Vehicle Speed Control Problems of Kia Motor Sportage - part 1

I am writing to formally report a severe and life-threatening safety defect regarding my 2026 kia Sportage hybrid. On September 28, 2026 around 8 am, I experienced a terrifying sudden unintended acceleration (sua) event while operating the vehicle. I was completely stopped at an intersection, waiting to make a left turn. The vehicle was stationary with the auto hold function engaged. When it was time to proceed, I lightly pressed the accelerator pedal to begin moving. Instead of accelerating normally, the vehicle dangerously surged and accelerated on its own. I immediately removed my foot from the accelerator pedal and attempted to stop the vehicle by repeatedly pressing the brake pedal. However, the vehicle did not slow down as expected and continued moving at a high speed. At this time, my foot was completely off the accelerator. The unexpected acceleration lasted for approximately 10 seconds. While repeatedly applying the brake pedal and trying to maintain control, I managed to steer the vehicle into a nearby side street/alley, where the vehicle eventually came to a stop. Fortunately, there was no collision, injury, or property damage. However, this was an extremely frightening and dangerous event. No warning lights or error messages were displayed on the instrument cluster during or after the incident. I requested the kia tustin dealer for inspection and data preservation. I also reported to kia amerca.

I am reporting a recurring and unresolved acceleration issue with my 2023 kia Sportage. The vehicle intermittently continues to accelerate or maintains elevated rpms even after I release the accelerator pedal. This has occurred multiple times and creates a serious safety concern because the vehicle does not decelerate as expected. The vehicle has been taken to an authorized kia dealership multiple times for the same concern. Several components have been replaced, including the throttle body, but the acceleration problem continues to occur. The issue has also been observed during a dealership visit. Because the problem continues despite repeated repair attempts, I would like to formally document and investigate this safety concern and provide a permanent resolution. I am increasingly concerned about the safety and reliability of the vehicle.

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The vehicle suffered a sudden, catastrophic mechanical engine failure while driving. The vehicle completely lost acceleration, entered a low-pitched humming 'limp-home mode,' and the dashboard red oil pressure warning light illuminated solidly. The vehicle had previously received the mandatory corporate ksds software update. A diagnostic check by an authorized kia dealership officially documented the physical evidence of 'metal debris in the engine oil,' which is the unarguable signature of the defect described in NHTSA recall campaigns for the theta ii engine block. Despite the physical evidence of connecting rod bearing failure and the active ksds update, kia corporate and the local dealership have issued a flat denial of the lifetime warranty engine replacement mandate. This constitutes a direct violation of the safety recall settlement framework. ".

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Vehicle: 2025 kia Sportage x-line VIN: 5xyk6cdf0sg319130 approximate mileage: 34,000 miles date of incident: September 3, 2026 location of incident: 6140 university drive, huntsville, alabama 35806 component: steering / motor-driven power steering (mdps) / steering column / steering shaft safety issue: sudden loss of steering control immediately preceding a collision complaint I am reporting a serious steering-related safety incident involving my 2025 kia Sportage x-line, VIN 5xyk6cdf0sg319130. On September 3, 2026, at approximately 34,000 miles, I was operating my vehicle near 6140 university drive, huntsville, alabama 35806, when the steering suddenly became locked/unresponsive immediately before a motor-vehicle collision. The steering malfunction occurred while the vehicle was being operated and immediately preceded the collision. I was unable to properly control the direction of the vehicle as intended. I believe the sudden loss of steering control may have caused or contributed to the collision. Vehicle operation immediately before the collision immediately before the collision: * the engine remained running. * the brakes remained operable. * no eps or mdps warning light appeared before the collision. * no eps/mdps warning message was observed before the collision. * a low tire-pressure warning did appear. * the steering became locked/unresponsive. * I was unable to maintain the intended steering control of the vehicle. * the vehicle subsequently collided. * after the collision, the steering wheel became operable again. The fact that the steering became operable again after the collision is significant because the malfunction was intermittent or temporary rather than a permanent inability of the steering wheel to move. I am not making a technical determination regarding which steering component failed. I am reporting the observed behavior and requesting that NHTSA investigate the cause. Witness and documentary evidence there is independent corrobora.

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While traveling at highway speeds on the freeway, the engine experienced a sudden, catastrophic failure, causing the vehicle to lose power and violently force itself into an emergency low-speed "limp mode. " this created an immediate, severe collision hazard with surrounding high-speed traffic. The vehicle is a 2017 kia Sportage with a 2. 4l theta ii engine, which had previously received the mandated ksds safety software flash. The authorized dealership (southwest kia) refused to honor the safety recall and lifetime warranty parameters for this engine failure, instead classifying the issue as a "burnt valve" to deny coverage and forcing an out-of-pocket retail customer charge of $6,864. 49 for a full engine assembly replacement.

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While adaptive cruise was engaged, the vehicle read alabama highway 80 west state road sign and incorrectly interpreted the sign for a speed limit sign which is 55 mph. The vehicle displayed a “80 mph” speed limit sign on the instrument cluster and then began to accelerate. When I took it to the dealer for repair, the “turned off safety feature”.

See attached document for complaint.

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While driving on the interstate at highway speed with cruise control engaged, the engine suffered sudden catastrophic failure with absolutely no prior warning, warning lights, knocking, stalling, or other symptoms. The vehicle became inoperable immediately. The repair estimate is $6,500 for engine replacement. The vehicle is a 2017 kia Sportage equipped with a theta ii 2. 4l gdi engine, confirmed by service campaign sc340 on file with NHTSA. Two safety recalls remain incomplete on this vehicle: 21v137 and 22v703. The knock sensor detection system software update campaign sc340 was never completed prior to my purchase of the vehicle in February 2024 from a used car dealer, despite being issued in July 2018. Kia consumer affairs indicated the claim would likely be denied due to the incomplete ksds update, despite that update predating my ownership entirely. A dealer appointment had been scheduled for June 26, 2024 to address outstanding recalls prior to this failure occurring.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? engine is malfunctioning, increase in oil consumption, mpg dropping, a ticking/knocking noise coming from the engine, and erratic engine behavior with random surges while driving to 6000+ rpm. Brought it into kia 2x now for same issue and first time said nothing was wrong and second time I am now going through an oil consumption test. Vehicle is still unsafe to drive but they say this is the only option to do their test to move forward with my warranty with kia. I am driving through mountain passes daily with this behavior and I worry if the engine blows I'll lose control of the vehicle and fall off the cliff. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? I am instructed to drive it still. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? the engine oil consumption test is happening now, I have driven 500 miles and the engine oil is low, pending to hear back from kia on when they can get it in for next steps. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? no, just a kia dealership (if that is the manufacturer then yes) were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? no. And there is no warning lights for low engine oil. I have driven many times without oil and no warning that the oil was even low. The vehicle burns up oil fast.

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.

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One day as I was turning at a green light the car completely stopped on me. I had to turn it off and then restart it and it worked fine. About a week later I had to drive to my cousin's house 45 minutes away and the car would not go, it acted like it was stalling and it didn't want to go over 2000rpms and it was really sluggish like it didn't want to shift into the next gear. I finally got on the highway and it would not go past 60 miles an hour and then also if you try to drive it, it will slow down like its shutting off on you. I've had a new battery replaced, 4 new tires a windshield, and wipers replaced. I took the car to autozone and also to another guy and both of them used their computers and said that it's the engine and they called it rod knocking. I called customer service and they said yes their is a recall and that they would replace the engine. I tried to call kia in mesquite texas because that is the closest one to me and I left a voicemail they did not call me back I am carless I'm a single disabled mother I need a working car.

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.

I was driving on the highway and had set the cruise control to 76. I then pushed the plus button once to increase the cruise control speed and the cruise control increased immediately to 110 mph. I braked right away which stopped the acceleration but could see it was still set at 110 mph. I pushed the button to turn the cruise control off. When I pushed it again, it went immediately back to 110. I tired multiple times over the next 45 minutes to turn the cruise control back on but it always went immediately to 110 mph.

The vehicle frequently fails to engage gas engine when depressing gas pedal to any degree. A full push of the gas pedal does not result in gas engine engagement. This has happened over 15 ties since the recall computer update last summer (2025). This creates extreme danger because the operator expects the full power of the engine to engage when pulling out of intersections or crossing oncoming traffic, but the engine does not engage causing a slow, creeping acceleration from the electric motor only. I took it into the kia dealer and they found nothing wrong. No warning lights occur when the malfunction happens. And no check engine lights occur either. The only correction is to fully turn the vehicle off and back on. Doing that resets everything back to normal. This malfunction usually occurs within the first 25-30 minutes of vehicle operation.

While driving the vehicle at 55 mph, it suddenly lost the ability to accelerate even when I pressed down on the accelerator. The rpms went up to 4 or 5 but I could not go over 30-35 mph. Fortunately, I was able to move into a left turn lane to get away from the flow of traffic and avoid an accident. A semi-truck was behind us when I was unable to accelerate. We had to have the vehicle towed to a local dealership in the area. I had been driving the vehicle for about 2 hours when this occurred. The service department at the dealer was able to recreate the issue. My vehicle has been out of service and remains at the dealership. They told me that a new transmission would be installed due to loss of transmission fluid. They had a difficult time identifying the issue because there were no warning lights or codes registered.

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.

1. Hybrid system failure and check engine light on . 2. Car jerk while driving and gone to limp mode and my speed was reduced to 10 mph at traffic putting my self and other in danger . 3. My vehicle is currently at the dealership getting inspected this is the second time my hybrid warning light came on and the first time they told me nothing was wrong with my vehicle. 4. All of these symptoms happened at the same time while driving.

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.

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.

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).

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The fail that the kia Sportage 2025 had is that every time when accelerating the car would bounce back in a violent way. Safety was at risk on busy roads since car was not able to accelerate and instead bounced back making it more dangerous for the car behind. No problem has been confirmed. The car has not been inspected yet. The car seemed as normal without check engine lights or any manual transmission gear activated. Car was on drive and there was no alert or fail shown on screens.

After driving for roughly 7 hours upon activating my cruise control, after using the entire drive with no issues, it went up to 110 mph as soon as I hit the button and would not allow me to adjust the speed down. It would turn off upon pressing pause, cruise control, or brakes but would rise to 110 mph everytime. I searched for recalls for this and could find none. But I did find posts of other people with the same issue. The only thing I could find was an emissions campaign that seems like it may be related. This appears to me to be much more of a safety issue especially if the driver is not paying attention. Or for example let's say you're driving behind someone and turn cruise control on you could very easily rearend someone at a high rate of speed. I will be trying to get my car into the dealership to try and resolve the issue, but my main point for filing a report is to see if this rises to the level of a safety recall versus a TSB or emissions campaign. My vehicle is available for inspection if needed. No warning lights came on or anything of the sort. I do have a video of this but does not appear I can upload it. Any assistance is greatly appreciated thank you and have a great day.

While driving on the highway at 80 mph, the accelerator suddenly stopped working and was completely unresponsive. The dashboard displayed the message "check hybrid system. Stop safely" and a warning ding sounded. The gas engine was still operating and showing rpms on the dashboard, but all acceleration and/or engagement with the engine was lost. I was able to coast and safely pull over to the side of the road. After pulling over, I turned off the engine and pushed the 12v battery reset button. The car restarted, and I was able to continue driving. The issue repeated about 20 miles later and again on a different drive four days later. Each time, there is no early warning or noticeable issue with the vehicle before the sudden warning and loss of power.

I have a 2025 kiasportage hybrid that I loved due to all its safety features. Yesterday I was pulling into a parking space when my car lunged forward two times making very loud sounds. I was near a brick pillar it it tore off the right front of my car. The bricks were damaged. When I came home I looked up kia Sportage lunching problems. There are many to read. They talk about “sudden acceleration’” and that is exactly what happened. It just lunged forward. Thankfully a human was not on the sidewalk. It went up over the curb and on the sidewalk. It’s called a jerking car in articles. Even if my car is fixable I won’t trust it. If this problem is fixable, why isn’t it fixed before selling the car to consumers. I’m quite distraught about this event. Warning must go out to consumers. I called a collision center this morning and they have seen this before. On the cars connect website, it tells of this event on 2020 kia Sportage. It says ‘’violent, scared the heck out of me. ” so, what is happening and why hasn’t it been fixed? I could have injured someone badly. [xxx] [xxx] arlington, texas information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

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.

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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 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.

I was driving with cruise control on. I had to slow down for traffic. Upon resuming speed, I reactivated cruise control at which time it jumped to 110 mph. This happen several times. I turned cruise off and back on 110. I canceled and tried to reset, 110. I kept resuming 110 mph and the function was not usable. I have a video but was unable to upload because it was to large.

The contact owns a 2024 kia Sportage hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at 30 mph, the vehicle came to an abrupt stop. There were no warning lights illuminated. The seat belt failed to secure her grandson, who was occupying the front passenger seat, and he flew out of the seat. The driver's seat belt failed to secure her, and she was thrust forward over the steering wheel. The contact called the local dealer, but there was no response. While driving at approximately 30 mph, the vehicle came to an abrupt stop. There were no vehicles around. While driving at 30 mph, the vehicle suddenly stopped, and an unknown pickup truck crashed into the rear of the vehicle. The contact was concerned about driving the vehicle. The contact sustained injuries to her neck, back, and left shoulder, which was torn, and medical attention was provided. There was no reported fire or airbag deployment. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to another local dealer, raceway kia 4044 us-9, freehold, NJ 07728, who determined the vehicle was working as designed. There were no codes displayed during diagnosis. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, who opened a case, but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 3,200.

I was going 40 mph and tried to set the cruise control to my current speed. The cruise control set at 110 mph instead. I tapped the brake to stop the cruise control and it stopped. I tried to set the cruise control again multiple times and the same thing happened. I parked, turned the car off then on again and the cruise control worked like normal.

I have had three separate instances over the past year, most recently days ago, where I pressed the cruise control button, then pressed the cruising speed increase button, and the cruise control setting jumped to 110 mph. I could press the cruise control button again to turn off cruise control, but if I pressed cruise control again, it would immediately jump to 110 mph, no matter what my current speed was. Pressing the decrease cruise control speed button didn't lower the cruise control speed. The only workaround is to turn the vehicle off and the turn it back on. There are multiple online forum posts, and several youtube videos, of other kia Sportage owners experiencing the same problem.

Cruise control suddenly jumped to 110mph. Could not adjust the speed. Could only turn off cruise control. It happened several times in a row. Car would speed up until I hit the brake.

I purchased my car 10/12/24. On 11/2/24, one of the first times I had used cruise control, I was traveling between 40-45mph in a residential area and turned on my cruise control. The car immediately set the cc speed to exactly 110 mph and would not respond to the down arrow to adjust speed down. I paused cc and resumed and the setting remained at 110mph. I am not sure what caused the setting to finally clear as I was pretty frantically pressing buttons at that point. I do have a photograph of this instance and I have added it to this report. A brief google search confirmed multiple kia drivers reporting the same issue with this line of vehicles. On 11/5/24 I took my car in to olathe kia's service department, asking them to investigate this issue. The service department reported that they found no error codes and had no repair to offer for the cc issue.

I am reporting an incident of sudden unintended acceleration of my 2024 kia Sportage plug-in hybrid. On oct. 11, 2024, my wife was parking the vehicle in a lot near our home when the car suddenly accelerated, only stopping when it crashed into the side of a building. My wife was not injured, though the vehicle was damaged. She insists she did not accidentally hit the accelerator instead of the brake. I have reported the incident to kia, and we have filed a claim with our insurance company.