What 146 owners told NHTSA about the 2015 Kia Sportage Phev Phev

SPUN A ROD IN THE ENGINE WITHOUT WARNING

NHTSA ODI 11111111

WHILE DRIVING TO WORK IT STARTED KNOCKING, OIL PRESSURE & LEVELS WERE FINE. THEN ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND MOTOR SHUT DOWN.

NHTSA ODI 11097533

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2015 KIA SPORTAGE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE THE DRIVER WAS DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THERE WAS A POPPING NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE CONTACT THEN NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD OF THE VEHICLE AS ALL THE WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS COASTED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WHERE THE ENGINE WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES AND THEN EXPLODED. THE CONTACT STATED NO INJURIES WERE SUSTAINED AS THEY WAS ABLE TO EXIT THE VEHICLE SAFELY. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS NOTIFIED AND EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A TOWING LOT AND DESTROYED. THE CONTACT CALLED KIA OF CERRITOS DEALERSHIP ((562) 860-2424 LOCATED AT 18201 STUDEBAKER RD, CERRITOS, CA 90703) WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED TO CONTACT THE MANUFACTURER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN RECALL AND DID NOT OFFER FURTHER ASSISTANCE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 39,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ODI 11082031

THE 2015 KIA SPORTAGE WAS IN THE PARKING LOT AT THE MEDICAL CENTER WHERE MY WIFE HAD A DOCTOR APPOINTMENT. SHE WAS INSIDE APPROXIMATELY 10-15 MINUTES WHEN AN ANNOUNCEMENT WAS MADE ABOUT A RED KIA IN THE PARKING LOT. WHEN SHE LOOKED, IT WAS HER CAR & THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES. THE POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENT WERE ALREADY ON SCENE & THE FIRE WAS EXTINGUISHED. THE CAR WAS A TOTAL LOSS.

NHTSA ODI 11078775

DROVE VEHICLE APPROX 10 MINUTES SMELLED A BURNING SMELL, THOUGHT IT WAS THE VEHICLE DRIVING IN NEXT LANE, ABOUT 5 MINUTES LATER WHILE STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT LIGHT, I NOTICED THE HEAVY SMOKE COMING FROM ENGINE, I EXITED VEHICLE AND JUST 1-2 MINUTES ENGINE WAS FULLY ENGULFED IN FLAMES.

NHTSA ODI 11040471

I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AT 65 MPH IN THE SLOW LANE WHEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT SUDDENLY CAME ON, THEN ALL THE SERVICE LIGHTS LIT UP AND THE CAR BEGAN LOSING POWER. LUCKILY, I WAS COMING TO AN OFFRAMP AND WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT TO THE END OF THE OFFRAMP (SIGNAL) BEFORE THE CAR DIED COMPLETELY. WE HAD TO PUSH THE CAR OUT OF THE ROAD AND AROUND THE CORNER TO A CURB AS WE WERE BLOCKING ONE SIDE OF THE OFFRAMP. HAD I NOT BEEN IN THE SLOW LANE AND NEAR AN OFFRAMP, THE CAR WOULD HAVE DIED ON THE FREEWAY WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN A MUCH MORE DANGEROUS SITUATION. WAS TOLD BY KIA SERVICE DEPT. THAT THE ENGINE BLEW BECAUSE OF SLUDGE IN THE OIL.

NHTSA ODI 11022956

I HAVE AN ISSUE WITH MY CAR STALLING WHEN I PRESS THE GAS I CAN START TO GO AND THEN COME TO A DEAD STOP AND NOT MOVE THIS HAS HAPPENED WHEN PULLING ON A MAIN HWY AND HAS HAPPENED JUST DRIVEING DOWN THE ROAD... IT STALLS AND FEELS LIKE THE GEARS ARE NOT CHANGING THIS IS AN EVERYDAY THING BUT I WAS TOLD TO TAKE THE ECO OFF BUT HAS NOT HELPED. THIS OCCURS DAILY SINCE I DECEMBER 2016

NHTSA ODI 10971108

WHILE ENTERING THE 290 FROM DOWNTOWN CHICAGO DRIVING AT A SPEED OF 50 MILES AN HOUR WE FELT A PULSE AND THEN AN AUDIBLE VOICE CAME OVER OUR RADIO WITH A DISPLAY ILLUMINATING AS WELL STATING THAT THERE WAS A "POSSIBLE CONDITION WITH OUR ENGINE CONTROL SYSTEM DETECTED AND THAT WE SHOULD SCHEDULE A FULL SYSTEM CHECK WITH THE KIA DEALERSHIP." THIS WAS FOLLOWED BY THE ENGINE LIGHT COMING ON AND THE INABILITY TO ACCELERATE AT ALL. WITH THE LOCATION OF THE INCIDENT THERE WAS AN EXTREME DANGER OF COLLISION AS THERE WAS NO WAY TO SAFELY AND EFFECTIVELY COME OUT OF THE IMMEDIATE SITUATION. WITHOUT A SHOULDER TO PULL OVER ON WE THEN MADE OUR WAY TO A SIDE STREET AND CALLED ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO OUR DEALERSHIP AND WE THEN HAD TO ARRANGE OUR OWN TRANSPORTATION FROM THE DISABLED VEHICLES LOCATION TO A PLACE THAT WAS OPEN AND WE WERE ABLE TO SECURE TRANSPORTATION. CALLING THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT THE NEXT MORNING WE WERE MET WITH A PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT OF IT BEING A "SENSOR" AND THEN AFTER WE PERSONALLY VISITED THE DEALERSHIP AND EXPLAIN HOW WE DID NOT FEEL SAFE IN OUR VEHICLE THEY WENT ON TO SAY THEY HAD NEVER HEARD OF THAT PROBLEM AND WOULD LOOK AT IT. I AGAIN REITERATED THAT IN A NEW VEHICLE WHETHER IT WAS THE CAR ITSELF OR A FAULTY PART I DID NOT FEEL SAFE AS I HAD LOST CONTROL OF MY VEHICLE AND IN ANY OTHER SITUATION WOULD HAVE NOT HAD THE OUTCOME I DID. THEN BEING TOLD THAT IT COULD BE A ECM THEY WOULD FURTHER LOOK INTO IT. I STATED AGAIN, NO MATTER WHAT THE PROBLEM I WAS FEARFUL OF GETTING BACK INTO THE VEHICLE AS THIS WAS NOT A RESULT DUE TO PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE BUT RATHER A FAULTY PART OF ANOTHER UNDISCOVERED ISSUE IN THE CAR THAT HAD NO WARNING BUT RATHER JUST AN IMMEDIATE OCCURRENCE. I STAND FIRM IN MY STATEMENT THAT KIA SHOULD LOOK AT WHY THIS HAPPENED AND NOT FURTHER BET ON THE CHANCE THAT THIS WILL NOT REOCCUR AND REPLACE THE VEHICLE IN FULL.

NHTSA ODI 10836265

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 KIA SPORTAGE. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, ALL THE LIGHTS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE LOST POWER STEERING AND BRAKING ABILITY. THE ODOMETER ALSO FAILED TO ILLUMINATE. THE CONTACT OBSERVED SMOKE UNDER THE HOOD AND FLAMES APPEARED. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER, BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 2,000. ....UPDATED 10-27-15 *BF

NHTSA ODI 10767409