What 182 owners told NHTSA about the 2023 Kia Sportage Plug-in Hybrid

Leased NEW Kia Sportage on 1/1/22 Went in for oil change on 11/11/22 3 hrs later told a "forced" update "burned" out the computer and car was not driveable On 11/30/22 was driving to work on LI expressway, car shut down without warning while I was driving, smelled something burning, called 911, car towed to dealer. Told it was defective fuel injector. 1/29/23 I reported brakes grinding and vibration sound coming from engine, RPM's rev up but car doesn't accelerate. Brakes needed to be cut. Was told since there was no "code" nothing could be done about engine sound/rpm increasing. Car was in for service 3 times because of this issue. 9/10/23 car shut down while I was driving without warning and gas smell in car was nauseating. Car would briefly start & shut down. Car towed to dealer. I have reached out to Kia Corporate numerous times expressing I am afraid to drive the car, the car is dangerous and my life and the lives of others at risk. When car shuts down, ther is NO warning, it just STOPS. I have had nightmares and lost sleep. I travel on highways & busy roads everyday. Kia wanted me to sign waiver releasing them of everything in lieu of 3 months lease payments. Expressed my life & lives of others are worth more than 3 payments. Car has had 2 recalls on top of these issues. I have reached out for help and have been ignored. 9/12/23 told by KIA corporate it would take 2 weeks to escalate my complaint. Car is currently at dealership. PLEASE HELP!

NHTSA ODI 11544171

Engine Stalling Multiple Times while in Drive. After vehicle stalls, Engine Shuts off, multiple lights start flashing and beeping and Message States- 'Engine Off! Shift to P or N then start engine.' Engine will reengage after following display instructions. This creates a safety risk to driver and others behind driver when error occurs. 2 weeks prior to first failure, Engine light appeared, but was not flashing. Kia informed, but could not schedule for service for 14 days. Dates of Occurrence: 5/17/2023 ( 2 times), 7/28/2023 ( 3 times), 8/23/2023 (1 time) Vehicle with Kia Dealer for repair 5/17 to 5/29, 7/28 to 8/18, and 8/23 to present. No current ETA for repairs. None of the repairs has corrected issue.

NHTSA ODI 11541922

The contact owns a 2023 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, when she depressed the accelerator pedal, the vehicle did not accelerate as required, and she was rear-ended, causing her vehicle to rear-end the vehicle in front. The vehicle was towed to the repair facility; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact stated that after research she discovered there was a recall and she had not received the recall notification, NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V410000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.

NHTSA ODI 11531542

The vehicle has lost acceleration twice and one of those times, it was a hazard to other drivers and put my safety at risk because it loss power in the passing lane on a major highway. The car shut off and I had to restart it about 8 times to get it over to the side of the road. Each time there was white and black smoke, the car would shake and just shut off. The car has been in the shop once before and they think it was a cylinder misfire and they said they fixed it. This is the second time it is in there. The car is still under warranty. Other times it has been for several recalls. There were no times that the car would do this, no symptoms or messages. This is a safety hazard for other drivers and puts the drivers life in danger. This is not what a new car experience should be.

NHTSA ODI 11531331

Vin number is [XXX], 2023 Kia Sportage x-line got engine stop suddenly on the load. The date was 6/21/2023 9:30am. After driving 1 miles. The pictures was in the parking lot when I turn the engine, also I got recall service yesterday 6/20/2023 9am-12pm INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ODI 11528071

Engine oil has gotten very low to the point of the low oil light alert shows on dashboard. This incident has occurred 3 times since we’ve bought the vehicle new in October of 2022. The vehicle has 3,500 miles on it.

NHTSA ODI 11523213

Low oil indicator light came on at 15k miles. Tried to lock doors with key fob but could not. Had to open doors using key after popping off door handle. Put key in ignition but when turning car off and taking key out of ignition vehicle kept running and did not turn off for 15 minutes. Finally turned off on its own. Had vehicle towed by Kia to Kia of Groton CT.

NHTSA ODI 11523054

Engine lost compression with around 8K miles on it.

NHTSA ODI 11516663

Vehicle first felt like the tire was flat when turning. After parking and restarting the vehicle the vehicle seemed to hesitate to stay started. The check engine light came on the next day. After taking the vehicle in they said the injector was bad. Replacing it did not fix the problem. I am not waiting on approval to replace the engine at 20,000 miles.

NHTSA ODI 11508872

While driving on the engine turned off without warning The car stalled in the middle of traffic.

NHTSA ODI 11501842

One week after buying the brand new 2023 Kia Sportage, 6 warning signs popped up on the screen. They were to "Check the Forward Collision System," "Check the Bind Spot System," and 4 more of the safety features. In addition, the Check Engine light turning on, other warning signs were also highlighted in orange. Finally, when trying to move the car, I was not able to get the gear out of Park. This happened multiple times over 12 hours.

NHTSA ODI 11483904