10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 4
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
66,279 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 #16

Sep 012023

Sportage

  • miles
Hecu needs to be replaced. This is a dangerous recall and it has almost been one year and it hasn't been resolved because the parts arent available.. I have children in my car and they tell me a fire could start while driving or parked. So, they will see the urgency in getting this part to us, after people have died? I am really upset that this is not being taken seriously when peoples lives could be at stake.

- Long Beach, CA, USA

problem #15

Feb 202024

Sportage

  • 94,864 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sportage. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The contact stated that while driving at approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was not able to be restarted. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with an electrical short circuit to the battery and starter. Additionally, the contact stated that there was a burning odor near the engine compartment. The vehicle was repaired but the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 94,864.

- Elk Grove, CA, USA

problem #14

Apr 092021

Sportage

  • 200,010 miles
My 2013 Kia Sportage caught fire while on the interstate the gas pedal didnt work I pulled over and the car was smoking because it was on fire

- Gonzales, LA, USA

problem #13

Mar 012021

Sportage

  • 100,000 miles
I was out driving my car one day and the window switch started acting up, the radio shut off, the ac compressor and the radiator fan stopped working at the same time while driving in motion.

- Charlestown, IN, USA

problem #12

Jun 262019

Sportage

  • 0 miles
On June 26, car parked in shopping mall parking lot and car caught on fire (under hood) while I was at work.

- Bloomfield, NJ, USA

problem #11

Aug 292019

Sportage 4-cyl

  • 130,000 miles
I was on the interstate driving around 70 miles per hour my car died as in stopped in front of a semi! my car has been serviced regularly and had no problems -nothing-no noise it just died. We are lucky I was not killed. Car was towed to cookeville Kia they said it was internal engine failure possible rod bearing. He told us it would cost around $7000 to fix. I still owe 4000 on my piece of crap of a car that only had 130,000miles on it. I have had a few nightmares from the ordeal and in general, I'm kinda scared to drive even a few days later. I am so disappointed I was told it's not under recall but however I keep seeing the same year and car on all kind of websites with the same problem. The only thing good about this situation is that my children were not in the car with me. I will never purchase another Kia! [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Smithville, TN, USA

problem #10

Mar 062019

Sportage

  • 100,000 miles
After having an upgrade to the system our car now goes into limp mode. They have changed several parts and $4,000 later they still can not fix the problem. They just keep charging us for different parts and our car still goes into limp mode even though they have said they have fixed it. One day the car will run fine and the next we will be driving and cannot go over 40 miles per hour no matter how hard you are hitting the gas. Several hours later the check engine light will come on but according to Kia it has nothing to do with limp mode and all of these parts have already been replaced.

- Orlando, FL, USA

problem #9

Sep 082018

Sportage

  • 87,000 miles
While driving at 65mph my Kia Sportage went dead. I pulled over onto the side of the road. I tried to start it again but it would not start. After that, smoke started coming out from under the hood. The Kia was towed to the Kia dealership and checked by mechanics, who said that the rod bearing went bad and it seized the engine. The starter was also fried in the process. Kia agreed to replace the parts but would not agree to pay the approximately $2500 labor cost. The vehicle still sits at the dealership awaiting repair. It's been over 2 months now. I plan to pursue having Kia pay for the labor as well. I now owe $7000 on a car that will not run.

- Fort Walton Beach, FL, USA

problem #8

Mar 232018

Sportage

  • 169,000 miles
I have had this vehicle less than 1 year. I have already bought 3 batteries due to something continuously draining battery power causing vehicle not to start. Upon taking to dealership for testing, I am told battery/alternator operates fine and they will charge about 85/hour to test fuses to see what else could be the problem. Approximately 3/23/3018, my radio shorted out. It is not functioning at all, cannot use radio at all nor bluetooth connectivity control. Now the odometer resets to 0 every time I turn the car on, the automatic locks don't work and tpm stays lit no matter what the actual tpm is.. I am so frustrated at this point as this is a new vehicle to me, I'm paying a note on a car that seems to be falling apart.

- Gautier, MS, USA

problem #7

May 242017

Sportage

  • miles
About 3 months ago my 2013 Kia Sportage started acting up as far as the air conditioner goes. It intermittently works. If I am stopped at a red light or stop sign the car will blow hot air. When driving it will not blow cold air unless I'm going at least 60 mph. Living in Florida this is horrible. I have taken to the dealership several times for them to tell me it's fine. They "test drive" it to see and supposedly the tstat they put in the car said it was blowing air 63 degrees. They wanted to charge me $110 for a diagnostic fee. Luckily the mechanic understood where I was coming from and didn't end up paying. Then as soon as I left it wasn't working. I then today take it back to the same dealership and they tell me the compressor is bad and it needs to be replaced! I have read where several others are having this same issue.

- White Springs, FL, USA

problem #6

Apr 032017

Sportage

  • miles
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that the low beam and high beam headlights shorted out without warning. The contact experienced the short in the lights during inclement weather (a downpour) and was uncertain if wires had been affected as well or any other components. The vehicle was not diagnosed by a dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN and failure mileage were not available.

- Rimbersburg, PA, USA

problem #5

Feb 012017

Sportage

  • 37,000 miles
Car shuts down randomly while driving, random electrical system lights illuminate on the dash while driving and stay lit after stopped, bluetooth won't connect and won't allow you to press the buttons to connect. This is very dangerous. Started at about 37,000 miles, February 2017 and is continually happening randomly.

- Slidell, LA, USA

problem #4

Dec 252016

Sportage 4-cyl

  • 68,587 miles
My 2013 Sportage continues to stall/shut down while driving at a high rate of speed. This is very scary. Had it towed dealership. Is there a recall?

- Austin, TX, USA

problem #3

Dec 142016

Sportage 4WD 4-cyl

  • 30,000 miles
Remote smart. Used to warm vehicle. Driving on turnpike 75 miles an hour the vehicle quit abruptly in the passing lane. All interior systems stopped. Able to guide to median. Turnoff key, place in park. Started ignition. Vehicle started able to drive. Previous time after using remote vehicle stopped backing out of driveway. Previous time stopped on residential street. Same issue. Also, one occurrence vehicle would not stop running after using remote start.

- Lawrence, KS, USA

problem #2

Mar 242016

Sportage

  • 28,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sportage. While driving 5 mph, the contact smelled a burning odor and flames erupted under the driver seat. The contact placed the vehicle in park and exited. The fire department extinguished the fire. The contact was uninjured, but was transported to the hospital. The contact notified the manufacturer. The approximate failure mileage was 28,000.

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #1

May 142015

Sportage

  • 16,000 miles
The design of the ignition key is faulty. This vehicle only starts with a proximity interface between the interior starter button and the remote key which is attached to a manual key for the doors. The manual door key attaches to a key ring and the expensive reomte key attaches to the manual key. On 5 different ocasions while walking or exiting my car the remote key has seperated from the manual key and fallen to the ground. I have been lucky and been aware of this when it has happened. This could easliy leave me stranded and in danger due to this design. The key ring holder should be attached the remote device and not the manual key. The dealer offered no solution.

- Placentia, CA, USA