Electrical System Problems of Kia Motor Sportage - part 1

Sudden unintended acceleration – 2024 kia Sportage – safety hazard. Incident date: April 18, 2026. Location: parking lot. While pulling into a parking space at low speed, I brought the vehicle to a complete stop with my foot on the brake. Immediately after stopping, the vehicle suddenly and forcefully accelerated forward on its own without my foot on the accelerator. I was actively pressing the brake pedal, but the vehicle did not respond as expected and continued to accelerate. The acceleration was strong enough that the vehicle jumped over the parking bumper with both front tires and struck a fixed post. Even after impact with the post, the vehicle continued to push forward as if still accelerating, until it hit another barrier and finally came to a stop. At no time did I press the accelerator pedal. The vehicle’s behavior felt completely uncontrolled and unsafe. This incident could have resulted in serious injury or death if it had occurred in traffic or with pedestrians in front of the vehicle. The vehicle has been towed to kia dealership and is pending inspection. I am reporting this as a serious safety defect. No injuries. Front-end damage after collision with post. This event was sudden, unexpected, and not driver-induced.

See all problems of the 2024 Kia Motor Sportage 🔎.

Engine went out , starter went out got it replaced been having issues since I purchased it . Makes a noise my engine oil and gasoline was mixing my engine is locked now.

See all problems of the 2014 Kia Motor Sportage 🔎.

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.

See all problems of the 2023 Kia Motor Sportage 🔎.

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.

I bought the car with 9 miles on it, and when I tried to use the windshield washer, it didn't work! I took it to the dealer, and they refused to fix it! they said the car was infested with mice and that it was my problem!!! the car is made with defective materials! all hoses and foam in the car are made from soy beans!! that is rat and mouse food!!!.

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.

Battery health has gone down to 31% I’ve had it at a dealership three times and they don’t know what’s wrong. They can’t figure it out, but my mileage has dropped significantly.

Car was driving, stopped at a stoplight, never moved again. 3 lights came on, check engine, check oil (which had been serviced previously by a month and a half), and check battery. Bob sight kia has stated engine issues associated with the rods failing and the starter not functioning due the the manifold, I am uncertain to the technical terms. It was late at night, the area only semi lit up and I had to wait for a tow in unsafe conditions as I was stuck in a turn lane. Prior to the failure, no issues. This is my only means of transport as a waitress, I had recently moved into this area and plan to move again at the end of year, so my car is much needed. From the theft issues of this car to the mechanical issues over the last year, I can honestly say I will not be buying a kia again. What I need to know now is has the threshold been met by the standards you have set through complaints by consumers like myself and the manufacturer information that a recall or a means of financially assisting this situation exist yet? the repairs quoted are literally almost half of what I owe on the car left and I do not know what to do, but am hoping to hear from you.

See all problems of the 2020 Kia Motor Sportage 🔎.

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.

On Feb. 1, 2026 my 2022 kia Sportage caught fire while parked and turned off. The vehicle had been stationary and was not running at the time the fire started. There were no warning lights, no prior overheating, and no collision or external cause. The fire appears to have originated from the engine/electrical area. This incident resulted in a total loss of the vehicle and posed a serious safety risk, as the fire occurred without warning. The vehicle was properly maintained and had no known modifications. This incident is concerning due to previous reports of kia vehicles experiencing spontaneous fires related to electrical or engine components. I am requesting this incident be investigated for potential defects in electrical systems or engine components that may cause fires while the vehicle is parked and turned off.

See all problems of the 2022 Kia Motor Sportage 🔎.

Immediately after delivery, the instrument/infotainment display malfunctioned, froze, and became unresponsive. Apple carplay failed, and phone calls distorted or dropped. After reporting the issue, I discovered that this VIN is subject to safety recall sc359b, with a recall date of December 17, 2025, and a status of recall incomplete / no remedy available. This recall existed prior to the sale. The recall is confirmed by the kia owner app, kia/NHTSA VIN lookup, and the dealer’s internal campaign report. Despite this, the dealer stated in writing that there were “no open recalls” and refused to unwind the sale, mischaracterizing the defect as an “audio panel” issue. I am submitting this to document a retail delivery of a new motor vehicle under an open, VIN-specific safety recall with no available remedy, which constitutes a violation of federal motor vehicle safety law (49 u. S. C. §§ 30112 and 30120). I request review by the office of defects investigation and recall management division.

See all problems of the 2025 Kia Motor Sportage 🔎.

Took my car for the theft recall and had it performed, my vehicle was stolen last night and the theft used a usb charging cable to steal it, the recall did not fix this.

See all problems of the 2018 Kia Motor Sportage 🔎.

I came home from vacation and found my car completely dead. We took the battery in and ended up changing this. Soon later my cars power steering and dashboard would go in and out. I took it to mark kia who believed it to be the alternator, so they replace this. I picked the car up and not even 20 minutes later the same issues were occurring so I took it back where then they replaced the connector. I picked up my car and about a month went by and same thing occurred while I was driving even having my car completely die while driving it. I took it back in and now they believe it to be the engine harness.

Blank instrument panel screen. Abnormal can message which can cause certain instrument clusters with a 4. 2” screen to reboot while driving. During this rebooting, the cluster will not show information such as the speedometer or telltales for approximately five (5) seconds. As a result, the subject vehicles do not comply with the visibility and illumination requirements of fmvss 101, §§ s5. 1. 2 and 5. 3. 1.

The contact owns a 2025 kia Sportage. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the engine experienced difficulty cranking. Additionally, the contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission failed to properly shift gear. The contact stated that the engine revved up, but the transmission failed to properly shift gear. The auto start/stop light was orange. The contact was concerned about a possible disintegration of the transmission after a friend alerted him of a similar failure. The contact called the local dealer and left a message. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 18,000.

Navigation screen began blinking (glitching) and suddenly went black and would not come back on. Called the dealership and they said it was not a recall and that it was no longer covered under warranty. This problem has persisted intermittently and I am noticing a pattern. When the temperature is cold outside the screen works fine, however if it is 60+° outside this happens. I’ve read online that this is a known issue however I’m being told there is no recall.

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

A month after buying my vehicle in February of 2024, while driving my vehicle the screen behind my steering wheel will black out and come back on and do a system check as if I had just turned my car on. It happens at all times of day, at all speeds. I kept a log of some of the incidences and there are no two that are the same. I have even been in park with the car on and it will happen. When you are driving with cruise control on and it does it the cruise control shuts off then comes back on after it has done the system check again. This is extremely dangerous while driving on the interstate and a line of cars around you. I have taken it to the dealership and they have worked with kia to try to figure it out and still have not been able to. I am now going on almost two years of this happening without any resolution. Below I put the last time it happened but this happens all the time and is not one isolated incident. I have attached a log I kept for two months of the incidences.

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.

I have documented the following issues: -84 instances of "keep hands on the wheel" when my hands were on the 10/2 or 9/3 position. This dates back to March 2025 and has continued into December. -12 instances of the er braking engaging with "collision alert" when no other vehicles/object/danger were around. The er braking is the sudden, full force stopping of the vehicle staring in April 2025 and as most recently as 12/06/2025. -3 instances of the vehicle being in "drive" but not moving forward; only the engine revving. This started in August and occurred again in October and on 12/06/2025. -1 instance of the vehicle randomly shutting off while driving very slow into the garage on 12/06/2025.

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.

The contact owns a 2024 kia Sportage. While the contact’s daughter was driving approximately 70-75 mph, the vehicle suddenly lost motive power. The driver was able to coast to the side of the road, where the vehicle was turned off for several minutes. The driver then activated the jump-start system of the hybrid vehicle. The driver was able to continue driving. The message "hybrid battery - hybrid system failure" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer, where it was confirmed that the vehicle was included in a voluntary emissions service campaign: sc338; and the dealer completed the service campaign repair. No further information was available. The manufacturer was informed of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was 19,832.

While driving my 2022 kia Sportage, the brakes suddenly stopped responding. I pressed the brake pedal hard several times and the vehicle did not slow down or stop at all. There was no braking pressure and no warning lights. Because the brakes failed completely, I crashed directly into a guardrail. The airbags deployed on impact. This was not driver error, it was a sudden and total brake system failure. The vehicle is currently in a wreck yard and requires immediate manufacturer inspection.

Was driving all of a sudden, the car started knocking making noise, the oil light came on, the engine light came on and white smoke was coming from my tail pipe. I had an oil change, but that didn't do the trick, the engine light still comes on, my car drives very slow now. I'm afraid to take it out on the road.

See all problems of the 2016 Kia Motor Sportage 🔎.

Air conditioner, have short circuit, it works at liveral. A wired is coming out from box underneath steering wheel. And the worst problem is the tires were totally unsafe to drive, found out this problem on Nov. 14, 2025 (bought car on September 27,2025) when took car to tire center. Right rear tire was a explosion to happen, was bold and bumped, after inspection was performed.

See all problems of the 2017 Kia Motor Sportage 🔎.

I have a hybrid and 4 times now since we've owned it I experienced a lag during the transition from electric to gas power when I am stopped and try to move again (example at a stop sign or traffic light), which followed by a sudden, lurching acceleration when the gas does finally kick in. It's almost caused me to hit a car infront of me once and side swipe a car that was passing as I was making a turn because I wasn't expecting it to do that the 1st time it happened. It doesn't do it consistently just randomly as I said its only happened to me 4 times and I'm the only one that drives the car and we've had it since July 2025 I believe and it has under 4000 miles on it at this point.

My kia Sportage was stolen, however a couple of years ago I had the kia anti theft logic software updated on the car. I’ve been told that although it does not prevent anyone from breaking in, they should not have been able to move the car. Prior to this, the engine is running on 3 cylinders instead of 4 which has caused major issues with the car burning oil rapidly.

The contact owns a 2021 kia Sportage. The contact stated that her mother was driving at an undisclosed speed on the freeway and had stopped on the shoulder of the road to access the navigation system. The contact stated that after the driver shifted to park(p), the driver noticed smoke. The contact's grand-mother who was also occupying the vehicle advised the driver that the smoke was coming from underneath the hood. The driver then noticed that smoke and flames were coming from underneath the hood of the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle burned to the ground. The fire department was called to the scene and extinguished the fire. It was unknown whether a fire department report and a police report were filed. The vehicle was towed to an unknown location and was in the process of being inspected by the insurance company adjuster. Both the contact's mother and grand-mother later received medical assistance for smoke inhalation. The cause of the fire was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not yet contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

See all problems of the 2021 Kia Motor Sportage 🔎.

As I am driving, does not matter speed or weather, the instrument cluster screen will do a "system check" as if the vehicle is being started. The screen will go blank for about 5 seconds and then will reappear. If the vehicle is in cruise control, that will disengage and the vehicle will slow down and I have to catch it and keep speed up. This does not happen every day and has happened at different intervals of 6 days between incidents and up to 15 days. Occurred June 9, 2025; June 17, 2025; (vehicle in shop to be looked at June 23rd through August 5th); August 9, 2025, August 14, 2025; September 6, 2025, September 18, 2025; and October 2, 2025.

This vehicle has a safety issue with the headlights. Basically, the low beams for both, driver and passenger sides are not functioning at all. Several diagnostic have been done to repair the existing issue such as replacing new light bulbs, new oem turn signal switch, replacing whole new headlight assembly for both driver/ passenger sides, checking the relay, replacing new fuses, though, the issue still exists to date and the vehicle is undrivable in the dark. On a side not, only high beam works and turn signals, that is basically it. Several auto service centers have advised me to submit a report as a safety issues since all options have been exhausted. With that said, this safety issue concerning headlight should be addressed with the manufacturer. Thank you for taking this matter seriously!.

My 2018 kia Sportage (VIN [xxx] ) experienced complete engine failure due to low compression/internal combustion chamber failure. The vehicle lost power while driving on sept 30, 2025, and had to be towed to [xxx] kia in dayton, OH. This same dealership previously performed an oil retention test in Aug 2024 which failed, identifying a defective engine. Kia was aware of the issue but declined to replace the engine at that time. The failure pattern matches kia’s known engine defect. Kia consumer affairs (case #25572677) has denied goodwill assistance despite this safety-related engine failure and prior diagnostic documentation. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The contact owns a 2026 kia Sportage. The contact stated that the instrument panel intermittently flashed on and off while driving at various speeds. In addition, the contact stated that while at a complete stop, the speedometer indicated erroneous speeds. The vehicle had been taken to the dealer on several occasions; however, the dealer failed to duplicate or diagnose the cause of the failure. The contact also stated that while driving at 25 mph, the vehicle jerked while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact continued driving, and the headlights turned off with an unknown message flashing on the instrument panel. The contact had taken several pictures and installed a camera in the vehicle to document the failures. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The contact was eventually provided a case number. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 330.

I leased my 2020 kia Sportage lx in August 2019 and purchased the vehicle after the lease. In April 2025, the vehicle started emitting a strong gas smell after filling. Often, the pump would stop short around 8-10 gals instead of the usual 13-14 gals. I attributed both to perhaps cheap gas and faulty pumps. On September 23, 2025, I went to the dealership to check the gas odor and possible gas leakage and ticking engine noise. I ended up having to replace the entire fuel tank. The car is now 6 years old and, of course, out of its 5-year warranty. The report indicates that the leak was from the top of the tank and in the cabin; therefore, nothing was caused by normal wear or damage. Upon searching, I found that in January of 2019, previous years were recalled to replace the fuel tank due to similar issues (gas tank recall # sc172). Some of these models had recalls for the ksds as well, and my vehicle had been recalled and repaired. My concern is that this is my 3rd kia and 6th car total in life. Never have I had to replace a gas tank. I firmly believe some of these 2020 vehicles were built at the end of 2018 with the same parts in the 2019 recall; however were missed due to recall time and manufacturing rollouts.