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

I own a 2015 Kia Sportage VIN in detail. On 7-2-2026, an authorized Kia dealer completed the anti-theft ignition campaign. Within days of that repair, my daughter was driving at highway speed when the ignition moved from the ON/RUN position to ACC. The engine shut off, resulting in loss of power steering and brake assist. Fortunately, she was able to safely pull over. The servicing dealer has stated that the ignition's ability to rotate from RUN to ACC with minimal pressure is normal and that the vehicle is safe. However, because this incident occurred immediately following the anti-theft campaign and involved a loss of engine power while driving it appears there could be a casual impact.

NHTSA ODI 11748764

RANDOMLY SHUTS OFF WHILE DRIVING

NHTSA ODI 11375691

I WAS DRIVING ON THE MA PIKE NEAR BOSTON AT APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH IN THE MIDDLE LANE. I HAD A NEED TO TURN INTO THE BREAKDOWN LANE. I TURNED ON MY RIGHT TURN SIGNAL AND STARTED TO ENTER THE RIGHT LANE AND FOR SOME UNEXPLAINED REASON THE VEHICLE STARTED SWERVING BACK TO THE LEFT (LIKE IT WAS SELF CORRECTING)! I TRIED AGAIN TO ENTER THE RIGHT LANE AND AGAIN THE VEHICLE SWERVED TO THE LEFT. I WAS IN MODERATE TRAFFIC, IT WAS DIFFICULT TO GET TO THE RIGHT LANE, CARS BEHIND ME WERE BLOWING THEIR HORNS AND I WAS AFRAID OF A POSSIBLE ROLL-OVER! THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE KIA DEALERSHIP ON 16 APRIL 2015 FOR EVALUATION AND I WAS TOLD ALL THE "CODES" CHECKED OUT FINE AND THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG. THE SERVICE ADVISOR MENTIONED TO ME THAT SOME MODELS COME WITH A LANE MONITORING SYSTEM, AND THE WAY HE DESCRIBED HOW IT WORKED WAS EXACTLY WHAT I HAD EXPERIENCED! MY VEHICLE DID NOT HAVE THAT FEATURE BECAUSE THE SERVICE ADVISOR STATED A CAMERA WOULD HAVE BEEN MOUNTED NEAR THE REAR VIEW MIRROR. ONE OF MY CONCERNS IS THE POSSIBILITY THAT THE SOFTWARE FOR THIS SYSTEM IS EMBEDDED IN MY VEHICLE AND IS INTERMITTENTLY TRIGGERING. FRANKLY, I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE THIS VEHICLE AT THE PRESENT TIME, AND I AM SURPRISED THE DEALERSHIP DID NOT RETAIN THE VEHICLE FOR FURTHER INTENSIVE EVALUATION MY WIFE HAD THE SAME EXPERIENCE TWICE. THE FIRST AT THE BEGINNING OF MARCH AND THE SECOND AT THE MIDDLE OF MARCH TRAVELING BETWEEN 55 AND 60 MPH. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10706641