What 394 owners told NHTSA about the 2017 Kia Sportage Hybrid Hev

Car shut off middle of driving. mechanic said engine is seized, and no oil in engine. car has always had regular oil maintenance. there is a class action lawsuit against kia for oil starvation and engines seizing, (theta II sc147). last oil change was 4,500 miles ago. all indications suggests my engine also suffered the same manufacturer defect as claimed in the lawsuit. Balise Kia in West Springfield MA refuses to do the inspection of the engine without proof of every single oil change since i purchased the vehicle in 2016, which is an impossible request. Corporate also stated that it is the dealership's discretion to demand oil receipts, even though I offered to print credit card statements instead, and I purchased a car fax report that has them listed beginning in 2019, but unfortunately none reported before then. I provided them with receipts of no oil changes missed since 2024. still denied the inspection. there were no warning lights prior to the engine seizing.

NHTSA ODI 11700901

While driving on the parkway with my child and younger cousin in the vehicle, the car unexpectedly began to decelerate without warning. I safely pulled over to the side of the road and turned the vehicle off. When attempting to restart it, the engine would not crank or turn on. Moments later, smoke began to appear from under the hood. Additionally, the engine, battery, and oil warning lights illuminated on the dashboard. This incident created a dangerous situation and raised serious safety concerns regarding the reliability of the vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11698855

I was sold a Kia sportage 2017 in February. I was told this vehicle has no after market parts. After my vehicle catching fire and seizing on me June 26th of this year so 4 months after buying the vehicle. It was discovered that an after market starter is indeed in this vehicle with loose wiring. I could have lost my life on my way home. The dealership has been nothing but a pain since this experience I have encountered. My insurance was involved but was told I need to bring this issue to Kia. Contacted Demontround Kia multiple times was never helped once. Contacted Kia customer care. I have a claims agent who has been no help whatsoever. I was told to get my car towed to West side Kia, which they have been rude from the start and have been no help. They actually want me to come out out of pocket for engine related damages that was not my fault given that I’ve only had the car for four months before the engine seized on me and caught fire on my way home from work. When I told a server worker at Westside that I don’t believe that I should be paying out of pocket he had somebody else contact me. They emailed me that same day to call them as soon as I can. I called them immediately after I got the email and didn’t even receive an answer. Nora call back and I called multiple times for the next consecutive days and I finally get an email saying sorry they were moving buildings that is very unprofessional. There was no point to email me originally to tell me to contact you then.

NHTSA ODI 11698411

Blind spot warning,safety belt warning etc.

NHTSA ODI 11698086

2017 Kia Sportage while driving on the highway, the vehical starting losing power and shaking, it lost power and several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with engine failure and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where the same diagnostic test information was provided. The Kia dealer said that the engine needed to be replaced, but since it was not the rod, but only the #4 cylinder it would not be under the extended warranty. The vehicle has not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and we were denied extended coverage. In addition to this, the electrical system has been failing and the windows would not roll up, this was fixed before the engine failure, but the drivers side door still does not unlock without the key. The failure mileage was approximately 112,000.

NHTSA ODI 11695894

Car started having issues with retaining oil and was blowing oil out of the oil fil cap, oil changes were being performed every 3 weeks due to continued oil loss without cause. Car started shaking while driving on the highway, check engine light started flashing and car lost all power. Car was towed from highway to KIA authorized dealer where they performed a full engine replacement, replaced serpentine belt, oil filter and air filters. Picked up vehicle from dealership approx. 2 weeks later, engine was still blowing oil out of oil fill cap and entire vehicle smelled like used oil. Dealership also refilled engine with wrong type of oil upon replacement of engine. Car requires 5W-20, dealership put in 5W-30 instead of correct oil.

NHTSA ODI 11694639

On October 16, 2025 my car lost ability to accelerate while driving on highway. Just as the car was losing motive power the engine light came on. Car was then towed to a mechanic. After looking at the car the mechanic reported that the engine had seized and I would need a new engine. The mechanic was able to get the engine moving. The week before I had put oil in the car as I noticed it was going through oil faster.

NHTSA ODI 11694257

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while accelerating from a complete stop, the vehicle failed to respond as intended. The contact stated that the vehicle drove 2 MPH for approximately 2 minutes and was jerking abnormally. The contact stated that the failure recurred while driving at various speeds. The check engine and the brake warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the used car dealer where it was purchased. The dealer replaced an unknown sensor; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 126,983.

NHTSA ODI 11689097

Car starting shaking violently while on the highway. Daughter pulled over and parked car on side of road. Had to have car towed as it would not restart. Engine failure.

NHTSA ODI 11684704

Blown engine P1236 knock sensor circuit

NHTSA ODI 11682628

I have documented oil consumption issue since 65,000 miles. Every time I got an oil change after that, I would have very low oil. When I told Kia, they told me that the engine would have to "blow up" for anything to be done. This all occurred before my 100,000 mile powertrain was expired. On July 2, 2025, my car began shaking and jumping while I was driving and any time I had the brake on at a red light. I took it to Midas for a diagnostic test and they said that 3 out of the 4 cylinders were misfiring. They told me to take it immediately to Kia. When I took it, they said they would do a diagnostic test. They said that one of the cylinders were misfiring and that I would need a new engine. At this time I was at approximately 113,;000 miles. I opened a claim with Kia and for a month, the only correpondence I had with them was when I called either Kia Corporate or Kia service where my car was. They never helped me, only told me I could get a new car and they would give me "a deal". I finally got in touch with a local mechanic and he said he wanted to look at the car. When I went to Kia to pick it up, it would not start, even when one of their mechanics jumped it. The local mechanic towed it for me, but not before Kia made me pay over $400 to take a car that did not run. They would not give me the keys until I paid. The local mechanic found that I had a cracked spark plug and had my car running in a day. I am appalled at how I was treated and how Kia would not stand by their car and then tried to get me to buy a new one. My car was well taken care of and it should not have needed a new engine, had oil consumption problems or should have been sitting in service for a month. Something needs to be done so that this does not happen again. There is a Facebook page dedicated to Kia engines and the stories are very similar to mine. This is not right.

NHTSA ODI 11682399

We had to take the car to a mechanic to have the engine replaced because it started making a loud noise and then stopped running. They advised us that because it has less than 150,000 miles, it should be covered by KIA. We spoke to KIA and they told us that because we missed 2 recalls that we were never notified about it would not be covered. If the recalls would have been done, they would cover the damages. We purchased the car a couple of years ago from my sister in law who got it when my father in law passed away in 2019. I checked with her and she never received the recalls and we never received them. Therefore, since neither of us knew about the recalls they were not done. I spoke to someone at NHTSA and they advised me to file a complaint. They don't have records of where the recalls were mailed. We are having to pay $4500 out of pocket due to this issue. Please advise if there is something that you can do to help get KIA to reimburse us or the damages that should be covered by them. My cell # is [XXX] . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11679808

The contact owned a 2017 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving at 75 MPH, she observed black smoke emanating from the engine compartment. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway and switch the vehicle off. After a visual inspection, she observed flames within the engine compartment emanating from a source unknown to the contact. Local emergency service arrived and was able to extinguish the fire, later attributing the fire to an unspecified equipment failure. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and deemed a total loss by the contact's insurance provider. A fire report was filed. A police report was not filed, and no injuries were reported. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 149,000.

NHTSA ODI 11678871

Engine light came on flashing on the dash. Went to O’reily auto shop to get it checked and their scanner discovered P1326 code, “knocking sensor” and oil light came on and flashing as well. The motor oil was replaced about a month ago. Checked the oil dip stick and it was below the first dot.

NHTSA ODI 11677970

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sportage. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the failure occurred while traveling across two States. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who advised the contact to tow the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle was towed to the residence of the contact's brother while waiting for a scheduled appointment with the dealer. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that an unknown software update was needed. The vehicle was repaired. Additionally, the contact was informed that the second unknown software update was part of an unknown special program. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 97,000.

NHTSA ODI 11677343

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle stalled and then lost motive power with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with engine failure and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where the same diagnostic test information was provided. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 101,000. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ODI 11676168

Burning oil. Having to put a quart of oil every 1-2weeks with less then 500 miles used. Local dealer won’t do anything about it.

NHTSA ODI 11673829

Oil change completed on 6/19/2025 Noticed oil leaking 3-4 days after change. Performance Plus, came to my work and inspected oil leakage. They stated the leak was coming from the oil pressure switch. I had the engine recall completed less than a year ago. Is this something that's still under warranty?

NHTSA ODI 11670028

I was driving down the hiway and my vehicle just shut down without warning. Kia will fix for $12,000 . This is unfair I feel it should be fixed this happened almost a years ago and still nothing!

NHTSA ODI 11666844

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that the engine was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact was continually checking the engine oil level. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that the oil level was extremely low while receiving an oil change. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 72,000.

NHTSA ODI 11664859

The car is going through oil at a ridiculous rate. I have checked and it is not leaking. It is causing poor acceleration and driving performance. I make sure there is also oil in there but I should not have to do it as often as I do.

NHTSA ODI 11664080

1. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The engine failed while driving ([XXX])—specifically, the engine seized and became inoperable while driving on the interstate. Yes, the engine is still available for inspection upon request. (Currently at the dealership - due to overheating while driving (after engine had been replaced on 3/26/2025) 2. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? On [XXX], the engine failure occurred while the vehicle was in motion, causing a sudden loss of power and steering assist. This placed me and other drivers at serious risk, especially since it happened on the interstate and I was unable to maneuver or accelerate safely. On [XXX], the engine overheated in severe, bumper to bumper traffic. The owner’s safety was put at risk due to the high volume of traffic and little options to pull over. 3. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes, the engine failure has been confirmed by both an independent mechanic and a Kia dealership. They diagnosed the engine as seized and non-repairable without a full engine replacement. Engine was replaced by Kia on March 26-28, 2025 and returned to the owner on March 28,2025. At the dealership's recommendation the owner replaced all the hoses and belts. Owner was assured all fluids had been refilled and engine repair was complete. Engine overheated while driving in Atlanta on [XXX]. Vehicle was towed back to the dealership due to the overheating and the noises coming from the engine compartment while running. 4. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? So far, the engine has been inspected by the Kia dealership's service department and the engine was replaced on March 26-28,2025 To my knowledge, the manufacturer has not inspected the vehicle. All inspections were performed by th INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11654361

On August 17, 2024, my 2017 Kia Sportage suddenly lost power on the highway. The check engine light came on seconds before the engine seized completely. I was able to pull into the breakdown lane because I was already in the exit lane. It was a very frightening moment and could have been dangerous if I had been in a different lane or in heavier traffic. Component that Failed: The engine seized. The dealership found burned holes in the valves of cylinders 2 and 4. The vehicle is still in my possession and available for inspection. Safety Risk: Sudden loss of power on a highway placed me and others at risk of a serious accident at high speeds. Confirmed by Dealer: The dealer confirmed valve damage and misfire codes. Root cause was not confirmed. Inspected: The vehicle was not fully inspected by an authorized Kia dealer. Kia observed burned valves and did not investigate further into the engine to identify the cause. Warnings Prior to Failure: The check engine light came on minutes before the failure. No prior symptoms. Assessment: Rod bearing failure is suspected due to the sudden engine seizure. During the first visit to the dealership, a diagnostic fee was paid, but Kia stopped investigating after discovering burned valves. On the second visit, the dealership attempted but did not complete the bearing clearance test. They also chose not to open a Techline case, which is required under Kia’s own NHTSA-documented bearing clearance test procedures (TSB SST067 Rev 2) when the test cannot be completed. Kia has provided incomplete diagnostics and avoided further investigation, leaving me without answers. I was told I need a new engine, but I have never been told what actually caused the failure.

NHTSA ODI 11650940

I have had this car not even two years and until 8 months ago I never had issues but now it has been burning/draining the engine oil like crazy. I mean every three days I have to put about 4 quarts with how bad it goes. I've already checked for leaks and anything burning from the exhaust and there's nothing. I've called Kia and they want me to pay $200 just for them to diagnose it and not fix anything. It puts me and my sisters safety on the line because it jerks whenever it is low and then whenever it is idle. This hasn't been recreated/replicated by a dealer as I don't have the funds for them to check. There aren't any warning lights or sensors telling me anything. It's gotten to a point where I'm just not sure what else to do and I've done research where in the past, this car specifically has this kind of problem yet it shows no current recalls of it.

NHTSA ODI 11645281

Kia when producing the engine left metal shavings that they didn't blow out. This lead them to put a KSDS sensor in. The sensor just let's you know of a catastrophic engine failure. It did not fix the problem. This is leading to engine failures and kia finding loop holes to not replace them. This is kia neglect not the consumer. They are finding ways to blame the consumer for maintenance records to deny an engine replacement.

NHTSA ODI 11645448