2024 Kia Sportage Hybrid

While navigating the highly dangerous downhill descent of the Tejon Pass, LEBEC, CA , the vehicle experienced a complete throttle disengagement. The accelerator pedal became entirely unresponsive, leaving the vehicle without power on a steep, high-speed highway descent. I was traveling with my young daughter inside the vehicle. Due to the sudden loss of propulsion, I was forced to make an emergency maneuver and pull over onto the shoulder on the left side, right next to the high-speed passing lane. This situation put our lives in immediate danger of a catastrophic high-speed rear-end collision. A highway patrol that drove by within 5 mins was able to assist by blocking the downhill highway cars so I can drive down on Neutral Gear until a safe spot ( which it was a very stressful life endangering maneuver). Only Warning light I got was the Yellow engine light but no text indication of failure. Car was tolled to the dealership today for scanning. This is the first time that an event like this occured. Car has around 35 K miles and under warranty. All services have been performed ( last was 2 months ago)

While driving, the vehicle experienced a sudden loss of propulsion and significantly reduced acceleration. At the same time, the climate control system stopped producing heat. A red warning message appeared instructing me to stop safely. The vehicle would barely accelerate, creating a dangerous situation while driving. This issue has occurred three separate times, including twice in the same day. Each occurrence happened while the vehicle was in motion. The condition resolved only after turning the vehicle off and restarting it. The issue is intermittent and cannot be predicted. The reduced acceleration and loss of propulsion placed my safety at risk, especially at highway speeds, as the vehicle could not respond normally to traffic conditions. The vehicle was taken to a Kia dealership and inspected. A manufacturer tech line case was opened, and testing was performed, including a smoke test. The dealership stated they were unable to duplicate the issue. No repair was made, and the manufacturer closed the tech line case despite the reported loss of propulsion events. The vehicle is currently being retained at the dealership because I do not feel it is safe to operate. The problem was not resolved.

While driving my 2024 Kia Sportage Hybrid, the vehicle displayed the warning message “Check Hybrid System – Stop Safely.” Immediately after this message appeared, the vehicle lost propulsion and entered a reduced power/limp condition. This creates a dangerous situation because the vehicle can suddenly lose power while driving in traffic. The dealership informed me that this condition is related to a known hybrid system defect but refused to repair it, stating it was “not under warranty.” This is a safety-related high-voltage hybrid failure involving the propulsion system and can result in unexpected loss of power while driving, increasing the risk of a crash. This defect makes the vehicle unsafe to operate.