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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.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

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

Vehicle Speed Control complaints

3 reports
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80,500 miles · Nov 23, 2016
EngineUnknown Or OtherVehicle Speed Control

2009 KIA SPORTAGE LX COMPLAINT. WE HAVE RECENTLY BEEN EXPERIENCING INTERMITTENT ACCELERATION SURGING. THE OCCURRENCES ARE RANDOM; HOT OR COLD IN D-GEAR AT A STOP-LIGHT OR IN PARK POSITION. I'VE TAKEN THE CAR TO THE KIA DEALER TWO TIMES. ON THE SECOND TIME, I WAS TOLD THAT AFTER A TEST-DRIVE ON THE SECOND DAY, THE MECHANIC DI…

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2009 KIA SPORTAGE LX COMPLAINT. WE HAVE RECENTLY BEEN EXPERIENCING INTERMITTENT ACCELERATION SURGING. THE OCCURRENCES ARE RANDOM; HOT OR COLD IN D-GEAR AT A STOP-LIGHT OR IN PARK POSITION. I'VE TAKEN THE CAR TO THE KIA DEALER TWO TIMES. ON THE SECOND TIME, I WAS TOLD THAT AFTER A TEST-DRIVE ON THE SECOND DAY, THE MECHANIC DID NOTICE THE SURGING OF THE TACHOMETER AND THE 'FIX' WAS TO RE-ROUTE/LOOSEN THE CRUISE CONTROL CABLE. TWO DAYS LATER, THE ENGINE SURGING RE-APPEARED. THIS IS A DANGEROUS SAFETY CONCERN THAT CAN RESULT IN INJURY TO PEDESTRIANS, AND OTHER DRIVERS. WHEN THE ENGINE SURGE/RACING OCCURS THE TACHOMETER GOES UP AND DOWN FROM UNDER 1,000 TO 5,000 RPM'S. IT HAS HAPPENED WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE AND WHILE IN PARK AND IN GEAR. DURING THE LATEST EVENT, WE HAVE A VIDEO TAKEN WITH OUR I-PHONE SHOWING THE TACHOMETER GOING UP AND DOWN IN THE 'PARK' POSITION. WE ARE SCARED TO DRIVE THIS CAR BECAUSE THIS SAFETY DEFECT CAN CAUSE BODILY DANGER AS IT LUNGES FORWARD DUE TO ENGINE RACING. I'VE ALSO POSTED THIS SAFETY DEFECT ON 'CARCOMPLAINTS.COM' TO WARN OTHERS. GOGGLING THIS ISSUE ON YAHOO.COM REVEALS OTHERS HAVING SIMILAR PROBLEMS. CAN WE GET SOME HELP ON THIS?

NHTSA ODI #10927631

86,000 miles · Jul 8, 2016
Electronic Stability Control (esc)EngineVehicle Speed Control

I WAS DRIVING DOWN A BUSY ROAD ABOUT 50MPH WHEN THE ESC LIGHT CAME ON AND THE CAR ENGINE STARTED LOSING POWER. I PULLED OVER, AFRAID TO DRIVE BUT THEN PROCEEDED AS I WAS ONLY A FEW MINUTES FROM HOME. I MADE IT HOME OK AND CONSULTED MY MANUAL AS TO WHAT THAT LIGHT MEANT. I PUSHED IT IN (SO THAT IT WAS NOW "ON" BECAUSE THE LIGHT S…

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I WAS DRIVING DOWN A BUSY ROAD ABOUT 50MPH WHEN THE ESC LIGHT CAME ON AND THE CAR ENGINE STARTED LOSING POWER. I PULLED OVER, AFRAID TO DRIVE BUT THEN PROCEEDED AS I WAS ONLY A FEW MINUTES FROM HOME. I MADE IT HOME OK AND CONSULTED MY MANUAL AS TO WHAT THAT LIGHT MEANT. I PUSHED IT IN (SO THAT IT WAS NOW "ON" BECAUSE THE LIGHT SAID "OFF" AND IT DROVE OK FOR ABOUT A DAY. THEN WITH NO LIGHT COMING BACK ON, THE ENGINE JUST STARTED REVING UP REALLY HARD AND LOUD..LIKE IT WAS STUCK IN NEUTRAL AND IT STARTED TO LOSE POWER. I BARELY MADE IT HOME SAFELY AND NOE I'M AFRAID TO DRIVE IT. IT JUST CAME OUT OF NOWHERE...TOTALLY RANDOM. I HAVE AN APPT TO BRING IT IN TO KIA SERVICE CENTER MON. MORNING AND AM CURRENTLY DRIVING A RENTAL CAR. IT WAS A VERY SCAREY EVENT BECAUSE BOTH TIME IT GAVE NO WARNING AT ALL!!

NHTSA ODI #10883542

30 miles · Jul 23, 2010
Vehicle Speed Control

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 KIA SPORTAGE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING INTO A PARKING SPACE THE VEHICLE LUNGED FORWARD. HE STATED THAT THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL BECAME SO SENSITIVE THAT HE HAD TO USE EXTREME CAUTION WHEN DRIVING FORWARD, BACKWARDS OR WHEN THE ROAD WAS SLIGHTLY SLANTED. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A KIA DEALER WH…

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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 KIA SPORTAGE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING INTO A PARKING SPACE THE VEHICLE LUNGED FORWARD. HE STATED THAT THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL BECAME SO SENSITIVE THAT HE HAD TO USE EXTREME CAUTION WHEN DRIVING FORWARD, BACKWARDS OR WHEN THE ROAD WAS SLIGHTLY SLANTED. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A KIA DEALER WHO INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VEHICLE WAS DESIGNED THAT WAY. A DIAGNOSTIC TEST WAS PERFORMED; HOWEVER, IT DID NOT DETERMINE WHAT CAUSED THE FAILURE TO OCCUR. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 30. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 1,900.

NHTSA ODI #10344907

Official recalls

3

22V800000 · 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

1

AQ23002 · 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.

Go deeper into Kia Sportage problems