2024 Kia Sportage Complaints

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM — Filed 05/10/2026

My 2024 Kia Sportage X-Pro Prestige has experienced at least 3 intermittent, unexpected engine shutdowns while driving or in traffic. The cause remains unidentified. The first occurred before [XXX] (exact date unknown). While stopped at a red light in Drive, I realized the vehicle had completely shut off. The engine was not running and all screens/displays were black. There was no warning. On [XXX], the same failure occurred without warning at approximately 60 mph during a longer highway drive. The engine shut off and all screens went black. I nearly collided with an 18-wheeler. No collision occurred. I was directed to call 911, and the vehicle was towed from the highway to a Kia dealership. The cause was not diagnosed. On [XXX], during a long-distance drive from Asheville to Wilmington, NC, the vehicle again shut off while I was still in Drive and slowing normally toward a red light. Warning lights/chimes appeared and the engine shut off BEFORE I shifted to Park. After shifting to Park, the display stated, “Auto Stop is Off. Shift to P or N and start engine manually.” I restarted the vehicle. A picture documenting the vehicle immediately after this event is included in my attached evidence packet. The cause remains unknown despite extensive testing and Kia Tech Line involvement. On [XXX], I drove approximately 40 minutes with a Kia master technician and diagnostic flight recorder, at speeds up to approximately 80 mph; the failure did not reproduce. On [XXX], I was told Tech Line wanted me to drive the vehicle for approximately 2 weeks with a flight recorder to capture another occurrence. After these repeated shutdowns, particularly the ~60 mph near-collision, I no longer feel confident driving the vehicle or transporting my family while the cause remains unidentified. I am concerned another shutdown could occur where I cannot safely avoid a collision. Detailed chronology and supporting evidence are attached. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER — Filed 05/09/2026

On XXX, while driving my 2024 Kia Sportage X-Pro Prestige on [XXX] after exiting XXX, traveling west toward [XXX], the panoramic moonroof glass suddenly shattered without warning. It sounded like a gunshot going off very loudly inside the vehicle and badly startled both me and my service dog. The glass had no known prior damage, nothing had been placed on it, and I did not see or hear anything strike it. I pulled over and found the panoramic glass extensively shattered, with thousands of small fragments and areas of glass missing. I saw no evidence of an external impact. I received a superficial cut to my finger from a glass fragment; no medical attention was required. The interior sunshade was closed and prevented the shattered glass above it from falling directly onto me and my service dog. Glass fragments were still found inside the vehicle after the repair was completed. Multiple photographs document the extensive damage. The moonroof was repaired through insurance, but no cause for the sudden glass failure was identified. Kia America opened Case #XXX, escalated the matter for additional review, and requested post-incident photographs and incident details, which I provided. Kia later stated it had completed its review, cited factory-warranty glass coverage and the absence of applicable campaigns, and declined further assistance. I was not provided with a diagnosed cause for the glass failure. This vehicle also has a separate recurring safety concern involving unexpected engine shutdowns while driving or in traffic, including a shutdown at approximately 60 mph the following day, May 10. Those incidents were reported separately to NHTSA under Complaint #XXX. I am not asserting that the glass failure and shutdowns have the same cause. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE,LANE DEPARTURE — Filed 03/15/2026

I purchased a used 2024 Kia Sportage EX Gas that showed signs of trim peel at 5,000 miles. My extended warranty said they do not cover trim. I noticed multiple cars in our parking lot experiencing the same issues on 2024 or older models. In addition, the low gas indicator does not appear on the infotainment system after the Kia Connect expired despite gas being as low as 32 miles projected (avg. 24 mpg normal range). The Sportage lane assists yellow indicator comes on sporadically when changing lanes without or with the turn signal on. The steering assist will turn off when you go through a intersection and is not reliable enough to even turn on as it will give you a false sense of protection and intimately turn off.

VISIBILITY — Filed 09/16/2026

The contact owns a 2024 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, the glass panel between the windshield and the panoramic sunroof exploded, causing glass to fall into the vehicle. The dealer was contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 44,800.

AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS — Filed 09/01/2026

The SRS/airbag warning light illuminates and flashes, accompanied by a seat belt warning chime while the driver seat belt is fastened. I scanned the SRS module and retrieved DTC B1511-00 (Driver Seat Belt Buckle Switch Open Or Short To Battery) and B1515-00 (Driver Seat Belt Buckle Switch Defect), logged across two events. I purchased this vehicle used from a franchised dealer. I took it to that same dealer for diagnosis. Their technician found that the wiring harness under the driver seat had been cut and twisted back together. That splice was present before I purchased the vehicle. The dealership inspected and resold the vehicle to me in that condition and did not disclose any prior repair or modification to the restraint system wiring. As a result, the driver airbag and seat belt pretensioner may not deploy correctly in a crash. The dealer has denied warranty coverage on the basis of tampering and quoted over $2,000 for the part. The removed harness is in the dealer's possession and should be available for inspection.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE — Filed 08/23/2026

I am reporting a concern regarding the Forward Collision Warning and Automatic Emergency Braking systems on my 2024 Kia Sportage SX Prestige. I have been attempting to understand the operating behavior of the vehicle’s FCA system using cardboard boxes as targets. I conducted observations at very low speeds (approximately 5 mph) as well as at approximately 30 mph. During these observations, the vehicle did not provide a forward collision warning or automatic braking at distances at which I expected the system to recognize a potential collision. I have not intentionally caused a collision or placed a person or another vehicle in danger. I am uncertain whether this behavior represents normal FCA operating limitations, the use of an inappropriate target, or a malfunction or calibration issue. I am therefore reporting the concern rather than asserting that a defect has been established. I am also uncertain what diagnostic or functional validation procedure Kia provides for this system. I have been able to find information regarding radar alignment, camera calibration, and diagnostic fault checking, but I have not been able to determine whether Kia provides dealers with a standardized functional test that verifies that FCW/AEB actually recognizes an appropriate vehicle target and intervenes at the expected point. The concern has not yet been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center. The vehicle has not yet been subjected to a standardized ADAS functional test using a recognized vehicle target. No warning lamps or diagnostic messages have appeared that I am aware of. The potentially affected components are Forward Collision Warning and Automatic Emergency Braking within the vehicle’s Advanced Driver Assistance System. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE — Filed 08/23/2026

I am reporting a concern regarding the Forward Collision Warning and Automatic Emergency Braking systems on my 2024 Kia Sportage SX Prestige. I have been attempting to understand the operating behavior of the vehicle’s FCA system using cardboard boxes as targets. I conducted observations at very low speeds (approximately 5 mph) as well as at approximately 30 mph. During these observations, the vehicle did not provide a forward collision warning or automatic braking at distances at which I expected the system to recognize a potential collision. I have not intentionally caused a collision or placed a person or another vehicle in danger. I am uncertain whether this behavior represents normal FCA operating limitations, the use of an inappropriate target, or a malfunction or calibration issue. I am therefore reporting the concern rather than asserting that a defect has been established. I am also uncertain what diagnostic or functional validation procedure Kia provides for this system. I have been able to find information regarding radar alignment, camera calibration, and diagnostic fault checking, but I have not been able to determine whether Kia provides dealers with a standardized functional test that verifies that FCW/AEB actually recognizes an appropriate vehicle target and intervenes at the expected point. The concern has not yet been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center. The vehicle has not yet been subjected to a standardized ADAS functional test using a recognized vehicle target. No warning lamps or diagnostic messages have appeared that I am aware of. The potentially affected components are Forward Collision Warning and Automatic Emergency Braking within the vehicle’s Advanced Driver Assistance System. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 07/23/2026

I’ve had to replace my front windshield twice every year due to it cracking straight down the middle.

STEERING — Filed 07/14/2026

On Tuesday, July 14th I started my vehicle around 6:30 am and started to drive. Once I was driving, I had multiple warning lights on my dash showing and my power steering failed on me. I stopped the vehicle, put it in park and turned it off. I restarted the car and still had the various warning lights and no power steering. The car was driving fine with no warning lights at 4:50 am that morning and again at 6:15 am that morning. I managed to drive the 2 miles home at a low rate of speed with no power steering since there were not many cars out. I called the Kia dealership and contacted a tow truck to take the vehicle in. The tow truck driver saw the warning lights as well and had to maneuver the car with no power steering onto his truck. Once Kia did the initial inspection, they said there were no warning lights and the power steering worked. They were going to conduct a more thorough inspection on Friday to see what the issue was. I called end of day Friday and was told they would need more time to inspect since they could not find any issues with the car. The know the warning light had shown up but if they could not recreate the issue then the car would not be looked at further. This is the 3rd issue with this vehicle that the dealer could not recreate. I've had the vehicle stall on me at a light when I was stopped or at a stop sign as well as not accelerate when I was at a high rate of speed in an emergency situation. This issue puts me and my family at risk if I were to be driving during a busy period or on a highway. My car is only 2 years old and has under 32k miles, I drive it frequently to visit family 4 hours away. I am to pick up my car from the Kia dealer and I am scared to drive this car. I feel it's a deathtrap and an accident waiting to happen. Kia said I can always trade it in for a new car, but no thank you.

POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES — Filed 05/04/2026

•12,000 Miles: Front rotors required complete replacement. •21,000 Miles: Front rotors failed and required replacement a second time. •28,000 Miles: Front seat cushion required repair due to material separation. •34,000 Miles: Front rotors failed and required replacement a third time. •51,000 Miles: Front rotors failed and required replacement a fourth time. •51,000 Miles: Complete transmission replacement required due to severe shifting difficulties.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE — Filed 10/22/2025

The contact owns a 2024 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, or while the vehicle was parked, the engine intermittently hesitated and the vehicle almost shut off. The contact stated that the START/STOP button was depressed to shut off the vehicle; however, the button became inoperable. The vehicle was turned off and restarted to resume normal operation. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, but the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 18,700.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 05/04/2026

Sunroof exploded while driving. No rocks or anything hit it. Glass is pointing upward.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 04/25/2026

Sunroof on the vehicle shattered without being struck by projectile or road debris. The area where we were driving had no other cars near us at the time of the incident. There was no sound of something hitting then shattering, it just exploded. Examination of the sunroof did not reveal any points of impact, research done online has shown multiple other Kia Sportage owners with the same issue. Spontaneous shattering of the panoramic sunroof.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES — Filed 04/18/2026

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.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 04/15/2026

As I was driving to work this morning, I heard a loud bang. The sun roof blew up. Based on how the glass is raised, it looks like it blew from the inside out.

ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM — Filed 12/24/2025

On December 24, 2025, while driving in traffic, my Kia Sportage experienced severe lurching, bucking, and jerking, causing the engine to shut down. All dashboard warning lights illuminated, including a message prompting me to "turn engine back on." The vehicle would not restart, necessitating a tow to Horne Kia. After several days of diagnostics, it was determined that a blown ignition fuse and a bad fuel pump relay were the issues, along with a battery replacement. However, just 19 days later, while attempting to merge onto the freeway, the vehicle again bucked violently, and the engine shut down with all warning lights flashing. The police had to assist in moving my vehicle out of traffic, and it was towed to Courtesy Kia in Mesa, AZ. Once again, no error codes were found. After further diagnostics, it was discovered that the same ignition fuse had blown and that the catalytic converter had "shattered." The catalytic converter was replaced. Upon picking up the vehicle from the dealership, and driving less then 5 miles on freeway, the vehicle was bucking and hard shifting once again resulting in a third tow to dealership just 48 hours later after the previous service. The dealership ran several diagnostics under Kia's tech line, which revealed that the engine pistons are slipping and not functioning properly, resulting in loss of compression. Per Kia's tech line, a new engine long block was ordered and replaced.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE — Filed 02/02/2026

Forward collision warning systems check error light hard braking occurred and scared the pee out of me. Camera blockage obstruction error

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL — Filed 02/15/2026

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.

VISIBILITY — Filed 02/02/2026

The contact owns a 2024 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the sunroof exploded. The contact stated that there was no evidence of an impact on the sunroof glass. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact was advised to take the vehicle to a Collision Center for assistance. The vehicle was taken to the Collision Center, and the contact was informed that the failure was a known failure with similar vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline and the manufacturer to report the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 28,525.

AIR BAGS,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE — Filed 10/01/2025

Description of Crash: On [XXX], I was involved in a front-end collision while driving my 2024 Kia Sportage. Despite the impact, the airbags did not deploy. Additionally, the Forward Collision Assistance system did not engage or warn me prior to the crash, even though conditions were normal and the system was active. Safety Concern: •The airbags and collision assistance are federally regulated safety systems. Their failure put me and any potential passengers at serious risk. •I am very concerned this indicates a defect in the airbag and/or collision avoidance system. Damage/Injuries: My front end of my vehicle is completely destroyed, and so is my engine. As for myself I am experiencing some soreness and discomfort Requested Action: •I request that Kia and NHTSA investigate this failure as a potential safety defect. •I want confirmation that my case has been documented and reviewed for possible recall or repair action. State Farm Claim #: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE — Filed 09/02/2025

The car emergency brake component was faculty and kicked in at an inappropriate time. When the emergency brake occurs you are unable to move the car at all. Being unable to move put myself and my passenger seater at risk for bring hit to which we were. The vehicle was not inspected due to Kia Corporate office not answering the phone.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE — Filed 07/20/2025

hello , my mom was driving . she had all the lane driving assist systems on. the driving assist , lane assist, forward collision assist, lane keeping assist, & cruise control. it had started to rain my mom tried to move over to the middle lane the steer wheel would not let her it pulled her back as if someone was on the side of her but it wasnt it then started driving by itself. the car started malfunctioning , it toke control my mom tried to get a hold of the wheel but the power assit would not let her. it then turned by itself and drove straight into a mountain. we hit it head on with no warning. we then flipped 5 times and landed upside down. the door and windows did not work we were trapped. the power was completely out in the car. my insurance company has inspected it and states that they think the car malfunctioned. i have called kia and they stated a engineer was suppose to go get the black box to get the data. it has been three weeks kia has stopped returning my calls. my insurance company is holding my car for 90 days. Please Help. It is availible for inspection .

LANE DEPARTURE,AIR BAGS — Filed 10/03/2024

The ECU malfunctioned and the passenger side airbag didn’t go off and should have. There were error codes and I told KIA service department about it but they weren’t to concerned and said they would look at it at my first service appointment

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC — Filed 07/02/2024

The contact owns a 2024 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while attempting to park in his residential carport, the brake pedal was depressed the brake pedal was stiff and did not move down as intended. The contact used excessive force but the vehicle failed to come to a stop. The vehicle collided with the screen room of his residence taking out three of the four walls of the patio. There were no injuries. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where the failure was not able to be replicated. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 6,100.

AIR BAGS — Filed 03/29/2024

The contact owned a 2024 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving at 77 MPH, the vehicle was involved in a front-impact crash with a large-sized deer. The air bags did not deploy. The contact stated that two minor children were seated in the rear seat. The vehicle was towed to a local tow yard. No injuries were sustained. No medical attention was administered. A police report was filed. The vehicle was condemned as a total loss by the insurance company. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 22,500.