What 380 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Kia Sportage Phev

The contact owns a 2019 Kia Sportage. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle started to hesitate intermittently. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact continued driving to her destination and after parking the vehicle, the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling), however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 163,463.

NHTSA ODI 11539787

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving at 75 MPH, the vehicle lost significant motive power, and he heard an abnormal knock emanating from the engine compartment. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the rod bearings. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 113,000.

NHTSA ODI 11539387

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sportage. The contact stated while driving approximately 100 MPH, there was a loud banging sound coming from the front of the vehicle, with white smoke coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact stated that while inspecting the vehicle, a huge hole was discovered under the engine which caused all the engine oil to leak out of the engine. The vehicle was later towed to the residence. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not contacted regarding the failure. The failure mileage was 151,000.

NHTSA ODI 11530600

I was stopped at a red light, once the light turned green I was accelerating when I lost power and the engine stalled, pumping the gas did nothing. I was able to coast to the side of the road but my car never did start back. There is only 125278 miles on the car and I have only had it 2 months.

NHTSA ODI 11523097

Engine failure told short-block assembly related issues. Told by mechanic it was pistons and related engine failure.

NHTSA ODI 11519337

While driving on the highway there was a 'pop' sound and then the smell of smoke. After pulling over to the side of the highway, roughly 20 seconds later, smoke was pouring out of the front of the vehicle and within a minute it was engulfed in flames.

NHTSA ODI 11518710

Was driving on the interstate at approximately 80 MPH went to slow down for a slow car in the fast lane and lost power in the middle of traffic. Check engine light began flashing. Upon a check of the check engine code it gave a known recall with a number of kias in this model and year range covered with lifetime engine replacement. Error code P-1326 glow relay stuck on. Considering my fuel combustion engine does not have a glow relay this should fall under the already known covered issues and be extended to my vehicle

NHTSA ODI 11518518

On April 29,2023 I was driving my son's Kia Sportage on the interstate after dropping him off at the airport and the car started knocking as soon as I heard that I pulled over on the side of the road. I got out of the car opened the hood checked the oil and there wasn't a drop of oil on the dipstick. I put some oil and Lucas in and tried to start the car and the motor was seized. My son had just got the oil changed at a oil lube center and the car does not leak oil so where did all of the oil go to. There was no warning of anything no lights on the dash came on just less than 5min of knocking engine and then seized.

NHTSA ODI 11516142

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front driver's side tire had a blowout. The contact pulled over and replaced the tire with a spare. The contact continued to drive, but the vehicle was shaking. The contact pulled over, and a tow truck arrived on the scene. The tow truck driver restarted the vehicle, and a loud sound was heard. A piece of the engine had detached. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who determined that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 106,188.

NHTSA ODI 11512460

My car caught on fire on the highway due to a kia recall and kia isn't willing to fix my car because i was unaware of the recall. I was on the highway driving my 9 month old baby to her fathers home and then i heard a rattling under the hood. all of a sudden my car stopped driving and it caught on fire thankfully I had my partner with me so he put out the fire. At the moment the KIA dealership has been brutally rude to the point that they've raised their voices at me and threaten to charge me more fees for my car being there because I was waiting to hear back from KIA. On top of everything i called the dealership that i bought the car from and has cursed me and sent me to hell because they did not go over the car fax with me or even advise me this vehicle had an open recall. he practically took my money, charged me and at the end of the service threw papers on the desk said here is your car fax and told me to have a nice day. I am getting no sympathy for my daughter being in the car and i don't know much about cars so thankfully i had someone with me who notice the fire, on top of my financial hardships right now because of my car being at KIA. I waited 3 weeks for KIA corp to tell me my engine has no warranty and there is nothing they can do to help please tell me you can help me with this if not a referral to someone who can.

NHTSA ODI 11505990

At first i heard a knocking noise as if something fell from under the hood then my car stopped accelerating then the engine light went off oil light as well. Mind you I'm in the car with my 9 month old baby in the middle of the highway i stop my car where it was smoking i lifted my hood and there was a fire i had to put out because if i didn't my car would have blew up then the car never turned back on other then the urgency of my situation i dropped my car off to a kia dealership completely rude and unsympathetic and still haven't heard a word back about my car or even trying to get me into a rental worse experience of my life I almost die and kia fails to act like they give a damn.

NHTSA ODI 11501625

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made an abnormally loud knocking sound. The contact stated that the vehicle previously had the brakes, four tires, fuel injectors, and spark plugs replaced; however, the failure recurred. Additionally, the vehicle experienced rough driving. The vehicle was taken to two independent mechanics, who diagnosed that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, and the dealer informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

NHTSA ODI 11499377

At an instant i though i herd a pop come from the front under the hood then i looked all the gauges lite up and the engine lite also Damon on and i noticed the RPM dropped to Zero and it would not restart

NHTSA ODI 11496673

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made an abnormal knocking sound. The contact pulled over and had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

NHTSA ODI 11494127

The contact's sister owns a 2013 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while she was driving approximately 65 MPH, there was a jolt to the vehicle with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact’s sister stated that the brakes worked as needed; however, the power steering assist failed, and extra effort was needed to steer the vehicle off the highway. The contact’s sister stated that soon after stopping, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer to be diagnosed and it was determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The mechanic related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 112,000.

NHTSA ODI 11494031

I have a 2013 Kia Sportage with 85,000 miles on it. I had an email back in 2018 that said that there was a recall for engine issues. I immediately called and they said that based on my VIN number, it did not affect my car. On 11/6/2022, My engine died while I was coming back from Tampa, FL to Jacksonville, FL in Ocala with no warning whatsoever. I had it towed to a mechanic who knew exactly what was wrong. He had worked on several Kia's with the same engine problem and told me to call KIA regarding the warranty. I called Kia Resolution Center as well as Kia Corporate Headquarters and they all stated that there was NOT a safety issue with my engine. They said they sent out a Product Update for an extended warranty, which I do not recall getting back in 2021, or I would have obviously called to get it. Because I did not respond to the Product Update, that I never received, they will NOT cover the replacement engine or even help with it. I had to sell my car as is with no engine to put a down payment on a car at a dealership. My car was paid for with very low mileage and very well maintained with regular oil changes, etc. There are hundreds and hundreds of complaints about this same issue, but Kia does not want to take responsibility for their obvious shotty engines. I will NEVER buy another Kia or recommend one.

NHTSA ODI 11493497

I was driving down a hill within miles of our home on route 50 with my teenage son in the passenger seat when my kia downshifted, and just quit working, and then we noticed smoke under the hood. We got it to the side of the road. When popping the hood we couldn't tell what was going on but there was a spark/fire that we extinguished with a soda I had. I did not have to call fire or police. Thank goodness there were no other cars around and we were not injured. It was around 10:30am and was pretty scary. There were no warning lights or sounds at the time of the incident. I had just had all new brakes, rotors, and tires put on in over the summer. We did get it towed to All body auto near where the incident occurred. They said there was a hole in the engine that is not fixable. I notified my insurance company and he said to contact the kia dealership where i bought it because of the recalls. The dealership said they couldn't do anything because I missed a sensor recall P12103 in the last 2 years so I cant get the SC141. and I am over the 150k miles. I also called the kia company number who told me the same thing. I told them that I moved and never received anything about either recall. But they won't tow my car or fix it at no charge like the recalls online said they would do. They also said my vin doesn't get the SC253 recall. They said my kia needs to go to a dealership but they won't tow it. They said i may be reimbursed. I am just super frustrated. I can't leave my kia at the auto body shop. So I sent my kia claim up to national and am waiting on a return call. but i don't think anything will get done.

NHTSA ODI 11491908

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sportage. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. The contact pulled over and the check engine warning light and several unknown warning lights illuminated. Additionally, there was an abnormal burning odor coming from the vehicle. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle and the vehicle operated normally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed; however, the cause of the failure could not be determined. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 143,000.

NHTSA ODI 11487907

My motor completely seized up in the middle of driving on a busy road. I was left in traffic suddenly with no power and no way to maneuver out of harms way.

NHTSA ODI 11486007

I was driving home from work on 08/29/2022 in lane #4 at 60 mph during 5:00 o'clock traffic .a I heard a small pop and lost all power. Smoke came from under the hood and the car was dead. Luckily there was no on in the HOV lane and I immediately pulled to the left. Oil was all over the road and the car. An oils slick like that is dangerous not only to the driver of the car but other motorists or motorcycle riders. Thank god my wife wasn't driving it. I had it towed to the KIA dealer and they notified me there was a known issue with this engine and I I didn't have the KSDS sensor updated and Kia would not do any repairs. I had never received any notifications about safety issues or a recall. Since this has happened I found out there was a class action lawsuit which I never knew about either. I now have a car that has a blown engine and Kia will do nothing to repair it even though it is a known common problem. I believe KIA should provide more support for their engine failures and the lack of notification to their consumers.

NHTSA ODI 11485108

I was traveling at approx. 65 miles an hour in the #3 lane in traffic, when I lost power suddenly as if the engine died. I was able to immediately exit the freeway at the first exit and pulled into a gas station. (Approx. 2 blocks from the freeway exit) I noticed a light on the dash was lit in the shape of an engine that wasn't lit before. At this time, I heard an unusual loud knocking noise coming from the engine compartment. I had just come from the store and had frozen food in the car. I didn't know what was causing the noise it didn't sound good and decided to just have AAA tow it to my house. Once the car was at home in my driveway and I had unloaded the frozen food, I plugged in my OBDII reader which gave me a p1326 code. I checked to see what it meant and found out my year Sportage was prone to some kind of Premature bearing wear. The car has been serviced by the book by Kia of Alhambra since we have owned it. It was just in for an oil change, transmission flush, and brakes on the 19th of August 2022. We have never received any notice via email, mail, or from the dealership regarding any recall or potential problem at any time. This car is primarily driven by my wife. I'm glad she wasn't driving when this happened. I will be contacting Kia of Alhambra tomorrow and possibly having the vehicle towed there.

NHTSA ODI 11484731

KIA needs to notify its customers that they have RECALL's, not CAMPAIGNS. It was unfortunately bad timing for me that when the letter from Kia arrived, announcing a “Campaign”, not a recall, that I was preparing to have another open heart surgery and a “campaign” just didn’t seem important. My business has campaigns all the time, marketing campaigns. If one of my product lines has a problem with a product that could impact safety or performance, they have a RECALL. I realize that I will never get reimbursed for the money I had to spend for a new engine, and when my credit card bill arrives in the next week or two, I will have to get a short term loan to pay for it. Because you did send a letter. But it was for a CAMPAIGN, not a RECALL. Even with my impending surgery a RECALL letter would have been put on my refrigerator or somewhere so that when I got out of the hospital I could have taken care of it. But it was a F’ing campaign!!! I’ll never stop telling people that with Kia, they don’t have RECALL’s I guess it is a bad word. Kia has Campaigns, that is why my engine wasn’t replaced when the letter came because it said CAMPAIGN. How many other consumers don't give the attention they should to a letter that arrives staying there is a "Campaign". It should say RECALL, like it does in Canada where my sister lives.

NHTSA ODI 11483132

Exhaust camshaft position timing over advanced

NHTSA ODI 11482789

My engine started making a tik-tik noise in June of 2022. I drive very little as I work from home, took it to get an oil change and for a service check, was advised nothing was wrong that they could identify on the vehicle. Ticking continued, Kia advised they were over a month out for service call appointments, got on the list and had my oil changed again after only 300 miles. Ticking noise got louder while waiting on service call appointment, then as I was driving home on a back road (thankfully), there was a loud banging noise from under my hood, spluttering, some whining noises, my instrument panel lit up with all engine-related lights, and the car shut off while driving. I lost power steering and brakes, and had to coast into a neighborhood and down a hill to safely move my car out of traffic's way. I had my 7 year old with me in the vehicle and have since had it towed to Kia, and was advised there was a 'voluntary maintenence' KSDS sensor I was supposed to have had installed in order to extend my currently-intact 100K/10 year factory warranty, and because they did not update my contact information correctly when i moved I never received the notification. My car is currently sitting at the Kia dealership, undriveable, and I am having to fight Kia to cover the engine replacement.

NHTSA ODI 11481739

I was driving down a back country road where the speed limit was 50mph. The truck in front of me kept stopping so I went around him and he tried to cut me off so I had to step on it to get in front of him and my check engine, battery, and oil lights all popped on at the same time. My car then stopped accelerating so I had to coast to a stop and pull over and turned my car off. My car wouldn’t start back up I had to pay almost $200 to tow my car home to have someone look at it and tell me that an engine bearing went out and I would need a new engine.

NHTSA ODI 11478945