- Safety
- 5
- of 5 stars
- Recalls
- 6
- on record
- MPG
- 27
- combined
Open recalls on record
6 safety recalls. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer — check the VIN before you buy.
Vehicle Summary
2023 Kia Sportage
Before You Buy
Safety record at a glance
- Recall campaigns
- 6
- Owner complaints
- 183
- Complaints citing a crash
- 24
These are raw counts from NHTSA records. They are not normalized by how many of these vehicles are on the road, so a model that sold in large numbers will tend to show more of everything. We do not publish a composite safety or reliability score.
6 Recalls on Record
1 of these is high-severity. Contact a dealer to verify these have been completed.
Safety recalls
6 NHTSA campaigns affecting this model year.
- 22V651000high
Electrical issue
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Sportage vehicles. The alternator battery positive terminal nut may loosen, which can result in an engine stall or an electrical surge.
Consequence
An engine stall increases the risk of a crash, and an electrical surge increases the risk of a fire.
Full campaign recordRemedy
Dealers will inspect and tighten the alternator battery positive terminal nut, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 23, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC248.
- 22V878000high
Airbag system issue
AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW:CURTAIN
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Sportage vehicles. The side curtain air bags may have been twisted during installation.
Consequence
A twisted air bag can deploy improperly, increasing the risk of injury.
Full campaign recordRemedy
Dealers will inspect and reinstall the side curtain air bags as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 28, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC257.
- 23V298000high
Electrical issue
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Sportage, Sportage Hybrid, Sportage Plug-in Hybrid, Niro Hybrid, Niro Plug-in Hybrid, Soul, and Telluride vehicles equipped with a digital instrument cluster containing a 4.2" LCD screen. The instrument cluster may fail to display any information when the vehicle is started. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 101, "Control and Displays," and 138, "Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems."
Consequence
A blank instrument cluster display will not show critical information, such as tire pressure, warning messages, and warning lights, increasing the risk of a crash.
Full campaign recordRemedy
Dealers will update the instrument cluster software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 26, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC270.
- 23V410000high
Brake system issue
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Sportage vehicles. The brake booster diaphragm may become misaligned and cause an internal vacuum leak, which can result in a loss of power brake assist.
Consequence
A loss of power brake assist can extend the distance required to stop, increasing the risk of a crash.
Full campaign recordRemedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the brake booster as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 21, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC272.
- 23V531000high
Drivetrain issue
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:FLUID/LUBRICANT:PUMP
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Soul, Sportage, and 2023-2024 Seltos vehicles. The electronic controller for the Idle Stop & Go oil pump assembly may contain damaged electrical components that can cause the pump to overheat.
Consequence
An electric oil pump assembly that overheats increases the risk of a vehicle fire.
Full campaign recordRemedy
Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will inspect and replace the electric oil pump controller, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed September 28, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC275.
- 24V025000high
Body/structure issue
STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023-2024 Sportage and 2022-2024 Carnival vehicles. The roof molding may loosen and detach.
Consequence
A detached roof molding can create a road hazard for other vehicles, increasing the risk of a crash.
Full campaign recordRemedy
Dealers will inspect the roof molding and replace or secure it as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 15, 2024. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC292.
NHTSA crash-test ratings
NCAP star ratings and the underlying test breakdown for the 2023 Kia Sportage.
Frontal crash
- Driver
- 5 / 5
- Passenger
- 5 / 5
Side crash
- Driver
- 5 / 5
- Passenger
- 5 / 5
- Side pole
- 5 / 5
Rollover
- Rollover risk
- 16.9%
- Dynamic tip
- No Tip
Driver-assistance technologies
- Electronic stability control
- Standard
- Forward collision warning
- Standard & Optional
- Lane departure warning
- Standard
What the ratings mean
NHTSA gives the 2023 Kia Sportage 5 out of 5 stars overall. NHTSA does not publish enough comparable results for this class and year to rank it against peers.
NHTSA published results for every NCAP test in this program, so the overall star rating rests on a complete set of crash and rollover results.
NHTSA's dynamic test put this vehicle's rollover probability at 16.9% in a single-vehicle crash — the figure behind the rollover star rating, published here because the star alone hides how wide each band is.
NHTSA crash tests



Fuel economy & emissions
EPA figures for the 2023 Kia Sportage, with tailpipe CO₂ and class context.
22
City
34
Hwy
27
Comb
- Annual fuel cost
- $1,944
- Tailpipe CO₂
- 329 g/mi
How this compares
The EPA holds too few vehicles in this class and model year to rank the 2023 Kia Sportage against its peers.
Tailpipe CO₂ is 329 grams per mile — about 4.9 metric tons over 15,000 miles of driving.
Consumer complaints
183 owner reports filed with NHTSA.
- 183
- Total
- 24
- Crashes
- 1
- Fires
- 14
- Injuries
Most reported components
- ENGINE41
- OTHER33
- BRAKES32
- ELECTRICAL27
- VISIBILITY12
Notable Issues
183 consumer complaints filed with NHTSA. 14 reports involve injuries. 24 reports involve a crash.
Most reported problems
Safety timeline
Every dated recall and NHTSA investigation for the 2023 Kia Sportage, newest first.
- Recall
A detached roof molding can create a road hazard for other vehicles, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Recall
An electric oil pump assembly that overheats increases the risk of a vehicle fire.
- Recall
A loss of power brake assist can extend the distance required to stop, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Recall
A blank instrument cluster display will not show critical information, such as tire pressure, warning messages, and warning lights, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Recall
A twisted air bag can deploy improperly, increasing the risk of injury.
- Recall
An engine stall increases the risk of a crash, and an electrical surge increases the risk of a fire.
Dates are the NHTSA report-received date for recalls and the ODI open/close date for investigations. Crash-test ratings are not shown here because the source does not provide a reliable publication date for them.
Specifications & ratings
Specifications
- Body class
- SUV
- Drive type
- FWD
- Engine
- 2.5L 4-cyl
- Fuel type
- Regular Gasoline
- Transmission
- Automatic
- Seats
- 5
Fuel economy
22
City
34
Hwy
27
Comb
- Annual cost
- $1,944
- Fuel
- Regular Gasoline
NHTSA crash ratings
- Overall
- Frontal
- Side
- Rollover
Explore related
Systems recalled
Safety timeline
Full timeline- Recall
A detached roof molding can create a road hazard for other vehicles, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Recall
An electric oil pump assembly that overheats increases the risk of a vehicle fire.
- Recall
A loss of power brake assist can extend the distance required to stop, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Recall
A blank instrument cluster display will not show critical information, such as tire pressure, warning messages, and warning lights, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Recall
A twisted air bag can deploy improperly, increasing the risk of injury.