NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2023 Kia Sportage. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
Bought the Kia Sportage 2023 on Saturday January 14th, 2023 and took it back to dealership on Monday January 16th, 2023 with warning lights on the dash/infotainment center saying Check Lane Safety System, check Forward safety System, and Check Blind-Spot Safety system. Today is Friday January 20th, 2023 and finally got a call at 8:27am from Justin at the service department at Kia Gossett In TN. He said they are still working on it and the tech still has no idea what is wrong and they are working with Kia to try and fix the problem but are unable to give the car back in its current condition. Makes us nervous now to drive this car once we get it back.
I only had the Kia 2 months when a crack formed at the top of the driver’s windshield. Soon after the crack spread across the entire windshield surface area.
I was driving to Christmas Eve service and heard a very loud explosion from the top of 2023 Kia Sportage. I then started hearing air coming from my panoramic sunroof. I pulled to the side of the road to inspect, and found that my sunroof had basically exploded.
The battery dead without unannounced. I turn the vehicle off and later did not turn it on. I was on a cold night. The vehicle was stopped and turned off when I tried to turn it on again; did not turn it on.
Numerous times our AWD system has failed to work at all and reverts to standard FWD, even while actively driving down the highway in a blizzard! KIA has had it in the shop a minimum of three times for this same issue since we bought it earlier this summer. Now that winter has come it’s even more of a danger! The problem comes and goes and you never know when it will stop functioning.
While driving on the engine turned off without warning The car stalled in the middle of traffic.
On Aug 25th I was driving and the screens all shut off while driving, I didn't think anything of it, but a few hours later in ocala fl, cars had started breaking and slowing down, but then started again, but one lady had not started moving and I ended up hitting her I didn't have no warning telling me I was getting close to a car nor did it break at all like it's supposed to. It beeps when you park but now on dec 5 a truck cut me off and it I couldn't break fast enough but the car is equipped with safety features that aren't working and now I'm injured and they won't total my car because it's 2023, I don't feel safe driving a car I spent alot of money on and now I have no choice because I won't ever be able to get close to what the cars worth as a trade in.
The vehicle has lost acceleration twice and one of those times, it was a hazard to other drivers and put my safety at risk because it loss power in the passing lane on a major highway. The car shut off and I had to restart it about 8 times to get it over to the side of the road. Each time there was white and black smoke, the car would shake and just shut off. The car has been in the shop once before and they think it was a cylinder misfire and they said they fixed it. This is the second time it is in there. The car is still under warranty. Other times it has been for several recalls. There were no times that the car would do this, no symptoms or messages. This is a safety hazard for other drivers and puts the drivers life in danger. This is not what a new car experience should be.
A few months after I got the car all of the warning lights randomly came on and I had to turn jt off and on and they went away. Since then around Nov 22 it has happened about 25 times or more and is happening more frequently lately. I called kia and they said they hadn't heard anything yet bc of it being so new. Also the brake assist for Collison is VERY dangerous. You can be a car length and more away and it will take the brake out from my foot and slam on the brakes and about throw me through the windshield with my seat belt on. This has happened too many times and has hurt my chest. I turned it off and it has still done it. Another thing, the lane assistance tries to take the wheel away from you and will jerk the car one way or the other which is scary. Please look into these!!
My husband and I own a 2023 KIA Sportage that was purchased on May 11th, 2022. The car has barely 1700 miles on it, and in mint condition. My husband and I were at a stoplight turning left when all of a sudden we heard a loud explosion, almost like a shotgun. It was so loud my husband and I could physically feel the loud gun shot, and truly scared us to the point where we thought it might have been a drive-by shooting. We didn’t notice any damage at first until we pulled over and saw the start of the panoramic sunroof (near the front windshield) shattered completely. There currently is no recall on this issue despite the hundreds of reports. I am unable to drive my car as the front windshield can crack/explode at any moment.
When traveling over the mountain when the sun is coming up or going down and it hits the windshield at an angle the wires for the heated windshield creates a rainbow across the windshield making the driver unable to tell where the lanes are or if there are vehicles in front of or merging. This has happened to me on 3 different occasions. I have not noticed it after the sun is already up. Just rising and setting.
One week after buying the brand new 2023 Kia Sportage, 6 warning signs popped up on the screen. They were to "Check the Forward Collision System," "Check the Bind Spot System," and 4 more of the safety features. In addition, the Check Engine light turning on, other warning signs were also highlighted in orange. Finally, when trying to move the car, I was not able to get the gear out of Park. This happened multiple times over 12 hours.
For the two months I have had my car I have had problems with indicators going off on my dashboard warning to check various parts of the driver’s assistance system. I took it to the dealership three times and was told they cannot help because when they had the car for three days they didn’t have any problems and unless they get a code there wasn’t anything they could do. However, recently when it happened again I used the Kia Connect App on the dashboard to select the vehicle diagnostic, and it indicated there was a problem with the integrated breaking and body control system, lane assist, and airbags. It seems weird that the car itself is able to diagnose there is a problem but the dealership cannot. Also, the rear cross traffic control system has repeatedly come on when reversing causing my car to hard stops even though there is nothing behind my car. Then, yesterday when at a stop light the car stalled and a loud warning sound was blaring in the car. When I got the car working again the AC wouldn’t work for the rest of the trip. Each time there is a problem the problem will clear up after turning the car off for a period of time. But then the next day the problems will start back up randomly when the car is driving.
I had an incident happen in September 2023. As usual, I parked my car in Reverse (R), and after that, I shifted it into Park (P). Then, I released the brake, and the car unexpectedly reversed, resulting in an incident where my bumper got dented. Later, I found out that others had experienced the same problem. I'm confused whether it was due to the brake or shifting into Park. They told me there is a brake booster problem as well. However, I'm puzzled as to how it happened since there's been a recall for other models in the same family group as my KIA. Since that day, I've been following up with KIA, but they are asking for a police report and insurance information. I'm still driving the car in the same condition until they repair it, and they have only replaced the brake booster. This incident marks the second time my brake booster has needed repair. Thanks.
It would be easier to explain to someone over the phone as there are a lot of details. Phone number is 8135177176 kia did look at it after when I went in for oil Change as I tried to get ahold of corporate. I tried to explain to police also. I have a screen shot on the original day where it shows in the Kia app that the problem was showing in the app at 10 am because it had not updated since then and it was around 10 pm.
One week after purchasing the 2023 KIA Sportage EX, the airbag light came on. I took it to a local dealership who deemed the vehicle "unfit to drive" and kept it for 12 days. After 12 days, the vehicle was released to me and I was told the airbag issue had been resolved. However, a mere two days later, the airbag light came back again. I do not feel safe in this vehicle and have requested both the dealership and KIA to buy back the vehicle since it is brand new, but both have refused. After being told by the dealership that the vehicle was unsafe to drive when I took it in for the first time after the airbag light came on, I am afraid to drive the vehicle and will have to again take it back to the dealership but I will never feel safe in this vehicle.
This vehicle is equipped with an extended dual-screen display. Purchased in June 2023, two weeks after purchase, the right half of the display screen keeps on and off. This can be very distracting while driving, especially at night. The KIA car dealership "BUICK GMC KIA GREENBRIER" has been informed of the defect and has performed a diagnostic. They stated the entire assembly will have to be replaced.
Windshield began to crack when the vehicle had approximately 500 miles. The windshield does not show impact from a rock or any object. The crack was noticed when getting into the vehicle, the crack did not occur while driving. Within a week the windshield showed extensive cracking within a short period of time, thereby preventing repair. The crack began on driver side and runs all the way to the bottom passenger side.
Driving down the highway with my two kids and little brother in the back seat leaving vacation. Nobody is in front of us and we are not under an overpass. We all hear what we thought was a shotgun being shot at us. It ended up being the panoramic sunroof, quite literally exploding on my brand new vehicle. (mileage was at 3450 when it happened). The glass is pointing outwards NOT inwards. absolutely NOTHING hit my vehicle.
My airbag light has been on since I got my vehicle. The dealership said it is the front side impact sensor that is failing. If I were to get into an accident my front airbag would not deploy. The dealership has seen the light and confirmed the problem.
I purchased a brand new 2023 Kia Sportage X-Line March 23, 2022. When I turned the A/C on, very warm air was blowing from the vents even though A/C button was on and temperature was set to low meaning cold air. The air rapidly became burning hot to the point it would burn your hands when placed by the vents to test the air. I had to shut it off. Opening the windows did not help, the weather was in the 90’s, and summer had arrived!! It was like driving in a sauna trying to breath. I took it to the dealer, problem reproduced. Service contacted Kia engineers; they suggested replacing the AC HOSE-DISCHARGE. The part was extremely difficult to find but he was able to locate the only one available in the U.S. The part took a week to arrive and the install was done. Service called to tell me he discovered the original part that came with the vehicle (HOSE) had a leak at the top by the crimp and the replacement hose has a leak at the bottom by the crimp! A/C still does not work, only for burning hot air. Okay so now we have to order another HOSE and try again. THERE ARE NO HOSES AVAILBALE ANYWHERE IN THE US!!! THEY ARE ON BACKORDER FOR 4 TO 6 WEEKS OR MORE. Apparently I may not be the only one with this A/C problem and KIA might be trying to figure out how to resolve it with either a service announcement or a recall. The problem seems to be in the manufacturing of the hoses if brand new vehicles are shipped to the dealers this way. So my brand new car once again sits in the driveway not knowing when or if it can even be fixed and I certainly can’t afford to pay for a rental vehicle up front out of pocket, this 2023 Sportage is paid in full--cash!
The car dies after parking for less than an hour, I have to press the battery reset button every time I get into it which also sets the alarm off probably annoying all my neighbors. There’s no accessories plugged in. The dealer is charging me $270 dollars to do a BMS update but I have seen recalls for this online that say it should be covered for free.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026