2025 KIA Sportage problems

Chest Clip, Buckle, Harness

The car seat is defective. Fraying where it is comes out of the car seat, where it is sewn together.

NHTSA complaint #11747512 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

We were getting in our car to drive home from a restaurant. We attempted to start our car like any other day, and the car started. However, our car was stuck in gear, it was in parking but also not in parking. The car was not moving, the gear was in “park”, the dot light for park was not showing, and then we had several warnings appear on our dashboard. At first it was three, then it went to six (after turning off the car and restarting again)!! The car told us to put it in park, but we literally could not move the gear shift at all. We had: check speed limit system, check high beam assist, check driver attention warning, check blind spot safety system, check forward safety system, check rear cross-traffic safety system appear in 20 seconds of car being on. This car just hit ~15,500 miles on it. To add to the strangeness, we open the Kia Access App and tried “lock” and “unlock” (while being in the car”, then turn the car off. We started the car again and it worked as if this never happened (no immediate warnings like above). Yet we did recieve a check engine light and a vehicle diagnostic on the instrument (dashboard) saying “follow-up check required: 2 (Engine Management System and Transmission Control System.)” The car allowed itself to recognize it in park gear and drive off. The Kia Access app said we experienced a UOO01F0 code tied to the Engine Control System. We never seen anything like that before. We did, however, experience a problem with the driver seat powertrain at 11,000 miles where the seat wouldn’t move. The seat was fixed by the dealership though. We are going to take the car in to the dealership to see what they say.

NHTSA complaint #11746853 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

We were getting in our car to drive home from a restaurant. We attempted to start our car like any other day, and the car started. However, our car was stuck in gear, it was in parking but also not in parking. The car was not moving, the gear was in “park”, the dot light for park was not showing, and then we had several warnings appear on our dashboard. At first it was three, then it went to six (after turning off the car and restarting again)!! The car told us to put it in park, but we literally could not move the gear shift at all. We had: check speed limit system, check high beam assist, check driver attention warning, check blind spot safety system, check forward safety system, check rear cross-traffic safety system appear in 20 seconds of car being on. This car just hit ~15,500 miles on it. To add to the strangeness, we open the Kia Access App and tried “lock” and “unlock” (while being in the car”, then turn the car off. We started the car again and it worked as if this never happened (no immediate warnings like above). Yet we did recieve a check engine light and a vehicle diagnostic on the instrument (dashboard) saying “follow-up check required: 2 (Engine Management System and Transmission Control System.)” The car allowed itself to recognize it in park gear and drive off. The Kia Access app said we experienced a UOO01F0 code tied to the Engine Control System. We never seen anything like that before. We did, however, experience a problem with the driver seat powertrain at 11,000 miles where the seat wouldn’t move. The seat was fixed by the dealership though. We are going to take the car in to the dealership to see what they say.

NHTSA complaint #11746853 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Twice since I purchased my car, once in 2025 and two weeks ago in 2026, I turned my car off in the garage and the engine kept running. I had to start the car up and turn it off again in order for it to shut down. I mentioned that to Arapaho Kia at my last visit in November 2025 and they just said that they didn’t find anything on the computer.

NHTSA complaint #11745100 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SERVICE BRAKES

In November 2025, with approximately 6,900 miles on the vehicle, I reported brake issues to the dealership. After inspection, the dealership resurfaced (turned) the brake rotors at no charge. At that time, I was led to believe that the issue had been corrected. However, in June 2026, with only 14,300 miles on the vehicle, I returned to the dealership because the same symptoms had reappeared. I was informed that the rotors again require resurfacing and that the brake pads now need replacement as well. why has the same issue returned so quickly? Is there a defect in the rotors, brake pads, calipers, brake system design, or another component that has not been identified and corrected? I do not believe that my driving habits are the cause of this problem. Prior to purchasing this Sportage, I owned two vehicles from other manufacturers. Neither vehicle required brake rotor resurfacing until well over 50,000 miles, despite being driven under similar conditions. The fact that this vehicle has required rotor service twice before reaching 15,000 miles strongly suggests that an underlying issue exists. I believe that that premature rotor wear puts me and others at risk of collision. The Sportage is available for inspection.

NHTSA complaint #11743057 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The cluster system of the vehicle lit up every warning system which prevented the running vehicle from being able to be put into drive. Safety was put at risk because I'm afraid this will happen while driving. I've seen this same concern on many Kia owner forums who describe the same issue possibly related to a faulty wiring harness. I had just purchased this vehicle that has 15,000 miles and there were no other symptoms up until this issue occurred. I had the code read and it was a generic U0001 CAM error (Controller Area Module). Kia has a recall on trailer harnesses right now and I believe this recall on faulty wiring harnesses needs to be expanded to other models and newer vehicles.

NHTSA complaint #11742525 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

While exiting the John C. Lodge Freeway in Detroit at approximately 40 MPH, the brake pedal became stuck halfway during braking and the vehicle did not stop properly on the first brake application. I had to remove my foot from the brake pedal and press it again before the brakes engaged and the vehicle stopped. This has occurred approximately seven times intermittently. The issue creates a serious safety hazard and risk of collision. In addition, the “D” gear indicator intermittently blinks while driving and the “P” indicator intermittently blinks while the vehicle is in Park. Vehicle was previously brought to dealership and issue was reported, but the condition continues intermittently.

NHTSA complaint #11739925 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

While exiting the John C. Lodge Freeway in Detroit at approximately 40 MPH, the brake pedal became stuck halfway during braking and the vehicle did not stop properly on the first brake application. I had to remove my foot from the brake pedal and press it again before the brakes engaged and the vehicle stopped. This has occurred approximately seven times intermittently. The issue creates a serious safety hazard and risk of collision. In addition, the “D” gear indicator intermittently blinks while driving and the “P” indicator intermittently blinks while the vehicle is in Park. Vehicle was previously brought to dealership and issue was reported, but the condition continues intermittently.

NHTSA complaint #11739925 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SERVICE BRAKES

While exiting the John C. Lodge Freeway in Detroit at approximately 40 MPH, the brake pedal became stuck halfway during braking and the vehicle did not stop properly on the first brake application. I had to remove my foot from the brake pedal and press it again before the brakes engaged and the vehicle stopped. This has occurred approximately seven times intermittently. The issue creates a serious safety hazard and risk of collision. In addition, the “D” gear indicator intermittently blinks while driving and the “P” indicator intermittently blinks while the vehicle is in Park. Vehicle was previously brought to dealership and issue was reported, but the condition continues intermittently.

NHTSA complaint #11739925 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

VISIBILITY/WIPER

While driving on an open highway, my panoramic sunroof spontaneously exploded on [XXX] coming back from Prescott with me behind the wheel, my husband as a passenger, and my dog in the backseat. There was nobody driving in front, near, or behind me. I was not driving near an overpass. The incident sounded like an explosion or gunshot. My husband began to open the sunroof visor to investigate, and glass began dropping into the car. Once we could pull over safely, there was a large hole on my panoramic sunroof. My husband, dog, and I had tiny pieces of glass on us. I took my car to Kia, and they refused to acknowledge that anything, but a rock caused the problem. There are numerous news stories about this being a problem and also recalls for panoramic sunroofs from other dealers like Hyundai, who are made by the same manufacturer as Kia. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11739049 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

We have lost instrument panel info while driving twice in less than a year, it reboots while driving. We took the vehicle to the dealer and were informed there was no tow hitch as stated in the recall letter. My concern is that my car is doing what is described in the recall letter, (during rebooting the control cluster will not show info such as speedometer or warning lights), we have a blank panel while driving. So it seems KIAs diagnosed solution is not at least the entire problem. When I told the service tech at KIA we were experiencing the same issued described in the recall letter he said there was nothing he could do about it. There seems there is no way to reproduce the problem because it happens randomly and takes about 20 minutes for the system to reboot and get instrumentation back on line. I think KIA needs to be accountable to resolve this life safety situation.

NHTSA complaint #11738179 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I was driving to work and there was a sound like an explosion or a gun shot and then my sun roof was shattered.

NHTSA complaint #11735724 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STRUCTURE:BODY

I was driving to work and there was a sound like an explosion or a gun shot and then my sun roof was shattered.

NHTSA complaint #11735724 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Safety Complaint Description Vehicle: 2025 Kia Sportage Hybrid LX 2025 Mileage: ~6,000 miles Issue status: Ongoing, multiple dealer visits (3 attempts), unresolved Related Kia case number: [XXX] Problem Description The vehicle demonstrates significant highway instability and unsafe handling behavior under normal driving conditions. At highway speeds (approximately 50–70 mph), the vehicle exhibits excessive lateral movement and instability, especially after hitting potholes or uneven road surfaces. The car shifts horizontally after impacts, requiring immediate steering correction to maintain lane position. On grooved concrete highways (such as interstate routes toward [XXX] [XXX] ), the vehicle feels like it is floating and swaying continuously, even without strong wind conditions. The vehicle is also highly sensitive to moderate crosswinds (around 20–25 mph). At highway speeds, this results in noticeable rear-end drift and instability, requiring frequent steering corrections and creating concern about potential loss of control. Overall, the handling behavior is beyond normal expectations for this vehicle class and creates a safety concern at highway speeds. Safety Concern These conditions create a risk of loss of vehicle control, particularly: -After hitting potholes at highway speeds -During moderate crosswinds -On grooved or uneven concrete highways The instability increases driver workload and raises concern about potential accident risk if overcorrection occurs. Repair Attempts The issue has been reported to the dealer and service center three times, but no permanent resolution has been achieved. The problem remains reproducible under normal driving conditions. Additional Notes Concern exists regarding whether proper pre-delivery inspection (PDI) or alignment verification was fully completed prior to delivery, as the issue has been present since early ownership and persists at ~6,000 miles. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11735477 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SUSPENSION

Safety Complaint Description Vehicle: 2025 Kia Sportage Hybrid LX 2025 Mileage: ~6,000 miles Issue status: Ongoing, multiple dealer visits (3 attempts), unresolved Related Kia case number: [XXX] Problem Description The vehicle demonstrates significant highway instability and unsafe handling behavior under normal driving conditions. At highway speeds (approximately 50–70 mph), the vehicle exhibits excessive lateral movement and instability, especially after hitting potholes or uneven road surfaces. The car shifts horizontally after impacts, requiring immediate steering correction to maintain lane position. On grooved concrete highways (such as interstate routes toward [XXX] [XXX] ), the vehicle feels like it is floating and swaying continuously, even without strong wind conditions. The vehicle is also highly sensitive to moderate crosswinds (around 20–25 mph). At highway speeds, this results in noticeable rear-end drift and instability, requiring frequent steering corrections and creating concern about potential loss of control. Overall, the handling behavior is beyond normal expectations for this vehicle class and creates a safety concern at highway speeds. Safety Concern These conditions create a risk of loss of vehicle control, particularly: -After hitting potholes at highway speeds -During moderate crosswinds -On grooved or uneven concrete highways The instability increases driver workload and raises concern about potential accident risk if overcorrection occurs. Repair Attempts The issue has been reported to the dealer and service center three times, but no permanent resolution has been achieved. The problem remains reproducible under normal driving conditions. Additional Notes Concern exists regarding whether proper pre-delivery inspection (PDI) or alignment verification was fully completed prior to delivery, as the issue has been present since early ownership and persists at ~6,000 miles. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11735477 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

Oil was being diluted by fuel seeping in from the injectors and the high pressure fuel pump. Vehicle was brought in twice to fix the problem. During the 24-27 Feb 26 repair the high pressure fuel pump was diagnosed and replaced. On 16 Mar 26 I noticed the oil level had risen on the dip stick (after driving ~300 miles) about 5 mm and brought the car back to the Kia dealer for diagnosis and repair. The high pressure fuel pump was diagnosed again as bad and replaced as were all four fuel injectors after they were also determined to be leaking fuel.

NHTSA complaint #11729096 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Driving with no other cars around us and no debris anywhere and the moonroof suddenly shattered with a loud noise.

NHTSA complaint #11727680 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The contact owns a 2025 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that the rear-view camera had become inoperable. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was initially unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was later diagnosed, and it was determined that the failure was with the radio and the camera. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was opened. The manufacturer denied the buyback request. The failure mileage was approximately 10.

NHTSA complaint #11726758 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

BACK OVER PREVENTION

The contact owns a 2025 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that the rear-view camera had become inoperable. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was initially unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was later diagnosed, and it was determined that the failure was with the radio and the camera. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was opened. The manufacturer denied the buyback request. The failure mileage was approximately 10.

NHTSA complaint #11726758 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SERVICE BRAKES

3 times my car has been in for rotors my car is not even a year old 10/25 resurfaced rotors 1/26 brand new rotors 3/26 rotors warped having to resurface the new rotors this shouldn’t be happening on a new car I don’t ride my breaks I have had new cars all my life never had break issues

NHTSA complaint #11725124 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

On Thursday, February 26, 2026, at 11:48am, the rear panel of my panoramic sunroof exploded. I didn’t see or hear anything fall on top of the sunroof, or any part of the car. I didn’t hear a loud noise that sounded similar to a “boom” sound or thud. As soon as I got in my car, I heard a cracking sound coming from the sunroof panel.

NHTSA complaint #11721859 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

My sunroof shattered. No other vehicles were near me and after hearing a very loud bang, I pulled over to check to see of something hit my car. All looked fine, but I did not look at the top of my car until about a week later due to hearing wind sounds. I then assumed something must have fell out of the sky. Dealership said that they do not fix sunroofs in-house and towed it to a body shop near them. I was then quoted $8700 to fix! A friend suggested I check for recalls and found issues noted online.

NHTSA complaint #11720159 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

The windshield creates layers of frost if it is really cold.. While the above might be unrelated but the other day I was rolling my front passenger window up in the cold weather and the window just shattered - it just exploded, even though it stayed intact it shattered into a thousand pieces

NHTSA complaint #11717675 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

I HAVE HAD THIS TRUCK TO kIA IN cLEARWATER 4 X FOR PANEL GOING BLACK. NO LIGHTS, AIR COMES ON AND OFF BY ITSELF. nO BACK UP CAMERA. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING ON THIS TRUCK SINCE I BOUGHT IT. THE MGR. WADE THINKS I AM CRAZY. THERE IS A RECALL FOR THE PANEL BUT NOT FOR MY TRUCK, WHY? NO ONE WILL FIX THIS TRUCK. I AM VERY DISAPOINTED WITH KIA. I HAD A SOUL AND TRADED UP FOR THESE SAME REASONS. 3 BATTEIES IN 4 MONTHS. IS THERE ANY RECOURSE? [XXX] [XXX] I [XXX] ANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11717037 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.