485 of the
6,792 complaints filed about the KIA Sportage
are about the fuel system —
7% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2000.
While adaptive cruise was engaged, the vehicle read Alabama highway 80 west state road sign and incorrectly interpreted the sign for a speed limit sign which is 55 MPH.The vehicle displayed a “80 MPH” speed limit sign on the instrument cluster and then began to accelerate. When I took it to the dealer for repair, the “turned off safety feature”.
NHTSA complaint #11753359 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
On June 14, 2026, the driver experienced sudden rough engine running followed immediately by a flashing check engine light. The vehicle was towed to the selling dealer, which has performed all prior maintenance. The vehicle is currently at the dealership and available for inspection. Technician notes show DTC P1326 was stored — the Knock Sensor Detection System code associated with connecting rod bearing wear on Kia's Theta II engine family. The technician performed an audible knock check only (none heard) and cleared the code. The vehicle was found approximately 2.5 quarts low on oil due to an internal turbo oil leak. The dealer's notes state the code "may be related" to low oil — hedged language, not confirmed causation. The dealer confirmed the turbo failure but has not performed a bearing clearance test to confirm or rule out bearing damage from the low oil condition. The dealer performed a turbocharger replacement. Despite a verbal commitment from the service manager that a bearing clearance test would follow, no such test was performed 40 days later. When the vehicle was declared ready, the service manager did not recall the commitment and suggested driving 40-50 miles as an alternative. Kia America opened a formal case last month and authorized a partial goodwill adjustment but no one has addressed the safety concern of the unperformed engine test indicated by the thrown code. Driving a vehicle with potential connecting rod bearing wear risks catastrophic engine failure, creating a serious safety hazard. This vehicle has a documented history of oil consumption prior to this incident. The engine has not been cleared for bearing damage following a significant low oil event and a stored P1326 code.
NHTSA complaint #11752678 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
After fueling, vehicle idled fine with no warning lights. Once pulling onto the highway and making highway speeds, the vehicle suddenly lost acceleration, and was stranded in the highway. We required the assistance of law enforcement to direct traffic. It was 10pm and the temperatures were 35 degree below zero with the windchill. The vehicle was towed to a Kia dealership, where they diagnosed loss of compression in the pistons. The dealership stated the engine had been burning/consuming oil and that the burnt valve caused the loss of compression and sudden breakdown. This vehicle uses the 2.4L Theta II GDI engine, which has a long history of engine failures, oil consumption complaints, stalling, and class-action litigation involving sudden engine failure and loss of power. Kia denied coverage by claiming only rod-bearing failures qualify for warranty extension, even though excessive oil consumption and compression loss appear closely related to the same broader engine defect pattern. Other owners have also reported 2017 Sportage excessive oil consumption leading to compression loss and engine failure. I believe this is a serious safety defect because the engine can fail suddenly while driving at highway speed, drivers may have little warning before loss of power, oil consumption may not trigger adequate warning before catastrophic failure. This creates crash risk, roadside hazard exposure, and potential fire risk.
NHTSA complaint #11748466 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I am reporting two separate safety-related failures on this low-mileage vehicle. The first occurred at 2,431 miles while driving on the highway. The vehicle suddenly lost propulsion and coasted with no throttle response, and multiple warning lights and messages appeared simultaneously, including braking, electronic parking brake, and driver-assistance warnings. A sudden, unexpected loss of power at highway speed creates a serious crash risk, including rear-end collision, particularly with faster or following traffic. The vehicle was taken to an authorized Kia dealer on 3/9/26 and returned on 3/19/26 after wiring/connector-related work. The second failure occurred at 4,658 miles when the panoramic sunroof glass suddenly shattered while the vehicle was in motion. A spontaneous glass failure while driving is a safety hazard: had the interior sunshade been open, falling glass could have struck rear-seat passengers, and shattering glass while driving can cause driver distraction and loss of vehicle control, as well as a road hazard to surrounding vehicles. The vehicle was taken to the same authorized Kia dealer on 4/1/26 and remained there until 5/21/26. The sunroof was not repaired. The dealer's repair order states that it "cannot identify a specific outside object or cause" and that "no damage was found clearly identifying an external object as the cause," which is consistent with a spontaneous glass failure rather than external impact. Despite this, warranty assistance was denied on the basis that an outside impact "could not be ruled out." I am concerned these represent defects involving the panoramic sunroof glass and/or the vehicle's electrical and safety systems. Both failures occurred well under 5,000 miles and within months of each other. Across the two repair visits, the vehicle was out of service for approximately 60 total calendar days, including roughly 50 days for the sunroof issue, which remains unrepaired.
NHTSA complaint #11748017 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving, the vehicle suddenly lost power and stalled. I was able to safely pull to the side of the road. The engine would not restart. Upon inspection, the engine was found to be completely out of oil despite being maintained according to recommended oil change intervals and not being overdue for service. There were no visible oil leaks under the vehicle and no prior low oil warning light or oil pressure warning light was observed before the failure. The vehicle had previously been serviced by a Kia dealership for turbocharger-related concerns, including turbocharger boost control and wastegate actuator issues. The dealership later diagnosed the vehicle with a burnt valve in cylinder #1 and recommended complete engine replacement. I am concerned because this vehicle experienced excessive oil consumption without sufficient warning to prevent engine failure. The vehicle stalled while being driven, creating a potential safety hazard due to sudden loss of power in traffic. The vehicle is available for inspection. The failure has been confirmed by a Kia dealership service department.
NHTSA complaint #11744353 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving southbound on Route 93 on 6/11/2026 during the morning commute, my 2021 Kia Sportage suddenly sputtered and lost the ability to accelerate. I was traveling about 65 mph in heavy traffic when the vehicle abruptly lost power without any warning lights or prior symptoms. As my speed dropped, I had to cross multiple lanes to reach the breakdown lane, creating a dangerous situation for me and surrounding drivers. The vehicle had to be towed to a repair shop, where I was informed that the high‑pressure fuel pump had failed and needed to be replaced. The car has only 22,000 miles on it and is just one month out of warranty. This sudden loss of drive power at highway speed poses a significant safety risk.
NHTSA complaint #11743759 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I received a voluntary emissions update letter from kia, and although it was voluntary, the letter said failure to update could be considered lack of maintenance. The update was performed on XXX at Dorsch Ford/Kia in [XXX]. The vehicle ran poorly from that day forward. I gave it a couple of weeks to insure that the system could learn my driving habits. I then went to the Dorsch service department to report my issues. The service writer {Andy} said he hadn't heard of any issues with the update. I had him log in my issues to have a record that I complained. I returned several more times and talked to other service writers who told me that if they would check the vehicle and found nothing that I would have to pay service fees. the vehicle jerks and up/downshifts frequently and almost stalls sometimes when accelerating from a stoplight. It will lung periodically when navigating a parking lot at low speeds. It frequently searches for a different gear in traffic. To be clear, my car ran perfectly before this update. I asked them to put the previous tune back into the car but they said they can't do that. The car runs fine sometimes but the uncertainty of the jerking and shifting at improper times makes it dangerous to drive. Also almost stalling at an intersection is very dangerous too. I doubt that I am the only one to have this problem. Please help in any way you can to get this fixed without me having to spend money to correct a factory/dealer initiated problem Thank you for all your help. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11741993 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My safety is put at risk. My car has stalled two different times on the highway. I was able to get it off the road after restarting the vehicle and coasting out. The engine was worked out by Kia of Mission Viejo. They stated it was not due to Rod bearing, although I was told on a separate occasion that there was metal in my oil in the same scenario then when they submitted the video to Kia, they said they only saw the burnt valve my check engine light has went on a total of three times I’ve had the same exact work done three additional times as well as the knock sensor having to be replaced because it went off and burned out due to what happened on the highway. My car is part of the theta engine issue with Kia
NHTSA complaint #11736363 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Engine went out , starter went out got it replaced been having issues since I purchased it . Makes a noise my engine oil and gasoline was mixing my engine is locked now
NHTSA complaint #11733904 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
Car has 84000 miles on it for last 15-20 thousand miles there is a smell of gas in the oil. I took to dealership they charged me to replace a catalytic converter. Not even a year later the cars engine blew up. Now needs a whole new motor there is loud knocking and car will not accelerate.
NHTSA complaint #11728780 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Vehicle: 2020 Kia Sportage Issue: Excessive Oil Consumption — TSB #TSB_ENG222 I am reporting a recurring issue involving excessive engine oil consumption in my 2020 Kia Sportage. The engine is consuming oil at an abnormal rate between scheduled oil changes, requiring me to add approximately 2.5 quarts of oil every month to maintain safe operating levels. This issue first began approximately 6 months ago and has been ongoing since. The affected component is the engine system, specifically related to abnormal oil consumption. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. This issue poses a serious safety risk to me and my children. If the oil level drops too low, it can lead to sudden engine failure, loss of power while driving, or engine seizure. This creates a dangerous situation, especially when driving at highway speeds or in traffic, increasing the risk of an accident. The problem has been consistent and reproducible. It has been confirmed by an independent service center, which verified that the vehicle is consuming oil excessively beyond normal operating standards. I have brought attention to this issue through service evaluations, but no permanent repair has been provided to resolve the root cause. Prior to the issue, there were no clear warning signs. In some instances, the oil warning light only illuminates after oil levels have already dropped to a critically low level, limiting my ability to prevent potential engine damage or failure. This ongoing defect raises serious concerns about the safety, reliability, and longevity of the vehicle.
NHTSA complaint #11728809 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I've had an oil leak for a couple of years, typically having to put in 5 - 7 quarts of oil in between oil changes. In 2025 I had my spark plugs and some oil seal replaced it was quite expensive to have done. 6ish months later my 4th cylinder started misfiring. I took it to the repair shop. They performed an oil wash and it seemed to fix the misfire issue at the time. 3 months later it started to misfire again. I took it back to the repair shop and had them replace all 4 of the ignition coils, which did not help. They recommended I take it the Kia dealer. They believe the engine is burning oil which why it has such high oil consumption and that they believe the engine should be under a warranty. I need a safe vehicle for work and travel and frustrated that I am having to pay so much money just trying to get my vehicle repaired so it is.
NHTSA complaint #11727555 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
On 1/26/2024 approximately 9am, my husband had been driving on the highway for about 2 hours and pulled over to shut his eyes for a few minutes. He shut off the engine, closed his eyes and immediately smelled smoke. Black smoke began coming from under the hood and quickly got worse. He quickly got out of the car and walked away. He heard a loud pop sound and the engine area was engulfed in flames. He called 911. It took about 10 min for the fire dept to arrive and by then, the fire was being fed by the gas in the tank. They tried to put out the fire but the car burnt completely due to the gasoline. No one was hurt, thank goodness. There were no active lawsuits that I could find to get some compensation for this loss. We had to pay our high deductible and lost personal belongings in the car. This car did have an ongoing oil consumption issue. We had to replace the oil more frequently than normally required and it used much more oil than normal. We were told we had to wait for engine failure to get any kind of resolution.
NHTSA complaint #11727238 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The vehicle is experiencing excessive engine oil consumption. The engine was found by the dealership to be low by 3 quarts of oil after about 1000 miles during an oil consumption test, indicating abnormal oil loss. The suspected failure involves internal engine components, possibly piston rings, allowing oil to enter the combustion chamber and burn. This condition creates a safety risk because the engine can become critically low on oil, without warning, potentially leading to engine damage, loss of power, or engine failure while driving. The problem has been reproduced and documented by the dealership during oil consumption testing. However, there are inconsistencies in the dealership’s reporting, as later documentation stated that no oil consumption was found despite earlier records showing excessive oil loss. This vehicle has been inspected multiple times by an authorized dealership and is currently part of an open case with the manufacture. The vehicle was also held at the dealership for approximately three weeks without clear documentation of work performed. There were minimal warnings indicators prior to the issue. The vehicle showed rough engine performance, which was consistent with oil fouling the spark plugs. No clear warning light reliably indicated the severity of the oil loss before the condition was discovered during testing.
NHTSA complaint #11726557 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
NHTSA complaint #11725255 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I was stopped in the left hand turn lane, then accelerated to cross 2 lanes of traffic. I then let off the accelerator, and applied the brakes to stop, and the brakes did not function. I then rear ended a vehicle in front of me due to the intermittent loss of brakes. It may have also been the propulsion system kept going. Either way the vehicle maintained the same speed of about 15mph until I collided with the vehicle in front of me which stopped me. The brakes worked fine again after the collision. There also was no Forward Collision Avoidance system that was triggered in any way. This vehicle is a Rental Car.
NHTSA complaint #11724621 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The Catalytic Converter in the Kia. We were driving to Texas to take my kids out for mini vacation and it’s cut off right in the middle of the highway. My car was running just fine everything was fix properly. Can you check in the Catalytic Converter and see if it safely issue.
NHTSA complaint #11720579 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Vehicle developed a cylinder 3 misfire that progressed to engine failure. The engine began running rough and lost power during normal operation. Dealer diagnosed internal engine damage and advised that a complete engine replacement is required. Prior to failure, the vehicle experienced significant oil loss, with oil leaking and rapidly depleting despite proper maintenance. Oil levels dropped abnormally between services. No adequate warning was provided before the engine condition worsened. Failure resulted in loss of engine performance and required towing. Vehicle was properly maintained. Repair cost exceeds reasonable expectations for vehicle age and mileage. Dealer advised that required engine parts are on backorder, leaving the vehicle inoperable for an extended period.
NHTSA complaint #11714581 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.