What 49 owners told NHTSA about the 2025 Kia Sportage Phev Phev

We were getting in our car to drive home from a restaurant. We attempted to start our car like any other day, and the car started. However, our car was stuck in gear, it was in parking but also not in parking. The car was not moving, the gear was in “park”, the dot light for park was not showing, and then we had several warnings appear on our dashboard. At first it was three, then it went to six (after turning off the car and restarting again)!! The car told us to put it in park, but we literally could not move the gear shift at all. We had: check speed limit system, check high beam assist, check driver attention warning, check blind spot safety system, check forward safety system, check rear cross-traffic safety system appear in 20 seconds of car being on. This car just hit ~15,500 miles on it. To add to the strangeness, we open the Kia Access App and tried “lock” and “unlock” (while being in the car”, then turn the car off. We started the car again and it worked as if this never happened (no immediate warnings like above). Yet we did recieve a check engine light and a vehicle diagnostic on the instrument (dashboard) saying “follow-up check required: 2 (Engine Management System and Transmission Control System.)” The car allowed itself to recognize it in park gear and drive off. The Kia Access app said we experienced a UOO01F0 code tied to the Engine Control System. We never seen anything like that before. We did, however, experience a problem with the driver seat powertrain at 11,000 miles where the seat wouldn’t move. The seat was fixed by the dealership though. We are going to take the car in to the dealership to see what they say.

NHTSA ODI 11746853

While exiting the John C. Lodge Freeway in Detroit at approximately 40 MPH, the brake pedal became stuck halfway during braking and the vehicle did not stop properly on the first brake application. I had to remove my foot from the brake pedal and press it again before the brakes engaged and the vehicle stopped. This has occurred approximately seven times intermittently. The issue creates a serious safety hazard and risk of collision. In addition, the “D” gear indicator intermittently blinks while driving and the “P” indicator intermittently blinks while the vehicle is in Park. Vehicle was previously brought to dealership and issue was reported, but the condition continues intermittently.

NHTSA ODI 11739925

The contact owns a 2025 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the engine experienced difficulty cranking. Additionally, the contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission failed to properly shift gear. The contact stated that the engine revved up, but the transmission failed to properly shift gear. The Auto START/STOP light was orange. The contact was concerned about a possible disintegration of the transmission after a friend alerted him of a similar failure. The contact called the local dealer and left a message. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 18,000.

NHTSA ODI 11706708

The contact owns a 2025 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 60 MPH, the transmission unexpectedly shifted gears, causing a slight jerk before accelerating. The instrument panel frequently displayed codes advising the driver to "Turn Off the Engine." While driving approximately 45-50 MPH, the vehicle suddenly stalled. The instrument panel displayed a message advising the contact to "Check Your Surroundings". When the contact attempted to depress the accelerator, the vehicle failed to respond. Upon releasing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle coasted, and the failure reoccurred several times. The contact safely coasted to the side of the road, restarted the vehicle, and the failure was temporarily resolved. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the issue and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 3,500.

NHTSA ODI 11687267

Started vehicle and was driving, ISG (auto start stop) light went amber and transmission refused to shift to allow uphill travel. Had to pull over and turn engine off and on again for the transmission to start working. Have had to dealer, however yet again they cannot replicate in their test drive so they can't do anything about it.

NHTSA ODI 11670589

vehicle dash reset and cruise control was set. when dash came back up car surged nearly causing a wreck Reported to dealership and they could not replicate so not sure what to do as they can never replicate the issues and won't do anything to help

NHTSA ODI 11670590