Kia Sportage Complaints

4,907 consumer complaints on file.

#11774550October 29, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I was driving on the highway going about 70mph and the car completely shut off. When off I couldn’t accelerate or brake. I put my hazards on and pulled over. The car continued to turn off and on. It couldn’t stay on. Still don’t know what’s wrong with it but a HUGE safety concern.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11774185October 28, 2026
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, STEERING
"While driving to work and actively attempting to pass another vehicle, the battery light suddenly illuminated out of nowhere. A short time later, while slowing down at a stoplight coming into town, the engine completely stalled out and died in the middle of a busy, active intersection. I lost all acceleration and power steering capabilities, and narrowly avoided an accident while coasting blindly across traffic to safety. The vehicle has had a chronic, active P0420 Catalytic Converter efficiency code caused by a known Kia manufacturing defect of massive, excessive oil consumption (requiring constant oil additions to maintain operation). The excessive oil burning directly fouled the exhaust and caused this sudden, life-threatening engine failure on a public roadway."
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11774277October 28, 2026
ENGINE
On Saturday, XXX, while driving on XXX in [XXX], my 2020 Kia Sportage (2,4 L engine, 152,245 miles) suffered a sudden, catastrophic loss of motive power. The vehicle actively entered Limp Home Mode at high speed, dropping velocity rapidly and creating an immediate traffic hazard that my husband and I stranded 6.5 hours away from home. The vehicle was brought back to [XXX] on Sunday XXX, to Stokes Hodges Kia in [XXX], where a diagnostic scan pulled faulted code P0404. No low-oil pressure warning light or dashboard oil alerts were illuminated prior to or during the failure. The engine suffered a sudden internal mechanical failure directly relating to the vehicle's progressive, severe internal oil consumption defect, causing a severe highway safety hazard. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11773890October 27, 2026
AIR BAGS, SEAT BELTS
A deer ran out on the parkway when I was coming home from work and it totaled my vehicle. The ambulance had to pry the door open to get me out. The airbag never deployed and the seatbelt popped open.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11773628October 26, 2026
SERVICE BRAKES
On [XXX] in West Danville, Vt, leaving [XXX] onto [XXX], we experienced complete brake failure, the brake pedal sank completely to the floor, allowing the vehicle to roll into a high traffic route before the manual caught at the bottom. This created the potential for a catastrophic impact situation. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11773460October 25, 2026
ENGINE
My vehicle's check oil light repeatedly lit up on several occassions before my next scheduled maintenance. Contacted my vehicle's manufacturer for assistance and unfortunately got a lukewarm response.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11773271October 23, 2026
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH, the vehicle lost automotive power. The vehicle was unable to be restarted and needed to be towed. The vehicle was towed to a service center, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine had seized. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 103,343.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11773080October 22, 2026
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, SERVICE BRAKES
I was driving and my vehicle and saw smoke and it caught on fire and burnt..
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11772602October 21, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS, LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
1. COMPONENT & INSPECTION: Electrical System / CAN-Bus network architecture and gateway modules. The vehicle and parts are available for inspection upon request. 2. SAFETY RISK: The CAN-bus drops communication while driving at road speeds. Critical safety systems—including Forward Collision-Avoidance, Blind-Spot Monitors, and Electronic Stability Control—instantly shut down mid-trip. Losing active stability and driver assists while moving on public highways poses an immediate, severe crash hazard to myself and others. 3. DEALER CONFIRMATION: Yes. An authorized Kia dealer scanned the vehicle and confirmed multiple logged historical network communication error codes (U-codes), verifying a system-wide network failure. 4. OTHER INSPECTIONS: Inspected only by the Kia dealer technician. However, because the failure is intermittent, the dealer simply cleared the fault codes and released the vehicle without performing physical diagnostics or repairs. Kia America Corporate opened a consumer case but has since ghosted all communication. No police or insurance inspections have occurred yet as a crash has not yet happened. 5. WARNING LAMPS & FIRST APPEARANCE: No advance warnings occur. The failure happens instantly mid-drive. Symptoms include a sudden, simultaneous "Christmas tree" illumination of warning lights (Stability Control, Braking, and Lane Assist). These symptoms first appeared in September 2026 and recur intermittently.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11772645October 21, 2026
STEERING, LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST, LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING
While driving october 19, 2027 on highway 80 i was driving in my lane when the car violently veered to the right...was hard to control. I could have been hit by oncoming car or crashed. The auto is being inspected by the dealer There were no signals or warnings
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11772701October 21, 2026
ENGINE, SERVICE BRAKES
While driving to work this morning, I experienced an unintended engine acceleration while at a stop sign. It was about 7:30am at the time of event, I had been driving for about 10 minutes up to that point. Prior to that, the vehicle had been in the garage all evening. The temperature outside was cool, but I had no heat or air turned on at the time of event. I was at a complete stop at a stop sign on the corner of Bertrand Rd and S Third St in Niles, Michigan. I was waiting for the cross traffic to go across, and while I sat there with my foot on the brake, the engine accelerated and the car started to lunge forward. I pressed harder against the brake pedal and felt some resistance, but was able to keep the car from going into the intersection. The acceleration ceased, and then I continued on to work with no further incidents. The vehicle mileage at time of this writing is 35,344 miles, and the incident location is about 15 miles from my workplace. There were also no warning lights visible on the car during the incident, and there were no floor mat obstructions that would have interfered with any pedals.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11772724October 21, 2026
POWER TRAIN, ENGINE
The contact owns a 2023 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while coming to a complete stop, the vehicle shifted into neutral and failed to properly shift into gear. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed, and the contact was advised that the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 33,325.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11772744October 21, 2026
STEERING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
On October 21, 2026, while driving my 2026 Kia Sportage Hybrid LX (approx. 3780 miles), smoke started coming from the steering wheel / steering column area. There was a burning electrical smell. / No warning lights came on. I pulled over, turned the vehicle off, and exited. There was no open flame and no one was injured. The LX trim does not have a heated steering wheel, so a heating element fault is ruled out. The smoke appears to come from an electrical component inside the steering column (clock spring, combination/turn-signal switch, or column wiring). I am concerned this is an electrical short with a fire risk. The vehicle is drived back to home, I try to reach out to Kia customer service and local dealership, but neither of them take this seriously. I checked NHTSA recalls: the only 2026 Sportage recall (SC361, instrument cluster display) does not cover this issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11772752October 21, 2026
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN
The vehicle experiences an intermittent, severe safety malfunction tied to the Idle Stop & Go (ISG) auto-stop system. When brought to a complete stop at intersections or red lights, the engine shuts off normally to conserve fuel. However, when releasing the brake pedal, the engine completely fails to auto-restart and stalls out in live traffic. The vehicle locks up, flashes an error message on the instrument cluster instructing the driver to shift to Park or Neutral to restart, and requires a hard manual key cycle to get the vehicle moving again. This intermittent defect has occurred over the past year, creating an extreme hazard for rear-end collisions in high-traffic intersections. The component is available for inspection upon request. The vehicle was presented to an authorized dealership on October 21, 2026, at 31,985 miles specifically for this stalling defect. The technician documented the complaint on the Repair Order but was unable to duplicate the stalling during a brief road test, noting that values were within factory specifications at that moment and taking no repair action. The manufacturer has not yet issued a recall or permanent remedy for this generation of vehicle stalling.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11772776October 21, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I have spent two months trying to get my keys re-programmed to the system and the dealership informed me that the system has been "bypassed" somehow with no solution. This is after my account had been taken over and at one point the vehicle was being remotely controlled. I am out $500.00 for keys that cant work and this is a safety issue as I cant remotely lock or unlock my own vehicle or use the panic button. There have been people who gained access to the vehicle because somehow they have access to it remotely where I do not. This allowed them to brick the infotainment center and navigation. This is also an issue as this means they cant be utilized.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11772782October 21, 2026
HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2024 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle experienced a total loss of automotive power. The message "Check Hybrid System - Stop Immediately" was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer to be diagnosed and DTC: P1BB2 was retrieved and a software update was performed. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact referenced Voluntary Emissions Service Campaign: SC338; as a possible cause for the failure. The failure mileage was 35,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11772792October 21, 2026
ENGINE
While driving, acceleration was greatly reduced followed by a blinking check engine light and loud clanking and knocking sound
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11772305October 20, 2026
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
In the newer Kia's, the gas lid is completely electronic. There is no emergency release for the gas lid. The Lee's Summit Kia dealership is claims that Kia has designed their newer cars with no emergency latch to open my gas lid so I can put gas in my car. I have a working car that I cannot put gas in. Then the Lee's Summit Kia dealership states the part takes 5-7 days to get there and I still have no vehicle. I randomly attempted to get gas Monday 10/11/2026 and the gas lid wouldn't open. Sometimes it gets stuck (which is also an issue), and went on my way. The next day, the same thing happened. When it happened, I went to the dealership, who graciously told me that they could charge me $500 for the privilege to access my gas tank to put gas in my car. This is not a safety issue. This is a scam by Kia and probably Hyundai too.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11772332October 20, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:INSTRUMENT PANEL:SPEEDOMETER/ODOMETER
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2017 Kia Sportage. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 131,600. The Carfax report listed the mileage as 140,000 in 2024. The contact stated that the vehicle was insured but not yet registered. The contact reported the odometer fraud to the Attorney General of Massachusetts. The contact emailed the dealer about the mileage discrepancy, and the dealer informed her that they were no longer leasing the vehicle. The current actual mileage was 174,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11772241October 19, 2026
VISIBILITY/WIPER
On XXX, I discovered a crack in the windshield of my 2024 Kia Sportage Hybrid. The crack is on the lower passenger side, near the wiper area, forming a curved arc with additional crack lines extending across the glass. I am not aware of any rock strike or other impact, and photos taken XXX show no obvious star or bullseye impact point. On XXX, [XXX] Kia in [XXX] inspected the windshield. Their written finding was "found impact on glass — would not fall under Kia warranty," and no repairs were made. I am filing this report because I remain concerned the windshield may be unusually susceptible to cracking, similar to windshield cracking complaints reported by other Kia owners. A cracked windshield impairs visibility and is a safety concern. Vehicle: 2024 Kia Sportage Hybrid, VIN [XXX]. Mileage was 30,414 when the crack was discovered. No crash, fire, injury, or death involved. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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