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What 146 owners told NHTSA about the 2015 Kia Sportage Plug-in Hybrid

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (146)Crash / fire / injury (18)Engine (84)Brakes (31)Electrical system (18)Fuel system (7)Transmission & drivetrain (6)Airbags (5)Speed control (5)Lights (3)Steering (3)Body & structure (2)

2 of 146 complaints match · Body & structure · clear filters

Oct 15, 2024Body & structure

Hood latch seccondary safety latch did not catch hood and hood flew up causing inability to see and luckily only damage the car itself. This is a dangerous problem with Kia and should be investigated for the safety catch becoming corroded and sticky. Its design is defective and it should be recalled and reworked so that it can not become corroded and sieze preventing safe operation in the event the primary latch comes unclipped while driving down the road at speed if a person were to accidentally pull the hood release in motion or it it were so fail to hold adequately.

NHTSA ODI 11619803

Oct 28, 2016AirbagsBody & structureElectronic Stability Control (esc)Crash2 injuries

I WAS TRAVELING APPROX. 50 MPH AND A WOMAN PULLED OUT IN FRONT OF ME AND I (T BONED ) HER. MY CHEST HIT THE STEERING WHEEL AND THEN THE AIR BAG DEPLOYED IMMEDIATELY ALL FUNCTIONS STOPPED WORKING.THE CAR FILLED WITH WHITE SMOKE FROM THE AIR BAG. MY WINDOWS WERE UP AND I COULD NOT ROLL THEM DOWN NOR STEER.I COULD NOT BREATH THE CAR WAS ROLLING IT STOPPED AT APPROX. 50 FT.WHEN I GOT OUT I WAS GASPING I HAD A WHITE SUBSTANCE ALL OVER ME IN MY NOSE. I'M VERY CONCERNED.

NHTSA ODI 10919930

Working with the data? Download all 146 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 19, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2015 Kia Sportage Plug-in Hybrid verdict →