What 156 owners told NHTSA about the 2020 Kia Sportage Plug-in Hybrid

clear coat peeling inspected by dealer

NHTSA ODI 11707811

Top clear coat started peeling on handles, mirrors and above the trunk.

NHTSA ODI 11689369

Clear coat began peeling from side mirrors about a year ago. It is now peeling aggressively on the rear liftgate cover/spoiler. This seems common and is very unsightly. Only impacts the plastic parts.

NHTSA ODI 11678570

On May 19, 2025 I was driving down the highway at approximately 70mph and experienced a loud explosion sound and my panoramic sunroof exploded. I did have the sunshade closed so I was not hit with any debris. I did swerve and narrowly avoided an accident. There were no warnings before this happened. I was not passing under any bridges or immediately behind any vehicles (there were vehicles to the side and behind me). I took the automobile to the Kia dealership and they filed a claim with Kia Consumer Affairs and a representative came out and told them they needed to file with Kia Tech Line. They did that weeks ago, to no response. The dealership actually called me today and told me to try to contact Kia Consumer affairs ourselves to see if they would respond to us. I did see that there have been reports of this previously and class-action lawsuits for this issue. The Kia dealership guy said they had a customer that this had also happened to and when we went to get a rental car Enterprise told us that they also had a customer with a Kia in the last two weeks that had the same thing happen to them. My Kia is still at the dealership and is available for inspection as it has not been repaired yet because they were waiting for Kia.

NHTSA ODI 11666705

MY KIA 2020 SPORTAGE IS JUST OVER 3 YEARS OLD. THE PAINT AND CLEARCOAT IS PEELING ON THE LT AND RT DOOR MIRRORS AND REAR HATCH SUNSHADE. THE CAR ONLY HAS 26000 MILES ON IT. KIA IS REFUSING TO FIX THIS PAINT PROBLEM BECAUSE THEY SAID THEIR PAINT WARRANTY IS ONLY 36 MONTHS. I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS PROBLEM- LOOK ONLINE AND SEE ALL OF THE PAINT PEELING COMPLAINTS KIA HAS. THEY JUST TURN A BLING EYE TO THIS BIG PROBLEM. I HAVE A SHOP ESTIMATE FOR $800.00 TO REPAINT KIA'S POOR WORKMANSHIP. SORRY, SORRY CUSTOMER SERVICE FROM KIA.

NHTSA ODI 11555370

My 2020 KIA SPORTAGE WAS STOLEN AFTER THE RECALL WHERE KIA INDICATED THE RECALL WOULD DETECT THAT A KEY WAS NOT INSERTED AND WOULD SHUT DOWN CAR. THIS DID NOT WORK BECAUSE MY CAR WAS STOLEN AFTER THE RECALL!!! CAUSING EXTREME DURESS AND FINCIAL DISTRESS. THIS RECALL WAS JUST A SMOKE SCREEN TO LET EVERYONE THINK IT WAS FIXED AND THAN TACK A COUPLE SECURITY STUFF ON THE WINDOWS. WHEN IS ENOUGH IS ENOUGH AND THE NHTSA FINALLY MAKES KIA RECALL THERE CARS AND INSTALL AN IMOBILIZER AS PER NHTSA CODE.

NHTSA ODI 11544622

On August 22, 2023, without warning the panoramic sunroof of our 2020 Kia Sportage exploded. There was a loud bang, and glass flew into and out of the vehicle. Most of the glass was expelled from the vehicle upon the sunroof exploding. The edges of the glass that remained point upward, indicating an outward force. Thankfully, the cloth sunscreen on the underside of the roof was closed and kept the remaining debris from falling further into the vehicle. My husband and I were in the front of the vehicle looking out the windshield at the time of the incident and did not see any object come in contact with the roof that could have reasonably caused such a large explosion. Our concerns are twofold. First, the sunroof exploded. It would seem that the sunroof should be made of the same type of laminated tempered glass as a windscreen, which does not shatter - even if the glass is cracked by some object. Again, we did not see any external force impact the sunroof such that it should have completely shattered. Second, the glass shards that were left behind were relatively large pieces (1"x2" to 1"x3"). Had the sunscreen not been closed, my husband and I could have sustained serious bodily injury. Additionally, the shock and noise associated with the explosion significantly impacted safe driving, which was along a major interstate with moderate traffic.

NHTSA ODI 11540369

I am concerned with the liftgate/trunk panel latching/operation. On our liftgate/trunk it falls sometimes and comes down on you while you are still in the way. My wife was slightly injured on her head, when it malfunctioned, and she was in the way when it came down. Several times it just started coming down on me while I was unloading items from the cargo hold. Sometimes the lift cargo door will just open on its own and you go outside and see it, or a neighbor will see it and come let us know.

NHTSA ODI 11535767

I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY ON A CLEAR DAY WITH NO CARS AROUND ME WHEN MY SUNROOF EXPLODED. THE GLASS WAS DEFECT AND THE MANUFACTURE ISN'T TRYING TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY. THE DEALERSHIP WILL NOT CONFIRM HOW THE DENIAL WAS DETERMINED NOR WILL THEY PRODUCE A FORMAL DENIAL LETTER. THE BIGGEST ISSUE IN MY OPINION IS I DON'T EVEN THINK KIA LOOKED AT THE PHOTOS BECAUSE WHEN I ASKED THE DEALERSHIP FOR THEM (BECAUSE IT'S NEEDED FOR A CLAIM WITH KIA CONSUMER AFFAIRS) I WAS TOLD THEY DIDN'T HAVE THEM. WHEN I ASKED THE BODY SHOP HOW THEY PROVIDED THEM TO THE DEALERSHIP I WAS TOLD BY TEXT. I OPENED A CASE WITH KIA CONSUMER AFFAIRS BUT THEY HAVE YET TO REACH OUT TO ME AND THE CASE HAS BEEN OPEN FOR 34 DAYS NOW. I WAS TOLD BY A DIFFERENT DEALERSHIP THEY KIA CONSUMER AFFAIRS USUALLY TAKES 3DAYS TO REACH OUT.

NHTSA ODI 11407829

I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY INTO PENNSYLVANIA AT APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH (THE SPEED LIMIT) AND ALL OF A SUDDEN MY SON AND I HEAR A LOUD SOUND. IT SOUNDED LIKE A GUN SHOT AND STARTLED US BOTH. I QUICKLY LOOKED AROUND AND ABOVE ME I SEE A GAPING HOLE IN MY PANORAMIC SUNROOF AND REALIZE THAT MY SON AND I ARE COVERED IN SHARDS OF GLASS. I SHUT THE SUNROOF COVER IMMEDIATELY AND CALL MY INSURANCE AND PUT IN A CLAIM. I WAS STILL OVER 200 MILES FROM HOME AT THIS POINT WITH THE THREAT OF RAIN SO WE MADE OUR WAY HOME AS SAFE AS POSSIBLE. A QUICK GOOGLE SEARCH SHOWS ME THAT THIS IS NOT A NEW ISSUE. WHAT IF I HAD CAUSED AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF THE VERY LOUD SOUND? WHAT IF THAT ACCIDENT CAUSED A ROLL-OVER EVEN WITH SEAT BELTS WOULD MY SON AND I HAVE POTENTIALLY BECOME PROJECTILES? WHY IS THIS NOT BEING ADDRESSED BY KIA, HYUNDAI, AND ANY OF THE OTHER CARS THAT OFFER THE PANORAMIC SUNROOF? IS THE MANUFACTURER OF THESE SUNROOFS TO BLAME? I HAVE ONLY HAD THIS CAR FOR 8 WEEKS- I BOUGHT IT BRAND NEW. IT'S GARAGE KEPT WHEN I'M NOT TRAVELING FOR WORK. I WILL NOW BE NERVOUS EVERY TIME I DRIVE EVEN AFTER REPAIR BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW IF THE MANUFACTURED SUNROOF WILL BE SAFER OR IF IT'S THE SAME AS WHAT I BOUGHT WITH THE CAR. IT'S UNSETTLING FOR ME BECAUSE I DRIVE AROUND 1000 MILES A WEEK FOR WORK AND SPEND SIGNIFICANT TIME IN THE CAR.

NHTSA ODI 11351094