2024 Kia Sportage Problems & Owner Complaints

Unknown Or Other 20

“I’ve had to replace my front windshield twice every year due to it cracking straight down the middle.”
NHTSA complaint #11752458, 2026

“Sunroof exploded while driving. No rocks or anything hit it. Glass is pointing upward.”
NHTSA complaint #11735579, 2026

“Sunroof on the vehicle shattered without being struck by projectile or road debris. The area where we were driving had no other cars near us at the time of the incident. There was no sound of something hitting then shattering, it just exploded. Examination of the sunroof did not reveal any points of impact, research done online has shown multiple other Kia Sportage owners with the same issue. Spontaneous shattering of the panoramic sunroof.”
NHTSA complaint #11734569, 2026

Electrical System 12 1 crash

“Sudden Unintended Acceleration – 2024 Kia Sportage – Safety Hazard. Incident Date: April 18, 2026. Location: Parking lot. While pulling into a parking space at low speed, I brought the vehicle to a complete stop with my foot on the brake. Immediately after stopping, the vehicle suddenly and forcefully accelerated forward on its own without my foot on the accelerator. I was actively pressing the brake pedal, but the vehicle did not respond as expected and continued to accelerate. The acceleration was strong enough that the vehicle jumped over the parking bumper with both front tires and stru…”
NHTSA complaint #11732588, 2026 · crash

“The contact owns a 2024 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, or while the vehicle was parked, the engine intermittently hesitated and the vehicle almost shut off. The contact stated that the START/STOP button was depressed to shut off the vehicle; however, the button became inoperable. The vehicle was turned off and restarted to resume normal operation. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, but the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 18,700.”
NHTSA complaint #11744708, 2025

“Blank Instrument Panel Screen. abnormal CAN message which can cause certain instrument clusters with a 4.2” screen to reboot while driving. During this rebooting, the cluster will not show information such as the speedometer or telltales for approximately five (5) seconds. As a result, the subject vehicles do not comply with the visibility and illumination requirements of FMVSS 101, §§ S5.1.2 and 5.3.1”
NHTSA complaint #11708050, 2025

Engine 9

“The contact owns a 2024 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, or while the vehicle was parked, the engine intermittently hesitated and the vehicle almost shut off. The contact stated that the START/STOP button was depressed to shut off the vehicle; however, the button became inoperable. The vehicle was turned off and restarted to resume normal operation. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, but the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 18,700.”
NHTSA complaint #11744708, 2025

“On December 24, 2025, while driving in traffic, my Kia Sportage experienced severe lurching, bucking, and jerking, causing the engine to shut down. All dashboard warning lights illuminated, including a message prompting me to "turn engine back on." The vehicle would not restart, necessitating a tow to Horne Kia. After several days of diagnostics, it was determined that a blown ignition fuse and a bad fuel pump relay were the issues, along with a battery replacement. However, just 19 days later, while attempting to merge onto the freeway, the vehicle again bucked violently, and the engine shut…”
NHTSA complaint #11725255, 2025

“I am writing to report a serious and dangerous issue with my Kia vehicle that is putting my life and my family’s safety at risk. While driving, the engine shuts off completely whenever I come to a stop or press the brake pedal. I then have to manually restart the engine to continue driving. This happens frequently, including while I am in traffic or on the highway. I have come very close to being hit by other vehicles multiple times while my children were in the car. I already brought the vehicle to a Kia dealership, and they informed me that the issue was fixed. However, within one week, th…”
NHTSA complaint #11693258, 2025

Forward Collision Avoidance 7 3 crash 7 injury

“hello , my mom was driving . she had all the lane driving assist systems on. the driving assist , lane assist, forward collision assist, lane keeping assist, & cruise control. it had started to rain my mom tried to move over to the middle lane the steer wheel would not let her it pulled her back as if someone was on the side of her but it wasnt it then started driving by itself. the car started malfunctioning , it toke control my mom tried to get a hold of the wheel but the power assit would not let her. it then turned by itself and drove straight into a mountain. we hit it head on with no w…”
NHTSA complaint #11678633, 2025 · crash · 5 injury(ies)

“The car emergency brake component was faculty and kicked in at an inappropriate time. When the emergency brake occurs you are unable to move the car at all. Being unable to move put myself and my passenger seater at risk for bring hit to which we were. The vehicle was not inspected due to Kia Corporate office not answering the phone.”
NHTSA complaint #11687004, 2025 · crash · 2 injury(ies)

“Description of Crash: On [XXX], I was involved in a front-end collision while driving my 2024 Kia Sportage. Despite the impact, the airbags did not deploy. Additionally, the Forward Collision Assistance system did not engage or warn me prior to the crash, even though conditions were normal and the system was active. Safety Concern: •The airbags and collision assistance are federally regulated safety systems. Their failure put me and any potential passengers at serious risk. •I am very concerned this indicates a defect in the airbag and/or collision avoidance system. Damage/Injuries: My fron…”
NHTSA complaint #11690901, 2025 · crash

Service Brakes 7 3 crash 2 injury

“The car emergency brake component was faculty and kicked in at an inappropriate time. When the emergency brake occurs you are unable to move the car at all. Being unable to move put myself and my passenger seater at risk for bring hit to which we were. The vehicle was not inspected due to Kia Corporate office not answering the phone.”
NHTSA complaint #11687004, 2025 · crash · 2 injury(ies)

“Sudden Unintended Acceleration – 2024 Kia Sportage – Safety Hazard. Incident Date: April 18, 2026. Location: Parking lot. While pulling into a parking space at low speed, I brought the vehicle to a complete stop with my foot on the brake. Immediately after stopping, the vehicle suddenly and forcefully accelerated forward on its own without my foot on the accelerator. I was actively pressing the brake pedal, but the vehicle did not respond as expected and continued to accelerate. The acceleration was strong enough that the vehicle jumped over the parking bumper with both front tires and stru…”
NHTSA complaint #11732588, 2026 · crash

“The contact owns a 2024 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while attempting to park in his residential carport, the brake pedal was depressed the brake pedal was stiff and did not move down as intended. The contact used excessive force but the vehicle failed to come to a stop. The vehicle collided with the screen room of his residence taking out three of the four walls of the patio. There were no injuries. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where the failure was not able to be replicated. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was…”
NHTSA complaint #11600203, 2024 · crash

Structure 6

“While traveling at approx 65 mph on a clear, debris-free Alaska highway in -5°F temperatures, the panoramic sunroof of my 2024 Kia Sportage spontaneously shattered with an explosive sound. There were no vehicles in the immediate vicinity (nearest car was maybe 50 to 75 ft away) and no observation of flying debris or falling objects from overpasses. The failure appears to be a spontaneous glass breakage (SGB) incident potentially caused by thermal stress or manufacturing defect rather than external impact. Crucially, some of the remaining glass fragments and one large attached piece are displa…”
NHTSA complaint #11706279, 2025

“Trim parts came off roof traveling on highway.”
NHTSA complaint #11635184, 2025

“The glass panel placed between the windshield and the Panoramic sunroof blew out with no external forces. Looking at other cases from online, this appears to be a problem dating back to the 2019 model. Attached are photos from the date of incident (12/31/2024) from 1/3/2025 and 1/17/2025.”
NHTSA complaint #11636634, 2024

Visibility/Wiper 6

“6” Snow ice storm & negative degree temps 12/13/25 used heated windshield deicer. On 12/15 driving to work on a country road no other traffic, heard pop cracking noise above my head checked sunroof snow ice melting no visible cracks thought noise from thawing ice. Parked vehicle in my home garage while I went out of town. Returned home 12/22 found large crack origination point in front windshield originating in glass down the middle of rear view mirror sensor housing black box mounted on inner windshield the crack spans from top middle to bottom of black box glass over to right center half o…”
NHTSA complaint #11706746, 2025

“While traveling at approx 65 mph on a clear, debris-free Alaska highway in -5°F temperatures, the panoramic sunroof of my 2024 Kia Sportage spontaneously shattered with an explosive sound. There were no vehicles in the immediate vicinity (nearest car was maybe 50 to 75 ft away) and no observation of flying debris or falling objects from overpasses. The failure appears to be a spontaneous glass breakage (SGB) incident potentially caused by thermal stress or manufacturing defect rather than external impact. Crucially, some of the remaining glass fragments and one large attached piece are displa…”
NHTSA complaint #11706279, 2025

“What I assume happened to my wiper blades: In December of 2024 we got a lot of heavy snow. I turned on my car to heat it up while I worked on cleaning off the outside of the car. My wipers were set to auto so the car automatically tried to clear the snow from the windshield. I did not notice this since they didn't move due to the snow weight. Once snow was removed I noticed the wipers did not work so I brought it in for the dealership to look at it. They determined that the gear had been stripped and needed to be replaced and informed me that this is not covered under warranty. Since the repa…”
NHTSA complaint #11646044, 2024

Steering 4 1 crash 2 injury

“The car emergency brake component was faculty and kicked in at an inappropriate time. When the emergency brake occurs you are unable to move the car at all. Being unable to move put myself and my passenger seater at risk for bring hit to which we were. The vehicle was not inspected due to Kia Corporate office not answering the phone.”
NHTSA complaint #11687004, 2025 · crash · 2 injury(ies)

“On Tuesday, July 14th I started my vehicle around 6:30 am and started to drive. Once I was driving, I had multiple warning lights on my dash showing and my power steering failed on me. I stopped the vehicle, put it in park and turned it off. I restarted the car and still had the various warning lights and no power steering. The car was driving fine with no warning lights at 4:50 am that morning and again at 6:15 am that morning. I managed to drive the 2 miles home at a low rate of speed with no power steering since there were not many cars out. I called the Kia dealership and contacted a tow…”
NHTSA complaint #11751657, 2026

“24 hours after purchase, the steering wheel had high vibration and was worrisome to drive. Returned to dealer and was originally told I break too hard- before they kept the vehicle for 8 days. They claim the rotor was replaced. Everything I am experiencing for my first car is sounding unreasonable. Why would a new model off the dealer lot have a rotor issue and why can my dad replace his breaks in 3 hours but a dealer takes 8 days. I’m not sure what is wrong with my vehicle but wanted to report it in case something happens.”
NHTSA complaint #11598571, 2024

Vehicle Speed Control 4 1 crash

“Sudden Unintended Acceleration – 2024 Kia Sportage – Safety Hazard. Incident Date: April 18, 2026. Location: Parking lot. While pulling into a parking space at low speed, I brought the vehicle to a complete stop with my foot on the brake. Immediately after stopping, the vehicle suddenly and forcefully accelerated forward on its own without my foot on the accelerator. I was actively pressing the brake pedal, but the vehicle did not respond as expected and continued to accelerate. The acceleration was strong enough that the vehicle jumped over the parking bumper with both front tires and stru…”
NHTSA complaint #11732588, 2026 · crash

“I was driving on the highway and had set the cruise control to 76. I then pushed the plus button once to increase the cruise control speed and the cruise control increased immediately to 110 mph. I braked right away which stopped the acceleration but could see it was still set at 110 mph. I pushed the button to turn the cruise control off. When I pushed it again, it went immediately back to 110. I tired multiple times over the next 45 minutes to turn the cruise control back on but it always went immediately to 110 mph.”
NHTSA complaint #11718151, 2026

“Blank Instrument Panel Screen. abnormal CAN message which can cause certain instrument clusters with a 4.2” screen to reboot while driving. During this rebooting, the cluster will not show information such as the speedometer or telltales for approximately five (5) seconds. As a result, the subject vehicles do not comply with the visibility and illumination requirements of FMVSS 101, §§ S5.1.2 and 5.3.1”
NHTSA complaint #11708050, 2025

Visibility 4

“The contact owns a 2024 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the sunroof exploded. The contact stated that there was no evidence of an impact on the sunroof glass. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact was advised to take the vehicle to a Collision Center for assistance. The vehicle was taken to the Collision Center, and the contact was informed that the failure was a known failure with similar vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline and…”
NHTSA complaint #11715023, 2026

“The sunroof shattered while driving without any sort of impact.”
NHTSA complaint #11701591, 2025

“The sunroof exploded all of the sudden. I was driving on the I-675 highway toward Wright-Patt Air Force Base and the sunroof exploded, barely maintained vehicle control. The shattered glass hit my head and my child legs. Some glass sand enter my eye. I manage to pulled over and check my car interior for any strange/outside object but there was no external object, nothing. Called the police, they also inspect the vehicle and found nothing. I’m very concerned about this, could cost our lives. Drop the car at the dealership and they said that definitively was a manufacturing defect.”
NHTSA complaint #11557569, 2023

Air Bags 3 3 crash 2 injury

“The ECU malfunctioned and the passenger side airbag didn’t go off and should have. There were error codes and I told KIA service department about it but they weren’t to concerned and said they would look at it at my first service appointment”
NHTSA complaint #11642932, 2024 · crash · 2 injury(ies)

“Description of Crash: On [XXX], I was involved in a front-end collision while driving my 2024 Kia Sportage. Despite the impact, the airbags did not deploy. Additionally, the Forward Collision Assistance system did not engage or warn me prior to the crash, even though conditions were normal and the system was active. Safety Concern: •The airbags and collision assistance are federally regulated safety systems. Their failure put me and any potential passengers at serious risk. •I am very concerned this indicates a defect in the airbag and/or collision avoidance system. Damage/Injuries: My fron…”
NHTSA complaint #11690901, 2025 · crash

“The contact owned a 2024 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving at 77 MPH, the vehicle was involved in a front-impact crash with a large-sized deer. The air bags did not deploy. The contact stated that two minor children were seated in the rear seat. The vehicle was towed to a local tow yard. No injuries were sustained. No medical attention was administered. A police report was filed. The vehicle was condemned as a total loss by the insurance company. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the fail…”
NHTSA complaint #11581139, 2024 · crash

Fuel/Propulsion System 3

“On December 24, 2025, while driving in traffic, my Kia Sportage experienced severe lurching, bucking, and jerking, causing the engine to shut down. All dashboard warning lights illuminated, including a message prompting me to "turn engine back on." The vehicle would not restart, necessitating a tow to Horne Kia. After several days of diagnostics, it was determined that a blown ignition fuse and a bad fuel pump relay were the issues, along with a battery replacement. However, just 19 days later, while attempting to merge onto the freeway, the vehicle again bucked violently, and the engine shut…”
NHTSA complaint #11725255, 2025

“While driving, the vehicle engine shut off while making a turn. Before the engine stalled, the engine began to sputter as I made the turn. I was stranded on the roadway as I could not restart the vehicle. For my safety, I stayed in the vehicle as there was no shoulder and many vehicles including dump trucks. Several attempts to restart the engine were unsuccessful - the engine would try to turn over and then stop. I contacted roadside assistance and the car was towed to the dealership. Diagnosed as a Faulty Fuel Pump/Bad Connectors. Approximately 8950 miles. This is the second time the ca…”
NHTSA complaint #11650023, 2025

“While in use, the vehicle engine shut off while making a turn. Several attempts to restart the engine were unsuccessful - engine would try to turn over and then stop. Vehicle was pushed off the road and roadside assistance was contacted and car tower to the dealership. Diagnosed as a Faulty Fuel Pump. <900 miles”
NHTSA complaint #11605235, 2024

Power Train 3

“•12,000 Miles: Front rotors required complete replacement. •21,000 Miles: Front rotors failed and required replacement a second time. •28,000 Miles: Front seat cushion required repair due to material separation. •34,000 Miles: Front rotors failed and required replacement a third time. •51,000 Miles: Front rotors failed and required replacement a fourth time. •51,000 Miles: Complete transmission replacement required due to severe shifting difficulties.”
NHTSA complaint #11748096, 2026

“While driving the vehicle and selecting EV only mode the engine RPMs surge to about 3000. This happens frequently and I have it on Video. Kia has had the car multiple times for electrical may electrical related repairs but say the vehicle is normal. The tech line person even had the dealer drive a similar car for a baseline. I would expect they had a baseline prior to manufacturing the car. This is an ongoing unrepaired issue. Date below is first reported date of electrical concerns.”
NHTSA complaint #11708265, 2025

“I am writing to formally raise a safety concern regarding my vehicle’s brake and rotor system, which has experienced premature failure on two separate occasions. First Occurrence: The issue was first identified prior to reaching 11,000 miles and was addressed by the dealership after surpassing 11,000 miles. The repair involved replacement of the rotors and bolts, but notably, the brake components themselves were not replaced. Second Occurrence: Around 23,000 miles, I began to notice progressively worsening shaking and a disturbing sensation of the brakes skipping or slipping—particularly durin…”
NHTSA complaint #11685500, 2025

Exterior Lighting 2

“The design of the backup light is awful. There is a single light that is about two inches long and an inch high under the license plate. When you back up in a parking lot like at Walmart, other drivers cannot see the light and keep driving by like you are not moving. We have had several close calls because of this. Kia should be forced to change the design”
NHTSA complaint #11686966, 2025

“The Dashboard with all the instrumentation goes blank while driving causing loss of all instrumentation gauges and headlights shut off. This has happened repeated times since the car was purchased new in June 2024 and has been in the service department since October a total of six times. They have replaced fitments, the dashboard cluster, the phone charging pad and have done multiple software updates and it continues to go blank while operating. The dash then lights back up with System Check and all the instruments lights in dash glow and it stays like that for several seconds. I am repeatedly…”
NHTSA complaint #11650407, 2024

Lane Departure 2 2 crash 7 injury

“hello , my mom was driving . she had all the lane driving assist systems on. the driving assist , lane assist, forward collision assist, lane keeping assist, & cruise control. it had started to rain my mom tried to move over to the middle lane the steer wheel would not let her it pulled her back as if someone was on the side of her but it wasnt it then started driving by itself. the car started malfunctioning , it toke control my mom tried to get a hold of the wheel but the power assit would not let her. it then turned by itself and drove straight into a mountain. we hit it head on with no w…”
NHTSA complaint #11678633, 2025 · crash · 5 injury(ies)

“The ECU malfunctioned and the passenger side airbag didn’t go off and should have. There were error codes and I told KIA service department about it but they weren’t to concerned and said they would look at it at my first service appointment”
NHTSA complaint #11642932, 2024 · crash · 2 injury(ies)

Back Over Prevention 1

“While traveling on a 4-lane highway and using cruise control, a car in the left-hand lane was making a left turn across a median cut through, and my car's sensors detected a collision and took me from 60 mph down to 35 mph in about five seconds. If a car had been behind me, it would have rear ended me. I no longer use the cruise control for this reason. And yes, my sensors were clean. I had just gotten the car cleaned within a day or two prior. I have an appointment this coming Monday to take it to the dealership, to have them look at it. Separate incident. While parked in a parking lot, cam…”
NHTSA complaint #11641033, 2024

Wheels 1

“Tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) is not working correctly. It is under reporting pressure by over 3-5 PSI on Cold and Hot Tire. My vehicle is available for inspection upon request. TPMS is flagging in the system and pushing to over fill tire with air over prescribed pressure by the manufacturer. It is safety risk. I got my vehicle air pressure checked twice in 2 weeks by a national tire chain shop. It didn't happen before. it is first time. Issue first appeared 4 weeks back.”
NHTSA complaint #11623808, 2024