general problems of the 2023 Kia Motor Sportage - part 1

I was driving on the highway around 50 mph when my car sudden if turned off. The dash said something about loss of power and to pull over. It would not start again and I had to call a tow truck.

I have a 2023 kia Sportage I purchased and I was driving one day and my entire cars power shut off & so did the engine while I was driving on the highway going 70mph + and when I’m driving on the regular roads as well I’ve almost gotten into an accident over this issue already once when I went to go take it into jeffery kia in roseville michigan and asked for it to be looked at I was immediately dismissed and they would not look at my car at all so then I called summit place kia in clinton township where I told them what was happening I then had to wait two weeks before I could even get my car in to be seen by them when it was seen by them they did ever test on it and said that everything came back good but they knew obviously something was wrong with it because it acted up for them as well they documented it then said they were going to call corporate and see what they should do next so today I got a call and a voicemail basically saying they still don’t have a diagnosis for my vehicle they’re just going to order some new parts and put them on there and hope that they work.

The roof molding blew off. It is the exact same issue as this recall 24v025000 but me VIN isn't included.

The fuel door will not open. Followed all instructions and the fuel door will not open.

On Feb 1, 2026, while driving my panoramic ceiling on my 2023 Sportage just imploded . It sounded like a bomb or a gun was shot. The dealer didn't want to take ownership of the accident and had to file a claim through my insurance. There is more than 2000 cases of this just in 2025 alone. They stated something must of hit it. There was no one on the road that morning and it was right in the middle. I park in my garage at home and at my work location. Not 1 crack or any type of damage was done prior to this incident.

The dealership repaired the vehicle free of charge however, NHTSA has not confirmed the repair for recall sc292. The vehicle got repaired on January 3rd, 2026. The recall information is uploaded to reference. Manufacturer reports recall has been completed/closed as of 01/03/2026.

Driving at a speed of 45 mph the sunroof spontaneously exploded. No other cars to kick rocks in the indicate vicinity. No passing traffic. We heard a very loud boom and the sound of shattering and skittering glass. Sunroof and sunroof cover were closed. All windows were closed. Pulled to the side of the road, called husband, called kia to start warranty claim. Our safety was called into jeopardy as we had to drive over 150 miles to the kia service center, not knowing if any glass would work itself through or of the sunroof shade would handle the wind of driving. The kia dealership had only seen 1 Sportage and 1 telluride incur this damage. We also had to find our own way home, they could not offer us a loaner vehicle. Incurred expense of having to fly back home and will incur expenses of having to make the 275 mile journey back to get it once repaired.

Fixed glass panel between the windshield and sunroof spontaneously shattered. There was no impact, debris, or outside force involved. The break occurred with a perfectly straight fracture line, which is characteristic of a manufacture defect stress-related failure rather than an external object strike.

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.

While backing up, the vehicle’s rear camera and sensors failed to alert me to a low object. There was no audible warning, and the object was below rear window visibility. This resulted in a dent to the trunk. The camera system typically provides audio warnings, but it was silent during this event. I am concerned this could indicate a defect in the backup safety system. There have been similar recalls put out for other kia models in this year which concerns me even more that I had this issue and that my car does not have a recall out.

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.

While driving on a highway at approximately 5:00 p. M. , a loud explosion occurred. My husband said it sounded like we were shot. Once we pulled over, we discovered the panoramic sunroof had exploded. We immediately pulled off on the nearest exit and drove the car right back to the dealer. While my husband drove the car, I researched sunroof explosions and found several complaints of other kia cars with panoramic sunroofs that had exploded. Upon arrival at the dealership, the service department was closed, but we were able to bring the car inside the garage since it was raining. There was no impact to the sunroof and no bridge where something could have fallen from it. The broken glass looked like it had exploded outward like a volcano. Shattered pieces of glass were scattered on top of the cloth covering but most pieces must have flown off the roof during driving. A saleswoman made a ridiculous claim that the explosion could have been caused by hail. It was 55 degrees out. Another salesman made a comment that it could have been some kind of combustion or that something fell on top of the sunroof (like a meteorite fell from the sky while driving?). Now, the following morning, kia (a man named walt) is claiming something hit the sunroof, "pictures don't lie", and they will not do any work on the car until my insurance company is contacted and an appraiser comes to look at the damage. We also took pictures and do not see that an impact occurred. No other cars on the highway at the time the sunroof exploded were impacted with their driving or even pulled off the road, so I cannot imagine kia's claim that "something hit the sunroof. " no other cars were impacted.

Purchased the vehicle 2nd hand January 29th 2025. Since then she has been in and out of multiple shops including kia. Check engine light, loss of power on fwy, shifting/brake changes from a stop. From jerking, lunging, studder, taking off fast, not wanting to go at all. I was on these dips that I encounter almost daily and the collision warning went off. There wasnt anything in front of me. 2 weeks later I was cut off and had to swerve to avoid. Collision warning did not go off. Driving on the fwy and the gas pedal pulled away from my foot as if it was accelerating. Kia has done a hard carbon, changed all fuel injectors. Last time they stated there was a factory defect with the rotors, changed all 4 rotors. Still she drives like this. Carmax, kia and daniels tires no one can tell me what is wrong! I have driven a 2024 same make and model and the car drove beautifully. Something is wrong with my particular vehicle. This is becoming frustrating. Please help. I drive often, I hike a lot. We are always on winding roads. I can't afford to sell it as I still owe. I love the vehicle, aside from this, like I'm just waiting for disaster to occur. Miles started at 14. 5k and it's now 33k. Speeds have been anywhere from a complete stop to go and fwy speeds of 55 to 80.

The infotainment screen remained blank while in reverse. I wasn’t able to detect pedestrians or objects while backing up. After driving less than a mile, the infotainment screen started to work. After stopping at a stop sign, an “air flap warning” light appeared, then the vehicle stalled shutting completely off while in drive. It cranked after the 3rd attempt. We returned home and parked. Around thirty minutes later, the car would not start and my brother had to boost the vehicle, but we decided not to drive it. The vehicle stalled last week while making a left turn into oncoming traffic, but the dealership stated that they could not duplicate the problem!.

On November 25, 2024, the dash and infotainment screen went blank while at the traffic light. A few seconds later the car stalled shutting completely off while making a left turn onto cox rd in evans, GA. We were able to coast out of traffic and came to a complete stop on the side of the road. We attempted to restart the vehicle and multiple warnings appeared on the dash such as check forward safety system, two cars colliding, check blind spot safety system, traction?, abs, lane departure, seat belts, auto hold, and other symbols not understood. On the second attempt, the vehicle restarted and more warning symbols appeared as soon as it was put in drive. The vehicle was shut off and restarted again with no warnings. We proceeded and drove it to kia of evans for service. The service rep reported that the vehicle was driven 5 miles and they were not able to duplicate this issues. The infotainment screen has blanked out several times since purchase and this is the second time the vehicle has stalled at a traffic light. On this incident, this could have been a traffic situation turning left and losing power into oncoming traffic.

Sunroof shattered while driving down the interstate.

My sun roof just exploded and shattered everywhere! it could’ve caused me to wreck with my 4 month old I thought someone shot at us! there was no reason at all for this to happen.

The engine shut completely off after stopping at a traffic light with a message “auto stop not working. ” there was another message, but I wasn’t able to capture it due to trying to restart the vehicle in the midst of traffic. The engine restarted after two attempts.

Dear NHTSA defects and recall team, my name is [xxx] , and I am writing this email along with my wife, [xxx] , to report a serious safety issue with our 2023 kia Sportage. I am writing to bring a serious, ongoing vehicle safety issue involving a kia Sportage to your attention. My family and I are facing repeated, hazardous malfunctions with our vehicle that have led us to fear for our lives, as well as the safety of others on the road. Since mid-September, our 2023 kia Sportage has experienced sudden, unanticipated shut-offs both while parked and, most dangerously, while driving. During these incidents, the brake pedal becomes completely unresponsive, hazard lights fail to activate, and the vehicle is left stranded and inoperable. Most recently, while driving in traffic, the car shut off without warning, leaving us in an extremely vulnerable position. These repeated failures could lead to a catastrophic accident, especially considering we often travel with our [xxx] child in the vehicle. Despite notifying kia and seeking assistance from their customer service team, the issue remains unresolved, and their response has been unacceptably slow. Given the severity of these malfunctions and their direct impact on public safety, we respectfully request your support in addressing this matter. We believe kia has a responsibility to ensure the safety of its vehicles and to take immediate action when serious safety risks arise. We request that the NHTSA investigate the issue and consider any necessary recalls or further action to ensure public safety. We would appreciate any guidance or assistance your office could provide in helping us resolve this life-threatening issue. Sincerely, [xxx] and [xxx] [xxx] | [xxx] kia Sportage x line awd [xxx] purchased date: [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

There were two incidents where the engine sounded sluggish and was difficult to start over the past two weeks (7/22/24 & 7/30/24). After speaking with kia service rep three days ago, an appointment was made to check the battery. On yesterday and today (8/1/24), the engine would not start at all or even make a sound although the air conditioner and radio would work. I had to get the vehicle jumped off to drive it to the service department. After the service rep checked the battery, they couldn’t find anything wrong and stated the battery was o. K.

While my niece was driving the vehicle, the sunroof shattered. No rock or other debris hit the sunroof. It simply shattered.

On may 4, 2024, a message appeared on the screen “contacts download unsuccessful” while trying to make a call. The bluetooth would not connect and I wasn’t able to make hands free calls. On may 5, 2024, the screen blanked out for several minutes while driving. This isn’t the first time this has happened.

Moonroof exploded while I was driving.

I took the car to the dealership on 3/22/2024 for the recall and the car is good no repairs was needed.

I was driving to work recently on a smooth road. I was not near overpasses or other surroundings that would cause debris. Suddenly out of nowhere my glass sunroof spontaneously shattered, sounding like a gunshot went off. The dealer said this was from a rock but there is no way this could have occurred given the circumstance I was in or the position of the “point of impact” they believe caused the shatter. Both the dealer and kia corporate have denied my claim to cover the cost of their faulty part. Given the many other reports of people going through similar incidents this must stop. The manufacturers need to be held accountable for this huge safety issue. It’s truly unbelievable that corporations treat consumers this way and get away with it. There is no evidence they were willing to provide me with what a “non-debris” impact would look like to compare cases, furthering my belief that they know this is a design flaw on their vehicles to save a buck. It’s seriously their word against mine.

The front passenger window will periodically fail to operate. We took the Sportage to the dealership for repairs and they attempted to fix the problem, but failed. They tried to reproduce the problem on other 2023 kia Sportages in the lot and duplicated the problem on them. Apparently, kia corporate has not addressed this issue, or has failed to find a solution with an accompanying recall. These are safety and property damageable risks. When the window is down and unable to go back up into a closed position, anyone could easily gain entry to vandalize or assault the occupants. Likewise, failures in raising the window will lead to property damage in rainy or snowy conditions. Our kia dealership is returning the Sportage back to us at this point because they can not figure out a solution and they don't have any more alternatives to pursue at this time.

Our vehicle’s windshield has needed replacing due to crack 3 times in 15415 miles!.

On several occasions the lane keeping assistance has attempted to steer my vehicle into energy absorbing barrier, both with me driving and with my sister driving. Vehicle speed approximately 40 mph, lane splitting, I was taking left lane. Forty feet from point of barrier, wheel jerks hard right, setting me up for dead center collision with point of barrier. If I had not immediately jerked the wheel left the results would have been catastrophic. I would have hit the barrier in a single second after the cars action. I took it to the kia dealer service who claims he cannot disable "lane following". Additionally, that I have to disable it every time I start the car. Also, when going thru intersections the car will switch traffic lanes on it's own. I feel this is an incredibly unsafe system. For god's sake, the car just veers off on its own.

When I open the tailgate using any of the three methods (key, button on tailgate, or button inside cabin), the gate opens, then immediately beeps three times and closes. This has happened about 10 times with me *underneath the tailgate* including one time with my one year old son in my arms. In each of these instances I was able to throw my hand up and stop the gate from closing, but had to manually push it back to the fully open position in order to do this. If I had not been able to do so, or if someone less strong than myself were put in this position, the gate certainly would have struck them and caused bodily harm. The first time I brought this up with my dealership, I got a very passive response, not indicating any sense of urgency or even desire to fix the issue. A better quality dealership would have perhaps been much more concerned about such a safety defect and offered to check it out immediately. But it was happening so infrequently at that point that I chose not to have it addressed. Now that it's happening much more often, I brought the car back to be checked out. I showed them two videos of the defect occurring, including with my body under the tailgate. They reproduced the defect, but had to open a "tech ticket" or something with kia, and so far, over 48 hours later, they have not received a response as to how to proceed. The dealer allowed me to take the car back until they receive direction on what to do (again, a bit surprising that they would let me do that, with such a safety defect). I have uploaded four screenshots of the video that shows the tailgate closing while I was underneath it. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? --> not that I am aware of. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? --> no.

Issue with kia Sportage 2023 hybrid (gas and electric) battery shut off. The battery turned off. I was driving on the fwy and the car started to drive rough so I exited off the fwy and barely made it over the intersection and the car shut off. (as the car was shutting off I opened my door) all other doors were locked and could not open. (had I not opened my car door I would have been locked in/out of my car) the emergency lights would not turn on. None of the electrical buttons work. I called a tow truck to come get me 20+ min in arizona is a lifetime in the heat. (luckily my kids were not in the vehicle). My car could have stopped in the middle of the fwy and things could have really gotten ugly. My car is currently in the kia dealership parking lot (where the tow truck dropped it off 2+ weeks ago). The dealer got me into a rental but my vehicle won't get a battery till 2 + months. Even if it gets a new battery it doesn't solve the problem kia knows these batteries have these issues yet they are still selling the vehicles and not letting the consumer know that they might have a battery issue. Battery cost ($11,000+ after the warranty is over) I would have never bought this car if I knew this was a potential issue. Complete driving hazard. There was a warning light that turned on seconds before my car shut off, "check hybrid system stop safely" then it shut off. A couple of times before this all the lights on the dash turned on for a few minutes then shut off. I have a couple of friends with the same car bought around the same time and they have the same issue and are in rental cars too. The dealer is not willing to assist or come up with a deal so we break even (they are trying to sell us another vehicle at more $$ a month. Had we gotten a good vehicle we would not be trying to trade in the car for another one.

Good morning over the last 6 months or more the computer panel that controls the back up cameras heat radio maps and other things have gone off and on while driving then cuts back on. Today was the last straw the monitor was out the whole time I was driving to work. I have video of this happening OH and this happens in both our 2023 kia and anytime I go to dealer they cant seem to get to do the same things for them.

Panoramic sunroof busted while driving down the highway. Wasn’t open. Wasn’t near any other vehicles.

I was driving on the highway going 75 mph and my panoramic sunroof exploded. My cover was not closed so glass came back in the car all over me. Luckily I didn’t have any passengers in the car but what if I had? kia has been having this problem for years without doing anything about it.

Car shuts off error says check hybrid system.

My sunroof just shattered in my 2023 kia Sportage as I was driving to work. There was no one in front of me and nothing hit it. Sounded as if a bomb went off, just a big kaboom and then flapping sound as if I blew a tire, and sounded like it was raining. I pulled over, no flat and when I looked on top, my whole sunroof had exploded and the raining sound was glass falling onto my cloth cover, which I was so grateful not to have had open or I would’ve been covered and most likely wrecked. I was so shaken up. I had to drive holding the cloth cover so it didn’t rip off, so I could not drive over 25. I was afraid to put the cloth part back in fear of glass falling on me and causing more damage to vehicle. A coworker showed me several reported instances of this happening to others. I also paid extra when I purchased my brand new kia for the extra warranty for extra coverage but the service advisor was extremely condescending and stated that this had to be due to an impact because tempered glass does not shatter this way. This happened during extreme heat index and I did have my air conditioner on. Thank goodness my screen nor sunroof was open at this time. My insurance covered the repair, this is not about money. I just want to prevent this from happening to others and possibly causing an injury. I have noticed that the reports have simply been dismissed stating that since the vehicles had either dents, or chip in windshield. There are no dings, scratches, no damage whatsoever to my vehicle. I also saw some of the reports stated there was not enough glass to test in order to explain this happening. I had the repair shop keep my glass and I have a pretty good chunk for inspection. I was almost to a stop because I was turning off of the highway to take another road to work.