warranty, so your Sorento is well and truly still under that factory cover. Which means it shouldn’t cost you anything to have the problem sorted out by Kia.

It will be a problem with the antenna. Have your dealer check it for you and perhaps replace it.