2018 Kia Sportage Complaint Log

Vehicle stopped running smoke was coming from engine . Won’t start back up

The automobile began to burn oil excessively. The mechanic informed of an ongoing issue with Kia automobiles. Car taken to Kia. I was told nothing was wrong. Car continued to excessively burn oil requiring oil change at least every week. On January 7, while on the 15 freeway returning home the car slowed, then stopped. I had it towed to the Kia dealership. Yesterday

At just over 120,000 miles the engine issues begain, # 4 cylinder misfiring, No compression # 4 cyl, would no longer Idel. The Dealer claimed the corrective action was to replace the engine. Are cars no longer expected to last past 100,000miles any more?

Defective exterior rear passenger door handle came off completely when opening door.

Oil leakage and engine locked while on the highway. No acident. Tried to accelerate and it wouldn’t go. Engine is gone and won’t start

The contact owns a 2018 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while her son was driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle independently accelerated. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 117,000.

Unknown, my Kia has been burning oil there is no oil leak and I had to get my oil changed every 2k miles. Then one day it started shaking on the freeway making noise and I had to exit 30+ miles from my city found the closest Kia dealership I took it there and they said I don’t qualify for the engine recall because it is a cylinder my car is a 2018 it’s 5 years old! There is no reason it should be having problems like this. I have now been out of a car and with a rental for a month now not only do I have to pay to replace my entire engine I have to pay for a rental. Oil shouldn’t be burning up. I’ve never had this happen before. And when I googled it it is a common issue in Kia’s same with cylinder issues. Why would this be happening. Burning oils leads to destruction. Even though I am forced to have oils put in or go to a shop because there is little oil in my car by 1500miles when it should be able to go 5k miles I’m beyond frustrated.

My 2018 Kia Sportage was burning oil - had to add oil every week. On [XXX] I was driving on the [XXX] and my check engine light came on and the car slowed down. I got to the shoulder this was early in the morning I searched for a dealership and there was one 1 mile away It was 6 am when I arrived to the dealership and had to wait until they opened. And went to DCH Kia and eventually told me it was a cylinder that was blown. Why? Honestly I feel like this may have been a “false” diagnosis since the oil was burning up. I had extended coverage but they said it didn’t qualify for any engine recall. I had to get my entire engine replaced and was out of my car for over a month. Which I’m assuming the cylinder blew because of the oils burning. This should never have happened. And is truly frustrating. Especially when I am a loyal Kia owner and have never had any problems like this before. I was completely overwhelmed with the amount I was charged and that I even had to replace my entire engine and having to get a rental car the entire time as well. I’m noticing from the other comments a lot of oil burning and engine trouble in my make and model. Fortunately I did not get hit on the freeway when my car decided to stop. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Driving down interstate, mid-morning, and my front sunroof imploded. VERY loud, like a bomb or gunshot. Shattered glass everywhere, all over myself and my car. I jerked, almost hitting a vehicle to my left. Correcting, and almost got hit by an 18 wheeler. Made it over, got off Interstate, was disoriented, ran a stop sign I think. Was the absolute worst sound.

The contact owns a 2018 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving 10 MPH, the vehicle was jerking and hesitating while driving. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence and then towed to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the engine had failed and needed to be repaired. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact that there would be an reimbursement after legal matters were resolved. The failure mileage was unknown.

Engine seized with no warning. Oil was being consumed but dealership said this was normal. Then it seized up now being quoted for $12,500 for new long block. They said it was a freak thing that happened. Something made a hole in my radiator. This is all lies.

I am being told my 5 year old Kia Sportage is going to need a new engine. It does have 122k miles, but other than that, I have never had an issue. After reading complaints made by hundreds of other Kia Sportage owners it seems there is a common denominator. A car made with a defective engine. I have been to the mechanic two times, for a routine oil change and have been told there is no oil in my car, even though both times they have stated there are no leaks. I need a solution for this that doesn’t cost me 4-10k on a new engine. When this issues should have never been a thing.

The plugs for the engine cooling fan and wiring harness were damaged from overheating. No fuses blew, plugs were melted and wiring was discolored from overheating. Estimate for repair was: Parts (cooling fan assembly, and wiring harness)- $2430.19 plus tax, Labor 8hrs @ $175.00/hr- $1400, Total cost to replace the cooling fan and wiring harness- $3830.19 plus tax. Overheating of the wiring harness poses a significant risk of a short circuit and potential engine fire. The problem was identified by the Kia dealer. No warning lamps, blown fuses, or messages warning of the problem. we smelled smoke on a couple of occasions. Unable to afford the repairs, we traded the vehicle in at a Honda dealer.

With the cruise control set at highway speed (65pmh, etc) If you push the foot controlled parking brake it will not cancel the cruise control. The vehicle increases the acceleration to maximum and overrides the parking brake input. If using the parking brake in an emergency you would stomp on the parking (emergency brake) and not be able to slow down unless separately cancelling the cruise control.

The contact owned a 2018 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that the vehicle was stolen while parked in front of her residence. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously taken to a dealer and the Anti-Theft Logic and Sticker Upgrade per NHTSA ID Number: 10233650 (Electrical System) was performed. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

Breaks failed to ingage and caused me to hit the back of the vehicle in front of me.

Engine failed while driving on busy highway at high speeds. Engine suddenly stopped, forcing us to coast to a stop on a narrow shoulder. Safety was impacted by the risk of impact by oncoming vehicles. Check engine lamp illuminated shortly before failure, giving little warning of a problem. Upon inspection of the engine, engine oil could be seen sprayed out from the front of the engine under the intake manifold area.

After an oil change on Jan 4, 2023, I have driven approximately 3500 miles. On April 12 I had to brake a little harder on a hill turn & the dash oil light came on & off. Took it to the garage to be checked. Analyzer said nothing was wrong. On April 13, it happened again at a stop light, immediately took it back to the garage to be checked. The mechanic discovered there was ZERO OIL in the engine, even though there was no sign of any leakage. I've seen no visible sign of burning oil and no off odor. Had garage do a complete oil change, (even though it should go 5k between changes), and will check after 1k miles. Mileage at oil change was 72078 and today 4/14/23 is approximately 72100 Were no accident and is not running (but I'm watching) but if the engine had seized I was in the middle of the road, if on the Interstate it would have been bad.

My 2018 kia Sportage got stolen and never received a letter from kia to prevent this from happening knowingly kias of this year and model were being stolen and mine got stolen March 23, 2023 is there any help for me ?

The contact owns a 2018 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle independently accelerated with the tachometer elevated to 5,000 RPM’s. The contact shifted into neutral(N) to correct the failure. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 87,000. The VIN was not available.

Anti-theft security software update fix. I have not received a recall or any information from Kia to have this repaired. I wish to have this repaired ASAP. Thank you.

The contact owns a 2018 Kia Sportage. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V703000 (Trailer Hitches) however, the part to do the recall repair was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer was made aware of the issue however, no timeframe for part availability was available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. The contact was concerned that he had to park the vehicle outside after hearing reports of vehicles being stolen using a USB cord. Parts distribution disconnect.

Driving check engine light came on, reduced power. I purchased a warranty through dealer I purchased vehicle from took it there they ran code and it was P1326 knock sensor detection program. Had to go to Kia dealer. Had it towed and waiting to hear.

We own a 2018 Kia Sportage. We never had any problems with it, UNTIL NOW. I Drove it to work one morning, and was on the way home and suddenly without warning, no lights, or indicators came on, and the car started to shake, and lost full throttle response in the MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC. Immediately pulled over! Tried starting the car again, but the car was not cranking. We had to tow our car home, and was told our engine had to be replaced. We were checking out the engine, and notice there was a hole in it. Now keep in mind, we've never had any problems with our KIA until now. So it was odd. We checked the N.H.T.S.A and the KIA has 2 recalls, and we were not aware of them. We called the manufacturer to see if they called replaced the engine but they denied us. So we're stuck without a car.

The contact owns a 2018 Kia Sportage. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V703000 (Trailer Hitches) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that he called the dealer and was advised to contact the manufacturer to confirm parts availability. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and a case was opened. The contact was concerned about parking the vehicle outside the garage. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

Purchased this vehicle from CarMax on 7/2/22 with 32,888 miles. During the next 4 months, we had to add 5.5 quarts of oil as the oil light kept coming on. The car was virtually out of oil by the time the oil light came on. Researching on the internet showed that millions of Kia cars apparently have this issue due to defective engines. Took the car to Greenway Kia on November 28 with approximately 40,000 miles. They performed the required tests, which proved the engine was excessively burning oil. However, Kia denied the warranty claim due to a lack of historical oil change records, which obviously we can't produce since we aren't the original owner. Now I'm left with no recourse and a vehicle that isn't safe to drive. Given that most of the Kia engines of this vintage have this issue, they should be required to recall the vehicles rather than hide behind the small print in their warranty.

The contact owns a 2018 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled and was unable to accelerate above 20 MPH. The contact stated that the vehicle lost motive power with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that unknown engine repairs were needed. The repairs were completed; however, the mechanic then diagnosed that the driveshaft needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that the warranty had expired. The vehicle remained at the dealer awaiting the repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 46,300. The VIN was not available.

There wasn't an emissions control in my steering wheel. My car was stolen and was more than a total loss when it was found.

Driving at highway speeds the RPM would suddenly rev up very fast and the car would appear to be in neutral then soon go back to normal. On another occasion, taking a turn at 15 mph the car became as if in neutral, RPM would go very high, then shortly the RPM would drop and the car would be back in drive. The car was taken to the dealership, they checked it, noted that they could not duplicate the problem, and will not take any further action unless it repeats. The danger is if this occurs when driving into traffic, turning into traffic, driving on a freeway and the engine slips into the neutral mode, a collision can occur , risking injury, life and property. The only warning was the RPM going up very fast, and the car not reacting to pushing on the gas pedal. Attached is a PDF file that includes some summaries summaries of issues from web sites relating transmission problems of slipping into neutral.

Windshield cracking for no reason. No chips to signify it was hit. Noticed a zigzag on Friday 9/23 approximately 12" and this evening 9/24 has gone laterally an additional 6-8"

My car was stolen from the Kia challenge

9/15 car goes in limp mode on expressway. Get to towed to dealership. Get the car back on 9/17. Only make it about 20 miles, and the same thing happens again. I’m able to make it back to the dealership the same day. On my way home. Pick up the car on 9/19. Happens again on 9/20. Now I am being told I need a full engine replacement. The dealership has no loaners to give out. They are expecting me to pay for a rental in hopes of getting reimbursed. I am a single mom. I work in sales and drive in my territory every single day I do not have the money to put out for the rental and now after researching, it could be months before I get the car back.

The tow hitch can apparently start a fire. I can not afford to rent a car & must use mine as I am disabled & have a mother with dementia, so I need my vehicle. Kia still has not resolved this issue. This recall has been open since September, 10 MONTHS! This is the THIRD recall for this vehicle, one has a current lawsuit.

While the 2018 Kia Sportage is in drive proceeding forward I have noticed on numerous occasions the transmission just dies out. When stepping on the gas, you can hear the engine rev but for a few seconds, there is no reaction by the transmission and the vehicle doesn't increase in speed; the vehicle just coasts. This occurs intermittently. While on highway travel this possesses a danger as other vehicles can approach your vehicle quickly and they might not notice you're having a mechanical malfunction. I tried to make appointments with the KIA dealership. The vehicle is a 2018 and has 25,000 miles. They threaten me with big bills if the vehicle is not covered under warranty. I finally made the appointment and when I dropped the vehicle off they said it would take more than a week to diagnose the vehicle. There are no warning lamps, bells, buzzers, or any notice being given to the driver that a mechanical malfunction is occurring.

I was driving and the car and it just stopped. The oil light and engine light came on and now it’s making a clicking noise, now. I am not driving the car but I was told that my car had no oil in it and investigation was conducted by a shop that confirmed that the last oil change was conducted as expected, on July 30, 2022. A professional mechanic advised me to contact you all and inform you all of what happen and that you all have made consumers aware of the possible issues that could occur and actually happened.

My check engine light came on. I had the code diagnosis done and it came back P200A. When I try to accelerate, my car will not accelerate up hills or on the interstate. I’ve noticed this happening occasionally before the check engine light came on but the car wouldn’t do it when I took it to the dealer when it was still under warranty and since the check engine light wasn’t on at the time, they said there was nothing they could do. I’ve also noticed on occasion the car dashboard and radio will randomly flash when I am driving.

White pearl paint chipping off on front bumper and hood.

Driving on the freeway when the glass on the driver side passenger door suddenlty shattered into little pieces. The only portion of the window that remains is a small part on the bottom edge. The window was not hit with an object. The window was intact prior to this happening (no problem with the door either).

The clear coat on my 2018 KIA sportage has started to peel on side mirrors and roof.

Electrical system keeps on shortening out the brake lights.

My car engine failed due to extreme oil consumption. It ran out of oil completely after 2K miles from my last synthetic oil change and damaged my 3rd cylinder. I have maintained the car perfectly and done all recommended repairs. My car only has 66K miles and already needs a new engine.

Kia motors is at it again, my Disabled Husband took car in twice to Dealer, who is licensed to sell and fix your vehicles , promised loaner car, on fixed income, fighting Cancer, see attached documents, emails from KIA, been going on 7 years, first Soul now Sportage. COURTESY KIA OF BRANDON , months BACK came to our home and allegedly did the LATEST RECALL ON FUSES, thought that was done, Courtesy KIA of Brandon told my husband NO OUTSTANDING recalls, now KIA writes and states needs to be done? Who is keeping records. We had kids put on couple years ago, then car went into limp mode almost got my husband killed. Kia had our car towed, brought loaner. WE CANNOT afford rental. That was halfway repair with ext on wiring harness???, now lights on dash going on and off. See attached, KIA could care less and now, we were lied to? The person they sent didn't repair the Fuses? Kia paid the Government a fortune in fines but the Defective car owners are always in danger and always getting the run around. [XXX], Mr. [XXX], plz excuse spelling. Even [XXX] from Safety Organization says these cars need to be off the road. Our car is malfunctioning, and we were blatantly lied to is RECALL ON FUSES? REPAIR. SENATOR [XXX] HELPED WITH THIS, we need someone to step up. [XXX] and [XXX], see all documents going back to 2015. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

The contact owns a 2018 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the engine revved loudly, and the RPM was fluctuating. The contact also stated that after shifting into reverse(R), the vehicle was losing motive power. The contact shifted back into park(P) to restart the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic however, the failure could not be duplicated. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a local dealer for an unknown recall repair and the mechanic was made aware of the failure; however, the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 37,000.

The RPM randomly goes up and down frequently. When I took it in to the dealer they test drove it and said didn’t do it and blew me off.

The contact owns a 2018 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving a knocking noise was suddenly present coming from the engine and warning messages were present on the dashboard display before the vehicle stalled. Later while attempting the start the engine a burning odor and smoke were present coming from the engine compartment. The engine was turned off and the smoke dissipated. The cause of the failures was not determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 86,000.

Intermittently, the car’s transmission slips out of gear completely, around 30-40 MPH. It gets back into gear after a few seconds. At times, it has presented a safety risk especially when attempting to merge on a highway in a short merge lane. When the slipping occurs in this situation, the car no longer accelerates and merging into traffic becomes very problematic and increases the risk of a rear end collision, putting me and my passengers at risk as well as a risk to others The problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by the dealer. It started occurring immediately after I purchased the car used while still under the manufacturers warranty. Because the dealer service department could not replicate the issue, no further attempt to diagnose the issue has been conducted, such as a transmission tear down. I’ve taken it to the dealer at least 3 times for this issue and have documentation. I elevated the issue to the manufacturer but they have offered no solution to the issue because it cannot be replicated by the dealer and there is no recall or other service issue with the model. Melissa from the KIA Escalation Department contacted me today offered no resolution to the matter. There were no warning lamps or other messages which indicated a problem. The Kia Forum website reveals that I am not the only one with this issue. https://www.kia-forums.com/threads/transmission-slipping.288137/page-5

I was driving and the radio went out along with navigation screen, then power steering went out along with headlights, tail lights. Engine was still running but would not rev up. All kinds of warning lights went off, had a harder time steering vehicle out of the Road way. Engine eventually shut off. My dealer said my starter had a continuous draw on my battery and drained it. This was on 11/10/21. They replaced the starter and the battery. Got vehicle back on 11/10. Last night 11/18/21 I was driving my vehicle again at night and the same thing happened again, no lights, no power steering, no electronics in the vehicle worked. Got someone to jump My vehicle, we let it charge from the jumper and got the vehicle started again. Drove 4 miles down the road, same thing again. Had my wife come there and we again put jumper cables on for 20 minutes, was able to drive the vehicle home, did notice this time I had a check engine light. Have scheduled an appointment with my dealer again. I feel that on a dark country road with limited areas to pull over with no headlights or tail lights or 4 way flashers I could have easily been rear ended. I did have cars pass me and blow their horn at me, did finally make it to a cross road with a street light and got off the main road. The dealer has not set an appointment yet, vehicle would be available for inspection, if needed.

Vehicle engine accelerated and raced without warning with foot on brake. Has occurred on several occasions with different household operators. Vehicle has about 18,000 miles.

This Kia Sportage's alarm system does not go off when the passenger front window is broken. My car was broken into and the youth stripped the steering column and was able to start my car without needing the key nor having the key within the vehicle. This is a security issue and allows the vehicles to be easily stolen. These safety issues should be address and fixed immediately by Kia. The federal government should also hold Kia responsible for the spike in stolen vehicles across the U.S. seeing they know about the issue but have done nothing to fix it. The vehicle was then crashed and left running by the youth. I have included the estimate from Progressive to get it fixed.

Kia knowing that they are selling nothing but junk to consumers are refusing to provide ANY Assistance to customers whom pay 25+K for their trash called vechicles. Kia has recalled my vechicle 2× now for Motor and ECU problems and now my vechicle is having electrical problems and had to be towed to a dealership to be looked at. This dealership is not looking to find out where the electrician problem is coming from and when I contact Kia America they are refusing any assistance to help me get their 25K piece of trash back on the road. When is the NTHSA going to do something and hold these car companies RESPONSIBLE FOR THE JUNK THEY ARE SELLING!!!