10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
3,947 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 #19

Jan 292024

Sportage

  • miles

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

Bought new Kia Sportage Hybrid from Fette Kia in Clifton 3 months ago. >2,800 miles, Error "Check Hybrid System. Stop Safety. With the warning sign up. Vehicle won't go more than 20 mph. I called Kia and they're giving me 3 weeks appt, and they won't cover rental. To add insult to injury, customer service was rude too. Don't buy KIA or go to Fette Clifton.

- Clifton, NJ, USA

problem #18

Jan 192024

Sportage

  • miles
The vehicle was towed to KIA in Mobile AL Engine approximately 25K miles engine had to be replaced manufacturing problem. They did everything to not have to do repairs They said they would but now after I paid they will not pay for my rental promptly they keep making excuses and giving an unreason time frame I will never again buy KIA and I don't think I will ever see that money

- Theodore, AL, USA

problem #17

Jan 012024

Sportage

  • miles
On June 9, 2023, the owner purchased a brand-new 2023 Kia Sportage Hybrid from Quirk Kia Braintree. Over the next six months, the owner regularly drove the car between work and home, accumulating approximately 4,500 miles. However, in early January 1st 2024, the owner noticed that the check engine light had illuminated, although there were no other noticeable issues with the vehicle at that time. In response to the warning light, the owner ceased using the car and promptly scheduled an appointment with Quirk Kia for a diagnosis. When the owner attempted to drive the car to the dealership, it exhibited severe shaking when the engine was running, rendering it undrivable. Subsequently, the owner had the car towed to Quirk Kia, where it has remained since January 5, 2024. Upon examination, multiple error codes were detected, yet as of January 17, 2024, the dealership has been unable to determine the root cause of the engine's shaking. They have raised the possibility of poor-quality gasoline as a potential culprit, and they claim to have conducted tests on the fuel. Based on the email and phone communications between the owner and the dealership, the owner believe that the gasoline used was of good quality (the owner consistently refueled at Costco). Additionally, three pictures of the fuel test were shared (attached), indicating that the ethanol content in the gasoline was below 10%, which aligns with the car's manual specifications. Their proposed solution is to replace the gas tank, with the cost to be borne by the owner. The owner find this resolution to be entirely unacceptable.

- Boston, MA, USA

problem #16

Nov 022023

Sportage

  • miles

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

I turned on the car and put the car in Reverse and when I let the brake go the car went forward instead of going backward. It does not do this everytime. It just happened once or twice. I believe this is related to another problem I have with the car which is-?? when I press the start button it sometimes sputters and has a hard time turning on. Lights come on at times. Warning lights come on when the problem is happening but that-??s all. I-??ve taken the car to Kia and they cannot find the problem since lights and issue is not showing when I go there.

- Haw River, NC, USA

problem #15

Sep 212023

Sportage

  • miles
ISSUE WITH KIA SPORTAGE 2023 HYBRID (GAS AND ELECTRIC) Battery shut off. The battery turned off. I was driving on the fwy and the car started to drive rough so I exited off the fwy and barely made it over the intersection and the car shut off. (as the car was shutting off I opened my door) all other doors were locked and could not open. (had I not opened my car door I would have been locked in/out of my car) The emergency lights would not turn on. None of the electrical buttons work. I called a tow truck to come get me 20+ min in Arizona is a lifetime in the heat. (luckily my kids were not in the vehicle). My car could have stopped in the middle of the fwy and things could have really gotten ugly. My car is currently in the kia dealership parking lot (where the tow truck dropped it off 2+ weeks ago). The dealer got me into a rental but my vehicle won't get a battery till 2 + months. Even if it gets a new battery it doesn't solve the problem Kia knows these batteries have these issues yet they are still selling the vehicles and not letting the consumer know that they might have a battery issue. battery cost ($11,000+ after the warranty is over) I would have never bought this car if I knew this was a potential issue. complete driving hazard. There was a warning light that turned on seconds before my car shut off, "check hybrid system stop safely" then it shut off. a couple of times before this all the lights on the dash turned on for a few minutes then shut off. I HAVE A COUPLE OF FRIENDS WITH THE SAME CAR BOUGHT AROUND THE SAME TIME AND THEY HAVE THE SAME ISSUE AND ARE IN RENTAL CARS TOO. THE DEALER IS NOT WILLING TO ASSIST OR COME UP WITH A DEAL SO WE BREAK EVEN (THEY ARE TRYING TO SELL US ANOTHER VEHICLE AT MORE $$ A MONTH. Had we gotten a good vehicle we would not be trying to trade in the car for another one.

- Surprise, AZ, USA

problem #14

Sep 122023

Sportage

  • miles
Leased NEW Kia Sportage on 1/1/22 Went in for oil change on 11/11/22 3 hrs later told a "forced" update "burned" out the computer and car was not driveable On 11/30/22 was driving to work on LI expressway, car shut down without warning while I was driving, smelled something burning, called 911, car towed to dealer. Told it was defective fuel injector. 1/29/23 I reported brakes grinding and vibration sound coming from engine, RPM's rev up but car doesn't accelerate. Brakes needed to be cut. Was told since there was no "code" nothing could be done about engine sound/rpm increasing. Car was in for service 3 times because of this issue. 9/10/23 car shut down while I was driving without warning and gas smell in car was nauseating. Car would briefly start & shut down. Car towed to dealer. I have reached out to Kia Corporate numerous times expressing I am afraid to drive the car, the car is dangerous and my life and the lives of others at risk. When car shuts down, ther is NO warning, it just STOPS. I have had nightmares and lost sleep. I travel on highways & busy roads everyday. Kia wanted me to sign waiver releasing them of everything in lieu of 3 months lease payments. Expressed my life & lives of others are worth more than 3 payments. Car has had 2 recalls on top of these issues. I have reached out for help and have been ignored. 9/12/23 told by KIA corporate it would take 2 weeks to escalate my complaint. Car is currently at dealership. PLEASE HELP!

- Manorville, NY, USA

problem #13

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 #12

May 172023

Sportage

  • miles
Engine Stalling Multiple Times while in Drive. After vehicle stalls, Engine Shuts off, multiple lights start flashing and beeping and Message States- 'Engine Off! Shift to P or N then start engine.' Engine will reengage after following display instructions. This creates a safety risk to driver and others behind driver when error occurs. 2 weeks prior to first failure, Engine light appeared, but was not flashing. Kia informed, but could not schedule for service for 14 days. Dates of Occurrence: 5/17/2023 ( 2 times), 7/28/2023 ( 3 times), 8/23/2023 (1 time) Vehicle with Kia Dealer for repair 5/17 to 5/29, 7/28 to 8/18, and 8/23 to present. No current ETA for repairs. None of the repairs has corrected issue.

- Chapel Hill, NC, USA

problem #11

Jul 112023

Sportage

  • 75,000 miles
The contact owns a 2023 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, when she accelerated the gas, the vehicle did not accelerate as required, and she was rear-ended from behind, causing her vehicle to rear-end the vehicle in front of her vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the auto shop; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact stated that after research she discovered there was a recall and she had not received the recall notification, NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V410000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.

- Orlando, FL, USA

problem #10

Nov 022022

Sportage

  • miles
The vehicle has lost acceleration twice and one of those times, it was a hazard to other drivers and put my safety at risk because it loss power in the passing lane on a major highway. The car shut off and I had to restart it about 8 times to get it over to the side of the road. Each time there was white and black smoke, the car would shake and just shut off. The car has been in the shop once before and they think it was a cylinder misfire and they said they fixed it. This is the second time it is in there. The car is still under warranty. Other times it has been for several recalls. There were no times that the car would do this, no symptoms or messages. This is a safety hazard for other drivers and puts the drivers life in danger. This is not what a new car experience should be.

- Cortez, CO, USA

problem #9

Jun 212023

Sportage 4-cyl

  • miles

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

Vin number is [XXX], 2023 Kia Sportage x-line got engine stop suddenly on the load. The date was 6/21/2023 9:30am. After driving 1 miles. The pictures was in the parking lot when I turn the engine, also I got recall service yesterday 6/20/2023 9am-12pm INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Reston, VA, USA

problem #8

Feb 102023

Sportage

  • miles
Engine oil has gotten very low to the point of the low oil light alert shows on dashboard. This incident has occurred 3 times since we-??ve bought the vehicle new in October of 2022. The vehicle has 3,500 miles on it.

- Clermont, FL, USA

problem #7

May 202023

Sportage

  • miles
Low oil indicator light came on at 15k miles. Tried to lock doors with key fob but could not. Had to open doors using key after popping off door handle. Put key in ignition but when turning car off and taking key out of ignition vehicle kept running and did not turn off for 15 minutes. Finally turned off on its own. Had vehicle towed by Kia to Kia of Groton CT.

- Westerly , RI, USA

problem #6

Apr 212023

Sportage

  • miles
While I was driving on an 82-degree Fahrenheit day, my engine overheated. I got 2 different alerts for an overheating engine and sent it to the dealership. The vehicle has no damage and the overheated engine was very sudden and without notice.

- Langhorne, PA, USA

problem #5

Mar 012023

Sportage

  • miles
On March 1, 2023, approximately 5 days after purchasing the vehicle, when turning the vehicle on at approximately 8:00 pm, the screen stated that "A possible condition with your Hybrid Control Unit/Low DC-DC Converter has been detected. A full system check is recommended to be done soon. Please contact your local dealership to schedule an appointment." An appointment was scheduled from the screen. The car was then driven on the freeway. Several minutes later, all systems on the vehicle died. The vehicle lost all engine power, power steering, power brakes, lights, even the doors which were locked could not be unlocked. The vehicle was rolling slowly forward and was moved into a gore point.

- Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, USA

problem #4

Apr 042023

Sportage

  • miles
Engine lost compression with around 8K miles on it.

- Plymouth, MA, USA

problem #3

Feb 152023

Sportage

  • miles
Vehicle first felt like the tire was flat when turning. After parking and restarting the vehicle the vehicle seemed to hesitate to stay started. The check engine light came on the next day. After taking the vehicle in they said the injector was bad. Replacing it did not fix the problem. I am not waiting on approval to replace the engine at 20,000 miles.

- Dunlap, TN, USA

problem #2

Dec 082022

Sportage

  • miles
While driving on the engine turned off without warning The car stalled in the middle of traffic.

- Smyrna , GA, USA

problem #1

Sep 022022

Sportage

  • miles
One week after buying the brand new 2023 Kia Sportage, 6 warning signs popped up on the screen. They were to "Check the Forward Collision System, " "Check the Bind Spot System, " and 4 more of the safety features. In addition, the Check Engine light turning on, other warning signs were also highlighted in orange. Finally, when trying to move the car, I was not able to get the gear out of Park. This happened multiple times over 12 hours.

- Annandale, VA, USA

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