What 392 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 Kia Sportage Plug-in Hybrid

WE HAVE HAD TO BRING IN AND HAVE REPAIRED TWICE WITH OUR KIA , IT WAS DUE TO A FAULTY CLUSTER , SO AM WONDERING WHAT DUE WE DO NEXT ,,,,,THANK YOU *TR

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 KIA SPORTAGE. WHILE DRIVING OR ATTEMPTING TO START THE VEHICLE, THE ENGINE SEIZED. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE BATTERY POST WERE TOO BIG FOR THE BATTERY CONNECTORS. AS A RESULT, ALL THE ELECTRICITY IN THE VEHICLE FAILED, INCLUDING THE POWER STEERING AND BRAKES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 16,132.

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WHILE DRIVING ON FREEWAY AT 70 MPH CAR ENGINE SLOWED TO 40 WITHOUT WARNING THEN DOWN TO 20, ALMOST CAUSING MULTIPLE CARS TO CRASH INTO ME. MANAGED TO DRIVE CAR DIRECTLY TO KIA DEALER WHILE GOING FROM DRIVING FINE, TO SLOWING TO 20 MPH TO SHAKING WHEN AT A STOP LIGHT WHEN I DROPPED OFF CAR TO DEALER THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG. SAYS I HAVE TO PICK BACK UP. PRIOR TO THIS, WHILE ON FREEWAY ENGINE WOULD WIND AND REV RPM WITHOUT MOVING OR ACCELERATING. HAD KIA COMPUTER HOOKED UP FOR WEEKS AND IT DID NOT RECORD ANYTHING. I HAVE HAD IT IN NUMEROUS TIMES AND THEY CANNOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG. VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH MY CHOICE IN KIA. *JS

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DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE, THE ENGINE OF THE CAR GAVE OUT. I WAS GIVEN ZERO WARNING BEFORE THE ENGINE COMPLETELY DIED AND I WAS FORCED TO PULL MY CAR OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I WAS LUCKY THAT THE CAR BEHIND ME DID NOT HIT ME. THE CAR IS ONLY 2 YEARS OLD WITH ABOUT 30,000 MILES AND THIS SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED. IT PUT MY LIFE AND THAT OF MY 11 MONTH OLD SON AT RISK. THE PUBLIC NEEDS TO BE AWARE OF THIS ISSUE! NO ONE SHOULD HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT BEING IN A FATAL ACCIDENT DUE TO KIA'S FAULTY PARTS. *TR

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AT APPROXIMATELY 5:30AM, I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY. MY KIA SPORTAGE SUDDENLY MADE A LOUD BANG, AND THE ENGINE STALLED. IT ALSO SHUT OFF THE HEADLIGHTS, AND DISABLED THE POWER STEERING, WHILE ON A CURVE, GOING 70MPH. THE POWER ASSISTED BRAKES WERE ALSO NOT WORKING, BECAUSE THE ENGINE SHUT DOWN. I MANAGED TO PULL THE VEHICLE OVER WITHOUT INCIDENT, BUT WAS ALMOST HIT BY SEVERAL VEHICLES THAT COULD NO LONGER SEE ME, BECAUSE MY LIGHTS WERE OFF. THE ENGINE WOULD NOT START UP AGAIN, AND I HAD TO HAVE THE VEHICLE TOWED HOME. THIS IS THE 3RD TIME THIS VEHICLE HAS DONE THIS, AND KIA REFUSES TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE. *TR

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I WAS EXITING THE HIGHWAY ONTO A MEDIAN DIVIDED STREET THAT RUNS EAST/WEST. I WAS STOPPED AT THE LIGHT, IN A DOUBLE TURN LANE, ONCE THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN I PROCEEDED TO TURN WEST GOING ABOUT 5 MPH, IMMEDIATELY I WAS HIT BY A WOMAN TO THE LEFT OF ME IN THE PARALLEL TURN LANE IN MY FRONT DRIVER SIDE QUARTER PANEL. HER CAR HIT AT NEARLY A 90 DEGREE ANGLE WITH ENOUGH IMPACT TO ROCK THE SPORTAGE, IT BUCKLED THE HOOD AND KNOCKED OFF SEVERAL OF THE GRILL PANELS. NOT UNTIL I MOVED THE CAR AND EXITED DID I REALIZE THAT THERE WAS A THIRD CAR INVOLVED THAT IMPACTED THE CAR THAT HIT ME DRIVING HER INTO MY CAR WITH ENOUGH FORCE THAT HER WINDOWS SHATTER AND BENT HER FRONT WHEEL IN. HER AIRBAGS EMPLOYED IN HER VM JETTA CONVERTIBLE, IN ADDITION, TO THE ROLL BARS DEPLOYING. I AM CONCERNED THAT NONE OF MY FRONT AND/OR SIDE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED DURING THE CRASH. MY PASSENGER AND MYSELF SUSTAINED BRUISING FROM THE IMPACT AND SEAT BELT RESTRAINT. WHY DIDN'T THE BAGS DEPLOY? IT WOULD APPEAR THEY ARE DEFECTIVE? *TR

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I WAS PULLING OUT INTO TRAFFIC AND DID NOT SEE A CAR DUE THEIR HEADLIGHTS WERE NOT ON. WE HIT AND NONE OF MY AIR BACK DEPLOYED THE WHOLE FRONT OF MY CAR WAS SMASHED AND I HIT MY HEAD ON THE DOOR JAM AND MY VEHICLE HAS SIDE AIR BAGS ALSO. I HAVE CONTACTED KIA AND INITIALLY GOT A CASE # AND STUFF. THE CASE # IS [XXX]. I DID RECEIVED ONE MESS FROM THEM REQUESTION STUFF BUT THEY DID NOT LEAVE ANY KINDOF RETURN # OR ANY FAX # OR EMAIL FOR ME TO SEND THE REQUESTED INFORMATION BACK TOO. I HAVE CALLED KIA APPROX. THREE TIMES A WK WITH NO ANSWERS OR RETURN CALLS TODAY I CALLED AND WAS ABLE TO GET A FAX #. I WAS PERFECTLY HEALTHY PRIOR TO MY WRECK NOW I HAVE TO TAKE PAIN MEDS TO MAKE IT THROUGH THE DAY AND I CAN NOT DO HOUSE WORK OR PICK UP MY TOW YEAR OLD. SOMEONE SHOULD LOOK INTO WHY THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

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DRIVING TO WORK IN JULY 2013 I HEARD A LOUD POP SOUND AND LOOKED AROUND AND NOTICED NOTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY ABOUT 10 SECONDS LATER MY PANORAMIC SUNROOF SHATTERED. I THOUGHT MAYBE SOMETHING WAS KICKED UP FROM A TRUCK IN FRONT OF ME AND HIT THE ROOF SO I FILED A CLAIM WITH MY INSURANCE COMPANY. LUCKILY IT WAS TAKEN CARE OF. NOW ITS MARCH 2014 AND I HAD THE SAME THINK HAPPEN, I HEARD A LOUD POP LOOKED AROUND AND SAW NOTHING UNTIL THE NEXT DAY. MY WINDSHIELD WAS CRACKED AND THE PANEL OF GLASS BETWEEN THE WINDSHIELD AND THE PANORAMIC SUNROOF SHATTERED. I TOO CALLED THE DEALER AND THEY TOLD ME TO CALL MY INSURANCE COMPANY THAT THIS WAS NOT THEIR PROBLEM. TWICE IS ONE YEAR...I THINK THIS IS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT. *TR

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I SWERVED TO HIT A DEER, HIT THE DEER THEN WENT IN TO THE DITCH AND DROVE HEAD ON INTO A TREE. THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, AND I AM WONDERING WHY. *TR

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I WAS WAITING AT A STOP LIGHT WHEN I HEARD A HUGE POP SOUND ALMOST LIKE A FIRECRACKER AND WHEN I TURNED AROUND TO SEE WHAT IT WAS MY ENTIRE BACK WINDOW WAS COMPLETELY SHATTERED. THERE WAS NO ROCK OR ANY OBJECT LIKE THAT TO BE FOUND ANYWHERE SO I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT CAUSED IT, MAYBE PRESSURE OR AN AIR BUBBLE? IT SEEMED LIKE A DEFAULT IN THE WINDOW TO ME BUT OF COURSE IT'S NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. *TR

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I PULLED A TRAILER FOR THE FIRST TIME ON THIS DATE. THE TRUCK ONLY MADE IT 10 MILES, AND LOST ALL POWER, AND I BARELY MADE IT OFF OF THE FREEWAY. BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER, AND THEY FOUND THE SPARK PLUGS BLEW APART. ALL THEY DID WAS CHANGE THE SPARK PLUGS AND SENT ME ON MY WAY. ON JULY 13TH, I TOWED MY CAMPER, WHICH WAS LIGHTER THAN THE LAST TRAILER I PULLED. THIS TIME, ABOUT 6 MILES INTO THE TRIP, THE ENGINE COMPLETELY LET GO ON THE HIGHWAY. I HAD TO GET ACROSS 4 LANES OF TRAFFIC WITH NO POWER AND A CAMPER IN-TOW. WAITED AT THE SIDE OF THE ROAD FOR AN HOUR AND A HALF BEFORE KIA SENT A TOW VEHICLE. DISCOVERED ALL 4 SPARK PLUGS WERE DESTROYED, AND A HOLE IN CYLINDER 3. KIA WILL NOT WARRANTY IT, BLAMING THE ENGINE FAILURE ON THE CAMPER NOT HAVING TRAILER BRAKES(COMPLETELY ABSURD). THE FIRST FAILURE IN JUNE, THE TRAILER WEIGHED 500LBS MORE, AND HAD TRAILER BRAKES. KIA DOES NOT WANT TO ADMIT FAULT FOR THIS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS FAULT IN THEIR ENGINE. THE VEHICLE IS RATED FOR 2,000LBS TOWING CAPACITY, AND BOTH TRAILERS WERE WELL UNDER THE LIMIT. MY CAMPER IS ONLY 1,155LBS. COMPLETE ENGINE FAILURE ON THE HIGHWAY PUT ME AND MY ENTIRE FAMILY IN DANGER TWICE. THIS IS UN-ACCEPTABLE. THIS WAS A LOADED SX AWD.(TURBOCHARGED). *TR

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ITS APPROX 57 DEGREES OUT. 6:30 AM THIS MORNING WENT OUTSIDE TO START CAR CAME, BACK 10 MINUTES LATER TO GO TO WORK AND FOUND A CRACK (WHICH WASN'T THERE WHEN I STARTED THE CAR) FROM BOTTOM LEFT CORNER UP TO THE TOP. ON MY WAY TO WORK ANOTHER CRACK STARTED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WINDSHIELD. MY CAR IS 9 WEEKS OLD, NO ACCIDENT, NO CHIPS. WHEN I CALLED THE CAR DEALER THEY SAID CALL MY INSURANCE COMPANY IT SHOULD BE COVERED. I TOLD THEM THAT I FELT THEY SHOULD TAKE CARE OF IT. THEY TOLD ME NO. WHAT WILL HAPPEN IN THE DEAD OF WINTER? *TR

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WHILE TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, OR ANY SPEED ABOVE 30MPH ON A STRAIGHT ROAD VEHICLE REQUIRES CONSTANT CORRECTION TO TRACK VEHICLE IN A STRAIGHT LINE. WITHOUT CONSTANT CORRECTION, THE VEHICLE WOULD LEAVE THE ROAD SURFACE. THE RESISTANCE TO STEERING PRESSURE IN CORRELATION TO SPEED DOES NOT SEEM PROPERLY PROGRAMMED FOR VEHICLE. THE BEST WAY TO DESCRIBE THIS IS TO DRIVE A CAR THAT WOULD OTHERWISE TRACK DOWN THE ROAD CORRECTLY, NOW THROW CONTROL ARMS WITH WORN OUT BUSHINGS AND BALL JOINTS. IT ACTS EXACTLY LIKE THAT, EXCEPT A CAR WITH WORN OUT CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS AND BALL JOINTS WOULD IN NO WAY SHAPE OR FORM PASS A SAFETY INSPECTION IN ANY STATE. THIS PROBLEM, ON TRIPS OVER 45 MINUTES EXCESSIVELY FATIGUES THE DRIVER. (I THOUGHT I WAS GOING CRAZY ON A 4.5 HOUR TRIP MOSTLY EXPRESSWAY SPEEDS) OVER 80MPH THIS PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE ELIMINATED...BUT NOT WORTH THE ENDANGERMENT OF OTHERS USING THE ROADWAY. *JS

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 KIA SPORTAGE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE PROCEEDED TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE GEAR PLACED IN PARK. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO STOP THE VEHICLE BY UTILIZING THE EMERGENCY BRAKE. HE ALSO OPENED THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR IN THE EVENT THAT HE WOULD HAVE TO JUMP FROM THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO TWO PARKED VEHICLES, TRAPPING THE CONTACT BETWEEN THE VEHICLES. THE CONTACT RECEIVED INJURIES THE ARMS, SHOULDERS AND RIBS. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL MECHANIC BUT WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 3,500.

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BRAKE PEDAL GRIP PADDING FALLS OFF, LEAVING A SLIPPERY SURFACE AND A FALLEN GRIP PADDING BLOCKING BRAKE PEDAL. WHILE DRIVING IN FREEWAY AT 65 MPH. DRIVER LOST CONTROL OF VEHICLE, SWERVING INTO TWO TOLL LANES & CRASHING INTO SEVERAL RUBBER DIVIDERS. AFTER THIS INCIDENT THE BRAKE PEDAL GRIP PADDING HAS CONTINUED TO FALL OFF WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE. KIA DEALERSHIP & SERVICE DEPARTMENT DENIED A MANUFACTURING DEFECT IN TGHE VEHICLE WITHOUT EVEN INSPECTING THE VEHICLE. *TT

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VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED NEW AND ON THE WAY HOME FROM THE DEALERSHIP THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED AS I WAS APPROCHING A TRAFFIC LIGHT AND THE BRAKES MADE A VERY VERY LOUD GRINDING NOISE AND THE VEHICLE DID NOT WANT TO STOP AFTER BRAKES WERE APPLIED SO I HAD TO PUT MUCH MORE THAN NORMAL PRESSURE ON THE BRAKE PEDAL TO GET THE VEHICLE TO STOP. I CARRIED THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE IT CHECKED (DID NOT MAKE THE NOISE ON THE WAY TO THE DEALERSHIP) AND AFTER CHECKING IT I WAS TOLD BY THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT THAT THEY COULD NOT GET IT TO MAKE THE NOISE AND COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE BRAKES. ON THE WAY HOME FROM THE DEALERSHIP THE VEHICLE MADE THE SAME MALFUNCTION ONCE (LOUD BRAKE GRINDING NOISE AND HARD TO STOP) BUT DID NOT DO THE SAME THE REST OF THE WAY HOME. MY WIFE AND DAUGHTER DROVE THE VEHICLE AND AS THEY WERE APPROCHING STOPPED TRAFFIC AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT AND SHE APPLIED THE BRAKES THE VEHICLE MADE THE SAME MALFUNCTION WITH THE BRAKES MAKING THE LOUD GRINDING NOISE (AS SHE SAID IT SOUND LIKE CHAINS WRAPPED AROUND THE BRAKE CALIPERS IT WAS SO LOUD) THE VEHICLE DID NOT WANT TO STOP AS THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED IN THE NORMAL MANNER AND SHE ALMOST HIT THE STOPPED VEHICLES IN FRONT OF HER BEFORE SHE COULD GET IT STOPPED (TRAVELING AT 45 MPH) AND THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER LIGHTS BEGAN TO FLASH ON AND OFF. PLEASE NOTE THIS BRAKE MALFUNCTION HAS HAPPENED (3) TIMES SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS BOUGHT NEW AND WE HAVE ONLY DRIVEN IT APPROX. 80 MILES AND MY CONCERN IS WHEN THE MALFUNCTION OCCURED WE WERE ONLY TRAVELING AT APPROX. 45 MPH AND COULD HARDLY GET THE VEHICLE STOPPED SO WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT A HIGHER RATE OF SPEED AND THIS MALFUNCTION OCCURED - SHE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO GET THE VEHICLE STOPPED IN THE DISTANCE REQUIRED TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT. *TT

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DRIVING AT APPROX. 35 MPH, EXITING THE 405 S FREEWAY IN SOCAL ON THE BROOKHURST N EXIT RAMP, HEARD A LOUD POP. CHECKING THE FRONT WINDSHIELD, I SEE A LONG 13 INCH CRACK IN THE GLASS AT THE TOP RIGHT HAND CORNER, BEGINNING AT THE EDGE OF THE WINDSHIELD WHERE IT'S CONNECTED TO THE CAR BODY FRAME AND EXTENDING LEFT TOWARD THE CENTER OF THE WINDSHIELD. AFTER PARKING THE CAR, I INSPECT THE CRACK, WHICH IS COMPLETELY SMOOTH, INDICATING THAT IT WAS NOT POSSIBLE FOR A ROCK TO HAVE CHIPPED OR GOUGED THE GLASS TO START THE CRACK. ANY GLASS DUST WAS FOUND AT THE EDGE OF THE WINDSHIELD WHERE THE CRACK ORIGINATED. CLEARLY, A STRESS CRACK. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE IF THE FRONT WINDSHIELD WERE TO CRACK OR SHATTER UNEXPECTEDLY DURING NORMAL AND SAFE OPERATION OF A MOVING VEHICLE, THEN THAT WOULD CERTAINLY BE A POSSIBLE CAUSE FOR AN ACCIDENT AND/OR INJURY TO THE DRIVER AND ANY PASSENGERS. *TR

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