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2023 Kia Sportage Hybrid

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Limited comparison data

There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 8 of 97 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Electrical System. Review the 36 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 26 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 23 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

4 crash reports0 fire reports2 injury reports

Engine complaints

26 reports
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Mileage unknown · Jan 31, 2024
Engine

Bought new Kia Sportage Hybrid from Fette Kia in Clifton 3 months ago. >2,800 miles, Error "Check Hybrid System. Stop Safety. With the warning sign up. Vehicle won't go more than 20 mph. I called Kia and they're giving me 3 weeks appt, and they won't cover rental. To add insult to injury, customer service was rude too. Don't bu…

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Bought new Kia Sportage Hybrid from Fette Kia in Clifton 3 months ago. >2,800 miles, Error "Check Hybrid System. Stop Safety. With the warning sign up. Vehicle won't go more than 20 mph. I called Kia and they're giving me 3 weeks appt, and they won't cover rental. To add insult to injury, customer service was rude too. Don't buy KIA or go to Fette Clifton.

NHTSA ODI #11569030

Mileage unknown · Jan 17, 2024
EnginePower Train

On June 9, 2023, the owner purchased a brand-new 2023 Kia Sportage Hybrid from Quirk Kia Braintree. Over the next six months, the owner regularly drove the car between work and home, accumulating approximately 4,500 miles. However, in early January 1st 2024, the owner noticed that the check engine light had illuminated, althoug…

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On June 9, 2023, the owner purchased a brand-new 2023 Kia Sportage Hybrid from Quirk Kia Braintree. Over the next six months, the owner regularly drove the car between work and home, accumulating approximately 4,500 miles. However, in early January 1st 2024, the owner noticed that the check engine light had illuminated, although there were no other noticeable issues with the vehicle at that time. In response to the warning light, the owner ceased using the car and promptly scheduled an appointment with Quirk Kia for a diagnosis. When the owner attempted to drive the car to the dealership, it exhibited severe shaking when the engine was running, rendering it undrivable. Subsequently, the owner had the car towed to Quirk Kia, where it has remained since January 5, 2024. Upon examination, multiple error codes were detected, yet as of January 17, 2024, the dealership has been unable to determine the root cause of the engine's shaking. They have raised the possibility of poor-quality gasoline as a potential culprit, and they claim to have conducted tests on the fuel. Based on the email and phone communications between the owner and the dealership, the owner believe that the gasoline used was of good quality (the owner consistently refueled at Costco). Additionally, three pictures of the fuel test were shared (attached), indicating that the ethanol content in the gasoline was below 10%, which aligns with the car's manual specifications. Their proposed solution is to replace the gas tank, with the cost to be borne by the owner. The owner find this resolution to be entirely unacceptable.

NHTSA ODI #11566056

Mileage unknown · Oct 12, 2023
Electrical SystemEngineUnknown Or Other

ISSUE WITH KIA SPORTAGE 2023 HYBRID (GAS AND ELECTRIC) Battery shut off. The battery turned off. I was driving on the fwy and the car started to drive rough so I exited off the fwy and barely made it over the intersection and the car shut off. (as the car was shutting off I opened my door) all other doors were locked and could…

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ISSUE WITH KIA SPORTAGE 2023 HYBRID (GAS AND ELECTRIC) Battery shut off. The battery turned off. I was driving on the fwy and the car started to drive rough so I exited off the fwy and barely made it over the intersection and the car shut off. (as the car was shutting off I opened my door) all other doors were locked and could not open. (had I not opened my car door I would have been locked in/out of my car) The emergency lights would not turn on. None of the electrical buttons work. I called a tow truck to come get me 20+ min in Arizona is a lifetime in the heat. (luckily my kids were not in the vehicle). My car could have stopped in the middle of the fwy and things could have really gotten ugly. My car is currently in the kia dealership parking lot (where the tow truck dropped it off 2+ weeks ago). The dealer got me into a rental but my vehicle won't get a battery till 2 + months. Even if it gets a new battery it doesn't solve the problem Kia knows these batteries have these issues yet they are still selling the vehicles and not letting the consumer know that they might have a battery issue. battery cost ($11,000+ after the warranty is over) I would have never bought this car if I knew this was a potential issue. complete driving hazard. There was a warning light that turned on seconds before my car shut off, "check hybrid system stop safely" then it shut off. a couple of times before this all the lights on the dash turned on for a few minutes then shut off. I HAVE A COUPLE OF FRIENDS WITH THE SAME CAR BOUGHT AROUND THE SAME TIME AND THEY HAVE THE SAME ISSUE AND ARE IN RENTAL CARS TOO. THE DEALER IS NOT WILLING TO ASSIST OR COME UP WITH A DEAL SO WE BREAK EVEN (THEY ARE TRYING TO SELL US ANOTHER VEHICLE AT MORE $$ A MONTH. Had we gotten a good vehicle we would not be trying to trade in the car for another one.

NHTSA ODI #11549697

Mileage unknown · Sep 12, 2023
Electrical SystemEngineVehicle Speed Control

While driving, the car came to an abrupt stop. Lights and alarms flashed stating "Do not drive" "hybrid system malfunction". Car could not be driven. Had I been on the highway, which I just exited, I could have been dead with how suddenly the car stopped without prior warning. The warning came when the car was shutting down. It …

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While driving, the car came to an abrupt stop. Lights and alarms flashed stating "Do not drive" "hybrid system malfunction". Car could not be driven. Had I been on the highway, which I just exited, I could have been dead with how suddenly the car stopped without prior warning. The warning came when the car was shutting down. It has now been at the dealership for 3 weeks and they are unable to pinpoint the problem. Apparently they are selling hybrids with no one to work on them. Smh

NHTSA ODI #11544119

Mileage unknown · Apr 21, 2023
Engine

While I was driving on an 82-degree Fahrenheit day, my engine overheated. I got 2 different alerts for an overheating engine and sent it to the dealership. The vehicle has no damage and the overheated engine was very sudden and without notice.

NHTSA ODI #11518369

Mileage unknown · Apr 18, 2023
Electrical SystemEngineService Brakes

On March 1, 2023, approximately 5 days after purchasing the vehicle, when turning the vehicle on at approximately 8:00 pm, the screen stated that "A possible condition with your Hybrid Control Unit/Low DC-DC Converter has been detected. A full system check is recommended to be done soon. Please contact your local dealership to …

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On March 1, 2023, approximately 5 days after purchasing the vehicle, when turning the vehicle on at approximately 8:00 pm, the screen stated that "A possible condition with your Hybrid Control Unit/Low DC-DC Converter has been detected. A full system check is recommended to be done soon. Please contact your local dealership to schedule an appointment." An appointment was scheduled from the screen. The car was then driven on the freeway. Several minutes later, all systems on the vehicle died. The vehicle lost all engine power, power steering, power brakes, lights, even the doors which were locked could not be unlocked. The vehicle was rolling slowly forward and was moved into a gore point.

NHTSA ODI #11517672

Official recalls

1

23V298000 · Electrical System: Instrument Cluster/panel

Apr 26, 2023

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 Monitoring Systems."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: 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.

Remedy: 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.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.