2024 KIA SPORTAGE

STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS

Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023-2024 Sportage and 2022-2024 Carnival vehicles. The roof molding may loosen and detach.

Risk: A detached roof molding can create a road hazard for other vehicles, increasing the risk of a crash.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The dash on my sportage will go black while driving, and then the system reboots showing "system check" the cruise control also goes out when this happens. This happens about once a month. Dealer has checked it more than 3 times and has found no issues except the first time I brought it in.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

The dash on my sportage will go black while driving, and then the system reboots showing "system check" the cruise control also goes out when this happens. This happens about once a month. Dealer has checked it more than 3 times and has found no issues except the first time I brought it in.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

The dash on my sportage will go black while driving, and then the system reboots showing "system check" the cruise control also goes out when this happens. This happens about once a month. Dealer has checked it more than 3 times and has found no issues except the first time I brought it in.

POWER TRAIN

I am writing to formally raise a safety concern regarding my vehicle’s brake and rotor system, which has experienced premature failure on two separate occasions. First Occurrence: The issue was first identified prior to reaching 11,000 miles and was addressed by the dealership after surpassing 11,000 miles. The repair involved replacement of the rotors and bolts, but notably, the brake components themselves were not replaced. Second Occurrence: Around 23,000 miles, I began to notice progressively worsening shaking and a disturbing sensation of the brakes skipping or slipping—particularly during highway downgrades. By 24,500 miles, the issue had become significantly more pronounced. I returned the vehicle to Kia of Stockton at 25,248 miles. During my visit, Ricardo from the Kia of Stockton Service Department attributed the issue to “driver error,” citing hot spots on the rotors. However, he also acknowledged that during the initial repair, only the rotors and bolts were replaced—not the brakes. Ricardo further stated that Kia could not offer any additional support beyond a 10% discount on repairs, per his manager’s directive. I explained that I live and work locally, and my driving habits do not involve long commutes or frequent stop-and-go traffic. Given this, I strongly believe the repeated brake system failure points to a potential manufacturing defect rather than user error. Ricardo agreed that if this were his own vehicle, he would be concerned as well. This issue poses a serious safety risk—not only to myself and my family, but to other drivers on the road. In addition my vehicle has also experienced powertrain issues, where it feels as if the vehicle is stuck in 1st gear. I am therefore requesting a full investigation into this matter. If necessary, I would like to initiate the process of reporting this vehicle as a potential lemon under applicable consumer protection laws. Thank you for your attention to this urgent safety concern.

SERVICE BRAKES

I am writing to formally raise a safety concern regarding my vehicle’s brake and rotor system, which has experienced premature failure on two separate occasions. First Occurrence: The issue was first identified prior to reaching 11,000 miles and was addressed by the dealership after surpassing 11,000 miles. The repair involved replacement of the rotors and bolts, but notably, the brake components themselves were not replaced. Second Occurrence: Around 23,000 miles, I began to notice progressively worsening shaking and a disturbing sensation of the brakes skipping or slipping—particularly during highway downgrades. By 24,500 miles, the issue had become significantly more pronounced. I returned the vehicle to Kia of Stockton at 25,248 miles. During my visit, Ricardo from the Kia of Stockton Service Department attributed the issue to “driver error,” citing hot spots on the rotors. However, he also acknowledged that during the initial repair, only the rotors and bolts were replaced—not the brakes. Ricardo further stated that Kia could not offer any additional support beyond a 10% discount on repairs, per his manager’s directive. I explained that I live and work locally, and my driving habits do not involve long commutes or frequent stop-and-go traffic. Given this, I strongly believe the repeated brake system failure points to a potential manufacturing defect rather than user error. Ricardo agreed that if this were his own vehicle, he would be concerned as well. This issue poses a serious safety risk—not only to myself and my family, but to other drivers on the road. In addition my vehicle has also experienced powertrain issues, where it feels as if the vehicle is stuck in 1st gear. I am therefore requesting a full investigation into this matter. If necessary, I would like to initiate the process of reporting this vehicle as a potential lemon under applicable consumer protection laws. Thank you for your attention to this urgent safety concern.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

The panoramic sunroof glass spontaneously shattered upon entry in to the vehicle and closing the driver door. If the privacy cover closed, my daughter would have been showered with glass. I have tried reaching out to a Kia Dealer directly but have not received a response. I did notify my insurance so there would be a record and I am waiting for an adjuster to come out to look at the vehicle and document it. No warnings.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

While driving my 2024 Kia Sportage PHEV X-Line AWD the instrument panel went black for 3-5 seconds and appeared to be "re-booting/resetting". The first time this occurred was approximately March 2025 (odometer reading approximately 6000 miles) and the issue has re-occurred numerous times (30+) since then (current odometer reading is 12,410). There was no warning prior to this happening and there were no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of any problems with the vehicle. I took the car into my local Kia dealer to have them check the instrument panel issue under warranty and to perform the recommended 8000 mile service. During the service visit they addressed the SC322 - Hybrid Control Unit Software upgrade recall. With regards to the instrument panel issue, the Service department told me that they could not fix the issue under warranty unless they could reproduce the issue. Therefore any work that they would perform to address the issue would have to be paid for by me. They suggested that I try to capture the issue on video as evidence of the issue. Given that the event only happens over a 3-5 second period, there is no way for me to safely videotape the issue while I am driving the vehicle and I have no idea when it will happen again. This issue has continued to occur randomly multiple times since that service visit with the last event happening three days ago. When the instrument panel goes black it is very distracting to the driver and draws your attention from the road to the instrument screen which puts the occupants of the vehicle at risk as well as others driving/walking around your vehicle. I have read online of others having this same issue with no clear consistent resolution from Kia. I strongly believe that this is a serious safety issue for many Kia drivers and needs to be addressed via a recall or voluntary dealer campaign to avoid unnecessary crashes/injuries.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL

hello , my mom was driving . she had all the lane driving assist systems on. the driving assist , lane assist, forward collision assist, lane keeping assist, & cruise control. it had started to rain my mom tried to move over to the middle lane the steer wheel would not let her it pulled her back as if someone was on the side of her but it wasnt it then started driving by itself. the car started malfunctioning , it toke control my mom tried to get a hold of the wheel but the power assit would not let her. it then turned by itself and drove straight into a mountain. we hit it head on with no warning. we then flipped 5 times and landed upside down. the door and windows did not work we were trapped. the power was completely out in the car. my insurance company has inspected it and states that they think the car malfunctioned. i have called kia and they stated a engineer was suppose to go get the black box to get the data. it has been three weeks kia has stopped returning my calls. my insurance company is holding my car for 90 days. Please Help. It is availible for inspection .

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

hello , my mom was driving . she had all the lane driving assist systems on. the driving assist , lane assist, forward collision assist, lane keeping assist, & cruise control. it had started to rain my mom tried to move over to the middle lane the steer wheel would not let her it pulled her back as if someone was on the side of her but it wasnt it then started driving by itself. the car started malfunctioning , it toke control my mom tried to get a hold of the wheel but the power assit would not let her. it then turned by itself and drove straight into a mountain. we hit it head on with no warning. we then flipped 5 times and landed upside down. the door and windows did not work we were trapped. the power was completely out in the car. my insurance company has inspected it and states that they think the car malfunctioned. i have called kia and they stated a engineer was suppose to go get the black box to get the data. it has been three weeks kia has stopped returning my calls. my insurance company is holding my car for 90 days. Please Help. It is availible for inspection .

LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST

hello , my mom was driving . she had all the lane driving assist systems on. the driving assist , lane assist, forward collision assist, lane keeping assist, & cruise control. it had started to rain my mom tried to move over to the middle lane the steer wheel would not let her it pulled her back as if someone was on the side of her but it wasnt it then started driving by itself. the car started malfunctioning , it toke control my mom tried to get a hold of the wheel but the power assit would not let her. it then turned by itself and drove straight into a mountain. we hit it head on with no warning. we then flipped 5 times and landed upside down. the door and windows did not work we were trapped. the power was completely out in the car. my insurance company has inspected it and states that they think the car malfunctioned. i have called kia and they stated a engineer was suppose to go get the black box to get the data. it has been three weeks kia has stopped returning my calls. my insurance company is holding my car for 90 days. Please Help. It is availible for inspection .

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Horn stopped working

SERVICE BRAKES

Not safety but I couldn't locate the complaint section you supposably have. The front rotors had to be turned with less than 18K miles. They have since been completely replaced twice at my expense and the car is less than 2 years old. Now the rear rotors have issues and it's going to cost me $360 to turn them or $700 to replace them. The dealer says it's either my driving or the weather. I've have literally been driving for 40 years and have never had to replace rotors. As for weather, unless Columbia, MO has some special weather that eats rotors that is not the case either. A parts counter employee told us it was an issue with the axle and that until we find a service tech smart enough to fix it, we'll just keep replacing rotors. He said he worked for Toyota, and they had the same issue. The Kia tech said he had no idea what he was talking about so again, we're paying to replace parts on a less than 2-year-old car and they won't even warranty their repair work. There is obviously something very wrong with this car.

ENGINE

Since day one of my purchase I noticed All warning light turned on and goes off while driving over an hour I thought it was normal as it’s my first Kia so continue to drive and it did same when ever I go on long drive and after 2 months it started vehicle to loose power and I always has to stop and restart the engine. Continued with same issue and all of a sudden it stopped on interstate and this time the car bogged out and engine shut off which was a dangerous situation for my whole family as cars behind would have hit us and cause multiple car collision I called my dealership to add this issue on my appointment for first service so it can be taken care of and I dropped off the car at dealership and after road test they confirmed that yes it has issue where multiple lights comes on and off so they don’t really know what’s causing the issue but will try to change the infotainment screen which they think is the issue might solve it so they kept my car for more than 90days and got my car back with scratches on dash and digital display bit shaky but according to milestones look like they tested if the issue been solved. ????

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Since day one of my purchase I noticed All warning light turned on and goes off while driving over an hour I thought it was normal as it’s my first Kia so continue to drive and it did same when ever I go on long drive and after 2 months it started vehicle to loose power and I always has to stop and restart the engine. Continued with same issue and all of a sudden it stopped on interstate and this time the car bogged out and engine shut off which was a dangerous situation for my whole family as cars behind would have hit us and cause multiple car collision I called my dealership to add this issue on my appointment for first service so it can be taken care of and I dropped off the car at dealership and after road test they confirmed that yes it has issue where multiple lights comes on and off so they don’t really know what’s causing the issue but will try to change the infotainment screen which they think is the issue might solve it so they kept my car for more than 90days and got my car back with scratches on dash and digital display bit shaky but according to milestones look like they tested if the issue been solved. ????

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Rear liftgate window imploded.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

i BOUGHT THE VEHICLE IN FEBRUARY 2025 AND THE WINDSHEILD CRACKED (ROCK HIT IT) WITHIN 3 MONTHS OF PURCHASE. IT IMMEDIATELY SPREAD TO BE IN MY VIEW OF THE ROAD WHICH WAS A SAFETY CONCERN FOR ME AND OTHERS, AND TOO BIG TO HAVE REPAIRED. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERS BODY SHOP AND HAD REPLACED. AFTER REPLACED, I DROVE IT APPROX. 5O MILES AND SAME THING HAPPENED. I HAVE READ OF LAWSUITS AROUND DEFECTIVE WINDSHEILD ON THIS MODEL. I TOOK IT BACK TO LANDERS KIA IN LITTLE FOR THEM TO INSPECT IT AND IT IS STILL CRACKED AS I DO NOT HAVE ANOTHER $500.00 TO HAVE REPLACED AGAIN. I HAVE PICTURE OF SECOND CRACK IF YOU NEED IT?

SUSPENSION

I hear rattling coming from the rear right side of the car. There is extreme loss of control of vehicle when it hits any bump or imperfection in the road or driving service, ranging from small transition in road surface to potholes and raised patches in road surface. Must continually work to maintain control of the vehicle when driving over these surfaces. This occurs at any rate of speed. It feels very unsafe to drive.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

All the dash lights come on randomly has happened 3 separate times the 4th time they came on I also couldn’t shift out of park.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

When we were entering a major intersection, car strolled and rolled forward and stopped 3/4 thru the intersection. It would not restart immediately while cars were speeding by on both sides. It finally started. This is the second occurrence we took the car into the KIA dealership. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

ENGINE

When we were entering a major intersection, car strolled and rolled forward and stopped 3/4 thru the intersection. It would not restart immediately while cars were speeding by on both sides. It finally started. This is the second occurrence we took the car into the KIA dealership. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

The doors won't lock. The button on the handle won't work sometimes. It's just random. This has happened 4 times in the last 2 years I have owned the car. I have to use app to lock and unlock the car. Once I drive it again everything is fine.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The doors won't lock. The button on the handle won't work sometimes. It's just random. This has happened 4 times in the last 2 years I have owned the car. I have to use app to lock and unlock the car. Once I drive it again everything is fine.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

The Dashboard with all the instrumentation goes blank while driving causing loss of all instrumentation gauges and headlights shut off. This has happened repeated times since the car was purchased new in June 2024 and has been in the service department since October a total of six times. They have replaced fitments, the dashboard cluster, the phone charging pad and have done multiple software updates and it continues to go blank while operating. The dash then lights back up with System Check and all the instruments lights in dash glow and it stays like that for several seconds. I am repeatedly told they cannot recreate the problem to properly diagnose so they have been cherry picking solutions to fix and it’s dangerous to drive. I have filed a complaint with the NC Attorney General, a BBB Auto Complaint, a Complaint with the Manufacturer directly and they are telling the dealer to return car to me because they can’t recreate the problem and so in their opinion nothing is wrong when I have video of this happening while driving. Please help me

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The Dashboard with all the instrumentation goes blank while driving causing loss of all instrumentation gauges and headlights shut off. This has happened repeated times since the car was purchased new in June 2024 and has been in the service department since October a total of six times. They have replaced fitments, the dashboard cluster, the phone charging pad and have done multiple software updates and it continues to go blank while operating. The dash then lights back up with System Check and all the instruments lights in dash glow and it stays like that for several seconds. I am repeatedly told they cannot recreate the problem to properly diagnose so they have been cherry picking solutions to fix and it’s dangerous to drive. I have filed a complaint with the NC Attorney General, a BBB Auto Complaint, a Complaint with the Manufacturer directly and they are telling the dealer to return car to me because they can’t recreate the problem and so in their opinion nothing is wrong when I have video of this happening while driving. Please help me

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

While driving, the vehicle engine shut off while making a turn. Before the engine stalled, the engine began to sputter as I made the turn. I was stranded on the roadway as I could not restart the vehicle. For my safety, I stayed in the vehicle as there was no shoulder and many vehicles including dump trucks. Several attempts to restart the engine were unsuccessful - the engine would try to turn over and then stop. I contacted roadside assistance and the car was towed to the dealership. Diagnosed as a Faulty Fuel Pump/Bad Connectors. Approximately 8950 miles. This is the second time the car stalled while driving.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Cluster screen goes black The dealership has replaced the screen & completed a software update. I have several videos. The dealership states they can’t fix it because they can’t replicate it. So I send them a video when it occurs. I called Kia direct and was informed to get a new car. It’s been going on for a year. We purchased the car brand new.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I have had no accident. In my opinion the 2024 Kia Sportage has a dangerous fire safety problem. This car has no way to open the back tailgate from inside. No release inside the car or on the key. I an accident occurs and the driver should pass out and could not get the key to someone, there is no way inside the car to release the back door to escape. If the car should catch on fire you would have to breakout the windows and then you will still have to take the door off to get to the people if driver can not hand you the key .There was an auto opener on the 2023 but not this model ..unless you purchase it special, which no one told me this when I purchased this car or I would not have purchased it .I even called back 3 months later trying to find out how to open my door and first was told by a dealer it was on my key as I tried to find it and called the dealership two additional times and asked at the dealership 2 more when I went for maintenance. made a 3rd trip and finally spoke to someone at the dealership who just now told me there is no key or inside access to the trunk. The dealers did not know and had me searching to use the key and the drivers door section. I think there should be a recall and they should have to put this on the car for it is a great safety hazard if you or your child is trapped inside a wrecked car. They should at least tell you this before purchasing and I would not have bought and paid cash for this car. NOW they want me to pay for this ? It is a fire SAFETY HAZARD. They need to make this right! Cars have had a way to get into the rear on key and from inside for 20 years now Please consider this before people dies in a accident due to this. I did call the company and they seem unconcerned. They need to get this feature on my car without charging me for it.If this was a standard feature on the 2023 then it should be on the newer cars ..It is all about money and not our safety.Why would you take a feature this important off a vehicle?

VISIBILITY/WIPER

What I assume happened to my wiper blades: In December of 2024 we got a lot of heavy snow. I turned on my car to heat it up while I worked on cleaning off the outside of the car. My wipers were set to auto so the car automatically tried to clear the snow from the windshield. I did not notice this since they didn't move due to the snow weight. Once snow was removed I noticed the wipers did not work so I brought it in for the dealership to look at it. They determined that the gear had been stripped and needed to be replaced and informed me that this is not covered under warranty. Since the repair I have not driven the car in snow, no longer use the auto wiper function, and am sure to clean off all snow/ice before I turn the blades on. End of February I turned the wipers on to clean the windshield by pulling lever back. No fluid came out, the blades went back and forth a few times and then only one blade started coming up while the other lay in its off position. Determined that my car is not holding any wiper fluid (unsure if this was not connected properly during last repair). Have an appointment to get the car looked at again.

AIR BAGS

The ECU malfunctioned and the passenger side airbag didn’t go off and should have. There were error codes and I told KIA service department about it but they weren’t to concerned and said they would look at it at my first service appointment

LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING

The ECU malfunctioned and the passenger side airbag didn’t go off and should have. There were error codes and I told KIA service department about it but they weren’t to concerned and said they would look at it at my first service appointment

LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION

The ECU malfunctioned and the passenger side airbag didn’t go off and should have. There were error codes and I told KIA service department about it but they weren’t to concerned and said they would look at it at my first service appointment

BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS

While traveling on a 4-lane highway and using cruise control, a car in the left-hand lane was making a left turn across a median cut through, and my car's sensors detected a collision and took me from 60 mph down to 35 mph in about five seconds. If a car had been behind me, it would have rear ended me. I no longer use the cruise control for this reason. And yes, my sensors were clean. I had just gotten the car cleaned within a day or two prior. I have an appointment this coming Monday to take it to the dealership, to have them look at it. Separate incident. While parked in a parking lot, came out of restaurant and cars were parked very close on either side of my car. My car's sensors detected collision and would not let me back out. I had to pull forward and try to go back numerous times before it finally released the collision warning and allowed me to back out. This happened many months ago, but I am just now having the time to take it and drop it to the dealership because they want to keep it all day.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

While traveling on a 4-lane highway and using cruise control, a car in the left-hand lane was making a left turn across a median cut through, and my car's sensors detected a collision and took me from 60 mph down to 35 mph in about five seconds. If a car had been behind me, it would have rear ended me. I no longer use the cruise control for this reason. And yes, my sensors were clean. I had just gotten the car cleaned within a day or two prior. I have an appointment this coming Monday to take it to the dealership, to have them look at it. Separate incident. While parked in a parking lot, came out of restaurant and cars were parked very close on either side of my car. My car's sensors detected collision and would not let me back out. I had to pull forward and try to go back numerous times before it finally released the collision warning and allowed me to back out. This happened many months ago, but I am just now having the time to take it and drop it to the dealership because they want to keep it all day.

STRUCTURE:BODY

The glass panel placed between the windshield and the Panoramic sunroof blew out with no external forces. Looking at other cases from online, this appears to be a problem dating back to the 2019 model. Attached are photos from the date of incident (12/31/2024) from 1/3/2025 and 1/17/2025.