Electrical System Problems of Kia Motor Sportage - part 2

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.

See all problems of the 2023 Kia Motor Sportage 🔎.

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.

See all problems of the 2024 Kia Motor Sportage 🔎.

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.

See all problems of the 2020 Kia Motor Sportage 🔎.

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.

The car continues to burn oil and have to put oil in it although not time for oil change. I took the vehicle to dealership several times because whenever I get gas it won’t let me start it right away or stutters after getting gas. Whenever the car is in park or idle it’s making a knocking noise and shaking really bad. The check engine light keeps going off and on but this most recent time it is not on. Initially I was advised they could only diagnose when check engine light on but that’s the issue because light does not stay on. I was on the freeway going about 70mph the car started declining in speed so had to hurry and pull over. Pulled over and turned off the car then it took several times to start back up. Vehicle currently at dealership waiting for more info but said it’s something related to the engine misfire.

See all problems of the 2019 Kia Motor Sportage 🔎.

The contact owned a 2018 kia Sportage. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted into first gear. While attempting to accelerate, the vehicle jerked and briefly lost motive power before slamming into gear. No warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that an abnormal burning odor was coming from under the hood and entered the vehicle through the a/c vents. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic; however, no cause for the failure was found. The thermostat and the electric switch on the driver’s side window were replaced. The contact stated that while driving uphill or going downhill, the rpm fluctuated, and the engine revved abnormally. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

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).

The rear hatch door no longer opens. This could pose a safety risk in an emergency situation. Upon research it appears to be very common issue among kias from this year.

See all problems of the 2014 Kia Motor Sportage 🔎.

Since day one of my purchase I noticed all warning light turned on and goes off while driving over an hour I thought it was normal as it’s my first kia so continue to drive and it did same when ever I go on long drive and after 2 months it started vehicle to loose power and I always has to stop and restart the engine. Continued with same issue and all of a sudden it stopped on interstate and this time the car bogged out and engine shut off which was a dangerous situation for my whole family as cars behind would have hit us and cause multiple car collision I called my dealership to add this issue on my appointment for first service so it can be taken care of and I dropped off the car at dealership and after road test they confirmed that yes it has issue where multiple lights comes on and off so they don’t really know what’s causing the issue but will try to change the infotainment screen which they think is the issue might solve it so they kept my car for more than 90days and got my car back with scratches on dash and digital display bit shaky but according to milestones look like they tested if the issue been solved. ????.

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.

The contact owns a 2015 kia Sportage. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number 22v051000 (service brake, hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the part for the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer stated that an appointment would be scheduled; however, the contact had not yet heard back from the dealer. The contact stated that while driving 40 mph, the low battery warning light illuminated, and the vehicle started to decelerate. The contact coasted over to the side of the road and had the vehicle towed to the residence. The dealer was contacted, and the contact was informed that the recall repair could not be completed because the mileage on the vehicle had been exceeded. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that an engine replacement recommended by the dealer was not covered under warranty. The failure mileage was 134,644. Parts distribution disconnect.

See all problems of the 2015 Kia Motor Sportage 🔎.

Problem with the bcm, my signal lights, headlights and beeper is not working. My power lock doesn't work nor my beeper.

See all problems of the 2013 Kia Motor Sportage 🔎.

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.

On October 27th my 5 year old daughter and I were driving home just after leaving tiresplus getting four brand new tires and an oil change. On the way home out of no where my vehicle caught fire. Driving down the highway, once noticing the car was on fire, no warning no nothing- until I hit the breaks which did not work cause they were completely burnt. Within moments of thinking how I am going to get to my child in her car seat and save myself I went into the median of the highway thinking grass would slow me down. Once the car was going about 30 mph I opened my driver door fearing we would be locked in the burning vehicle. As soon as I opened my door my legs were burning, I unbuckled my seat belt and jumped out of the car. Only to get up and chase the vehicle to get my 5 year old out. The car was fully engolfed in flames when approaching the vehicle thinking my daughter was dead. By the grace of god she unbuckled her self, climbed through the center counsel out the driver door and jumped into my arms! we were down to seconds of dying. Breaks didn’t work, nothing told me the car was hot, the trauma we endured. No one has taken responsibility for this and it’s frustrating that I owe money on the vehicle with full coverage and gap insurance still.

We had ~2100 miles on our vehicle. We had been driving on the highway for an hour when engine temperature warning light came on. We pulled over and turned off the car. We waited 30 minutes then opened the hood to inspect the coolant level. The coolant level was at "min. " we looked under the car to see if any coolant was leaking and no coolant was visible under the car. We turned the car back on and sat in park for ~1 min. The engine temperature warning light came back on. We turned the car off and waited one hour. We turned the car back on, stayed in park, and the engine temperature warning light came back on. We called kia and were towed to the nearest dealer. They inspected the car the next day and found no issues. Looking online, it appears that others have experienced similar issues with kias and I am writing this in case it is a systemic issue that can help myself and others.

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.

I was driving east from austin, TX on [xxx], and as I approached a major intersection in elgin, TX. , a warning light appeared on my dashboard that said "hybrid system failure: pull over safely". I was able to pull over into the left turn lane and then was barely able to make it over a curb and onto a highway median strip, before my car engine stopped and all dashboard lights went out. This happened in about 30 seconds. My two year old car with fewer than 30,000 miles on it went completely dead. It would not start even after several attempts. I called kia roadside assistance, and was told I needed to have the car towed to a dealership. The tow truck driver backed the car into the space they indicated at the dealership, and it started to roll forward as it was apparently in neutral. He had to borrow a board to put under the back wheels. Days later I was told to come get the car, as it had been repaired. When I got there, it was in the same space with the board still under the wheels. I was told it just had needed a software update. (sa553a). I was never notified that my vehicle needed this update, and would just stop wherever: I. E. On a hwy with no shoulders, at night, etc. And that I would be unable to brake the car, or drive it, or put on emergency warning lights after 30 seconds. This was unbelievably unsafe. I am [xxx]. What if I were a family with children on board and it happened on a highway at night??? information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Stopped at traffic light, light turned green and went to accelerate. Car died, all lights came on dash in oncoming traffic and car would not restart for minutes.

The dashboard with all the instrumentation goes blank while driving causing loss of all instrumentation gauges and headlights shut off. This has happened repeated times since the car was purchased new in June 2024 and has been in the service department since October a total of six times. They have replaced fitments, the dashboard cluster, the phone charging pad and have done multiple software updates and it continues to go blank while operating. The dash then lights back up with system check and all the instruments lights in dash glow and it stays like that for several seconds. I am repeatedly told they cannot recreate the problem to properly diagnose so they have been cherry picking solutions to fix and it’s dangerous to drive. I have filed a complaint with the nc attorney general, a bbb auto complaint, a complaint with the manufacturer directly and they are telling the dealer to return car to me because they can’t recreate the problem and so in their opinion nothing is wrong when I have video of this happening while driving. Please help me.

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).

The contact owned a 2019 kia Sportage. The contact stated while driving 40 mph, the vehicle started overheating and smoke started emitting smoke from the hood. No warning lights were illuminated. No injuries were reported. The vehicle was destroyed leaving only the framing. The fire department arrived on the scene and extinguished the fire. A fire department report was filed. A police report was not filed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the vehicle was inspected; however, the inspector did not find a defect in the vehicle. The vehicle was also inspected by the fire department who determined that the cause was in the rear passenger window. The failure mileage was unknown.

When driving, I get random flashing lights on the dashboard with a warning indicator: ”check hybrid system. Stop safely”. It happened at least on 7 occasions while driving at high speed on a highway and while stopped at a traffic light. When the issue happens, the car triggers aggressive warning sounds forcing me to stop on the side of the road, placing the car into park and having to turn the vehicle off. On every occasion, the vehicle appears to have corrected itself after being shutoff. In all cases while driving on a highway, the issue happened when driving on gas mode (not ev) and the rpm’s show 0. 0 for more than 2 minutes. In the cases when I am stopped at a traffic light, the car is in ev mode and rpm’s are fluctuating. There should not be any rpms when stopped. Due to theses multiples dangerous situations while driving, I took it to the dealership to get fixed ASAP. On October 5th 2024, coral springs kia (dealer) accepted my car with same complaint mentioned on this letter, and they told me that this is a known issue, that another kia owner came earlier that day with exactly the same problem. The dealer issued the service invoice# [xxx]- miles in 10636/miles out 10649-, stating: “code 10643 inspected the customer concern by checking the engine performance. Found the vehicle performance normal and no warning symbol came on when performing a long road test. Check for dtc and found no codes within the system, found the vehicle operating normal and was unable to duplicate customer concern”. After retrieving my car from the dealership on October 5th 2024, I continued to have the exact same scenario of warning indicators. Since [xxx], the issue has happened at least 3 more times. This is clearly a glitch on the phev system and very dangerous to deal with, mostly when you are driving in a highway on high speed. A simple google search indicates that is a known a common complaint from kia owners. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6.

I received a recall notification last year, I live about an hr and a half away from the nearest kia dealer, so I wasn’t able to get my car in to be inspected until last spring at the kia in medford. Then I got another notice in the mail stating my vehicle was amongst the ones that needed the hecu recall service done. I called the kia dealer in eugene and the earliest they could get me in was August 2024. A day or two before my long awaited appointment, they called to inform me that the part was on back order and that they would call me once it became available again. I haven’t received any communication from them as of yet. My car has been mostly parked since then and I’ve been borrowing a friends vehicle because I don’t want to risk my daughter and I’s safety. I received another notice from the corporate of kia, stating I haven’t gotten it done and they strongly urge me to get it taken care of, I’ve tried booking another appointment online twice and there’s no availability and I’ve called 3 times with no return call. On the last notice I received, I see it says to submit a complaint to safercar. Gov.

Kia issue a recall for my vehicle. Visited the dealership as instructed and the replacement part was not available. After a month and a half, they still don't know when they will receive the part. Driving a car with a safety recall (fire possible) is not ideal.

See all problems of the 2011 Kia Motor Sportage 🔎.