Electrical System Problems of Kia Motor Sportage - part 1

This is an issue of nonconformity according the florida lemon law: "florida's lemon law protects consumers who buy or lease new or demonstrator vehicles with persistent, significant defects, known as nonconformities, within the first 24 months of ownership. " my March 2025 leased kia Sportage was sitting for about an hour. I turned it on and the all the dash warning lights stayed on, hot air blew (no ac), and I couldn't shift out of park. I tried turning it off/on twice, with a few minutes in between attempts, and on the second attempt only the check engine light stayed on, cold ac blew, and I could shift. I drove 3. 5 miles home. About an hour went by, I started it again and the check engine light was still on. I drove it 2. 5 miles to the dealership, turned it off, and minutes later they started it to move it but the check engine light had gone off. They said another car almost the same mileage (4040miles) had the same issue and because the light wasn't on, the scan showed nothing. They told me to return if it happens again and not to shut it off because the kia dealer could not duplicate or reproduce the concern at that time. My vehicle is available for inspection and diagnosis, but the dealer said a computer scan wouldn't show anything. Something is definitely not okay and I do not feel safe. Although this incident was while traveling 20-40mph, I travel at high speeds on the highway during the week for work, and am very concerned for my safety.

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).

See all problems of the 2023 Kia Motor Sportage 🔎.

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

Update: after second opinion from another auto shop they said my car entered limp mode to prevent fire. Again, I had no warning! kia tried to tell me the engine light must have came on and cleared itself (engine lights don’t clear themselves) and they refuse to check the recall fix of the hecu. They tell me the recall has been fixed so it can’t be the problem. Myself and my kids were put at risk as this problem causes risk of wrecks or even fires and kia is not wanting to take any responsibility for it. These are the same issues as other kia’s but because of my VIN number they won’t even speak to me (literally, called kia clarksville and left a message with a woman for service to call me back for repairs and they won’t even call me back to schedule the repair - they are charging me over $6000).

See all problems of the 2020 Kia Motor Sportage 🔎.

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.

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.

I bought my car and then I received a letter stating that it had 1 recall. I called kia to schedule the recall and they said there are 4 in total. I told them to get them all done because the closes kia is about 45 min from my house. I took it in kia called me said everything was done that I could go pick up my car. Then on 7/19/25 I am driving in the highway and my car stops accelerating I pull over turn off my car let it cool off and turn it back on. It moves and the moment I try to accelerate it the car stops again. Thank god I was able to arrive to a gas satiation at an exit and not have someone crash into me. I tried jump starting it and nothing. I tried turning it on again and smoke stated coming out from the engine. I had to tow the car to my house. I called my mechanic to check it and 3 codes showed up (c1611, c1612, c1613). I called kia to let them know the codes and that I needed them to tow my car to their dealership. They proceed to inform me that 1 of the recalls were not fixed (the fuse) had to ordered and was not done. No one had informed me that when I picked up my car. They are not wanting to give me a solution and I have called 3 days straight.

See all problems of the 2013 Kia Motor Sportage 🔎.

The car alarm keeps going off randomly and from googling it. Several people have reported an issue with the 2021 kia Sportage it’s a known issue.

See all problems of the 2021 Kia Motor Sportage 🔎.

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.

I recently paid out of pocket for replacement of hydraulic electronic control unit and I see that it was a recall on my make model and year, but my VIN number was not included in the recall.

See all problems of the 2017 Kia Motor Sportage 🔎.

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.

My four month old kia Sportage suddenly lunged forward two times. Sudden acceleration incident. [xxx].

The car started making a knocking noise. I got it checked out and nothing showed up on the diagnostic. Today I was driving and it wouldn’t go over 65 and the engine light keeps blinking.

While driving at random times, no specific speed limit, the screen behind the wheel which shows speed and tachometer, will go into a system check mode. This is similar to when you start up the vehicle. The screen will come back after 5 to 10 seconds but during that time no information is displayed. If you have the vehicle in cruise control, it will disconnect cruise control, and you must catch it, so it does not decelerate to much while in traffic. When it comes back up it may reengage the cruise and it may not. This is a safety issue while driving for both no screen as well as disconnection of cruise control as you can not tell your speed and it slows vehicle down with no brake indication for those behind you which could result in a crash. Vehicle went to dealership and they could not recreate, but were told to replace the cluster which they did, but the issue is still happening on the vehicle. I have a case open with the automobile manufacturer to have the vehicle purchased back as they are not sure what the issue is.

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.

The dash on my Sportage will go black while driving, and then the system reboots showing "system check" the cruise control also goes out when this happens. This happens about once a month. Dealer has checked it more than 3 times and has found no issues except the first time I brought it in.

See all problems of the 2024 Kia Motor Sportage 🔎.

Was driving at 40mph and vehicle turned off engine. Auto start stop was beeping and flashing. Steering and braking was hindered (was manual) for a few seconds until the auto start stop turned the engine on again. Had car to dealer with other issues (dash resets) and they couldn't duplicate the issue and stated there was nothing they could do.

The car just quit running as I was driving. It would not turn over using jumper cables. I had it towed to a local mechanic where they replaced the starter and the battery. Upon picking it up, it was making noises that it did not make previously.

See all problems of the 2015 Kia Motor Sportage 🔎.

When we were entering a major intersection, car strolled and rolled forward and stopped 3/4 thru the intersection. It would not restart immediately while cars were speeding by on both sides. It finally started. This is the second occurrence we took the car into the kia dealership. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Started vehicle and was driving, isg (auto start stop) light went amber and transmission refused to shift to allow uphill travel. Had to pull over and turn engine off and on again for the transmission to start working. Have had to dealer, however yet again they cannot replicate in their test drive so they can't do anything about it.

The car has been giving off a burning smell each time that I begin to drive especially if the heat is being utilized. The smell worsens as I drive a further distance.

See all problems of the 2012 Kia Motor Sportage 🔎.

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.

The doors won't lock. The button on the handle won't work sometimes. It's just random. This has happened 4 times in the last 2 years I have owned the car. I have to use app to lock and unlock the car. Once I drive it again everything is fine.

All the dash lights come on randomly has happened 3 separate times the 4th time they came on I also couldn’t shift out of park.

Vehicle dash reset and cruise control was set. When dash came back up car surged nearly causing a wreck reported to dealership and they could not replicate so not sure what to do as they can never replicate the issues and won't do anything to help.

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.

Just got my oil changed 2 weeks ago and the oil light came on, checked and there was no oil, so been adding oil and it keeps burning it up, after reading a bunch of forums I see that I’m not the only one to have this issue. This isn’t the first time I’ve had this issue, I figured first 2 times were accidental but now that I’m on my 3rd time I believe that something is wrong.

Driver power window regulator stopped working. It is available for inspection upon request. My safety is at risk because it can hinder my ability to exit the car in an emergency. In addition, it is exposing the car's interior and possibly interior electrical parts to the weather elements, and potentially leaving me vulnerable to theft or intrusion. The problem was intermittent at first, and I reported it to the dealer, but at that time of service, they were unable to reproduce the failure. The service department told me this is a fairly common problem with my model of car. The component has not been inspected by kia, the police, insurance representatives, or others. The symptoms were intermittent at first prior to the total failure. The full failure happened at 101,500 miles, which is past the 100,000 mile warranty expiration.

See all problems of the 2018 Kia Motor Sportage 🔎.

While driving my 2024 kia Sportage phev x-line awd the instrument panel went black for 3-5 seconds and appeared to be "re-booting/resetting". The first time this occurred was approximately March 2025 (odometer reading approximately 6000 miles) and the issue has re-occurred numerous times (30+) since then (current odometer reading is 12,410). There was no warning prior to this happening and there were no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of any problems with the vehicle. I took the car into my local kia dealer to have them check the instrument panel issue under warranty and to perform the recommended 8000 mile service. During the service visit they addressed the sc322 - hybrid control unit software upgrade recall. With regards to the instrument panel issue, the service department told me that they could not fix the issue under warranty unless they could reproduce the issue. Therefore any work that they would perform to address the issue would have to be paid for by me. They suggested that I try to capture the issue on video as evidence of the issue. Given that the event only happens over a 3-5 second period, there is no way for me to safely videotape the issue while I am driving the vehicle and I have no idea when it will happen again. This issue has continued to occur randomly multiple times since that service visit with the last event happening three days ago. When the instrument panel goes black it is very distracting to the driver and draws your attention from the road to the instrument screen which puts the occupants of the vehicle at risk as well as others driving/walking around your vehicle. I have read online of others having this same issue with no clear consistent resolution from kia. I strongly believe that this is a serious safety issue for many kia drivers and needs to be addressed via a recall or voluntary dealer campaign to avoid unnecessary crashes/injuries.

Dash resets and you loose instruments for a few seconds. When they come back they are inaccurate. This has happened many times and have had the car to the dealer twice who cannot replicate the issue. Warning lamps did illuminate for a second then goes away. Vehicle has had less than 300 miles on it when this first started.

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.