2025 KIA SPORTAGE

LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST

On [XXX], at approximately [XXX], while driving my 2025 Kia Sportage with the lane assist system engaged in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, near the AT&T building at [XXX] , the system suddenly jerked the steering wheel sharply to the right while I was crossing an intersection. I had my hands on the wheel, but the force was so strong it felt as if someone else had grabbed it and tugged it hard. Despite trying to react immediately, the car slammed into a guardrail. This was an extreme safety issue, especially since I am [XXX]. The incident caused significant vehicle damage, leaking fluid, and left me stranded on the side of the road in unsafe heat conditions without being able to keep the car running for air conditioning. No warning lights appeared before the failure. The system appeared to malfunction without cause. This unexpected steering correction created a serious risk to my safety and the safety of others on the road. I trusted this safety feature, but instead it caused an accident. The vehicle is available for inspection by Kia, insurance, or investigators. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

STEERING

On [XXX], at approximately [XXX], while driving my 2025 Kia Sportage with the lane assist system engaged in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, near the AT&T building at [XXX] , the system suddenly jerked the steering wheel sharply to the right while I was crossing an intersection. I had my hands on the wheel, but the force was so strong it felt as if someone else had grabbed it and tugged it hard. Despite trying to react immediately, the car slammed into a guardrail. This was an extreme safety issue, especially since I am [XXX]. The incident caused significant vehicle damage, leaking fluid, and left me stranded on the side of the road in unsafe heat conditions without being able to keep the car running for air conditioning. No warning lights appeared before the failure. The system appeared to malfunction without cause. This unexpected steering correction created a serious risk to my safety and the safety of others on the road. I trusted this safety feature, but instead it caused an accident. The vehicle is available for inspection by Kia, insurance, or investigators. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL

While driving at random times, no specific speed limit, the screen behind the wheel which shows speed and tachometer, will go into a system check mode. This is similar to when you start up the vehicle. The screen will come back after 5 to 10 seconds but during that time no information is displayed. If you have the vehicle in cruise control, it will disconnect cruise control, and you must catch it, so it does not decelerate to much while in traffic. When it comes back up it may reengage the cruise and it may not. This is a safety issue while driving for both no screen as well as disconnection of cruise control as you can not tell your speed and it slows vehicle down with no brake indication for those behind you which could result in a crash. Vehicle went to dealership and they could not recreate, but were told to replace the cluster which they did, but the issue is still happening on the vehicle. I have a case open with the automobile manufacturer to have the vehicle purchased back as they are not sure what the issue is.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

While driving at random times, no specific speed limit, the screen behind the wheel which shows speed and tachometer, will go into a system check mode. This is similar to when you start up the vehicle. The screen will come back after 5 to 10 seconds but during that time no information is displayed. If you have the vehicle in cruise control, it will disconnect cruise control, and you must catch it, so it does not decelerate to much while in traffic. When it comes back up it may reengage the cruise and it may not. This is a safety issue while driving for both no screen as well as disconnection of cruise control as you can not tell your speed and it slows vehicle down with no brake indication for those behind you which could result in a crash. Vehicle went to dealership and they could not recreate, but were told to replace the cluster which they did, but the issue is still happening on the vehicle. I have a case open with the automobile manufacturer to have the vehicle purchased back as they are not sure what the issue is.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

While driving at random times, no specific speed limit, the screen behind the wheel which shows speed and tachometer, will go into a system check mode. This is similar to when you start up the vehicle. The screen will come back after 5 to 10 seconds but during that time no information is displayed. If you have the vehicle in cruise control, it will disconnect cruise control, and you must catch it, so it does not decelerate to much while in traffic. When it comes back up it may reengage the cruise and it may not. This is a safety issue while driving for both no screen as well as disconnection of cruise control as you can not tell your speed and it slows vehicle down with no brake indication for those behind you which could result in a crash. Vehicle went to dealership and they could not recreate, but were told to replace the cluster which they did, but the issue is still happening on the vehicle. I have a case open with the automobile manufacturer to have the vehicle purchased back as they are not sure what the issue is.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

The vehicle was being driven southbound on I135, near McPherson, KS, at highway speeds in good weather when the rear panel of the panoramic sunroof glass exploded/shattered for no apparent reason. The interior sunscreen was closed at the time or glass would have potentially fallen on the driver, thus distracting or potentially injuring the driver while traveling at highway speeds. The vehicle has not been inspected by the police as no criminal conduct is believed to have caused the glass to break. The local dealer claims no responsibility and doesn't even complete the repairs - send to a local auto glass repair company, which will inspect the glass when the new glass arrives. This appears to be a material defect or design issue as there have been multiple other Kia owners who have experienced similar sunroof glass failures, including a previous class action suit against Kia Motors for a similar issue.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL

The highway driving assist in my vehicle turns off without warning. It’s having control of the steering and speed but randomly even when the hands are on the steering it switches off with no warning. Because it has control on the steering it tries to adjust even if we are to move it a little, But when it disengages there’s no warning or indication. This is a dangerous and it needs to notify the driver when ever it’s disengaging. It either needs to have a warning or needs to be disabled by Kia through a recall. This seems to be a common problem in Kia vehicles as reported online. Kindly look into the issue!

STRUCTURE:BODY

The top molding on both the right and left side of the vehicle have blown off. Kia repairs one side by gluing it back into place but we are still waiting for the other side to be repaired. This is the same issue the Kia sportage ,2023-2024, reported and was filed for recall. I believe this is an ongoing issue with the 2025 model Kia sportage and should be added to the recall list.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I drove from work to home, which is less than 5 miles. I used my wireless charger for the first time since we bought it 4 days ago. When I got home, I turned the engine off and picked my phone from the wireless charger pad. The phone was extremely hot and so was the charger pad. It was scary that i thought it could start fire. I searched for this same problem online for kia sportage owners (kia forum) and found out that many of them have the same problem. I emailed the dealership and the response was “…i have seen many articles that a year or older phone do get warm/hot which is why the newest one have built in cooling systems”. I don’t think the phone is the problem. When I touched the charging pad, it was so hot.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Paint issue This vehicle has less than 4,000 miles on it and the paint (Glacial White) is peeling. I took it to the dealer (I'm waiting for a final determination from them) and their thoughts are that it looks like someone chipped the paint and tried to fix it. They described it as looking like they'd used "white out". After researching other paint problems with KIA vehicles, I have discovered other owners have had the same issue with their white KIA and their pictures look the same as mine...the plan white undercoat is what appears like white out.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

The fail that the Kia sportage 2025 had is that every time when accelerating the car would bounce back in a violent way. Safety was at risk on busy roads since car was not able to accelerate and instead bounced back making it more dangerous for the car behind. No problem has been confirmed. The car has not been inspected yet. The car seemed as normal without check engine lights or any manual transmission gear activated. Car was on drive and there was no alert or fail shown on screens

ENGINE

The fail that the Kia sportage 2025 had is that every time when accelerating the car would bounce back in a violent way. Safety was at risk on busy roads since car was not able to accelerate and instead bounced back making it more dangerous for the car behind. No problem has been confirmed. The car has not been inspected yet. The car seemed as normal without check engine lights or any manual transmission gear activated. Car was on drive and there was no alert or fail shown on screens

STEERING

My four month old Kia Sportage suddenly lunged forward two times. sudden Acceleration incident. [XXX]

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

My four month old Kia Sportage suddenly lunged forward two times. sudden Acceleration incident. [XXX]

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

My four month old Kia Sportage suddenly lunged forward two times. sudden Acceleration incident. [XXX]

BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS

I’m the owner of a 2025 Kia Sportage PHEV and I’m experiencing a critical software bug: the car does not retain my custom driver assistance settings. Specifically, I have a bike rack installed on the rear hitch. I disable automatic rear emergency braking to avoid false stops when reversing, but the setting resets every time I turn off the vehicle. This leads to the car emergency braking unnecessarily — the car will suddenly brake when trying to reverse out of a parking space. This is not a dealer-specific issue — it’s affecting other 2025 Sportage models as well. I’d like to know: Has Kia acknowledged this issue or issued a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB)? Is a software update being developed to allow driver-assist settings to persist through vehicle restarts?

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

While driving my 2025 Kia Sportage on the highway with my [XXX] son in the back seat, we experienced a sudden and dangerous malfunction that prompted this report. I was operating the vehicle as intended driving at a safe speed in normal highway conditions when an unexpected alarm sounded and the vehicles automated braking system suddenly and forcefully activated without warning. This caused the car to come to a complete and abrupt stop in the middle of active highway traffic, despite there being no obstacle or reason to brake. The product involved is the 2025 Kia Sportage, specifically its driver assistance and braking systems. I was the driver, and my son was a passenger. We were using the vehicle for normal, everyday travel. As a direct result of the incident, both my son and I sustained injuries. We experienced significant whiplash from the abrupt stop. My son also suffered a twisted spine, and I sustained a torn ligament in my ankle. Beyond the physical injuries, the emotional trauma has been substantial. The fear and anxiety that followed especially for my son have had lasting effects. He remains anxious in vehicles, and Ive struggled with panic and stress when driving or even thinking about being on the road again. This incident was not only physically harmful, but deeply traumatic, and it has severely impacted our sense of safety and trust in a vehicle that was supposed to protect us. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

While driving my 2025 Kia Sportage on the highway with my [XXX] son in the back seat, we experienced a sudden and dangerous malfunction that prompted this report. I was operating the vehicle as intended driving at a safe speed in normal highway conditions when an unexpected alarm sounded and the vehicles automated braking system suddenly and forcefully activated without warning. This caused the car to come to a complete and abrupt stop in the middle of active highway traffic, despite there being no obstacle or reason to brake. The product involved is the 2025 Kia Sportage, specifically its driver assistance and braking systems. I was the driver, and my son was a passenger. We were using the vehicle for normal, everyday travel. As a direct result of the incident, both my son and I sustained injuries. We experienced significant whiplash from the abrupt stop. My son also suffered a twisted spine, and I sustained a torn ligament in my ankle. Beyond the physical injuries, the emotional trauma has been substantial. The fear and anxiety that followed especially for my son have had lasting effects. He remains anxious in vehicles, and Ive struggled with panic and stress when driving or even thinking about being on the road again. This incident was not only physically harmful, but deeply traumatic, and it has severely impacted our sense of safety and trust in a vehicle that was supposed to protect us. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

STEERING

The steering shaft de-coupled from the steering wheel, leading to a complete loss of steering. After stop, engine was turned off and steering wheel lowered. At that point the steering wheel fell in my lap, completely decoupling from the steering collum.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL

vehicle dash reset and cruise control was set. when dash came back up car surged nearly causing a wreck Reported to dealership and they could not replicate so not sure what to do as they can never replicate the issues and won't do anything to help

POWER TRAIN

vehicle dash reset and cruise control was set. when dash came back up car surged nearly causing a wreck Reported to dealership and they could not replicate so not sure what to do as they can never replicate the issues and won't do anything to help

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

vehicle dash reset and cruise control was set. when dash came back up car surged nearly causing a wreck Reported to dealership and they could not replicate so not sure what to do as they can never replicate the issues and won't do anything to help

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Started vehicle and was driving, ISG (auto start stop) light went amber and transmission refused to shift to allow uphill travel. Had to pull over and turn engine off and on again for the transmission to start working. Have had to dealer, however yet again they cannot replicate in their test drive so they can't do anything about it.

POWER TRAIN

Started vehicle and was driving, ISG (auto start stop) light went amber and transmission refused to shift to allow uphill travel. Had to pull over and turn engine off and on again for the transmission to start working. Have had to dealer, however yet again they cannot replicate in their test drive so they can't do anything about it.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

was driving at 40mph and vehicle turned off engine. Auto start stop was beeping and flashing. steering and braking was hindered (was manual) for a few seconds until the auto start stop turned the engine on again. Had car to dealer with other issues (dash resets) and they couldn't duplicate the issue and stated there was nothing they could do

ENGINE

was driving at 40mph and vehicle turned off engine. Auto start stop was beeping and flashing. steering and braking was hindered (was manual) for a few seconds until the auto start stop turned the engine on again. Had car to dealer with other issues (dash resets) and they couldn't duplicate the issue and stated there was nothing they could do

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

was driving at 40mph and vehicle turned off engine. Auto start stop was beeping and flashing. steering and braking was hindered (was manual) for a few seconds until the auto start stop turned the engine on again. Had car to dealer with other issues (dash resets) and they couldn't duplicate the issue and stated there was nothing they could do

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Dash resets and you loose instruments for a few seconds. When they come back they are inaccurate. This has happened many times and have had the car to the dealer twice who cannot replicate the issue. Warning lamps did illuminate for a second then goes away. vehicle has had less than 300 miles on it when this first started

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Dash resets and you loose instruments for a few seconds. When they come back they are inaccurate. This has happened many times and have had the car to the dealer twice who cannot replicate the issue. Warning lamps did illuminate for a second then goes away. vehicle has had less than 300 miles on it when this first started

LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST

This only happens on the freeway but happens every time on the freeway. When using adapted cruise control and you hit the brake, when you reengage the cruise the LKA comes on and the steering wheel begins to assist. I do not want the lane assist to ever be engaged. I turned it off in the system settings. I believe it is a safety issue for drivers who are not aware that this will happen to them while driving and might cause a driver to jerk the wheel when they feel it the steering wheel move in their hands. I know it is going to happen but I am sometimes still startled by it. Besides being what I consised a safety issue, it [XXX] to have to hit the button to delete the LKA each time it happens, which, on a freeway with traffic, can be often. Otherwise, I love my Kia... [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL

This only happens on the freeway but happens every time on the freeway. When using adapted cruise control and you hit the brake, when you reengage the cruise the LKA comes on and the steering wheel begins to assist. I do not want the lane assist to ever be engaged. I turned it off in the system settings. I believe it is a safety issue for drivers who are not aware that this will happen to them while driving and might cause a driver to jerk the wheel when they feel it the steering wheel move in their hands. I know it is going to happen but I am sometimes still startled by it. Besides being what I consised a safety issue, it [XXX] to have to hit the button to delete the LKA each time it happens, which, on a freeway with traffic, can be often. Otherwise, I love my Kia... [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

I recently purchased this vehicle. Only after purchasing it did I realize the unsafe/hazardous location of the backup light. The backup light, located under the rear license plate on the rear bumper, cannot be easily seen by oncoming vehicles, promoting the chance of a rear end collision. It would have been more reasonable to locate it within the area where the housing for the turn signals, warning flasher and brake lights are located. There is a blank wedge within that housing that could be replaced with clearly visible backup lights. I don't feel safe backing-up in this vehicle and am asking for remediation of this non-feature. Please advise me how I can protect myself and those approaching my new vehicle. I'm an avid user of turn signals and careful driving. This needs to be the concern of Kia designers and advisors. I'm surprised that this was not caught by your Administration. Please advise.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I have a 2025 KIASportage Hybrid that I loved due to all its safety features. Yesterday I was pulling into a parking space when my car lunged forward two times making very loud sounds. I was near a brick pillar it it tore off the right front of my car. The bricks were damaged. When I came home I looked up Kia Sportage lunching problems. There are many to read. They talk about “sudden acceleration’” and that is exactly what happened. It just lunged forward. Thankfully a human was not on the sidewalk. It went up over the curb and on the sidewalk. It’s called a jerking car in articles. Even if my car is fixable I won’t trust it. If this problem IS FIXABLE, why isn’t it fixed before selling the car to consumers. I’m quite distraught about this event. Warning must go out to consumers. I called a collision center this morning and they have seen this before. On the Cars Connect website, it tells of this event on 2020 Kia Sportage. It says ‘’Violent, scared the heck out of me.” So, what is happening and why hasn’t it been fixed? I could have injured someone badly. [XXX] [XXX] Arlington, Texas INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

I have a 2025 KIASportage Hybrid that I loved due to all its safety features. Yesterday I was pulling into a parking space when my car lunged forward two times making very loud sounds. I was near a brick pillar it it tore off the right front of my car. The bricks were damaged. When I came home I looked up Kia Sportage lunching problems. There are many to read. They talk about “sudden acceleration’” and that is exactly what happened. It just lunged forward. Thankfully a human was not on the sidewalk. It went up over the curb and on the sidewalk. It’s called a jerking car in articles. Even if my car is fixable I won’t trust it. If this problem IS FIXABLE, why isn’t it fixed before selling the car to consumers. I’m quite distraught about this event. Warning must go out to consumers. I called a collision center this morning and they have seen this before. On the Cars Connect website, it tells of this event on 2020 Kia Sportage. It says ‘’Violent, scared the heck out of me.” So, what is happening and why hasn’t it been fixed? I could have injured someone badly. [XXX] [XXX] Arlington, Texas INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

I have a 2025 KIASportage Hybrid that I loved due to all its safety features. Yesterday I was pulling into a parking space when my car lunged forward two times making very loud sounds. I was near a brick pillar it it tore off the right front of my car. The bricks were damaged. When I came home I looked up Kia Sportage lunching problems. There are many to read. They talk about “sudden acceleration’” and that is exactly what happened. It just lunged forward. Thankfully a human was not on the sidewalk. It went up over the curb and on the sidewalk. It’s called a jerking car in articles. Even if my car is fixable I won’t trust it. If this problem IS FIXABLE, why isn’t it fixed before selling the car to consumers. I’m quite distraught about this event. Warning must go out to consumers. I called a collision center this morning and they have seen this before. On the Cars Connect website, it tells of this event on 2020 Kia Sportage. It says ‘’Violent, scared the heck out of me.” So, what is happening and why hasn’t it been fixed? I could have injured someone badly. [XXX] [XXX] Arlington, Texas INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

WHEELS

On [XXX] I took ownership of the described brand new vehicle from Kia of Portland OR,(12miles on the odometer) and insisted twice to sales management that the vehicle is prep'ed with a full fuel tank, fully charged battery and that tires are set to OE spec. The following 2 days the area experienced a head wave of near 100oF. During the following week, we noticed instability with the vehicle driving. Upon verification of the tires pressure with a digital pressure gauge on 6/12/25 at 8am to my disbelieve I discovered that both left side tires (Michelin PRIMACY TOUR A/S 235/55/R19) where at 50.3/50.4 PSI while the right side tires where set correctly at 35.4 PSI. After conversation with Michelin these tires may have exceeded during the heat wave the max allowed operating pressure of 51 PSI making them unsafe for driving. I immediately contacted the dealership Maintenance manager who confirmed that on their digital record the vehicle, as part of Kia standard procedure, was transported and arrived with all 4 tires above 50PSI and that the maintenance team, despite been warned, they forgot to reduce the tire pressure to OE spec of 35PSI on the left tires before allowing the vehicle to be operated on Oregon highways/streets. I requested Kia to send a technician to inspect and adjust the tires but the Maintenance manager refused. Thus I had to gradually release the pressure to match the right side tires and OE spec (35PSI). After the adjustment of the right side tires the vehicle did not exhibited more stability issues. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY

The panoramic sunroof exploded. We were driving down the hwy. Going roughly 55mph when there was a loud bang and glass started falling down on us. Glass fell down onto our heads and our child. The sunroof Glass was pushed up and outward so nothing had hit the car to make the Glass cave in. Two small peices had fallen from the sunroof mechanism one containing a rubber gasket and one lacking one.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

The panoramic sunroof exploded. We were driving down the hwy. Going roughly 55mph when there was a loud bang and glass started falling down on us. Glass fell down onto our heads and our child. The sunroof Glass was pushed up and outward so nothing had hit the car to make the Glass cave in. Two small peices had fallen from the sunroof mechanism one containing a rubber gasket and one lacking one.

POWER TRAIN

My KIA Sportage Hybrid SX Prestige, bought brand new on 4/29/2025 and had 250 miles when I had transmission problem on weekend after 3 days of ownership. The car, when slowed down to about 30 miles/Hr, transmission suddenly shifted to neutral and the engine became dead. This happened 3 times within half an hour on freeway during the time of high traffic. I had to pull over and restarted the engine. I brought the car to the dealership on Monday, May 5 of 2025 and it took them 3 days to reproduced the problem to send to KIA service headquarter and today is May 29 (3 weeks and 3 days later) the car is still in the shop waiting for a new transmission replacement.

VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY

Driving home from work on 5/16/2025 and my sunroof exploded. It sounded like a gun shot then there was glass falling into my car. I had hlass in my hair and tiny cuts in my arms.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Driving home from work on 5/16/2025 and my sunroof exploded. It sounded like a gun shot then there was glass falling into my car. I had hlass in my hair and tiny cuts in my arms.

STRUCTURE

The contact owns a 2025 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and occupied, while inspecting inside the vehicle, the contact saw a rodent on top of the air cabin filter, and there were pieces missing from the air cabin filter due to rodent damage. A dealer was contacted. The contact was informed by the dealer that there was a hole between the engine compartment and the passenger’s compartment. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 17,000.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

My sunroof exploded on my vehicle. I had no idea that this is something that can happen but saw that there was a class action lawsuit about this back in 2011. My sunroof had a giant hole in the middle out of nowhere.

LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST

car is 119 miles. I was driving and steering wheel stopped working out of nowhere.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

car is 119 miles. I was driving and steering wheel stopped working out of nowhere.

STEERING

car is 119 miles. I was driving and steering wheel stopped working out of nowhere.