10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
3,116 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2023 Kia Sportage engine problems

engine problem

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2023 Kia Sportage Owner Comments

problem #16

Jun 282024

Sportage

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Second time reporting for the third instance Dealer says nothing is wrong but I have a video when car speeds up and doesn-??t stop when removing my foot for acceleration Car keeps moving and it-??s hard to stop unless I slam on brake This is occasionally instance but when it happens it-??s highly risk for havug accident With kids I don-??t feel safe

- Woodstock, GA, USA

problem #15

Apr 252024

Sportage

  • miles
I had my vehicle take to Coughlin Kia in Dublin Ohio on [XXX] and got my vehicle back on [XXX]. The service center at Coughlin claimed I had bad gas, they took it upon themselves to approve services I did not approve of. When I got my vehicle back on [XXX] I found wires under my hood and caps left under my hood as well. Then on 4/26/24 my vehicle started having problems, my vehicle would have the RPMS jumping from 500 to 1,000 while sitting in park and driving. Not once did I ever mess with my vehicle under the hood. I notice this problem getting worse as the days went on. On 4/23 my vehicle wasn't getting any better, the engine was shaking while sitting in park and it was shaking the whole car. On [XXX] on my way back from a lunch break my car stalled out and stopped in the middle of traffic. I called Great Lakes dealership in Columbus Ohio, and have my vehicle taken there. My vehicle declined in speed while moving on a high speed highway. Putting my safety and my families safety at risk. Kia won't own up to any mistakes, they claim this as bad fuel and I have been putting high octane gas in my vehicle. I do believe my vehicle was messed with by someone at the Coughlin Dealership and now I'm facing safety issues I can't drive my vehicle because its unsafe and my vehicle has only 23,600 miles on it. I'm highly disappointed I reached out to the director of operations Michele Cameron and she refuses to respond back to me and return my phone calls. I can't get anyone from Kia Corporation to respond back to me. I was told by Kia Connect that they wouldn't provide me a tow truck last night when my vehicle was on the side of a busy highway. I have warranty on my vehicle and I get free tows and was told they couldn't provide one. No safety vehicle would sit with us on the highway to make sure we were safe. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Marysville , OH, USA

problem #14

Apr 212024

Sportage

  • miles
My car accelerates automatically and doesn-??t stop unless slam on break This is happening occasionally Yesterday I was about to hit front car after taking the exit. Even after breaking the car kept moving at full speed. It-??s a huge safety concern I was with family and we all got so scared

- Woodstock, GA, USA

problem #13

Feb 192024

Sportage

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

When on a cruise control it started accelerating on its own to an extremely high speed. Happened a few time to me. Clears only if you restart the vehicle. Scary. I have a video to proof, it won-??t let me attach the video. I know that some other people had experience same, I seen comments on Facebook group for Kia sportage hybrid 2023. I filed under lemon law for this vehicle for a different reason in June 2023. But manufacturer still haven-??t gave me a comparable vehicle and I have to drive this death trap.

- Del City, OK, USA

problem #12

Dec 172023

Sportage

  • miles
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request" The vehicle speed control failed to accelerate above 50 MPH. Pushing down on the accelerator would continue to increase RPMs, but instead the car would coast. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? This malfunction made it impossible to reach highway speeds, which meant I was traveling 20-25 MPH slower than the rest of traffic. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? The problem persisted for the entire driving session; however, after turning off the car and turning it back on, the problem has not reproduced. A passenger recorded a video of the issue occurring, and the dealer reviewed the video and confirmed that it is definitely a safety hazard, but since the issue was not reproducible, they stated they could not take any action based on Kia's service policies. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? The vehicle has been inspected by a Kia dealer, but not by any other parties. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear" Before this problem occurred, the engine Auto-Stop icon appeared amber - which means engine Auto-Stop vehicle conditions were not met so the engine wouldn't automatically shut off at stoplights. This is the only time I've observed this icon appear amber instead of white.

- Findlay, OH, USA

problem #11

Jan 122024

Sportage

  • miles
I was driving for approximately 30 minutes, using cruise control as needed. There was a decreased speed area so I toggled down to reduce speed from 65 to 55. My cruise control speed jumped from 65 to 110. NOTHING I did would reduce the speed. I had to turn off the cruise control to get control of my vehicle again. I thought I did something wrong so I turned on cruise control and attempted to set the speed again. Immediately upon using the toggle to set the speed, the speed jumped to 110. This happened several time and I couldn-??t get cruise control to work correctly for approximately 30-45 minutes. Finally I found a safe area to pull off the interstate, turn the vehicle off and back on. At which time the speed controls began working correctly again. Very scary and unsafe situation!

- Mechanicsburg, PA, USA

problem #10

Dec 272023

Sportage

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Car wouldn-??t accelerate, could be problem if turning left into traffic. Trip to Florida, 1000 miles, the Engine accelerated by itself, one time the mph was into the 90-??s before I got it under control. This happened 3 times on my drive Florida from Indiana

- North Port, FL, USA

problem #9

Oct 202023

Sportage

  • 12,800 miles
The contact owns a 2023 Kia Sportage. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle independently accelerated and then decelerated. The contact also stated that the back over prevention camera was inoperable and displayed a black screen. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact stated that she had previously experienced the failure with the vehicle before and the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure; however, the dealer replaced the aftermarket floor mat with the original Kia Sportage floor mat. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 12,800.

- Warrenton, GA, USA

problem #8

Sep 252023

Sportage

  • miles
When I achieved my desired speed while driving on the highway, I turned on my adaptive cruise control as I usually do. This time, the car began accelerating dramatically, set on 110mph instead of my desire 55mph. It did this twice, even after I turned off the cruise control. I parked on the side of the street and restarted the car before it returned to normal. My life was very much threatened while I was driving as well as the lives of my fellow highway drivers that night. I will be taking this to my dealership but I also need this reported.

- Langhorne, PA, USA

problem #7

Sep 032023

Sportage

  • 37,000 miles
The contact owns a 2023 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving forward into a parking space at a very slow speed and while pressing the brake pedal, the vehicle suddenly experienced unintended acceleration and drove over the stop bump and a curve before crashing into a building wall. During the crash, the contact sustained a head injury which later required medical treatment. A police report was taken at the scene and the vehicle was driven away. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The local dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 37,000.

- East Point, GA, USA

problem #6

Aug 252023

Sportage

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

While driving, the car came to an abrupt stop. Lights and alarms flashed stating "Do not drive" "hybrid system malfunction". Car could not be driven. Had I been on the highway, which I just exited, I could have been dead with how suddenly the car stopped without prior warning. The warning came when the car was shutting down. It has now been at the dealership for 3 weeks and they are unable to pinpoint the problem. Apparently they are selling hybrids with no one to work on them. Smh

- Lawrenceville, GA, USA

problem #5

Jul 222023

Sportage

  • miles
While on a 65 mph enforced highway, cruise control was turned on via the button on the steering wheel. The digital cruise control set itself at 110 mph and the vehicle began to accelerate to match the speed. Aside from turning on the cruise control, no other buttons on the steering wheel were pushed. The car-??s cruise control feature had previously been set at 70 mph to match current conditions and was used regularly throughout the length of the trip. While the car continued to accelerate on its own to match the self-set speed, we tried to decrease the speed both by trying to set it at the current speed, and by holding the dial down to decrease the speed manually. The car did not reflect any changes in speed and a message popped up saying -??Cruise Control conditions not met-?? and it tried to disengage cruise control and acceleration. Driver had to manually turn off the cruise control function. Upon additional attempts to use cruise control and set speed to match current driving conditions, the same issue occurred. A recording of the incident was taken to be able to show proof that the car-??s digital functions are to blame. Had the cruise control function not been able to be manually disengaged, the car would have continued to accelerate on its own to dangerous speeds. Dealer has been unable to replicate issue and has escalated incident to Kia-??s corporate office.

- Portland, OR, USA

problem #4

May 162023

Sportage

  • miles
On the morning of May 16 2023 while making a turn at 17 th Avenue and Bayshore Drive my car continued to accelerate in spite of me trying to brake. I was projected into a stone wall and knew I was going to crash. I crashed into the wall, all my airbags were deployed and the car smelled like smoke. My accelerator got stuck and was sideways.I was unable to get out of the car from inside but a Good Samaritan had opened the door from the outside and I crawled under the airbags and got out. The car did not go on fire but was still on when I was able to then turn it off. Police were called and I was checked at the hospital.

- Fl, FL, USA

problem #3

Mar 052023

Sportage

  • miles
The car is currently in the shop at Jim Shorkey Gainesville Kia and is available for inspection. They have contacted me to tell me the transmission/engine failed. I was driving on interstate when I suddenly lost the ability to accelerate and was forced to get off of the highway. After coming to a complete stop I pressed on the gas pedal but the car would still not accelerate. I tried putting into park and back into drive and that did not work. I tried putting it into manual mode and it did go forward but every gear change was loud, jerky, and rough. I was able to make to my next complete stop in a left turning lane to cross a two lane busy highway that is coming downhill towards me at an intersection that does not have a traffic signal. However the car was stuck in gear 5. I was the first car in line. At this point I put other cars in danger as they swerved back into the high way to get around me into the intersection to make that left turn across busy highway. I turned the car completely off and after a minute turned it back on. I put in drive, waited until I couldn't see any cars coming down the hill and I pressed the gas pedal to test. It jerked forward and I managed to get across the highway as it shifted into the second gear it jerked violently and made a loud popping noise and there after every single gear change was loud and jerky. Thank God I did not lose the ability to accelerate in that left turn because those cars are coming at 70+ miles per hour Down that hill or my family would have been t-boned on their passenger side. I am also lucky that I was able to get off the nearest exit when they problem originally happened as I was going downhill on the interstate and the next exit was very close so my momentum got me there. I lost the ability to control the vehicle as I ordinarily would putting myself, my family, and other motorists in danger had we not been able to get off on the exit or make it through that left turn.

- Gainesville, GA, USA

problem #2

Feb 232023

Sportage

  • miles
I had a number of systems suddenly cut out on me. The dealership thinks it was a fuse or fuses that went bad. They affected the car's following systems: * Primary Instrument Cluster (Left side) * Forward Collision Avoidance-Assist w/Car, Pedestrian and Cyclist Detection * Advanced Collision Avoidance (Auto-breaking) * Lane Following Assist * Lane Keeping Assist * Driver Attention Warning w/ Leading Vehicle Departure Alert * Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist (In Mirrors) * Door Unlock Warning (I received several warnings that my doors were unlocked even when they were locked) * Entrance/Exit Chime * Blinker Sound * Compass * Internal Navigation (GPS worked but because the compass was broken, the mapping system did not know which way my car was traveling.) * Fuel Efficiency was incorrect. I never got above 31 miles to the gallon

- Snohomish, WA, USA

problem #1

Jan 172023

Sportage

  • 50 miles
The contact owns a 2023 Kia Sportage. The contact stated after his wife stopped at a traffic light, the vehicle accelerated independently and caused to crash the vehicle ahead of them. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The air bags did not deploy. The contact stated no one was injured nor sought medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to the local dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50.

- Ocala, FL, USA

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