Home · 2023 Kia Sportage Plug-in Hybrid · Complaints

What 182 owners told NHTSA about the 2023 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 (182)Crash / fire / injury (26)Electrical system (43)Engine (36)Brakes (34)Driver assistance (24)Transmission & drivetrain (17)Fuel system (14)Visibility & wipers (13)Airbags (11)Backup camera & sensors (11)Speed control (9)

3 of 182 complaints match · Speed control · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Sep 18, 2023Speed controlCrash1 injury

The contact owns a 2023 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving forward into a parking space at a very slow speed and while pressing the brake pedal, the vehicle suddenly experienced unintended acceleration and drove over the stop bump and a curve before crashing into a building wall. During the crash, the contact sustained a head injury which later required medical treatment. A police report was taken at the scene and the vehicle was driven away. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The local dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 37,000.

NHTSA ODI 11545121

Jun 4, 2023Speed controlBrakesFuel systemCrash1 injury

On the morning of May 16 2023 while making a turn at 17 th Avenue and Bayshore Drive my car continued to accelerate in spite of me trying to brake. I was projected into a stone wall and knew I was going to crash . I crashed into the wall,all my airbags were deployed and the car smelled like smoke. My accelerator got stuck and was sideways .I was unable to get out of the car from inside but a Good Samaritan had opened the door from the outside and I crawled under the airbags and got out . The car did not go on fire but was still on when I was able to then turn it off . Police were called and I was checked at the hospital .

NHTSA ODI 11525243

Jan 18, 2023Speed controlCrash

The contact owns a 2023 Kia Sportage. The contact stated after his wife stopped at a traffic light, the vehicle accelerated independently and caused to crash the vehicle ahead of them. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The air bags did not deploy. The contact stated no one was injured nor sought medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to the local dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50.

NHTSA ODI 11502359

Working with the data? Download all 182 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 2023 Kia Sportage Plug-in Hybrid verdict →