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2026 Kia Sportage

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Limited comparison data

There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

All reported categories

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 4 of 26 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Electrical System. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Forward Collision Avoidance. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Service Brakes. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

4 crash reports0 fire reports0 injury reports

What owners actually said

26 reports
Mileage unknown · May 19, 2026
Structure

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.

NHTSA ODI #11738800

Mileage unknown · May 16, 2026
Service Brakes

5/14/2026 Turned car on and put in reverse, E brake turned on, placed vehicle in park turned off E brake and put the car in reverse. Let brake up and car began to coast back, when I attempted to slow vehicle with brake the brake went all the way to the floor and brakes were not working. Car rolled into the road it a one way, I …

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5/14/2026 Turned car on and put in reverse, E brake turned on, placed vehicle in park turned off E brake and put the car in reverse. Let brake up and car began to coast back, when I attempted to slow vehicle with brake the brake went all the way to the floor and brakes were not working. Car rolled into the road it a one way, I put the car in drive and it coasted down the road. Brakes continued to go to the floor without stopping or slowing the vehicle. I threw the car in park turned it off and back on and the brakes were restored. I made a service appointment with [XXX] at vandevere for 1:20pm on 5/15/2026. 5/15/2026 Took car to vandever Kia service center to get looked at. The service advisor was Olivia. The issue was unable to be recreated by the service technician. Was instructed to return car for service if issue was to arise again. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI #11738278

Mileage unknown · May 9, 2026
Unknown Or Other

When driving my Kia Sportage on the highway, the screen panel goes completely dark while using the GPS. No warning lights what so ever. This is a major issue for me because I'm depending on the GPS to safely get to where I want to go. I have gotten lost 3 or 4 times in areas that I'm not familiar with because I don't know what …

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When driving my Kia Sportage on the highway, the screen panel goes completely dark while using the GPS. No warning lights what so ever. This is a major issue for me because I'm depending on the GPS to safely get to where I want to go. I have gotten lost 3 or 4 times in areas that I'm not familiar with because I don't know what exit to take. The moment the screen blacks out on me, it causes me to be so confused and stressed out to the point that I become terrified of causing an accident where people could die, including myself. Kia has recalled 2026 Kia Sportage cars for the same panel blackouts. My Kia Sportage was not. I had taken the vehicle twice to the dealership complaining about the problem (04/01/26 and 04/29/26) and they tell me that there is no issues with the screen panel because they can't replicate the problem at the shop. So far, only the dealership has checked the car. I don't know what else to do. These panel blackouts are happening quite often now. At this moment, I don't trust the screen panel anymore. There is something wrong with it. I have friends in my car when the screen panel blacks out. Upon request, the car will be available for inspection.

NHTSA ODI #11736774

600 miles · May 7, 2026
Service Brakes, Hydraulic

The contact owns a 2026 Kia Sportage HEV. The contact stated that while approaching a traffic signal light at nighttime while it was raining, the brake pedal was depressed, and when the vehicle hit a pothole, the brakes failed to respond. To avoid colliding into the vehicle in front, the contact veered the steering wheel and pum…

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The contact owns a 2026 Kia Sportage HEV. The contact stated that while approaching a traffic signal light at nighttime while it was raining, the brake pedal was depressed, and when the vehicle hit a pothole, the brakes failed to respond. To avoid colliding into the vehicle in front, the contact veered the steering wheel and pumped the brakes. After a few minutes the brakes functioned as intended. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. However, no cause for the failure was found. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a claim was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 600.

NHTSA ODI #11736306

Mileage unknown · Apr 29, 2026
Forward Collision AvoidanceCrash

Comparing this 2026 KIA Sportage to what I have in the garage with 2019 Lexus RX 350, 2018 MB E300, and 2021 Honda CRV, the front collison of this KIA does not work as it should. If I keep moving the vehicles toward a car, the collision avoidance should give me a warning an brakes for me, however, this 2026 KIA Sportage does no…

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Comparing this 2026 KIA Sportage to what I have in the garage with 2019 Lexus RX 350, 2018 MB E300, and 2021 Honda CRV, the front collison of this KIA does not work as it should. If I keep moving the vehicles toward a car, the collision avoidance should give me a warning an brakes for me, however, this 2026 KIA Sportage does not respond at all. In addition, in order for the front sensors on the bumper to work, I need to press on the brake. The dealer said that there is nothing with this system and there is no way to prove it unless I ram into another car.

NHTSA ODI #11734490

Mileage unknown · Apr 21, 2026
Structure

A door lock malfunction occurred involving the front driver-side door. The vehicle would not unlock or open using the key fob. Multiple attempts were made to unlock the vehicle, but the driver door remained locked and unresponsive. At the time of the incident, a child was secured inside the vehicle in a child safety seat. Acce…

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A door lock malfunction occurred involving the front driver-side door. The vehicle would not unlock or open using the key fob. Multiple attempts were made to unlock the vehicle, but the driver door remained locked and unresponsive. At the time of the incident, a child was secured inside the vehicle in a child safety seat. Access to the vehicle through the driver-side door was not possible. Access was ultimately gained by going to the passenger side, where a window was open, allowing entry to unlock the vehicle from the inside. If the window had been closed, access would not have been possible. Safety Concern This issue presents a serious safety risk because it can prevent immediate access to an occupant inside the vehicle. In emergency situations (such as extreme weather or medical distress), this type of failure could result in injury or worse.

NHTSA ODI #11732670

Mileage unknown · Apr 21, 2026
Electrical System

Battery health has gone down to 31% I’ve had it at a dealership three times and they don’t know what’s wrong. They can’t figure it out, but my mileage has dropped significantly.

NHTSA ODI #11732624

Mileage unknown · Apr 17, 2026
Unknown Or Other

Our Sportage has the panoramic roof. The back half of the roof chattered all of a sudden while nobody was in or around the vehicle. It exploded outwards.

NHTSA ODI #11731920

Mileage unknown · Mar 21, 2026
Electrical SystemService BrakesStructure

I bought the car with 9 miles on it, and when I tried to use the windshield washer, it didn't work! I took it to the dealer, and they refused to fix it! They said the car was infested with mice and that it was my problem!!! The car is made with defective materials! All hoses and foam in the car are made from soy beans!! That is …

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I bought the car with 9 miles on it, and when I tried to use the windshield washer, it didn't work! I took it to the dealer, and they refused to fix it! They said the car was infested with mice and that it was my problem!!! The car is made with defective materials! All hoses and foam in the car are made from soy beans!! That is rat and mouse food!!!

NHTSA ODI #11726047

Mileage unknown · Mar 16, 2026
Forward Collision AvoidanceFuel/propulsion SystemService BrakesCrash

I was stopped in the left hand turn lane, then accelerated to cross 2 lanes of traffic. I then let off the accelerator, and applied the brakes to stop, and the brakes did not function. I then rear ended a vehicle in front of me due to the intermittent loss of brakes. It may have also been the propulsion system kept going. Eit…

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I was stopped in the left hand turn lane, then accelerated to cross 2 lanes of traffic. I then let off the accelerator, and applied the brakes to stop, and the brakes did not function. I then rear ended a vehicle in front of me due to the intermittent loss of brakes. It may have also been the propulsion system kept going. Either way the vehicle maintained the same speed of about 15mph until I collided with the vehicle in front of me which stopped me. The brakes worked fine again after the collision. There also was no Forward Collision Avoidance system that was triggered in any way. This vehicle is a Rental Car.

NHTSA ODI #11724621

Official recalls

1

26V046000 · Electrical System: Instrument Cluster/panel

Jan 26, 2026

Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2025 Kia K4, 2025-2026 Sorento, Sorento Hybrid, Sorento Plug-In Hybrid Electric (PHEV), 2026 Sportage, Sportage Hybrid, Sportage PHEV, K5, EV9, Carnival, and Carnival Hybrid vehicles. Due to a software error, the instrument panel display may fail. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 101, "Controls and Displays" and 138, "Tire Pressure Monitoring System."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An instrument panel display that fails to show critical safety information, such as the speedometer, tire pressure, or warning lights, increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy: The instrument panel display software will be updated over-the-air (OTA) or by a dealer, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed March 26, 2026. Owners may contact Kia Customer Service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC361. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov on February 9, 2026.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.

Go deeper into Kia Sportage problems