161 of the
6,792 complaints filed about the KIA Sportage
are about the steering —
2% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2009.
On Tuesday, July 14th I started my vehicle around 6:30 am and started to drive. Once I was driving, I had multiple warning lights on my dash showing and my power steering failed on me. I stopped the vehicle, put it in park and turned it off. I restarted the car and still had the various warning lights and no power steering. The car was driving fine with no warning lights at 4:50 am that morning and again at 6:15 am that morning. I managed to drive the 2 miles home at a low rate of speed with no power steering since there were not many cars out. I called the Kia dealership and contacted a tow truck to take the vehicle in. The tow truck driver saw the warning lights as well and had to maneuver the car with no power steering onto his truck. Once Kia did the initial inspection, they said there were no warning lights and the power steering worked. They were going to conduct a more thorough inspection on Friday to see what the issue was. I called end of day Friday and was told they would need more time to inspect since they could not find any issues with the car. The know the warning light had shown up but if they could not recreate the issue then the car would not be looked at further. This is the 3rd issue with this vehicle that the dealer could not recreate. I've had the vehicle stall on me at a light when I was stopped or at a stop sign as well as not accelerate when I was at a high rate of speed in an emergency situation. This issue puts me and my family at risk if I were to be driving during a busy period or on a highway. My car is only 2 years old and has under 32k miles, I drive it frequently to visit family 4 hours away. I am to pick up my car from the Kia dealer and I am scared to drive this car. I feel it's a deathtrap and an accident waiting to happen. Kia said I can always trade it in for a new car, but no thank you.
NHTSA complaint #11751657 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I own a 2015 Kia Sportage VIN in detail. On 7-2-2026, an authorized Kia dealer completed the anti-theft ignition campaign. Within days of that repair, my daughter was driving at highway speed when the ignition moved from the ON/RUN position to ACC. The engine shut off, resulting in loss of power steering and brake assist. Fortunately, she was able to safely pull over. The servicing dealer has stated that the ignition's ability to rotate from RUN to ACC with minimal pressure is normal and that the vehicle is safe. However, because this incident occurred immediately following the anti-theft campaign and involved a loss of engine power while driving it appears there could be a casual impact.
NHTSA complaint #11748764 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Unexplainable issues with brake pedal. Makes noise inside cabin that sounds like a squeaky door. Happens when depressing brake pedal at 20mph or less and does not in reverse. Pedal feels odd, somewhat pulsating and when turning, I believe, the front passenger wheel pulls. Steering wheel is noticeably affected also, noting a jerking sensation. Several mechanics are unable to identify the issue. There are no dash lights on.
NHTSA complaint #11744368 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact’s daughter owns a 2023 Kia Sportage. While the owner was reversing from the driveway, the driver’s side wheel collapsed outside of the wheel well at a 90-degree angle. While inspecting the failure, the contact became aware that a bolt for the upper knuckle was missing from the strut bar used to connect the control arm to the wheel bearing, causing the wheel to collapse outwards. There was rust where the bolt was missing. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, and the missing bolt was confirmed; however, a cause for the failure was not provided. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 58,901.
NHTSA complaint #11737789 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I am reporting a potential safety issue involving the lane assist system on our Kia Sportage. On Monday morning, my wife was driving on a straight road and began turning left onto a side street. During the turn, the vehicle’s lane assist system suddenly applied a strong steering correction. The steering wheel jerked unexpectedly and momentarily resisted the driver’s attempt to correct the steering. This sudden steering intervention caused the vehicle to veer toward a guardrail, resulting in a collision. The driver did not intentionally steer toward the guardrail and attempted to correct the vehicle, but the steering wheel resisted input at the moment the lane assist system intervened. A dashcam in the vehicle recorded the incident, and the responding police officer reviewed the footage at the scene and concluded that the steering wheel jerked toward the guardrail. The police report notes that the accident appeared to involve a possible vehicle malfunction. After the incident, we discovered that this vehicle is included in NHTSA Campaign 26V046000, which states that a software error may cause the instrument panel display to fail to show critical safety information such as warning lights. If a malfunction warning occurred but was not displayed, the driver would not have been aware of a problem with the system. The lane assist feature in this vehicle also automatically reactivates each time the vehicle is started, meaning the driver cannot permanently disable it. Because the steering intervention occurred unexpectedly during a normal turn and resulted in a collision, we are reporting this incident so it can be reviewed as a potential safety defect involving the lane assist or related vehicle systems.
NHTSA complaint #11724285 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
On [XXX], I had a scheduled repair appointment for my 2020 Kia Sportage, which is experiencing swaying and instability, and unable to keep the vehicle straight at highway speeds in the front end, and ABS/brake issue on the driver-side front wheel. During the service appointment, my service advisor, informed me that a metal undershield was not secure and recommended its removal due to not being vital to the safety, which I agreed to. However, the main concerns of swaying and brake issues remained unresolved. the master mechanic, test-drove the vehicle but was unable to reproduce the issue. I was told that a possible cause could be a messed-up air gap or a toe ring starting to split. That it would be $500 if that’s not the issue. I need to mention I have a warranty. I scheduled another service appointment for January 16th, 2026, hoping for a resolution. However, the service advisor, informed me that the technician was unable to find any issues with the vehicle after a test drive. I questioned the findings, pointing out that the mileage in and out was only 3 miles, making it impossible to properly diagnose the issue at highway speeds and was told it was taken down [XXX] which is not doable in 3 miles. Given the circumstances, I am concerned about the trustworthiness of the diagnostics and repairs performed on my vehicle, including the recall. I have audio and video evidence to support my claims. I would appreciate answers to the following questions: 1. How are complimentary car washes handled? 2. How was my vehicle driven on [XXX] to diagnose the swaying and inability to keep the vehicle straight in 3 miles or zero miles? 3. Why was I advised that I would be charged $500 for a new axle if that was not the issue when I brought the vehicle in for diagnostic testing? 4. How is my vehicle being diagnosed at highway speeds with no mileage or 3 miles added to the odometer? 5. How vital is the removed metal heat shield to the safety of the car? INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5
NHTSA complaint #11712135 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Vehicle has excessive wandering, that is intermittent, during traffic, surrounding traffic on freeways and on slight wind and rain. The vehicle exhibits behavior that is very very unstable.. I’ve had the vehicle for about three years and it’s been doing this for about two years now intermittently I recently took it into the Kia dealership in Stocton to have it looked at nothing was determined other than the state of the problem.
NHTSA complaint #11707561 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The brake peddle keeps jamming and sticking . The steering wheel is now very lose and a lot of play . There is a steering wheel with exclamation point flashing on the dash . When the card turns off it makes electrical noises . It is consuming oil . A pint a week . It’s been towed twice in three weeks
NHTSA complaint #11699997 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
After a hard crash from behind and then being pushed into another car, causing severe damage to the front and rear of the car (total loss), the airbags only deployed on the right (passenger) side. In addition, after the crash, the steering wheel was lying at the driver's feet, completely detached from its original position.
NHTSA complaint #11698341 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The car emergency brake component was faculty and kicked in at an inappropriate time. When the emergency brake occurs you are unable to move the car at all. Being unable to move put myself and my passenger seater at risk for bring hit to which we were. The vehicle was not inspected due to Kia Corporate office not answering the phone.
NHTSA complaint #11687004 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The steering shaft de-coupled from the steering wheel, leading to a complete loss of steering. After stop, engine was turned off and steering wheel lowered. At that point the steering wheel fell in my lap, completely decoupling from the steering collum.
NHTSA complaint #11673433 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
When turning the steering wheel, it makes a squeaky/grinding noise. I called into Kia to inquire about this and they said they would call me back after investigating about a recall on this but never received a call back.
NHTSA complaint #11622581 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
24 hours after purchase, the steering wheel had high vibration and was worrisome to drive. Returned to dealer and was originally told I break too hard- before they kept the vehicle for 8 days. They claim the rotor was replaced. Everything I am experiencing for my first car is sounding unreasonable. Why would a new model off the dealer lot have a rotor issue and why can my dad replace his breaks in 3 hours but a dealer takes 8 days. I’m not sure what is wrong with my vehicle but wanted to report it in case something happens.
NHTSA complaint #11598571 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving the car on road, I suddenly started getting all types of warning regarding different safety system and power steering wheel. The steering wheel was stuck/frooze while I was at 40-50 mph and couldn't turn it at all. With lots of difficulty was able to pull the car and get it towed. This put us as serious risk of danger as if this was on freeway would have been dangerous to not have functioning steering wheel. Before this similar issue had occurred but while in a parking lot so was not serious but happening while on road is extremely dangerous. After the repair said it was fixed, the problem was experienced a 3rd time while driving again but since car was slow was able to pull it on side. There seems to be a serious defect in car but car manufacturer is not able to repair it and putting lives in danger
NHTSA complaint #11588359 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Sportage. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the electrical and mechanical systems became inoperable. The headlights, signal, and hazard lights became inoperable. The contact pulled over, placed the vehicle in park, and turned the vehicle off. After restarting the vehicle, an abnormal ticking sound was coming from the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the radiator needed to be replaced and the tie rod had excessive play. The dealer denied repairing the vehicle due to sludge in the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 75,490.
NHTSA complaint #11583756 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I took my car to the Kia dealer because I burn I was smelling burn oil. They told me that it wasn’t burn oil. It was the rubber burning I replace the inner and I’m still smelling the oil burning. I’m putting in oil four times a week, and they still not tell me why I’m putting so much oil then I want to say because I do too much highway mileage that’s why I probably burn it so much oil, but that should be impossible.
NHTSA complaint #11581422 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving on the highway, vehicle lost all electrical power. The engine stayed running, but I lost use of anything electrical including the power steering, headlights, and dashboard functions. Vehicle power resumed after about a minute and we made it home, but the vehicle would not start after this. After calling our KIA dealership they advised taking the vehicle in immediately via tow. After looking through the vehicle, it was found that a fuse inside of the battery harness had melted. This caused the battery cable to heat up to ~200 degrees. The cause is still unclear, but we worry about this happening in the future. We are still waiting for the cable to be replaced at this time.
NHTSA complaint #11573248 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I had my 2020 Kia Sportage in for the anti-theft recall. They installed the necessary information. My concern is I would also like the steering wheel lock harness free of charge to me. How do I go about receiving one of these? Also my SUV insurance has gone up because of this and I would like it to go down next year with me having this on my SUV. Thank you for your help, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11548817 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Multiple service repairs to replace failed tie rods on front passenger side, both inner and outer, vehicle mileage ranging from 27000 to 31000. Ultimately yesterday, vehicle was in for another inner tie rod replacement when it was found that steering rack and pinion failed on vehicle at 31000~ miles.
NHTSA complaint #11548606 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.