IllustrationWHEN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SHIFTS FROM 2ND TO 3RD GEAR WHILE DRIVING THE WHOLE VEHICLE JERKS VERY HARD. IT JERKS SO HARD YOUR HEAD FLIES BACK. IT JERKS SO HARD AND LOUD THE ENGINE SOUNDS LIKE IT'S GOING FALL OUT.
2009 Kia Sportage
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2009 Kia Sportage do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 122.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Sportage years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
90–25K
1425–50K
1150–75K
1575–100K
14100–150K
1150K+
64 reports with mileage · 16 unknown
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 18 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 16 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Steering. Review the 14 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 reports8 fire reports4 injury reports
Power Train complaints
3 reportsTL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 KIA SPORTAGE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THE REAR PASSENGER TAIL LIGHT FAILED TO ILLUMINATE WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE FAILURE RECURRED THREE TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE LIGHT SWITCH WAS REPLACED. IN ADDITION, WHEN DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL OR WHEN THE V…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 KIA SPORTAGE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THE REAR PASSENGER TAIL LIGHT FAILED TO ILLUMINATE WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE FAILURE RECURRED THREE TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE LIGHT SWITCH WAS REPLACED. IN ADDITION, WHEN DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL OR WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS IN REVERSE, THE PASSENGER SIDE TURN SIGNAL LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE LIGHT BULB WAS REPLACED. THE CONTACT WAS ALSO INFORMED THAT THE FUEL CAP AND STOP SWITCH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 75,000. UPDATED 11/03/16*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE OVER 60MPH. THE VEHICLE WOULD LOSE POWER. UPDATED 09/19/2017*JS
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION "BURNED OUT" (DEALER'S WORDS) WHILE DRIVING THRU PIEDMONT HILLS OF NORTH CAROLINA. PROBLEM STARTED AROUND 60MPH AND BECAME SERIOUS AT 70 MPH, THE SPEED LIMIT WHERE THE PROBLEM OCCURRED. CRUISE CONTROL TURNED OFF ON ITS OWN. AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION DID NOT SHIFT EVENLY OR SMOOTHLY. VEHICLE STRAINED …
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AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION "BURNED OUT" (DEALER'S WORDS) WHILE DRIVING THRU PIEDMONT HILLS OF NORTH CAROLINA. PROBLEM STARTED AROUND 60MPH AND BECAME SERIOUS AT 70 MPH, THE SPEED LIMIT WHERE THE PROBLEM OCCURRED. CRUISE CONTROL TURNED OFF ON ITS OWN. AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION DID NOT SHIFT EVENLY OR SMOOTHLY. VEHICLE STRAINED AND LOST POWER ON HILLS AND OVERPASSES. ENGINE "REVVED UP" UNCHARACTERISTICALLY HIGH ON BACK SIDE OF HILLS, HAD TO PRESS GAS TO DECREASE RPMS. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON DURING RETURN TRIP, GEAR STICK SHIFTED TO + - POSITION ON ITS OWN. VEHICLE OPERATED OKAY AT SPEEDS BELOW 55 MPH AND ON LEVEL GROUND, EVEN WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A STOP. *TR
Official recalls
322V800000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip:control Unit/module
Oct 24, 2022
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2008-2009 Sportage vehicles previously recalled under recall 16V-815. An engine compartment fire originating from around the Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) may occur while parked or driving.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A fire increases the risk of injury.
Remedy: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures and other vehicles until the recall repair has been performed. Dealers will inspect and replace the HECU, its wiring harness, and its fuses, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 22, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC253.
16V815000 · Electrical System:wiring
Nov 10, 2016
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2008-2009 Kia Sportage vehicles manufactured August 9, 2007, to May 13, 2009. The wire harness cover on the Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) may be improperly sealed allowing water to get onto the HECU circuit board. If the water is contaminated with salt, such as could occur from melted snow, the wire harness connector pins may corrode and the circuit board may short circuit.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the HECU short circuits, there is an increased risk of an engine compartment fire.
Remedy: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the connector pins for corrosion, if no corrosion is found, the connector cover will be replaced. If corrosion is present, the dealer will replace the HECU assembly and the connector cover, free of charge. The recall began on November 28, 2016. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC138.
13V114000 · Exterior Lighting:brake Lights:switch
Apr 1, 2013
Kia Motors Corporation (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2007-2010 Rondo, model year 2007-2011 Sedona, Sorento and Sportage, model year 2010-2011 Soul, model year 2008-2011 Optima, model year 2010 Forte, model year 2007-2009 Amanti, and model year 2009 Borrego vehicles. Originally, in April 2013, Kia recalled 623,658 model year 2007-2010 Rondo and Sportage, model year 2007-2011 Sorento, model year 2007 Sedona, model year 2010-2011 Soul, and model year 2011 Optima vehicles. In September 2013, Kia informed the agency that it was adding an additional 356,719 vehicles to this campaign. The total number of vehicles being recalled is now 980,377. In the affected vehicles, the stop lamp switch may malfunction. A malfunctioning stop lamp switch may cause the brake lights to not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed or may cause an inability to deactivate the cruise control by depressing the brake pedal. Additionally, a malfunctioning stop lamp switch may also result in intermittent operation of the push-button start feature, affect the operation of the brake-transmission shift interlock feature preventing the shifter from being moved out of the PARK position and cause the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) malfunction light to illuminate.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Failure to illuminate the stop lamps during braking or inability to disengage the cruise control could increase the risk of a crash. Additionally, when the ignition is in the 'ON' position, the transmission shifter may be able to be moved out of PARK without first applying the brake. This may lead to unintentional movement of the car which may increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Kia will send an interim notification to owners in May 2013. When parts are available, owners will receive a second notification and dealers will replace the stop lamp switch, free of charge. Owners may contact Kia at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's recall campaign number is SC098.
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
1AQ23002 · Hyundai And Kia Abs Module Fires
Opened Nov 17, 2023 · No close date supplied
Status: open (inferred from source dates) · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip:control Unit/module
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received eight Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) and eight Kia America, Inc. (Kia) Part 573 Recall Reports between 2016 and 2023. The combined 16 safety recalls all involve the antilock braking system (ABS) modules or Hydraulic Electronic Control Units (HECU) manufactured by the equipment supplier Mando. The Part 573 Recall Reports contain varying defect descriptions and differing remedy descriptions for the same or similar equipment supplied by Mando. Safety recalls included in this Audit Query (AQ) review include: Hyundai recalls 20V-520, 20V-543, 21V-161, 21V-160, 21V-303, 22V-056, 22V-810, and 23V-651. Kia recalls 16V-815, 20V-518, 20V-519, 21V-137, 21V-331, 22V-051, 22V-800, and 23V-652 The purpose of this AQ is to evaluate the timeliness and scoping of Hyundai and Kia’s defect decision making and adherence with reporting requirements; and understand the varying defect descriptions and remedies between these recalls.