2017 Kia Sportage Complaints

ENGINE — Filed 04/26/2026

Engine caught fire , insurance denied the claim . Kia has a class action lawsuit Theta 2 . It was towed into the dealership for approximately 3 mts . During the diagnostic they discovered a crack in the number 3 cylinder wall . They rejected the claim due to what they said was a leaky valve cover gasket even though it had been replaced within the last year . The car has 66,000 miles and has been well maintained. There’s copious examples of similar of engine failures and Kia gives the same reason for not fixing the problem.

TRAILER HITCHES,FIRERELATED — Filed 06/22/2026

The contact's mother owned a 2017 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while her brother was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact's brother parked the vehicle, rolled down the window, and became aware that there was smoke coming from under the hood before the vehicle caught on fire. The contact's brother exited the vehicle and ran away from the vehicle. The contact's brother called the contact and the police about the fire. The Police, bomb squad, and firefighters arrived at the scene. The firefighters extinguished the fire. The Police, bomb squad, and fire department reports were filed. The contact's brother received medical treatment for a severe asthma attack. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard, but the insurance company had not yet declared the vehicle a total loss because the vehicle only had liability coverage. Upon investigation, the contact's brother discovered that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V703000 (Trailer Hitches); however, the contact's mother had not received a recall notification. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.

ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM — Filed 05/12/2026

My vehicle engine caught fire after getting gas. It started smoking then went up in flames.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — Filed 09/03/2025

The contact owned a 2017 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving 55-60 MPH on the highway, the contact noticed smoke coming from underneath the hood. The contact stated that there was a significant amount of smoke inside the vehicle. It was unknown whether a warning light illuminated. The contact exited the vehicle and noticed that there were police officers 20 ft. away from the vehicle. The police officers advised the contact to get away from the vehicle. The contact noticed flames under the hood, by the engine compartment. The contact stated that the entire vehicle caught on fire. The contact stated that the entire vehicle was completely burned to the metal. The fire was extinguished by the fire department. A fire department report was filed, and it was reported that the fire originated from the engine. A police report was filed. A firefighter sustained an unknown injury and was taken to the nearest hospital. The contact did not sustain physical injuries but sustained mental injury, lack of sleep, anxiety, and was upset. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot and was totaled. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was filed. The manufacturer sent an investigator who inspected the vehicle and stated that the cause of the fire was undetermined. The manufacturer provided vehicle rental assistance as a settlement. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE — Filed 06/26/2025

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.

ENGINE — Filed 07/28/2025

The contact owned a 2017 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving at 75 MPH, she observed black smoke emanating from the engine compartment. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway and switch the vehicle off. After a visual inspection, she observed flames within the engine compartment emanating from a source unknown to the contact. Local emergency service arrived and was able to extinguish the fire, later attributing the fire to an unspecified equipment failure. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and deemed a total loss by the contact's insurance provider. A fire report was filed. A police report was not filed, and no injuries were reported. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 149,000.

VISIBILITY — Filed 11/18/2024

The contact's daughter owns a 2017 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving approximately 45 MPH, the panoramic sunroof exploded without impact. The glass shattered into pieces onto the driver. The driver sustained some minor cuts to her head. The glass was picked out of her hair by her colleagues, but medical attention was not provided. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE — Filed 12/05/2023

I was driving home on i-91 S when my car started smoking from under the hood. There were no warning lights and the temperature gauge read normal with the lever at the center. I pulled off at the next Exit and parked in a parking lot. I popped the hood and found that a fire had started around the engine. The fire grew to the point that the whole front half of the car was burned before the fire department was able to put it out. The vehicle was assessed by my insurance, but I think the extent of that was to determine whether it was a total loss (which it obviously was).

FIRERELATED — Filed 11/07/2023

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sportage. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V703000 (Trailer Hitches); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine revved loudly. No warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road, and then the vehicle slid into the ditch. The accelerator pedal was depressed when the contact noticed the rear end of the vehicle had caught fire. The contact panicked and exited the vehicle, injuring his left shin and right foot. Medical attention was received. The fire department arrived and extinguished the fire. The contact was unaware if a fire department report had been filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard; however, the vehicle was not deemed totaled by the insurance company. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 67,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE — Filed 10/29/2023

My daughter and I were driving home from my brother's house, when we stopped by McDonald's to grab food, we noticed our car smoking really bad. I had her pull away from the drive-thru and into the empty parking lot. We got out just seconds before the car burst into flames from underneath the hood of the car.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE — Filed 08/30/2023

I was driving on the freeway and my car suddenly jolted, smoked started pouring from the hood, and then immediately caught fire once I pulled off the road within minutes. There were no warnings, no engine lights, nothing that pointed to an issue until this happened. I was at risk of getting hit by others in the freeway — I luckily was able to get to the side of the road and immediately called 911. Fire department came within minutes, and dowsed the car, which was fully engulfed in flames.

AIR BAGS — Filed 07/21/2023

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving at 20 MPH, during which he fell asleep as he was returning home from a Dialysis appointment, he rear-ended another vehicle that was at the stop light, and the air bag did not deploy. The contact was taken to the hospital and diagnosed with a fractured chest. The contact stated that a police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a collision center. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,495.

ENGINE — Filed 01/09/2023

When I pulled into work and turned off the engine, smoke started to come from under the hood which initially looked like overheating, but no gauges or lights were activated. The smoke started to get heavier, thicker, and darker, and then the hood started flaming and the whole entire car was engulfed in flames within about 5 or 6 minutes. The fire department came around 20 minutes after the 911 calls to extinguish my car.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 11/01/2022

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and unoccupied it spontaneously caught fire. The front windshield burst and the front of the vehicle melted. The check engine warning indicator light was illuminated. There were no reported injuries. The fire department extinguished the fire. There was no police report filed, injuries, or air bag deployment. The vehicle was towed to the contact residents. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

POWER TRAIN,ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING — Filed 01/15/2022

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the contact would experience illness and dizziness which required medical attention. No additional information was available. Also while operating the vehicle the engine oil light would continue to illuminate although oil was being added to the engine and the vehicle would experience jerking and hesitation while driving. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who performed an oil consumption test but no problem was found. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 60,000.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE — Filed 10/16/2022

I was driving up to Vermont for an event. I stopped at a Dunkin Donuts drive through and noticed smoke coming from the hood of my car. I quickly pulled forward into the nearest parking spot and the car started smoking in and burst into flames. I had 20-30 seconds to get out of the car. I could have been killed.

POWER TRAIN,ENGINE — Filed 10/31/2019

My car has been having an extreme oil consumption issue. I've been trying to get the issue fix with Kia for over six months. However, it is getting to the point were the engine runs out of oil and coolant in less than 500 miles. They told me the engine is damaged and it could fail and that the issue was caused by the excessive oil consumption. However, they will not cover it because damages by oil consumption are not covered by the manufacturer.

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC — Filed 04/28/2022

The contact owned a 2017 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH, the vehicle stalled as several warning lights appeared on the instrument panel. The contact pulled over and while taking a picture of his instrument panel, a grayish color smoke began to emit from the hood of the vehicle. As the contact began to search for the hood latch button inside the vehicle, flames had emitted from the hood of the vehicle. The contact immediately exited the vehicle and called 911. As the contact waited for authorities to arrive, the vehicle became engulfed in flames; the fire department eventually arrived and extinguished the fire. A police report was filed(#122023397) and no injuries were reported. The remaining parts of the vehicle were towed to an independent tow yard where it remained in their possession. The contact called the dealer where he purchased the vehicle to obtain his vehicle records. Upon investigation, the contact discovered that his vehicle had been placed under NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V137000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC). The contact stated that he was never informed about the recall and never received a recall notice. The Kia dealer nor the manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle was destroyed by the fire. The failure mileage was 93,703.

AIR BAGS — Filed 12/26/2021

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving at 30-35 MPH, another vehicle crashed into the rear end of her vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact was unsure whether there was a warning light illuminated. The contact was transported to the hospital with the assistance of a family member. The contact sustained a concussion, jaw and back injuries. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot, where it was totaled. The dealer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the manufacturer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact that the air bags do not always deploy in the event of a crash; therefore they could not assist. The failure mileage was approximately 66,000.

ENGINE — Filed 11/11/2021

The contact's daughter owns a 2017 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at 5-10 MPH, she heard an abnormal popping sound and she saw black and white smoke coming from underneath the hood of the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact's daughter exited the vehicle immediately and called the fire department. The fire department was able to extinguish the fire. The contact's daughter did not sustain physical injuries however, she was mentally traumatized and had been seeking therapy. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot, where the vehicle was deemed totaled. The contact stated that the vehicle had been serviced two months prior to catching on fire and several recall repairs were performed. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

ENGINE — Filed 01/27/2021

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2017 KIA SPORTAGE. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT 60 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE CONTACT THEN HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED WITH THE STARTER NEEDING TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN REPAIRED BUT UPON RETRIEVING THE VEHICLE FROM THE INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND STARTING THE VEHICLE SMOKE WAS SEEN COMING FROM THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT OPENED THE HOOD AND SAW A FIRE BEHIND THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CONTACTED AND WAS ABLE TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN TOWED TO KIA OF CHERRY HILL (1803 MARLTON PIKE W, CHERRY HILL, NJ 08002) WHERE IT WAS DEEMED A TOTAL LOSS. THE CONTACT WAS RELATING THIS ISSUE TO NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 21V137000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC). THE MANUFACTURER HAD BEEN INFORMED OF THE FAILURE AND REFERRED THE CONTACT TO THE KIA ENGINE SETTLEMENT HOTLINE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,542.

SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE — Filed 04/28/2021

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 KIA SPORTAGE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING, THE CHECK ENGINE AND BATTERY LIGHTS SUDDENLY DISPLAYED AND SMOKE WAS SEEN COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT BEFORE THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE LOCAL DEALER KIA OF BEDFORD LOCATED 18180 ROCKSIDE RD, BEDFORD, OH 44146. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT YET DETERMINED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN LOOKUP INDICATED THE VEHICLE WAS LISTED IN THE NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER 21V137000 (SERVICE BRAKES). THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE HAD EXPERIENCED THE SAME FAILURE LISTED IN THE RECALL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 84,000.

STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 04/03/2020

THE CAR CAUGHT FIRE AFTER BEING DRIVEN. AS SOON AS IT WAS PARKED IT STARTED SMOKING AND WITHIN MINUTES IT WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES AND TOTALLY DESTROYED

SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE — Filed 03/25/2021

TL* THE CONTACTS SON OWNED A 2017 KIA SPORTAGE. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT 30 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SMOKE COMING FROM THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO DEPRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE VEHICLE CONTINUED FORWARD MOVEMENT. THE CONTACT PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, AND THE VEHICLE BECAME ENGULFED IN FLAMES. THE FIRE MARSHALS WERE CALLED TO SCENE AND EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE, AND A REPORT WAS TAKEN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A TOW LOT WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED WITH BEING DESTROYED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. UPON INVESTIGATION, THE CONTACT ASSOCIATED THE FAILURE WITH, NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 21V137000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC). THE MANUFACTURER WAS INFORMED OF FAILURE AND WAS AWAITING A RESPONSE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 03/20/2021

AS I WAS DRIVING THE ENGINE BOGGED DOWN AND WHEN NOT ACCELERATE SO WHEN I PUSHED DOWN HARD ON THE GAS IT FINALLY KICKED IN SUPER HARD CAUSING ME TO CRASH INTO A POLE.