2023 Kia Sportage problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Service Brakes (23) · Engine (17) · Electrical System (17)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Kia Sportage model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
29 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (6)
Structure:body:roof And Pillars 2024-01-18 · campaign 24V025000 · 101,049 vehicles
Defect: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023-2024 Sportage and 2022-2024 Carnival vehicles. The roof molding may loosen and detach.
Risk: A detached roof molding can create a road hazard for other vehicles, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the roof molding and replace or secure it as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 15, 2024. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC292.
Power Train:automatic Transmission:fluid/Lubricant:pump 2023-07-31 · campaign 23V531000 · 39,765 vehicles ⚠ PARK OUTSIDE
Defect: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Soul, Sportage, and 2023-2024 Seltos vehicles. The electronic controller for the Idle Stop & Go oil pump assembly may contain damaged electrical components that can cause the pump to overheat.
Risk: An electric oil pump assembly that overheats increases the risk of a vehicle fire.
Fix: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will inspect and replace the electric oil pump controller, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed September 28, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC275.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:power Assist 2023-06-07 · campaign 23V410000 · 98,944 vehicles
Defect: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Sportage vehicles. The brake booster diaphragm may become misaligned and cause an internal vacuum leak, which can result in a loss of power brake assist.
Risk: A loss of power brake assist can extend the distance required to stop, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the brake booster as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 21, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC272.
Electrical System: Instrument Cluster/Panel 2023-04-26 · campaign 23V298000 · 108,936 vehicles
Defect: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Sportage, Sportage Hybrid, Sportage Plug-in Hybrid, Niro Hybrid, Niro Plug-in Hybrid, Soul, and Telluride vehicles equipped with a digital instrument cluster containing a 4.2" LCD screen. The instrument cluster may fail to display any information when the vehicle is started. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 101, "Control and Displays," and 138, "Tire Pressure Monitorin
Risk: A blank instrument cluster display will not show critical information, such as tire pressure, warning messages, and warning lights, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will update the instrument cluster software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 26, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC270.
Air Bags:side/Window:curtain 2022-11-28 · campaign 22V878000 · 76,918 vehicles
Defect: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Sportage vehicles. The side curtain air bags may have been twisted during installation.
Risk: A twisted air bag can deploy improperly, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and reinstall the side curtain air bags as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 28, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC257.
Electrical System:alternator/Generator/Regulator 2022-08-29 · campaign 22V651000 · 19,701 vehicles
Defect: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Sportage vehicles. The alternator battery positive terminal nut may loosen, which can result in an engine stall or an electrical surge.
Risk: An engine stall increases the risk of a crash, and an electrical surge increases the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and tighten the alternator battery positive terminal nut, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 23, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC248.
Service bulletins (74)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Suspension 2026-09-25 · WTY047_TSB · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: warranty extension campaign: rear shock absorber inspection & replacement (wty047) - this bulletin provides information associated with the ‘warranty extension program’ (wty047) to inspect, and if necessary, replace one or both left and right rear shock absorber assemblie
Suspension 2026-09-11 · WTY047_REIMB · Warranty Program/Extension
warranty extension campaign: reimbursement form (wty047) - this document is a reimbursement request form that was mailed with the customer letter advising them to submit the form if they had paid for repairs for this same matter prior to the warranty extension campaign program launch.
Suspension 2026-09-11 · WTY047_OWNR · Warranty Program/Extension
warranty extension campaign: owner notification (wty047) - this document is the owner notification advising that kia is extending the new vehicle limited warranty coverage to owners for certain repairs related to oil leakage from the rear shock absorbers on the following vehicles that were originall
Suspension 2026-09-10 · WTY047_REIMB · Warranty Program/Extension
warranty extension campaign: reimbursement form (wty047) - this document is a reimbursement request form that was mailed with the customer letter advising them to submit the form if they had paid for repairs for this same matter prior to the warranty extension campaign program launch.
Suspension 2026-09-09 · WTY047_QA · Warranty Program/Extension
warranty extension campaign: question and answer (wty047) – this document is the question and answer guide containing the most frequently asked questions regarding warranty extension campaign wty047.
Suspension 2026-09-09 · WTY047_DPSM · Warranty Program/Extension
warranty extension campaign: dealer parts and service manager memo (wty047) - this document is the announcement to dealer parts and service managers advising that kia is extending the new vehicle limited warranty coverage to owners for certain repairs related to oil leakage from the rear shock absor
Showing the 6 most recent of 74 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-29 · Unknown Or Other“i was driving on the highway going about 70mph and the car completely shut off. when off i couldn’t accelerate or brake. i put my hazards on and pulled over. the car continued to turn off and on. it couldn’t stay on. still don’t know what’s wrong with it but a huge safety concern. …”
2026-10-19 · Wheels“on saturday,xxx, my vehicle was serviced (oil change and tire rotation) at berwyn kia, [xxx]. shortly after leaving the dealership, i noticed a vibration that developed into a thumping noise from the right rear, worsening at highway speed. i pulled over and found three lug nuts missing from the right rear wheel, and most of the remaining lug nuts c…”
2026-10-08 · Engine“power lose while accelerating (especially on the highway), misfire causing rough idle. code reading p0301 for fuel injector in cylinder 1. kia is aware of this issue and has a tsb out for it however will not cover for the cost to replace the fuel injectors. because of this issue my car does get up to speed in an appropriate amount of time causing a…”
2026-10-01 · Unknown Or Other“the rear cargo window spontaneously shattered while car was parked. the car was taken for repair to auto glass systems in springfield illinois. they do all the repairs for the kia dealership locally. upon inspection, they reported that the glass had no point of impact and was caused by an internal defect which was confirmed by the shatter pattern. …”
2026-09-17 · Power Train“when driving at speeds slightly above 50 mph between 1,700 and 1,900 rpm, maintaining light pressure on the accelerator pedal causes a noticeable physical vibration and shaking throughout both the pedal and the vehicle. to mitigate these concerning symptoms, i intentionally have to press down harder on the gas pedal, which helps immediately stop th…”
2026-09-13 · Vehicle Speed Control“i am reporting a recurring and unresolved acceleration issue with my 2023 kia sportage. the vehicle intermittently continues to accelerate or maintains elevated rpms even after i release the accelerator pedal. this has occurred multiple times and creates a serious safety concern because the vehicle does not decelerate as expected. the vehicle has …”
2026-09-12 · Electrical System“my daughter’s 2023 kia sportage sx prestige has an instrument cluster that intermittently goes completely black while the vehicle is being driven. when this occurs, the driver cannot see the speedometer, warning indicators, or other critical vehicle information. ferguson kia inspected the vehicle and documented that the “cluster side of screen [is…”
2026-09-03 · Tether, Lower Anchor (On Car Seat Or Vehicle)“my child is [xxx] old, and as he has grown, i have noticed significant problems with the way he is positioned and supported in this car seat. he frequently sits too far forward and does not appear to have adequate support to keep his head and body in a safe, comfortable position.there have been multiple occasions during car rides when my child has …”
2026-09-03 · Unknown Or Other“i own a 2023 kia sportage pro while driving to work, i heard an explosive sound that sounded like a gunshot on the top of my vehicle. i pulled over to see that my sunroof had exploded. i checked for any objects that may have hit it, and the only thing that was in the top of the roof was glass. thankfully, my cover was closed on my sunroof for a …”
2026-08-13 · Unknown Or Other“main 12v electrical system failed completely. the engine stalled, the entire dashboard blacked out, and all auxiliary safety power was lost. the vehicle is currently located at parkway family kia and is fully available for inspection. at rush hour freeway speeds, the engine stalled and total electrical failure occurred. navigating across active lan…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.