Problems · NHTSA complaints

2026 Kia Sportage problems

Owners filed 30 complaints about the 2026 Kia Sportage with NHTSA between Jul 2025 and Oct 2026. The most-cited component is electrical system (6).

Complaints
30
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
4
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
2
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Electrical system6
  2. Forward collision avoidance6
  3. Service brakes5
  4. Fuel/propulsion system4
  5. Structure4
  6. Lane departure2
  7. Suspension1
  8. Engine1
  9. Air bags1
  10. Seat belts1
  11. Seats1
  12. Back over prevention1
  13. Vehicle speed control1
  14. Tires1

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 3, 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
20254
202626

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

Electrical system

6 reports1 related recall
“Wiring harness keeps getting chewed up by rodents in engine bay. Had to have Kia fix 2 times for the parking distance sensors. Have done lots of prevention things to keep from engine bay, but attracted to this vehicle. My 2 other vehicles no problems. They are not Kias. It causes loss of driver assistance systems.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 28, 2026Electrical system, Back over prevention, Forward collision avoidanceODI 11760371

Forward collision avoidance

6 reports3 crashes
“While adaptive cruise was engaged, the vehicle read Alabama highway 80 west state road sign and incorrectly interpreted the sign for a speed limit sign which is 55 MPH.The vehicle displayed a “80 MPH” speed limit sign on the instrument cluster and then began to accelerate. When I took it to the dealer for repair, the “turned off safety feature”.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 28, 2026Vehicle speed control, Fuel/propulsion system, Forward collision avoidanceODI 11753359

Service brakes

5 reports2 crashes
“My car had begun to accelerate when pressing the brake pedal. The first time it happened the car kinda stuttered as it fought itself, but the car stopped. That was also the only time it stuttered and corrected itself. The next few times it happened, the car was not as easy to control but was able to stop safely. I took the car in to the dealer to have it checked, but the problem could not be replicated. I even told the dealer the date and time of one of the events and they weren't able to do anything with that information. Just hours after I picked up the car from the dealer, it happened again. Only my daughter was driving and the car just took off as she was braking. She wasn't able to stop it, and the fail-safes that are supposed to avoid accidents and force the car to stop never kicked in. We rear-ended someone not going very fast since she was far away from them when she began to brake. But since the car started accelerating, it was enough force to have both airbags deploy and wreck the car. Kia Corporate requested that we send the ACU to them, but when no one was available who could do that, they said their hands were tied and wished me well. The insurance…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 7, 2026Service brakes, Forward collision avoidanceCrash reportedODI 11748759

Fuel/propulsion system

4 reports1 crash
“I am reporting two separate safety-related failures on this low-mileage vehicle. The first occurred at 2,431 miles while driving on the highway. The vehicle suddenly lost propulsion and coasted with no throttle response, and multiple warning lights and messages appeared simultaneously, including braking, electronic parking brake, and driver-assistance warnings. A sudden, unexpected loss of power at highway speed creates a serious crash risk, including rear-end collision, particularly with faster or following traffic. The vehicle was taken to an authorized Kia dealer on 3/9/26 and returned on 3/19/26 after wiring/connector-related work. The second failure occurred at 4,658 miles when the panoramic sunroof glass suddenly shattered while the vehicle was in motion. A spontaneous glass failure while driving is a safety hazard: had the interior sunshade been open, falling glass could have struck rear-seat passengers, and shattering glass while driving can cause driver distraction and loss of vehicle control, as well as a road hazard to surrounding vehicles. The vehicle was taken to the same authorized Kia dealer on 4/1/26 and remained there until 5/21/26. The sunroof…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 2, 2026Electrical system, Structure, Fuel/propulsion systemODI 11748017

Structure

4 reports
“The glass piece that sits between the front windshield and the sunroof cracked from side to side of the car. When I called the dealership to get it repaired they said this has happened to a few models with this same type of glass between the windshield and the sunroof.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled May 19, 2026StructureODI 11738800

Lane departure

2 reports1 crash
“I am reporting a potential safety issue involving the lane assist system on our Kia Sportage. On Monday morning, my wife was driving on a straight road and began turning left onto a side street. During the turn, the vehicle’s lane assist system suddenly applied a strong steering correction. The steering wheel jerked unexpectedly and momentarily resisted the driver’s attempt to correct the steering. This sudden steering intervention caused the vehicle to veer toward a guardrail, resulting in a collision. The driver did not intentionally steer toward the guardrail and attempted to correct the vehicle, but the steering wheel resisted input at the moment the lane assist system intervened. A dashcam in the vehicle recorded the incident, and the responding police officer reviewed the footage at the scene and concluded that the steering wheel jerked toward the guardrail. The police report notes that the accident appeared to involve a possible vehicle malfunction. After the incident, we discovered that this vehicle is included in NHTSA Campaign 26V046000, which states that a software error may cause the instrument panel display to fail to show critical safety…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 14, 2026Steering, Lane departureCrash reportedODI 11724285
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 3, 2026

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