Electrical System Problems of Kia Motor Sportage - part 2

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.

See all problems of the 2023 Kia Motor Sportage 🔎.

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.

I was sold a kia Sportage 2017 in February. I was told this vehicle has no after market parts. After my vehicle catching fire and seizing on me June 26th of this year so 4 months after buying the vehicle. It was discovered that an after market starter is indeed in this vehicle with loose wiring. I could have lost my life on my way home. The dealership has been nothing but a pain since this experience I have encountered. My insurance was involved but was told I need to bring this issue to kia. Contacted demontround kia multiple times was never helped once. Contacted kia customer care. I have a claims agent who has been no help whatsoever. I was told to get my car towed to west side kia, which they have been rude from the start and have been no help. They actually want me to come out out of pocket for engine related damages that was not my fault given that I’ve only had the car for four months before the engine seized on me and caught fire on my way home from work. When I told a server worker at westside that I don’t believe that I should be paying out of pocket he had somebody else contact me. They emailed me that same day to call them as soon as I can. I called them immediately after I got the email and didn’t even receive an answer. Nora call back and I called multiple times for the next consecutive days and I finally get an email saying sorry they were moving buildings that is very unprofessional. There was no point to email me originally to tell me to contact you then.

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

See all problems of the 2025 Kia Motor Sportage 🔎.

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.

See all problems of the 2020 Kia Motor Sportage 🔎.

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.

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.