general problems of the 2023 Kia Motor Sportage - part 1

When driving the cluster screen goes black and remains black until like 24hours later when buttons on the screens reappear. When it happens the odometer reading, speed reading does not appear. This issue started happening when I passed 40000 miles on the vechile.

Vehicle caught fire while idling unattended with seat warmers activated. The driver seat ignited and fire spread across the seats to the headrest in the backseats and sunroof area. No one was inside the vehicle at the time. Multiple eyewitnesses confirm no one was near the vehicle. Surveillance footage captured the incident. Police report confirms no arson or external cause. A campus officer noted the fire may be related to the seat heater system. Vehicle is currently undrivable due to severe interior fire damage.

I would welcome making my vehicle available for inspection on this issue. Year/make/model: 2023 kia Sportage ex hev awd 4-door SUV color: black powertrain: hybrid electric vehicle (hev) number of occupants: 2 (driver and passenger) injuries: none, but fatalities could have occurred. Vehicle turned off completely – no power, no hazard lights, and although driver miraculously made it to the shoulder, most of it was blocked by a snowbank and sat in a dead car with no hazard lights. Passenger (recovering from leg surgery in full leg brace) was forced to exit onto a snow bank and enter a tow truck cab, risking re-injury. Crash: no — vehicle was somehow brought to shoulder and aid protected by two state trooper vehicles until a tow arrived. Our car suddenly emitted a loud alarm at highway speed on I-84 -the instrument panel displayed an "stop vehicle immediately" warning. There was no prior warning, unusual noise, or dashboard indication of any problem. The car shut completely down while still on the highway. Car was towed to the nearest kia dealer - columbia Ford/kia [xxx] ). After diagnosis, the authorized kia dealer documented the following on repair order invoice w7403: • concern: "tow in. Died while driving. Separated" • diagnostic fault code: bms p1bb20 • failed/replaced parts: ? decoupler-basfiltr, part no. Spo 25290 2mhd0 ? bolt-crankshaft, part no. Kia 23127 2mha0 ? battery module assy, part no. Spo 37507 l5000 • parts total: $835. 54 • vehicle in dealer possession: March 5, 2026 – March 20, 2026 (15 days) complete loss of motive power at highway speed. Based on my subsequent research, this failure mode appears consistent with a documented similar issue in the united kingdom and european markets - which did result in a recall. -hybrid belt/tensioner system. Kia issued revised parts and ecu updates in those markets. No equivalent safety recall or consumer notification has been issued in the us. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S.

3 times in the last two days, and dozens of times over the last six months, while driving or while idling, the "check hybrid system" warning has flashed. When it happens the car does into limp mode, where it will go no faster than 13mph. This has happened in the left lane of a highway where there is no where to pull over except the lane, since there is no time to get over before the vehicle shuts down. The car essentially will shut down in the middle of driving, no matter where it is. Especially with my kids in the car it is terrifying hazard. I have brought the car to the kia service and since its not easily reproducible they have not been able to help and have offered no solutions.

My dash and infotainment system shuts down and restarts as I'm driving. It's only happened twice so far 4 days apart. There's no error code and my diagnostics check out fine.

My instrament cluster is blank and will. Not turn back on. So called recal never fixed it.

12 v battery fails everyday and needed to press the 12 v boost button. Sometimes alarm turns on middle of the night.

I was parked in a spot outside the service department of john kennedy Ford, waiting for my son, who was getting his car serviced. I couldn't see the door of the service department, so I decided to move to a position in which I could see my son exit the department. I put the car into reverse to exit the spot and it accelerated at an uncontrollable rate of speed backwards, striking two cars parked outside the service department, pushing them into other vehicles in the parking area. I put the car into drive to pull away from the cars I impacted and the car accelerated at an uncontrollable rate of speed forwards, striking a curb in front of the showroom, causing my car to veer into two new cars on the lot, sideswiping the last car and veering my car into a lamppost along the fairway. The collision caused my car to stop, causing the driver airbag to deploy. At no time did the forward collision avoidance system cause the car to brake itself. When the car was moving, the engine was revving at maximum rpm. I wasn't able to control the vehicle. The policed officer who investigated the scene said he did not see any interference from the floor mat, which he said is a common cause. Upon reviewing the activities leading up to the crash, I recalled attempting to use the remote start feature of the vehicle, which had been operating flawlessly. However, on this day, it took 3-4 attempts to get the vehicle to start remotely, possibly indicating a computer flaw. I was injured; no one else was. The vehicle is in the state farm lot awaiting interrogation by kia.

Three occurrences where electrical system glitched. 1st- driving vehicle and dashboard warnings all lit up. Pulled over and ran system check. System fault indicated do not drive and all vehicle alerts where red. Shut car off allowed time for system reset and it started right back up with no system warnings, no dash warnings on. Drove perfectly fine. Two weeks later went to start car and car began to flash dash lights, head lights and overhead lights while car made clicking sound. Would not start. Required a jump. Took into shop had battery and alternator tested and both came back 100%. Returned to dealer and they overlooked the vehicle and returned it stating nothing was found and all systems where fine. A month later driving and entire dash went black and head lights shut off and would not turn back on. No engine trouble but electrical glitch again. Pulled over shut car off allowed it time to reset. Started back up, dash and headlights back on and no warnings on vehicle. Each time an incident occurred the car did not present with engine trouble. It physically would drive just fine. However the electrical issues would require engine to be shut off and time for system to reset for it to function properly. Most recent incident date listed below.

Incident date: [xxx] vehicle: 2023 kia Sportage component(s): power train (automatic transmission shifter), electrical system (instrument cluster/display), back over prevention (rearview camera) description of incident: on [xxx], while performing a low-speed maneuver in pittsburgh, PA, the vehicle experienced a catastrophic shift-by-wire (sbw) logic failure resulting in a collision. After shifting the rotary gear selector from reverse to drive, the transmission failed to engage the selected gear and remained in reverse without any auditory or haptic warning to the driver. Simultaneously, the rear view monitor (rvm) experienced a "system hang," continuing to display the rear camera feed and blocking the instrument cluster’s gear-position indicator. Due to this dual failure—unintended gear retention and display latency—the vehicle traveled in an unintended direction (reverse) while I attempted to accelerate forward, leading to a property damage accident. Post-incident documentation: the vehicle was presented to performance kia (moosic, PA) on 12/19/25. Technician #957 confirmed the software logic was corrupted and performed a "clear and relearn of adaptive values" to reset the transmission control module (tcm). This diagnostic confirms that the vehicle was operating with failed control logic. Safety risk: the failure of the shift-by-wire system to accurately execute gear changes, combined with the instrument cluster's failure to provide real-time gear position as required by fmvss no. 102, creates an unreasonable risk of collision and injury. I was never notified of recall sc270 or sc275, which address similar software and hydraulic failures in this model year. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Frequently while driving my 2023 kia shortage hybrid will accelerate on its own. This happens randomly while driving straight as well as making turns. My SUV also has a vary hard time driving uphill. If im driving at 25 mph when approaching the hill, my car then gradually drops down to 10-15 mph. This is extremely scary especially when driving with my children in the car. I haven’t owned the vehicle for a year and don’t know why it’s performing this way.

Fails to move when going from stopped to apply gas and moving forward there is a large delay and weak power. Shakes when idles and is really forcful switching from gas to battery or battery to gas,.

On [xxx] the vehicle randomly went into limp mode. Wouldn't restart until it was jumped. Previous to this, the vehicle had already done this twice before. Exact dates unknown. On [xxx], the vehicle went into system check while I was driving it on 3 different occasions. The car shuts down by itself. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The dash screen went blank. You could not see the speedometer, fuel guage, etc. This has happened twice and is intermittent.

I will be driving 70mph on the freeway and suddenly the "check hybrid system" alert flashes and I have about 20 seconds to safely pullover. Once stopped it will not drive over 5-10 mph for about a half a mile, then completely dies. If I jump start it, it will start, but the car is limited to ~40mph and may not start again once turned off. Has been to the kia dealership three times in the past month and they say there are no codes to fix regarding the hybrid battery or system and keep returning it to us. It is exceedingly dangerous to drive and we are afraid to drive on the highway now.

Initially in may 25, my Sportage started accelerating on its own, unprompted, up to 4500 rpms many times and also hesitated. In 6/25 the info screen, (whole dash) went black 4-5 x’s for about 3minutes while driving 60 mph on bypass. Beginning of July, siri didn’t work and said it was inaccessible, and also the navigation said it was not updated however, when I pulled into the dealer, all of a sudden it worked? on 7/23 I was turning into apt complex and had no brakes! I had slowed to about 20mph, car behind me, and couldn’t make that turn so I coasted up to next entrance and was able to turn in. Fortunately, I was able to stop in my handicap pkg spot. I had already made appt for the initial issues at the dealer, moyer kia in lebanon, for first week of August, but immediately called them on 724 and explained the absence of breaks! they told me to get car there right away, so I did. I gave a list of all above info, they were able to give me a loaner, kia g6. This was very inconvenient for me as most of my back is fused and I provide transport for my [xxx] /o mom w/walker, but I can’t go w/o a car! moyer has had my car since 7/24,. With the exception of need for miles on the loaner communication was poor. I tried to reach kia corp multiple x’s to no avail. I was told by brian at dealer that my case had been escalated to the national safety board and they were advised not to touch my car pending investigation. So it sat there for months I got a message from kia connect that my battery was dead, more communication than I had received throughout this whole experience! last week, Thursday I had called corp who said they sent me an email on 1023 to tell me nothing is wrong with my car, they also emailed the dealer. I hadn’t checked email, nor did they call, so I didn’t know, dealer called me on Friday to come and get my car, but first they had to grind the rust off of rotors, recharge the battery and would I like them to inspect it?, nothing is wrong? this car is not safe!!!! information redacted pursuant to the freedom.

After driving for roughly 7 hours upon activating my cruise control, after using the entire drive with no issues, it went up to 110 mph as soon as I hit the button and would not allow me to adjust the speed down. It would turn off upon pressing pause, cruise control, or brakes but would rise to 110 mph everytime. I searched for recalls for this and could find none. But I did find posts of other people with the same issue. The only thing I could find was an emissions campaign that seems like it may be related. This appears to me to be much more of a safety issue especially if the driver is not paying attention. Or for example let's say you're driving behind someone and turn cruise control on you could very easily rearend someone at a high rate of speed. I will be trying to get my car into the dealership to try and resolve the issue, but my main point for filing a report is to see if this rises to the level of a safety recall versus a TSB or emissions campaign. My vehicle is available for inspection if needed. No warning lights came on or anything of the sort. I do have a video of this but does not appear I can upload it. Any assistance is greatly appreciated thank you and have a great day.

Car shuts off as alert start flashing and beeping. Get a red flashing screen and a hazard message that states "check hybrid system. Stop safely". So far this has only happened while I was at a stop, but I have read in forums where it has happened to people while they are driver.

The hybrid powertrain system failed. Specifically, the vehicle remains stuck in ev mode and does not switch to the gasoline engine under acceleration, leading to complete loss of power while driving. Yes, the vehicle is available for inspection upon request. This malfunction caused the vehicle to lose all forward power in traffic. I had to pull over into emergency lanes and restart the vehicle multiple times. This is extremely dangerous and could lead to a crash, especially on highways or during merging. It puts both myself and others on the road at risk. The kia authorized service center was able to reset the adaptive system, and the hybrid warning light turned off temporarily. However, the issue reappeared the same day. The dealer claims they cannot reproduce it and refuses further diagnosis without replication. The vehicle was only inspected by a kia-authorized dealership. Kia consumer affairs has not yet conducted a manufacturer-level inspection or assigned a field technician. Yes. A “check hybrid system. Stop safely” warning message appears before the failure occurs. Then check engine light was on. It first appeared immediately after a routine service (oil change, tire rotation, multi-point inspection) on 26th June 2025, just 2 days after my regular service. The warning disappears after restarting but returns intermittently, typically after the ev battery is fully drained and the car fails to switch to gas mode.

The instrument cluster software on this 2023 Sportage hybrid ex awd was never updated prior to sale. Software version USA. S5w_m. V008. 001. 220504 (dated may 2022) was confirmed via the vehicle system information screen on March 17, 2026. A kia consumer affairs supervisor confirmed on a recorded call the same date that this version predates recall sc270 by approximately one year, and that the vehicle is missing all software updates from fall 2022 through 2024. The supervisor further confirmed the ota system cannot bridge this gap and dealer intervention is required. The vehicle was purchased from the selling dealer on June 13, 2025 — over two years after sc270 was issued in may 2023. The dealer had software update capability since spring 2024 per kia's own records. The recall has not been completed as of the date of this filing. Safety risk: instrument cluster may fail to display tire pressure, warning lights, and critical safety indicators upon startup per the recall description.

The contact owns a 2023 kia Sportage. The contact stated while driving 70 mph, the instrument panel failed to display pertinent information. The contact stated that a dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed. However, the contact was informed that the vehicle could not be repaired unless the VIN was under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 23v298000 (electrical system); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The contact was referred to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 68,585.

On 3/9/25, the infotainment panel and media system blanked out. After pulling the vehicle over, the infotainment panel cluster buffered after restarting.

The infotainment screen continues to blank out. The backup camera, media, navigation, or radio won’t work when the infotainment system is blank.

Phev vehicle: charging interrupted in the middle of the night. When attempting to reconnect the charger, a "charging unsuccessful" message was given. A warning with "check hybrid system" appeared, as well as the check engine light. I cannot charge the car anymore and had to leave it at the dealership.

The contact owns a 2023 kia Sportage. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 mph, the instrument cluster went black, and the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that before being able to pull over, the vehicle restarted. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and replaced the instrument cluster and wiring harness. The vehicle was repaired; however, the contact stated that the vehicle started stalling while stopped for traffic lights. The contact stated that when the vehicle stalled, the instrument cluster showed several unknown warning lights. The contact had taken the vehicle back to the same dealer. The dealer was not able to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 23,000.

Multiple times I have reported all of my cluster lights come on randomly while driving. They are distracting and it's difficult to tell if the systems are actually working. The dealership claims it's a rear sensor however they refuse to fix it due to my car appears to have been hit. There's no damage to my vehicle any where. Now I have to wait for the lights to come on again before I can take it to another dealership and have it reassessed.

My vehicle is currently being held at a kia dealership in woodstock, GA to attempt to find the problem with my car. The lateral g sensor code as well as a few others were found in diagnostic testing. They attempted to fix it with replacing the air bag module but it did not remove the problem. My problem is this: four of my adas lights have come on several times over the last few months at random, but all at the same time. It turns off every single safety feature of my vehicle. One time I was driving and my abs light came on and off quickly as if it were stuck and the car started to pull me off the road as I tried to accelerate. I was told there may be a software issue with my vehicle and that they would take months to fix it if they can. I am concerned for my safety at this point.

I had my 2023 kia Sportage in the kia shop in mckinney, TX about 3 weeks ago for an electrical issue. All of my lights on my dash were on. They insisted my battery was bad, so they made me buy a battery. (my car isn’t even 3 years old). So, once the new battery was installed, the technician stated all was good, that it was just a bad battery, that was why all the lights on my dash were there. When I started my car this morning, what do you know! all of the warning lights were on my dash again. They did nothing to fix the issue. There were unsure of what was causing the electrical issues in the first place. I am writing this to you to inform you of the electrical issues among kia.

Traveling at 70 mph on [xxx] in traffic, the vehicle suddenly lost power and I was forced to unsafely maneuver to the shoulder of the road as the vehicle decelerated through the traffic. As soon as I stopped, the vehicle lost all power. I had difficulty engaging the parking brake as I was on a hill and the vehicle started to roll back. The brake pedal did work so I could stop the car but I could not exit the vehicle in fear of it rolling back into traffic. I called 911 to explain the situation. After 20 more minutes I engaged/disengaged the parking brake several times and it finally held. I still would not leave the vehicle because I could not trust it at that point. Another 20 minutes passed and a road ranger arrived and placed a wooden block behind the wheel and at that point I felt comfortable to get out of the car. I was told by kia service the issue was related to recall sa553a but I was never notified. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Which disables the backup camera, tge the entire infotainment screen is blank, therefore, I am unable to view objects on camera in reverse. This has been an ongoing issue since purchasing the vehicle. Last week, kia's service department said the blank screen was due to a dead battery which was replaced, but the issue persists. This is a safety concern that needs to be taken seriously and investigated properly besides blaming it on the battery or test driving the vehicle for a couple of minutes and stating they’re unable to duplicate the problem.

After starting the vehicle, backup camera and infotainment screen would not work. Car shut off and would not restart with “check system” message. Vehicle had to be towed.

I was driving my vehicle on the freeway when all of a sudden I got a warning light that came on that said check hybrid system it looked up my brakes and steering the car completely shutdown in the middle of the freeway it happened so fast I couldn't get to the shoulder my car completely just stopped. I spoke to kia and took it to the dealership and they ended up saying because it needed a update which I then called kia and let them know the situation that I almost got in a accident and that I didn't feel safe in that car and they didn't want to help.

My 2023 kia Sportage hybrid, with only 22,000 miles, has been experiencing a recurring "check hybrid system stop safely" error, causing sudden and complete loss of acceleration while driving. This issue first occurred in November 2024, while I was driving at highway speeds (60 mph), and has recurred multiple times since. The sudden loss of power puts my safety and others’ at serious risk by leaving the vehicle stranded in traffic, increasing the chance of accidents. On December 30, 2024, I brought the car to kia of west nyack for diagnosis and repair, providing video evidence of the error. However, the dealership claims they cannot replicate the issue and has not completed any repairs. While the dealership has stated since last week that a techline case was opened, kia corporate confirmed no such case exists, highlighting a lack of accountability and coordination. For over two weeks, no progress has been made, and the issue has not been escalated to a specialist. Despite being under warranty, I have not been offered a loaner vehicle, significantly impacting my daily life, work, and family responsibilities. This issue is further complicated by kia’s inability to log intermittent errors, as the "check hybrid system stop safely" message disappears when the car is restarted. This design flaw has allowed the dealership to dismiss the error as unreproducible, despite video evidence provided. This situation has left me questioning whether my car is safe to drive and when it will be repaired. This defect is not isolated to my vehicle. Many other kia and Hyundai hybrid owners have reported the same error, highlighting a widespread safety issue. Despite its warranty obligations, kia has failed to act promptly to address this defect. Immediate action is needed to ensure the safety of this vehicle and others affected by this recurring problem.

Often hesitates when accelerating. Stalls from stopped position. Lcd screen changes by itself. Drops calls. Turns off if you make volume adjustment. Most recently, filled gas tank with full tank, just over 13 gallons. Gauge read only 1/2 tank and showed I had only 289 miles rather than normal 520 miles or so. That number kept changing throughout the next couple of days. Attachments: show gas receipt at gas station that tank is filled. Gauge shows 1/2 tank. See subsequent photos. Safety issue for sure. This car cannot be trusted. Multiple problems with electrical system and engine stalling.

The contact owns a 2023 kia Sportage. The contact state while driving 70 mph, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to exceed 30 mph. Additionally, the vehicle stalled and lost motive power. The vehicle was started and driven to the shoulder of the road. The vehicle was started, and the vehicle was driven to the residence. The contact stated that the failure occurred while the contact was driving on a major four-lane highway. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The contact was informed that a failure was possible with the computer system; however, no fault code was displayed. The contact stated the vehicle was taken to the dealer twice regarding the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 5,000.