10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
23,224 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

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problem #9

Aug 072020

Sportage

  • 122,500 miles
Recall no. 13V114 has still not been resolved. With no predicable frequency, my daughter's car will suddenly be difficult to shift out of park and the steering will become more difficult, the stability control light will illuminate, the cruise control will be inoperative, the anti-lock brakes will become inoperative, because the stop lamp switch connected to the brake pedal is malfunctioning. I believe this can be repaired by a replacement stop lamp switch, at least temporarily. I do not know if Kia has an alternate switch available to install. It has been almost eight years since this recall started. Please put pressure on Kia to resolve this problem. I want to get this problem fixed on my daughter's car but I'd rather not pay for it myself, but I want to get it repaired this year. Thank you!

- Orange City, IA, USA

problem #8

Mar 012018

Sportage

  • miles
The steering wheel control is not working properly especially under 60 mph. I believe it has a problem that comes from the factory settings. I also have seen that many 2011 Kia Sportage owners have the same issue which is very dangerous because it becomes very hard to keep the car in the line.

- Orlando, FL, USA

problem #7

Dec 092016

Sportage

  • miles
The contact owned a 2011 Kia Sportage. While driving 5 mph and making a turn, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. As a result, the contact's vehicle struck a parked vehicle. The air bags deployed. The contact sustained a bruise on the knee that did not require medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was taken to a collision center where it was declared destroyed. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Springfield, MO, USA

problem #6

Jun 022014

Sportage 4-cyl

  • 22,000 miles
This car is unable to maintain a straight trajectory under perfect road conditions or any other road conditions. It tends to go to the right, and I believe this is a significant safety hazard. I am also concerned about too much "play" in the steering. The play provides a significant angle of uncertainty in the trajectory.

- Rio Rancho, NM, USA

problem #5

Aug 302012

Sportage 4-cyl

  • 50,550 miles
When driving over a speed bump, dip or uneven road you feel a vibration in the steering wheel like a springy feeling and you feel like something is knocking against something underneath the car. I took the car to the dealing for inspection. The tech claimed he could not duplicate the problem. The tech and I took a road test together, with me in the car pointing out was I was feeling, it was then the tech could feel it understood what I was talking about. His first thought was a bolt came loose on the rack and pinion. After inspection that was not the problem and said the rack and pinion needed further inspection. A new rack and pinion was installed and removed due to it not being faulty. After the car being in the shop 9 days we still have no conclusion. The problem is still there. I have to wait up to 35 days for a Kia engineer to come and inspect my car. While the car was in the shop I also had the regular service done and new front brakes put on. The tech took my car on another road test before giving it back to me. While on that road test, my airbag light came on. The tech took my car back to the shop and had to replace a clock spring. After picking up my car yesterday while driving home I was dealing with the car pulling to one side. First it pulled to the right, then for the rest of the ride home it continued to pull to the left. The brakes don't feel right either. You have to push hard and even while your pushing on the brake its like the car doesn't want to stop. I think there is air in the line, but not sure. Car goes back to the shop this Monday for the brakes and the pulling to one side.

- Spring Valley, CA, USA

problem #4

Dec 152011

Sportage 4-cyl

  • 13,200 miles
While driving at any speed on level roadway, vehicle veers slightly to left or right and takes constant corrections to keep it going straight. This causes problems because overcorrection becomes a problem. Alignment has been checked as well as tire rotation to no avail. Steering problems persist!

- Shalimar , FL, USA

problem #3

Jan 112011

Sportage

  • 0 miles
The electronic steering on my 2011 Sportages causes a problem during travel at highway speeds. All cars will slowly drift to the side when driving on a flat straight road but normally it only requires a slight pressure on the steering wheel to correct and it is accomplished so easily and seamlessly that you do not even think about it. The problem with the steering on my 2011 Sportage is in how it reacts to these subtle steering wheel corrections at expressway speeds. The problem is not apparent in city stop and go traffic as you are distracted by other driving actions while negotiating traffic. When however you drive any significant distance on an expressway the problem becomes very apparent. While driving you can gently move the steering wheel about inch in each direction (1/2 inch total) before a higher resistance is felt and the tire changes direction. In other words when the car begins to drift a slight pressure on the steering wheel does not immediately translate to tire movement. It feels like there is excessive sticking somewhere in the steering system that releases as you increase pressure on the steering wheel. Because the initial tire movement is a small step rather than smooth linear movement, it often is too much, and you have to correct with opposite steering wheel movement. The affect is that on a long drive you spend an inordinate amount of time making steering wheel corrections to keep the car going in a straight line. This problem has been reported by a number of 2011 Sportage owners as can be found Kia-forum.com. The dealership and the factory customer service representatives have been involved and after several attempts to fix it have decided that nothing is wrong with the vehicle.

- Mesa, AZ, USA

problem #2

Sep 152011

Sportage 4-cyl

  • 20 miles
Electronic power steering issue. It is impossible to track vehicle straight at speeds over 30 mph. When driving on the highway the vehicle will drift to the left or right. The only way to maintain a straight line is to constantly make corrections while driving. In europe were this vehicle is also sold Kia has issued a campaign to fix the problem. I have been to the dealership several times and Kia usa is not taking ownership of this defect. There are several posts on the web of owners reporting the same problem. Kia will not fess up to this defect unless it is force by a government Agency. It is very unsafe to operate a vehicle that constantly drifts at highways speeds.

- Tucson, AZ, USA

problem #1

Apr 292011

Sportage

  • 750 miles
2011 Kia Sportage sx all-wheel drive... the vehicle shows an inability to track straight while driving. Most notable on a straight highway. Vehicle requires constant correction and when corrected veers slowly back the other way. It is not uncontrollable, but does require constant correction and could lead to driver fatigue. Kia Sportage forums online has several owners with same issue. Has not resulted in accident.

- Mckinleyville, CA, USA