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Kia · NHTSA safety record

2023 Kia Sportage Hybrid

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 99 safety complaints about the 2023 Kia Sportage Hybrid with the US government. Of those, 4 describe a crash, 4 people were injured and no death is recorded. One recall campaign is open against it, covering the electrical system.

The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 37 complaints, 37% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 15,000 miles, the median across the 9 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers September 2022 to September 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

99 complaints on file

99

Complaints

4

Describe a crash

0

Mention fire

4

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 37 · 37%
ENGINE 26 · 26%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 23 · 23%
POWER TRAIN 18 · 18%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 18 · 18%
SERVICE BRAKES 12 · 12%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 9 · 9%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 8 · 8%
STRUCTURE 3 · 3%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 3 · 3%
LANE DEPARTURE 2 · 2%
SEAT BELTS 2 · 2%
0 15 31

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 99.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2024 at 26.

28 21 14 7
22 23 24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2022 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA has not crash tested the 2023 Kia Sportage Hybrid. Its New Car Assessment Program tests a selection of each year's vehicles and does not reach motorcycles, heavy trucks, motorhomes or most low-volume models, so an absence here says nothing about how the vehicle would perform. It is not a low score.

What owners have reported about this vehicle is below, and it is a different question: a crash test measures what happens to the people inside in a controlled impact, while a complaint records what broke during ordinary use.

Recall campaigns

1 on file

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL

23V298000 · April 26, 2023

The defect
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Sportage, Sportage Hybrid, Sportage Plug-in Hybrid, Niro Hybrid, Niro Plug-in Hybrid, Soul, and Telluride vehicles equipped with a digital instrument cluster containing a 4.2" LCD screen.  The instrument cluster may fail to display any information when the vehicle is started.  As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 101, "Control and Displays," and 138, "Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems."
The risk
A blank instrument cluster display will not show critical information, such as tire pressure, warning messages, and warning lights, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will update the instrument cluster software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 26, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC270.

Kia America, Inc. · up to 108,936 vehicles across all model years covered

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY

3 injured · towed · 16,800 miles

The contact owns a 2023 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 74–78 MPH on flat land with a top box loaded to the specified weight on the manufacturer's roof racks, there was an abnormally loud popping sound detected, and the front panel of the sunroof exploded without warning or impact. The driver, the passenger-side front seat occupant, and a child occupant located in the driver's side rear seat utilizing a rear-facing car seat sustained cuts, but medical attention was not provided. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and opened a claim. The approximate failure mileage was

NHTSA complaint 11575530, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ADAS:AUTONOMOUS/SELF DRIVING

1 injured · crash · towed · 8,000 miles

The contact owns a 2023 Kia Sportage Hybrid. The contact stated while driving at 13 MPH from an exit and entering a roundabout, a right turn on an incline was attempted to be made when the vehicle veered in the left direction independently violently. The contact also stated the driver assist was engaged and the vehicle went off to the side of the road and over an embankment where the vehicle came to a stop. The contact mentioned that the driver assist failed to disengage to give the contact control of the vehicle and the brake pedal was depressed but failed to respond. In addition, the wheels locked. The contact sustained bruising on the left side of the body. No medical attention was

NHTSA complaint 11637785, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

crash · towed

I was in a motor vehicle accident this morning and it was an impactful accident yet my air bags failed to go off which was a surprise to me and the police officers given the force of the accident. The police officers even commented on it several times since it’s a new car and recommended I address it. The other drivers air bags went off and she got hit from the side whereas I collided with the car head on and they did not go off. My car was impacted to the point of not being to drive off in my car from the scene due to the damage and it had to be towed.

NHTSA complaint 11535549. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

crash

Driving 5 hours away. Got to my destination parked and went to check in . Came back to my car and drove to where my room was going to be. I went to try to stop and the brakes were spongy and seems like it too forever to finally stop. Due to this issue I ended up hitting a curb and damaging my car/ tires. I was very scared to drive back home like that. I looked it up and it says there is a recall for the breaking system but my car wasnt one of them. I need to get this fixed asap and also my tires/ front end of Car. What can I do about this issue and getting it fixed asap ?!

NHTSA complaint 11565162. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Was driving my child to school when the Hybrid System alert came on, I only had a few seconds to try and pull over before the car completely shut down, we lost all motive power. I was on a downward incline right in front of an uncontrolled intersection with very little shoulder as I live in a rural mountain town. Since the parking brake is part of the integrated system I did not feel I had full control of the car while pulled to the side and even moved a bit while trying to wait to restart the system via the 12volt re-set button. This was a very serious safety issue, the difference of less than a minute could have led to my child and I being helpless in the middle of a highway intersection.

NHTSA complaint 11767869, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

43,000 miles

The contact owns a 2023 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH, the message "Brake Carefully" was displayed. The contact slightly depressed the brake pedal to test the brakes and continued driving; however, the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where the contact was informed that the failure was an electrical issue. The vehicle was then towed to a dealer, where it was diagnosed and DTC: P1BB200 was retrieved. The contact was informed that the hybrid braking system had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V410000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic).

NHTSA complaint 11764793, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I was driving my 2023 Kia Sportage Hybrid when the vehicle displayed a "Check Hybrid System"/ "Stop Safely" warning and suddenly lost motive power/acceleration. I was unable to accelerate normally. I had luckily pulled of the road that I was going 55 mph into a parking lot prior to the lass of power or I would have stopped right on the roadway with cars going the same speed directly behind me. This created a serious safety concern because if this had occurred while traveling at highway speed or in heavy traffic, the sudden loss of power could have resulted in a collision. There had been no indication to me that the vehicle was about to lose motive power before the hybrid-system warning

NHTSA complaint 11760098, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
2023 Kia Sportage Hybrid. Drop in power/acceleration! Upsetting, stressful & unsafe. Purchased brand new, Nov 2023. When this occurred approx. 35695 miles. I left work, got on the freeway, (only maybe 1-2 miles away) and was trying to accelerate to merge with traffic flow and could only go approx. 52-54 MPH. I tried to "floor" the pedal, but with no further acceleration. No check engine light turned on, only display message noting depleted battery/drained warning. Since power was limited, and unsure of safety of driving further or if the car would literally stop, I pulled to the shoulder of the freeway. It is a miracle that I was in the slow lane already! Unsettling! It was towed to a Kia

NHTSA complaint 11758663, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES
Electronic parking brake switch has failed. Yes the switch is available for inspection. Electronic parking brake can no longer be manually activated. Failure of the electronic parking brake switch has been confirmed by a dealer (Citrus Kia, Ontario, CA). Electronic parking brake switch has not yet been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others. No warnings have been given regarding function of the electronic parking brake switch.

NHTSA complaint 11756367. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
My 2023 Kia Sportage EX Hybrid has experienced repeated engine-related failures since October 2022, requiring multiple dealer repairs. The safety issue escalated in 2026 when the vehicle experienced sudden loss of acceleration while driving on highways. In April/May 2026, the vehicle lost acceleration twice within approximately 10–15 minutes. Warning messages appeared, including Check Engine Light and "Check Hybrid System – Stop Safely." The accelerator became unresponsive, requiring the vehicle to be moved to the shoulder. The dealer diagnosed P0030 and P1120 and replaced the Bank 1 Sensor 1 oxygen sensor and valve cover assembly with manufacturer technical support involved. Several months

NHTSA complaint 11754862, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Kia Sportage Hybrid

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2026 7 1 —

Other 2023 Kia models

Telluride 207 Sportage 190 EV6 137 Sorento 120 K5 107 Forte 63 Soul 52 Carnival 51

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every Kia on this site — 181 vehicles.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst