Problems · NHTSA complaints

2023 Kia Sportage Plug-in Hybrid problems

Owners filed 16 complaints about the 2023 Kia Sportage Plug-in Hybrid with NHTSA between Jun 2023 and Oct 2026. The most-cited component is engine (4).

Complaints
16
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
0
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Engine4
  2. Vehicle speed control3
  3. Electrical system3
  4. Power train2
  5. Structure2
  6. Forward collision avoidance2
  7. Fuel/propulsion system2
  8. Visibility1
  9. Steering1
  10. Hybrid propulsion system1
  11. Back over prevention1
  12. Service brakes, hydraulic1
  13. Other / unknown3

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 7, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
20233
20246
20255
20262

Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.

03 —Owner reports

Top problems in owners’ words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first

Engine

4 reports
“The contact owns a 2023 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while coming to a complete stop, the vehicle shifted into neutral and failed to properly shift into gear. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed, and the contact was advised that the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 33,325.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 21, 2026Power train, EngineODI 11772724

Vehicle speed control

3 reports
“1. Hybrid system failure And check engine light on . 2. Car jerk while driving and gone to limp mode and my speed was reduced to 10 mph at traffic putting my self and other in danger . 3. My vehicle is currently at the dealership getting inspected this is the second time my hybrid warning light came on and the first time they told me nothing was wrong with my vehicle. 4. All of these symptoms happened at the same time while driving.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jan 1, 2026Power train, Vehicle speed control, EngineODI 11708252

Electrical system

3 reports1 related recall
“PHEV vehicle: charging interrupted in the middle of the night. When attempting to reconnect the charger, a "Charging unsuccessful" message was given. A warning with "Check Hybrid System" appeared, as well as the check engine light. I cannot charge the car anymore and had to leave it at the dealership.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Apr 7, 2025Electrical system, EngineODI 11653278

Power train

2 reports

Structure

2 reports
“I had been driving on the freeway for about 5 minutes, and suddenly heard broken glass in my car. It was dark (around 8pm) so I looked around as I was driving and didn't see any of my visible windows broken. I then heard more glass shattering sound and realized it was my sunroof glass that had suddenly broken. The mesh cover beneath it was closed so I was not injured. When I went home and did a quick google search, several other incidents of this happening popped up. There were no warning lamps or messages or symptoms of the problem prior to failure. It has been 2 weeks of calling my local Kia as well as Kia Customer care and my car is still sitting idle with the broken glass on top.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 30, 2025Visibility, Structure, Unknown or otherODI 11696583

Forward collision avoidance

2 reports
“At approximately 5:05pm today (6/4) as I was leaving a parking lot, I was reversing into the parking lot. The van directly opposite me also had their reverse lights on but was not moving. It was one of those whos-going-to-go-first situations. I had proximity warnings going off because of the cars parked around me and I started to reverse when I realized the van was waiting for me, and as I pulled back about 3 feet, the car auto braked. I looked around to make sure the car had not detected anything I hadn't seen, like a pedestrian or another car approaching from the side, and there was nothing. The van on the other side of the parking lot still had not moved as they were waiting for me to leave. The following is a letter we sent to Kia 3 months ago regarding the same issue happening multiple times with our car. They held the car under investigation, did not fix anything, and gave it back to us in terrible condition (cleanliness). I attached a copy of the letter to this submission. This is the 4th time we have had this problem. Eventually someone will get hurt or killed if this car continued to automatically brake due to faulty sensors or unvalidated software.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jun 4, 2024Back over prevention, Forward collision avoidanceODI 11592513
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 7, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.