What 2 owners told NHTSA about the 2026 Kia Sportage Phev Phev

On start up (date 6/10/26) the dash warned "Check Driver Assistance System," but the car started. Turned off the car, restarted, and this warning was replaced by a yellow "check engine" light, and a remark that the hybrid controller had a fault; the Kia app on my phone indicated the trouble as well. Called for roadside assistance; just before the tow truck operator arrived the faults cleared. Dealer found the stored error code C186387 (CAN BUS time out to navigation error). The error did not cause any safety issues as the car was parked. Another similar error occurred on 6/15/26, this time with check engine lights; the car would not go into drive. Restarting seemed to fix the issue, and my OBD scanner showed no faults in the ECUs.

NHTSA ODI 11744158

On 7 March 2026 our Kia Sportage PHEV died its first time on the highway with less than 1000 miles on it. There were no warning lamps or messages before the issue happened. The car's acceleration pedal stopped working and it slammed us from 70mph to less than 20mph. It had a loud grinding noise and the check engine light came on. My family was almost hit by a semi truck because of this. The car was immediately taken to the Kia dealership we purchased it from. A few days later they told us it was the "high pressure fuel pump" that failed. I asked them to check the fuel system or the engine oil to see if there was any glitter, then, because the grinding noise we would have heard is metal on metal. And any small metal shavings in the wrong place would cause another catastrophic issue. I also asked them if they checked the cam lobe for damage. They did not inspect any of these and told me so. Yet, their paperwork stated they did a 21 point inspection. They told me all that was is checking codes. The dealership is now claiming the car is repaired, without those concerns inspected, and neither my wife nor I feel safe taking the VIN back.

NHTSA ODI 11725315