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2025 Kia Sportage

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Limited comparison data

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

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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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

Limited mileage data: 6 of 51 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 15 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Forward Collision Avoidance. Review the 8 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 6 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 reports4 injury reports

What owners actually said

51 reports
Mileage unknown · Sep 13, 2026
SteeringUnknown Or OtherVehicle Speed ControlCrashInjury

VEHICLE: 2025 Kia Sportage X-Line VIN: 5XYK6CDF0SG319130 APPROXIMATE MILEAGE: 34,000 miles DATE OF INCIDENT: September 3, 2026 LOCATION OF INCIDENT: 6140 University Drive, Huntsville, Alabama 35806 COMPONENT: Steering / Motor-Driven Power Steering (MDPS) / Steering Column / Steering Shaft SAFETY ISSUE: Sudden loss of steering co…

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VEHICLE: 2025 Kia Sportage X-Line VIN: 5XYK6CDF0SG319130 APPROXIMATE MILEAGE: 34,000 miles DATE OF INCIDENT: September 3, 2026 LOCATION OF INCIDENT: 6140 University Drive, Huntsville, Alabama 35806 COMPONENT: Steering / Motor-Driven Power Steering (MDPS) / Steering Column / Steering Shaft SAFETY ISSUE: Sudden loss of steering control immediately preceding a collision COMPLAINT I am reporting a serious steering-related safety incident involving my 2025 Kia Sportage X-Line, VIN 5XYK6CDF0SG319130. On September 3, 2026, at approximately 34,000 miles, I was operating my vehicle near 6140 University Drive, Huntsville, Alabama 35806, when the steering suddenly became locked/unresponsive immediately before a motor-vehicle collision. The steering malfunction occurred while the vehicle was being operated and immediately preceded the collision. I was unable to properly control the direction of the vehicle as intended. I believe the sudden loss of steering control may have caused or contributed to the collision. VEHICLE OPERATION IMMEDIATELY BEFORE THE COLLISION Immediately before the collision: * The engine remained running. * The brakes remained operable. * No EPS or MDPS warning light appeared before the collision. * No EPS/MDPS warning message was observed before the collision. * A low tire-pressure warning did appear. * The steering became locked/unresponsive. * I was unable to maintain the intended steering control of the vehicle. * The vehicle subsequently collided. * After the collision, the steering wheel became operable again. The fact that the steering became operable again after the collision is significant because the malfunction was intermittent or temporary rather than a permanent inability of the steering wheel to move. I am not making a technical determination regarding which steering component failed. I am reporting the observed behavior and requesting that NHTSA investigate the cause. WITNESS AND DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE There is independent corrobora

NHTSA ODI #11763971

25,000 miles · Sep 4, 2026
Structure

The contact owns a 2025 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while performing a normal inspection on the vehicle, the body side molding from the front to the rear on the passenger’s side of the roof had detached. The contact stated that the driver's side of the vehicle had started to detach from the rear. The failure mileage wa…

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The contact owns a 2025 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while performing a normal inspection on the vehicle, the body side molding from the front to the rear on the passenger’s side of the roof had detached. The contact stated that the driver's side of the vehicle had started to detach from the rear. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000.

NHTSA ODI #11762171

Mileage unknown · Jun 30, 2026
Chest Clip, Buckle, Harness

The car seat is defective. Fraying where it is comes out of the car seat, where it is sewn together.

NHTSA ODI #11747512

Mileage unknown · Jun 27, 2026
EnginePower Train

We were getting in our car to drive home from a restaurant. We attempted to start our car like any other day, and the car started. However, our car was stuck in gear, it was in parking but also not in parking. The car was not moving, the gear was in “park”, the dot light for park was not showing, and then we had several warnings…

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We were getting in our car to drive home from a restaurant. We attempted to start our car like any other day, and the car started. However, our car was stuck in gear, it was in parking but also not in parking. The car was not moving, the gear was in “park”, the dot light for park was not showing, and then we had several warnings appear on our dashboard. At first it was three, then it went to six (after turning off the car and restarting again)!! The car told us to put it in park, but we literally could not move the gear shift at all. We had: check speed limit system, check high beam assist, check driver attention warning, check blind spot safety system, check forward safety system, check rear cross-traffic safety system appear in 20 seconds of car being on. This car just hit ~15,500 miles on it. To add to the strangeness, we open the Kia Access App and tried “lock” and “unlock” (while being in the car”, then turn the car off. We started the car again and it worked as if this never happened (no immediate warnings like above). Yet we did recieve a check engine light and a vehicle diagnostic on the instrument (dashboard) saying “follow-up check required: 2 (Engine Management System and Transmission Control System.)” The car allowed itself to recognize it in park gear and drive off. The Kia Access app said we experienced a UOO01F0 code tied to the Engine Control System. We never seen anything like that before. We did, however, experience a problem with the driver seat powertrain at 11,000 miles where the seat wouldn’t move. The seat was fixed by the dealership though. We are going to take the car in to the dealership to see what they say.

NHTSA ODI #11746853

Mileage unknown · Jun 18, 2026
Unknown Or Other

Twice since I purchased my car, once in 2025 and two weeks ago in 2026, I turned my car off in the garage and the engine kept running. I had to start the car up and turn it off again in order for it to shut down. I mentioned that to Arapaho Kia at my last visit in November 2025 and they just said that they didn’t find anything o…

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Twice since I purchased my car, once in 2025 and two weeks ago in 2026, I turned my car off in the garage and the engine kept running. I had to start the car up and turn it off again in order for it to shut down. I mentioned that to Arapaho Kia at my last visit in November 2025 and they just said that they didn’t find anything on the computer.

NHTSA ODI #11745100

Mileage unknown · Jun 9, 2026
Service Brakes

In November 2025, with approximately 6,900 miles on the vehicle, I reported brake issues to the dealership. After inspection, the dealership resurfaced (turned) the brake rotors at no charge. At that time, I was led to believe that the issue had been corrected. However, in June 2026, with only 14,300 miles on the vehicle, I retu…

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In November 2025, with approximately 6,900 miles on the vehicle, I reported brake issues to the dealership. After inspection, the dealership resurfaced (turned) the brake rotors at no charge. At that time, I was led to believe that the issue had been corrected. However, in June 2026, with only 14,300 miles on the vehicle, I returned to the dealership because the same symptoms had reappeared. I was informed that the rotors again require resurfacing and that the brake pads now need replacement as well. why has the same issue returned so quickly? Is there a defect in the rotors, brake pads, calipers, brake system design, or another component that has not been identified and corrected? I do not believe that my driving habits are the cause of this problem. Prior to purchasing this Sportage, I owned two vehicles from other manufacturers. Neither vehicle required brake rotor resurfacing until well over 50,000 miles, despite being driven under similar conditions. The fact that this vehicle has required rotor service twice before reaching 15,000 miles strongly suggests that an underlying issue exists. I believe that that premature rotor wear puts me and others at risk of collision. The Sportage is available for inspection.

NHTSA ODI #11743057

Mileage unknown · Jun 7, 2026
Electrical System

The cluster system of the vehicle lit up every warning system which prevented the running vehicle from being able to be put into drive. Safety was put at risk because I'm afraid this will happen while driving. I've seen this same concern on many Kia owner forums who describe the same issue possibly related to a faulty wirin…

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The cluster system of the vehicle lit up every warning system which prevented the running vehicle from being able to be put into drive. Safety was put at risk because I'm afraid this will happen while driving. I've seen this same concern on many Kia owner forums who describe the same issue possibly related to a faulty wiring harness. I had just purchased this vehicle that has 15,000 miles and there were no other symptoms up until this issue occurred. I had the code read and it was a generic U0001 CAM error (Controller Area Module). Kia has a recall on trailer harnesses right now and I believe this recall on faulty wiring harnesses needs to be expanded to other models and newer vehicles.

NHTSA ODI #11742525

Mileage unknown · May 25, 2026
Electrical SystemPower TrainService Brakes

While exiting the John C. Lodge Freeway in Detroit at approximately 40 MPH, the brake pedal became stuck halfway during braking and the vehicle did not stop properly on the first brake application. I had to remove my foot from the brake pedal and press it again before the brakes engaged and the vehicle stopped. This has occurred…

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While exiting the John C. Lodge Freeway in Detroit at approximately 40 MPH, the brake pedal became stuck halfway during braking and the vehicle did not stop properly on the first brake application. I had to remove my foot from the brake pedal and press it again before the brakes engaged and the vehicle stopped. This has occurred approximately seven times intermittently. The issue creates a serious safety hazard and risk of collision. In addition, the “D” gear indicator intermittently blinks while driving and the “P” indicator intermittently blinks while the vehicle is in Park. Vehicle was previously brought to dealership and issue was reported, but the condition continues intermittently.

NHTSA ODI #11739925

Mileage unknown · May 20, 2026
Visibility/wiper

While driving on an open highway, my panoramic sunroof spontaneously exploded on [XXX] coming back from Prescott with me behind the wheel, my husband as a passenger, and my dog in the backseat. There was nobody driving in front, near, or behind me. I was not driving near an overpass. The incident sounded like an explosion or gu…

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While driving on an open highway, my panoramic sunroof spontaneously exploded on [XXX] coming back from Prescott with me behind the wheel, my husband as a passenger, and my dog in the backseat. There was nobody driving in front, near, or behind me. I was not driving near an overpass. The incident sounded like an explosion or gunshot. My husband began to open the sunroof visor to investigate, and glass began dropping into the car. Once we could pull over safely, there was a large hole on my panoramic sunroof. My husband, dog, and I had tiny pieces of glass on us. I took my car to Kia, and they refused to acknowledge that anything, but a rock caused the problem. There are numerous news stories about this being a problem and also recalls for panoramic sunroofs from other dealers like Hyundai, who are made by the same manufacturer as Kia. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI #11739049

Mileage unknown · May 15, 2026
Unknown Or Other

We have lost instrument panel info while driving twice in less than a year, it reboots while driving. We took the vehicle to the dealer and were informed there was no tow hitch as stated in the recall letter. My concern is that my car is doing what is described in the recall letter, (during rebooting the control cluster will not…

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We have lost instrument panel info while driving twice in less than a year, it reboots while driving. We took the vehicle to the dealer and were informed there was no tow hitch as stated in the recall letter. My concern is that my car is doing what is described in the recall letter, (during rebooting the control cluster will not show info such as speedometer or warning lights), we have a blank panel while driving. So it seems KIAs diagnosed solution is not at least the entire problem. When I told the service tech at KIA we were experiencing the same issued described in the recall letter he said there was nothing he could do about it. There seems there is no way to reproduce the problem because it happens randomly and takes about 20 minutes for the system to reboot and get instrumentation back on line. I think KIA needs to be accountable to resolve this life safety situation.

NHTSA ODI #11738179

Official recalls

1

25V874000 · Electrical System: Instrument Cluster/panel; Trailer Hitches

Dec 17, 2025

Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023-2025 Sportage Plug-In Hybrid Electric (PHEV) and 2024-2025 Sportage vehicles equipped with a 4.2" screen and a Genuine Kia tow hitch harness accessory. Due to a software error, the instrument panel screen may fail. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 101, "Controls and Displays."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An instrument panel screen that fails to display critical safety information, such as the speedometer or warning lights, can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the tow hitch harness control module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 13, 2026. Owners may contact Kia Customer Service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC359. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning December 31, 2025.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Trailer Hitches

Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023-2025 Sportage Plug-In Hybrid Electric (PHEV) and 2024-2025 Sportage vehicles equipped with a 4.2" screen and a Genuine Kia tow hitch harness accessory. Due to a software error, the instrument panel screen may fail. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 101, "Controls and Displays."

Consequence: An instrument panel screen that fails to display critical safety information, such as the speedometer or warning lights, can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the tow hitch harness control module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 13, 2026. Owners may contact Kia Customer Service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC359. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning December 31, 2025.

Electrical System: Instrument Cluster/panel

Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023-2025 Sportage Plug-In Hybrid Electric (PHEV) and 2024-2025 Sportage vehicles equipped with a 4.2" screen and a Genuine Kia tow hitch harness accessory. Due to a software error, the instrument panel screen may fail. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 101, "Controls and Displays."

Consequence: An instrument panel screen that fails to display critical safety information, such as the speedometer or warning lights, can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the tow hitch harness control module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 13, 2026. Owners may contact Kia Customer Service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC359. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning December 31, 2025.

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.

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