Complaint volume
183 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
Complaint records
2023 Kia Sportage Complaints
183 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2023 Kia Sportage, grouped by component category.
183 Total complaints
24 Crash reports
1 Fire reports
13 Injury reports
Complaint data reflects consumer-submitted reports. A complaint is not proof
of a defect, recall, or manufacturer fault. Enriched severity fields come
from official bulk records when the complaint can be matched by ODI number.
Buyer interpretation
How to use these complaints before buying
Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.
Pattern to inspect
The most common categories are unknown or other, electrical system, engine. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 24 crash reports, 1 fire report, 13 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 29 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 36,565 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to unknown or other, electrical system, engine?
- Can I see recent maintenance and repair records?
- Has the vehicle ever been towed, involved in a crash, or repaired for the same issue twice?
- Can we also check the recall record for this 2023 Kia Sportage?
Used-car checklist
Use these complaints before the test drive.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
2023 Kia Sportage
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2023 Kia Sportage complaints?
24 Crash
1 Fire
13 Injury
0 Fatality
15 Towed
11 Medical attention
What are the most common 2023 Kia Sportage complaint categories?
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 29
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 24
ENGINE 23
SERVICE BRAKES 19
AIR BAGS 8
POWER TRAIN 7
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING 5
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 5
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 5
VISIBILITY/WIPER 5
183 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2026 | AIR BAGS | I was involved in a motor vehicle collision where my vehicle sustained significant front-end damage and was later declared a total loss by my insurance company. Despite the severity of the impact, the front airbags did not deploy. The impact was primarily to the front of the vehicle, and the damage required extensive repairs, exceeding the threshold for a total loss. I was wearing my seatbelt at the time of the crash. The failure of the airbag system to deploy raised serious safety concerns, as airbags are intended to provide occupant protection in frontal crashes of this nature. I experienced physical discomfort after the incident and believe the lack of airbag deployment increased the risk of injury. There were no warning lights or messages related to the airbag or restraint system prior to the crash. The vehicle had not shown any prior airbag or safety system faults. The vehicle is currently available for inspection and has been reviewed by the insurance company. I am reporting this incident to request investigation into a potential airbag system malfunction that could pose a safety risk to other drivers | Crash: Yes Fire: No Towed | Unknown |
| Jan 2026 | AIR BAGS | On November 15, I was traveling with my mother and seated in the front passenger seat of a 2023 Kia Sportage while she was driving approximately 65 mph on the interstate when the vehicle struck a deer. The impact caused significant front-end damage, including the bumper, radiator area, and underbody components. I was wearing a seatbelt. Despite the severity of the collision and the high rate of speed, neither the driver nor passenger airbags deployed. No airbags deployed in any position in the vehicle. I sustained injuries, including a right shoulder sprain and having the wind knocked out of me, and required medical care. As a result of this crash, my mother developed post-traumatic stress symptoms, including fear of driving and anxiety related to the accident. The component that failed appears to be the Supplemental Restraint System (SRS)/airbag system, which did not deploy in a crash that should have met deployment thresholds. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. This failure put our safety at risk by leaving us without the primary restraint protection designed to prevent head, chest, and upper body injuries in a high-speed frontal collision. The issue has not yet been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer. The vehicle has been seen by insurance, but no airbag system inspection or explanation has been provided. There were no airbag warning lights or dashboard messages prior to the crash. If there were any faults stored in the system, they were not displayed to the occupants. I believe this is a serious safety defect involving airbag non-deployment. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 2 Towed Medical attention | Unknown |
| Jan 2026 | POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | I was driving down the highway at the posted 70mph limit in medium traffic. The car started to sputter and wouldn't accelerate. The car started to decelerate and cars coming from behind had to quickly swerve to avoid me. The cab then filled with the strong smell of gasoline and I became light headed. The car reduced to around 10mph and I pulled off the highway into a gas station and waited for a tow truck. We towed the vehicle to a Kia dealership and they claimed to have fixed it. A similar circumstance has occured 3 more times since that first issue. After each time, Kia has claimed to have fixed the issue. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2026 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Incident Date: [XXX] Vehicle: 2023 Kia Sportage Component(s): Power Train (Automatic Transmission Shifter), Electrical System (Instrument Cluster/Display), Back Over Prevention (Rearview Camera) Description of Incident: On [XXX], while performing a low-speed maneuver in Pittsburgh, PA, the vehicle experienced a catastrophic Shift-by-Wire (SBW) logic failure resulting in a collision. After shifting the rotary gear selector from Reverse to Drive, the transmission failed to engage the selected gear and remained in Reverse without any auditory or haptic warning to the driver. Simultaneously, the Rear View Monitor (RVM) experienced a "system hang," continuing to display the rear camera feed and blocking the instrument cluster’s gear-position indicator. Due to this dual failure—unintended gear retention and display latency—the vehicle traveled in an unintended direction (Reverse) while I attempted to accelerate forward, leading to a property damage accident. Post-Incident Documentation: The vehicle was presented to Performance Kia (Moosic, PA) on 12/19/25. Technician #957 confirmed the software logic was corrupted and performed a "Clear and Relearn of Adaptive Values" to reset the Transmission Control Module (TCM). This diagnostic confirms that the vehicle was operating with failed control logic. Safety Risk: The failure of the Shift-by-Wire system to accurately execute gear changes, combined with the instrument cluster's failure to provide real-time gear position as required by FMVSS No. 102, creates an unreasonable risk of collision and injury. I was never notified of Recall SC270 or SC275, which address similar software and hydraulic failures in this model year. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: Yes Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2026 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | I was parked in a spot outside the Service Department of John Kennedy Ford, waiting for my son, who was getting his car serviced. I couldn't see the door of the Service Department, so I decided to move to a position in which I could see my son exit the Department. I put the car into Reverse to exit the spot and it accelerated at an uncontrollable rate of speed backwards, striking two cars parked outside the Service Department, pushing them into other vehicles in the parking area. I put the car into drive to pull away from the cars I impacted and the car accelerated at an uncontrollable rate of speed forwards, striking a curb in front of the showroom, causing my car to veer into two new cars on the lot, sideswiping the last car and veering my car into a lamppost along The Fairway. The collision caused my car to stop, causing the Driver airbag to deploy. At no time did the forward collision avoidance system cause the car to brake itself. When the car was moving, the engine was revving at maximum RPM. I wasn't able to control the vehicle. The policed officer who investigated the scene said he did not see any interference from the floor mat, which he said is a common cause. Upon reviewing the activities leading up to the crash, I recalled attempting to use the remote start feature of the vehicle, which had been operating flawlessly. However, on this day, it took 3-4 attempts to get the vehicle to start remotely, possibly indicating a computer flaw. I was injured; no one else was. The vehicle is in the State Farm lot awaiting interrogation by KIA. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 1 Towed Medical attention | Unknown |
| Jan 2026 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The dealership repaired the vehicle free of charge however, nhtsa has not confirmed the repair for recall SC292. The vehicle got repaired on January 3rd, 2026. The recall information is uploaded to reference. Manufacturer reports recall has been completed/closed as of 01/03/2026 | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2026 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Purchased the vehicle 2nd hand January 29th 2025. Since then she has been in and out of multiple shops including Kia. Check engine light, loss of power on fwy, shifting/brake changes from a stop. From jerking, lunging, studder, taking off fast, not wanting to go at all. I was on these dips that I encounter almost daily and the collision warning went off. There wasnt anything in front of me. 2 weeks later I was cut off and had to swerve to avoid. Collision warning DID NOT go off. Driving on the fwy and the gas pedal pulled away from my foot as if it was accelerating. Kia has done a hard carbon, changed all fuel injectors. Last time they stated there was a factory defect with the rotors, changed all 4 rotors. Still she drives like this. Carmax, Kia and Daniels Tires NO ONE can tell me what is wrong! I have driven a 2024 same make and model and the car drove beautifully. Something is wrong with my particular vehicle. This is becoming frustrating. Please help. I drive often, I hike a lot. We are always on winding roads. I can't afford to sell it as I still owe. I love the vehicle, aside from this, like I'm just waiting for disaster to occur. Miles started at 14.5k and it's now 33k. Speeds have been anywhere from a complete stop to go and fwy speeds of 55 to 80. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Frequently while driving my 2023 Kia shortage Hybrid will accelerate on its own. This happens randomly while driving straight as well as making turns. My suv also has a vary hard time driving uphill. If im driving at 25 mph when approaching the hill, my car then gradually drops down to 10-15 mph.This is extremely scary especially when driving with my children in the car. I haven’t owned the vehicle for a year and don’t know why it’s performing this way. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2025 | SERVICE BRAKES | I took my car in several times to complain about the rotors and brakes. They said everything was fine but then the vehicle failed on the road so we had it taken to the nearest repair shop since we were on a road trip. Now Kia which has a fix to the damaged parts refusing to replace the defective parts. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2025 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | Check Hybrid System warning keeps coming on. Dealer can't find a problem. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Three occurrences where electrical system glitched. 1st- driving vehicle and dashboard warnings all lit up. Pulled over and ran system check. System fault indicated do not drive and all vehicle alerts where red. Shut car off allowed time for system reset and it started right back up with no system warnings, no dash warnings on. Drove perfectly fine. Two weeks later went to start car and car began to flash dash lights, head lights and overhead lights while car made clicking sound. Would not start. Required a jump. Took into shop had battery and alternator tested and both came back 100%. Returned to dealer and they overlooked the vehicle and returned it stating nothing was found and all systems where fine. A month later driving and entire dash went black and head lights shut off and would not turn back on. No engine trouble but electrical glitch again. Pulled over shut car off allowed it time to reset. Started back up, dash and headlights back on and no warnings on vehicle. Each time an incident occurred The car did not present with engine trouble. It physically would drive just fine. However the electrical issues would require engine to be shut off and time for system to reset for it to function properly. Most recent incident date listed below. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2025 | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | The contact owns a 2023 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle unexpectedly decelerated and failed to properly accelerate before the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer, who determined that the fuel injector was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. Additionally, while at the dealer, the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V531000 (POWER TRAIN), but later while driving, the message "Low Engine Oil" was displayed. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 71,000. | Crash: No Fire: No Towed | 71,000 |
| Nov 2025 | POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | My 2023 Kia Sportage AWD has several ongoing safety issues that have been happening for over a year. The car stalls or hesitates at low speeds and during acceleration. I hear grinding or whining noises from the front end and drivetrain. My brakes wore out very early and still feel inconsistent, and the automatic braking acts unpredictable. The AWD system sometimes feels unstable when I try to accelerate. The tire pressure warning light comes on often even when the tires are fine. These issues happen randomly and make the car feel unsafe to drive. I am reporting this for safety investigation. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | Initially in May 25, my Sportage started accelerating on its own, unprompted, up to 4500 RPMs many times and also hesitated. In 6/25 the info screen, (whole dash) went black 4-5 x’s for about 3minutes while driving 60 mph on bypass. Beginning of July, Siri didn’t work and said it was inaccessible, and also the navigation said it was not updated however, when I pulled into the dealer, all of a sudden it worked? On 7/23 I was turning into apt complex and had no brakes! I had slowed to about 20mph, car behind me, and couldn’t make that turn so I coasted up to next entrance and was able to turn in. Fortunately, I was able to stop in my handicap pkg spot. I had already made appt for the initial issues at the dealer, Moyer Kia in Lebanon, for first week of August, but immediately called them on 724 and explained the absence of breaks! They told me to get car there right away, so I did. I gave a list of all above info, they were able to give me a loaner, Kia G6. This was very inconvenient for me as most of my back is fused and I provide transport for my [XXX] /o mom w/Walker, but I can’t go w/o a car! Moyer has had my car since 7/24,. With the exception of need for miles on the loaner communication was poor. I tried to reach Kia Corp multiple x’s to no avail. I was told by Brian at dealer that my case had been escalated to the national safety board and they were advised not to touch my car pending investigation. So it sat there for months I got a message from Kia Connect that my battery was dead, more communication than I had received throughout this whole experience! Last week, Thursday I had called corp who said they sent me an email on 1023 to tell me nothing is wrong with my car, they also emailed the dealer. I hadn’t checked email, nor did they call, so I didn’t know, dealer called me on Friday to come and get my car, but first they had to grind the rust off of rotors, recharge the battery and would I like them to inspect it?, NOTHING IS WRONG? THIS CAR is NOT SAFE!!!! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2025 | STRUCTURE | The roof trim molding, came off. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2025 | STRUCTURE | The contact owns a 2023 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that the passenger’s side roof molding was missing from the vehicle. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer where it was determined that the roof molding needed to be replaced; however, he had to pay for the repair out-of-pocket. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V025000 (Structure); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 29,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 29,000 |
| Oct 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The car dies after parking for less than an hour, I have to press the battery reset button every time I get into it which also sets the alarm off probably annoying all my neighbors. There’s no accessories plugged in. The dealer is charging me $270 dollars to do a BMS update but I have seen recalls for this online that say it should be covered for free. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2025 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | Defective fuel injectors on my 2023 Kia Sportage I purchased 6 months ago | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2025 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2023 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power and failed to accelerate as intended. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road and restarted. However, the failure reoccurred on five separate occasions. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 27,776. | Crash: No Fire: No | 27,776 |
| Sep 2025 | ENGINE | On [XXX] the vehicle randomly went into limp mode. Wouldn't restart until it was jumped. Previous to this, the vehicle had already done this twice before. Exact dates unknown. On [XXX], the vehicle went into system check while I was driving it on 3 different occasions. The car shuts down by itself. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2025 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | After owning our car for about a year when we started noticing abnormal pitting and chips in our windshield. I inquired to the dealership I bought it from and they said it was normal. Consequently the pits, chips and cracks got worse at an alarming rate. I took pictures from when the worst crack started and from February 2025 to August 2025 the crack has spread to 3/4 of my windshield. The windshield also rattles and whistles where the beginning of the crack is. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2025 | STRUCTURE | There are several spots on the front grill, around lights, bumper and other front end pieces that have bubbling, flaking, peeling chrome and paint. There are at least 20 paint chips all the way to the fenders in the front. This vehicle does not travel on gravel roads. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Driving at a speed of 45 mph the sunroof spontaneously exploded. No other cars to kick rocks in the indicate vicinity. No passing traffic. We heard a very loud boom and the sound of shattering and skittering glass. Sunroof and sunroof cover were closed. All windows were closed. Pulled to the side of the road, called husband, called Kia to start warranty claim. Our safety was called into jeopardy as we had to drive over 150 miles to the Kia service center, not knowing if any glass would work itself through or of the sunroof shade would handle the wind of driving. The Kia dealership had only seen 1 Sportage and 1 Telluride incur this damage. We also had to find our own way home, they could not offer us a loaner vehicle. Incurred expense of having to fly back home and will incur expenses of having to make the 275 mile journey back to get it once repaired. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2025 | ENGINE | The engine light has turned on, I have taken it to different shops and they can’t find the issue | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The dash screen went blank. You could not see the speedometer, fuel guage, etc. This has happened twice and is intermittent. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |