Equipment Problems of Kia Motor Sportage - part 1

The windshield creates layers of frost if it is really cold. . While the above might be unrelated but the other day I was rolling my front passenger window up in the cold weather and the window just shattered - it just exploded, even though it stayed intact it shattered into a thousand pieces.

See all problems of the 2025 Kia Motor Sportage 🔎.

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.

In January 2026, my wife was driving our 2024 kia Sportage hybrid ex downhill in traffic when the hybrid system failed without warning. Cabin filled with smoke, lost steering control, and explosion shook the vehicle. She was surrounded by other vehicles and could have been killed or caused multi-car crash. Component failure: dealership diagnosed hybrid system failure after 2. 5 weeks. Vehicle at dealership awaiting repair. Failed components available for inspection. Safety risk: zero steering control downhill surrounded by traffic. Smoke impaired visibility. Explosion posed fire risk. Life-threatening danger to occupants and other motorists. Dealer confirmation: yes, confirmed by dealership. Repair pending. Warning symptoms: none. Instantaneous catastrophic failure. Critical issue: I discovered kia issued service campaigns for 2024 Sportage hybrids directly related to this failure: service campaign sc322 (January 2025) - hybrid control unit software failure affecting 2023-2025 Sportage hybrids built Feb 2022-Jul 2024 12v battery overcharge campaign - battery management system overcharging causing loss of motive power and "check hybrid system stop safely" warnings sc319 (NHTSA 24v-422) - motor-driven power steering contaminated circuit board causing loss of power steering never notified of campaigns despite being owner since may 2024. Nhtsa shows zero recalls, falsely indicating safety. By classifying defects as "voluntary service campaigns" instead of safety recalls, kia avoided mandatory federal notifications. My wife drove with multiple known defects kia failed to disclose. Vehicle under 2 years old, within warranty. This catastrophic failure and notification failure warrants NHTSA investigation. There was smoke and we called 911 and the fire department came out.

See all problems of the 2024 Kia Motor Sportage 🔎.

Catastrophic engine failure, no oil, over 3 qts low, oil light did not come on, 4 cylinder had no compression. In summary: on [xxx] oil light came on, how? I just had oil change on 7/28/25. Stopped to check oil, it was dry. Bought 5qts at walmart, put 3 qts in. Checked oil every day, started keeping 5qt jug oil in car. 9/1/25 took in to have checked for oil leak/oil change, no leak detected. Continued checking oil consumption everyday, adding oil all the time. . . Purchased 5 qts - 5 times between August & November 2025. On 11/21/25 took to auto shop my maxcare extended service plan sent me to for a few minor checks, including to check again for oil leak. There was no leak found but they did need to replace valve cover gasket - engine valve cover. Continued to check oil, added when low as needed. On [xxx] driving on highway, about 15 minutes at approx. 75-80 mph, started losing speed, had to really press on gas pedal to keep going, felt some vibration underneath engine maybe (?), engine light came on, I got off exit, went through intersection, car barely made it, pulled off on shoulder. Called for tow truck, it was cold, after waiting a while I turned car on to get some heat but the heat was not working. Auto shop car was towed to had to add 3 qts of oil to do diag test. Po304cylinder 4 misfire, po303cylinder 3 misfire. . . No compression on cylinder 4. No signs of visible oil leak(s). * had car towed to gerald kia dealer, naperville, IL their diagnostic test only indicated that spark plugs need to be replaced and recommend that I get a 3 part carbon body cleaning, at my expense. I told the service tech I would be right up there to see manager. He told me to first send him all my receipts for oil & oil changes, and he will see what he can do. Didn't hear back. Went there in person 1/9/26. Manager told me that his tech "forgot" to do one test, I waited 1/2 hour, those results did indicate engine needs to be replaced. But, kia is not paying for it. . . . . Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of informa.

See all problems of the 2017 Kia Motor Sportage 🔎.

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

See all problems of the 2023 Kia Motor Sportage 🔎.

While highway driving, suddenly and without warning, the panoramic sunroof shattered and exploded. Nothing hit the vehicle. Yes, it is available I took a photo. Yes, the kia southern pines, nc saw the vehicle and damage.

The contact owns a 2019 kia Sportage. The contact received notifications of NHTSA campaign numbers: 22v703000 (trail hitches) and 21v137000 (service brakes, hydraulic); however, the recall repair requests were denied by the manufacturer. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, it failed to start as intended. No warning light was illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that while her brother was driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from under the hood. After restarting the vehicle, there was a burning odor coming from under the hood. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer, where it remained, and the contact was advised that a recall warranty had expired. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired due to the costs. In addition, the contact stated that the recall was initiated prior to owning the vehicle. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 74,000.

See all problems of the 2019 Kia Motor Sportage 🔎.

On Monday, Dec 15 at approximately 3:30 pm I was pulling into my parking spot in front of my house. The vehicle suddenly revved loudly and shot forward striking a tree in my front yard. If not for the tree would have ended up in the kitchen. When parking I do not have to apply gas once I enter the lot as I can drift into the spot. I barely have to brake to stop the vehicle. The steering wheel airbag deployed, fortunately no serious injuries. The passenger front end was pretty much gone and two big branches were sheared off at ground level. Police responded, report #xxx [xxx] sheriff office. Vehicle is due to get to the body shop today or tomorrow. Fortunately this happened where it did as if it had been in traffic or around people it could have been very serious. This was also reported to kia. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

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 turned on my vehicle and began driving in philadelphia. I noticed the dashboard where the speedometer was supposed to be was dark. The apple car play on the right side of the dashboard was on but no other components were visible. Such as turning signal, lane keep assist, speedometer, etc. I was on the highway and this was extremely scary. This vehicle has less then 200 miles. I’ve taken it to kia and they are looking into it. But this is a big concern. I have videos of this but it won’t let me add them to this file.

Awd lock engaged but not functioning and no error lights indicating the such. This made the vehicle slip aggressively on lightly snowed roads. Once parked it needed to be winched out as only the front wheels spun, not engaging the rear tires.

Driver window rattles at all speeds. Not a big safety issue but if it breaks because of the rattle or it falls down then it could. When I put a crack in the window it stops.

The sunroof shattered while driving without any sort of impact.

While driving on the parkway with my child and younger cousin in the vehicle, the car unexpectedly began to decelerate without warning. I safely pulled over to the side of the road and turned the vehicle off. When attempting to restart it, the engine would not crank or turn on. Moments later, smoke began to appear from under the hood. Additionally, the engine, battery, and oil warning lights illuminated on the dashboard. This incident created a dangerous situation and raised serious safety concerns regarding the reliability of the vehicle.

My check engine light started blinking and the car was stalling out. I have now parked the car in my driveway. I bought the car October, 2024.

We only have 58,000 on our car . We had extremely low oil and light never came on it blinked randomly. We still had 2,000 miles left before oil change was due . Car was almost bone dry if we did not check we would have been in big trouble. We were told these cars are known to burn oil and we should come in every 3/4 weeks depending on how much we drive to have oil added . This is ridiculous! if this place is right about burning oil that should be recalled and fixed and covered . If this is the case, and not honored repair we will never get a kia ever again . I am reaching out to others as this is clearly a big issue ,not being addressed by anyone:(.

See all problems of the 2020 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.

The component that failed is the sunroof (glass) the sunroof exploded while driving down the street, glass splattered in my head, face, and body. I almost wrecked because it sounded like a gunshot. The component is being inspected by the insurance adjuster and dealership on 10/23/25. There was no warning lamp, message or other symptom of the problem prior to the explosion.

The moon roof imploded while driving at normal highway speeds with no cars in front of the car. There was no impact. The sunroof had not opened all the way for about a month before. Kia is not honoring the warranty.

*component or system: power window system / electrical system *what happened? the manufacturer issued a recall for a defect in the power window system. When I brought my vehicle to the authorized service center, I was informed that the recall repair applies only to the front power windows, even though the same malfunction and defect are clearly present in the rear windows as well. The manufacturer’s refusal to include the rear windows leaves the defect only partially remedied, which could pose a continuing safety risk. This appears to be an incomplete or inadequate recall repair, as all four windows share the same design and failure pattern. I am requesting that NHTSA review whether the manufacturer’s limited repair scope meets federal recall requirements. *when did this happen? October 2025 the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? yes – the dealership confirmed the issue with all four windows but stated that only the front windows are covered under the recall. The vehicle been inspected by the manufacturer or dealer? yes – inspected at nalley kia 7849 mall pkwy, stonecrest, GA 30038 *were there any injuries, fires, or crashes? no *additional details / attachments-I can provide copies of the recall notice, service invoice, and correspondence with the dealership confirming the limited repair coverage upon request.

Clear coat paint is peeling. On top of hatchback. I don't know when it started, I just noticed it today 9-29-25. It is available for inspection upon request. No warning message prior to the problem. I went to dealer and they said the paint warranty expired in 1922 and there are no recalls and not extended warranties for this and kia has no responsibility that's why they only give a 3 year, 36,000 mile warranty on paint.

I am writing to report a serious and dangerous issue with my kia vehicle that is putting my life and my family’s safety at risk. While driving, the engine shuts off completely whenever I come to a stop or press the brake pedal. I then have to manually restart the engine to continue driving. This happens frequently, including while I am in traffic or on the highway. I have come very close to being hit by other vehicles multiple times while my children were in the car. I already brought the vehicle to a kia dealership, and they informed me that the issue was fixed. However, within one week, the same problem started again. This clearly indicates that the problem has not been resolved and may be due to a manufacturing or system defect. I cannot continue to drive this vehicle under these conditions. I am requesting immediate assistance to ensure my vehicle is either: properly repaired and guaranteed safe to drive, or replaced with another vehicle if the defect cannot be corrected. Please treat this as a high-priority safety matter. I am sending this email as official documentation that I have reported this issue to kia headquarters in case anything happens to me or my family while operating this vehicle. I expect a prompt response and resolution. Thank you for your urgent attention to this matter. Sincerely, [xxx] [xxx] [xxx] [xxx] vehicle information: make/mode: 2024/kia Sportage VIN: [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Driving, just left my house and turned on to the road. Sunroof shattered for no apparent reason. Owned vehicle for a year and half, no previous issues. No prior damage. No other vehicle around, clear skies and it shattered. The moving part, not the stationary part.

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.

Sunroof unexpectedly shattered at highway speed with no vehicles or obstructions present.

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

Top clear coat started peeling on handles, mirrors and above the trunk.

Passenger outside rear view mirror the paint is peeling. It’s the original rear view mirror. Vehicle looks brand new except for that mirror.

See all problems of the 2018 Kia Motor Sportage 🔎.

The vehicle was being driven southbound on i135, near mcpherson, KS, at highway speeds in good weather when the rear panel of the panoramic sunroof glass exploded/shattered for no apparent reason. The interior sunscreen was closed at the time or glass would have potentially fallen on the driver, thus distracting or potentially injuring the driver while traveling at highway speeds. The vehicle has not been inspected by the police as no criminal conduct is believed to have caused the glass to break. The local dealer claims no responsibility and doesn't even complete the repairs - send to a local auto glass repair company, which will inspect the glass when the new glass arrives. This appears to be a material defect or design issue as there have been multiple other kia owners who have experienced similar sunroof glass failures, including a previous class action suit against Kia Motors for a similar issue.

The panoramic sunroof glass spontaneously shattered upon entry in to the vehicle and closing the driver door. If the privacy cover closed, my daughter would have been showered with glass. I have tried reaching out to a kia dealer directly but have not received a response. I did notify my insurance so there would be a record and I am waiting for an adjuster to come out to look at the vehicle and document it. No warnings.

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

I drove from work to home, which is less than 5 miles. I used my wireless charger for the first time since we bought it 4 days ago. When I got home, I turned the engine off and picked my phone from the wireless charger pad. The phone was extremely hot and so was the charger pad. It was scary that I thought it could start fire. I searched for this same problem online for kia Sportage owners (kia forum) and found out that many of them have the same problem. I emailed the dealership and the response was “…I have seen many articles that a year or older phone do get warm/hot which is why the newest one have built in cooling systems”. I don’t think the phone is the problem. When I touched the charging pad, it was so hot.

Horn stopped working.

Paint issue this vehicle has less than 4,000 miles on it and the paint (glacial white) is peeling. I took it to the dealer (I'm waiting for a final determination from them) and their thoughts are that it looks like someone chipped the paint and tried to fix it. They described it as looking like they'd used "white out". After researching other paint problems with kia vehicles, I have discovered other owners have had the same issue with their white kia and their pictures look the same as mine. . . The plan white undercoat is what appears like white out.