CSR
Check a VIN

Look up

About

Kia · NHTSA safety record

2024 Kia Sportage

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

Owners have filed 71 safety complaints about the 2024 Kia Sportage with the US government. Of those, 7 describe a crash, 9 people were injured and no death is recorded. 3 recall campaigns are open against it.

The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 13 complaints, 18% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 22,500 miles, the median across the 7 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers October 2023 to September 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

71 complaints on file

71

Complaints

7

Describe a crash

0

Mention fire

9

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
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 20 · 28%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 13 · 18%
ENGINE 9 · 13%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 9 · 13%
STRUCTURE 7 · 10%
SERVICE BRAKES 6 · 8%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 6 · 8%
VISIBILITY 5 · 7%
AIR BAGS 4 · 6%
STEERING 4 · 6%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 4 · 6%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 3 · 4%
0 12 23

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 71.

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 2025 at 33.

36 27 18 9
23 24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2023 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 crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2024 Kia SPORTAGE, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test SUV AWD SUV FWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover 16.9% 16.9%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard

A rating belongs to a tested body style and drivetrain, not to the model as a whole, which is why more than one is listed. A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.

Recall campaigns

3 on file

TRAILER HITCHES

25V874000 · December 17, 2025

The defect
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023-2025 Sportage Plug-In Hybrid Electric (PHEV) and 2024-2025 Sportage vehicles equipped with a 4.2" screen and a Genuine Kia tow hitch harness accessory. Due to a software error, the instrument panel screen may fail. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 101, "Controls and Displays."
The risk
An instrument panel screen that fails to display critical safety information, such as the speedometer or warning lights, can increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the tow hitch harness control module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 13, 2026. Owners may contact Kia Customer Service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC359. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning December 31, 2025.

Kia America, Inc. · up to 5,046 vehicles across all model years covered

STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM

24V422000 · June 7, 2024

The defect
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2024 Kia Sportage vehicles. The circuit board in the motor-driven power steering assembly may short circuit, resulting in a loss of power steering assist.
The risk
A loss of power steering assist can increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the motor-driven power steering electric power pack, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 19, 2024. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC319.

Kia America, Inc. · up to 1,075 vehicles across all model years covered

STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS

24V025000 · January 18, 2024

The defect
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023-2024 Sportage and 2022-2024 Carnival vehicles. The roof molding may loosen and detach.
The risk
A detached roof molding can create a road hazard for other vehicles, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect the roof molding and replace or secure it as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 15, 2024. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC292.

Kia America, Inc. · up to 101,049 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.

LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST

5 injured · crash · towed

hello , my mom was driving . she had all the lane driving assist systems on. the driving assist , lane assist, forward collision assist, lane keeping assist, & cruise control. it had started to rain my mom tried to move over to the middle lane the steer wheel would not let her it pulled her back as if someone was on the side of her but it wasnt it then started driving by itself. the car started malfunctioning , it toke control my mom tried to get a hold of the wheel but the power assit would not let her. it then turned by itself and drove straight into a mountain. we hit it head on with no warning. we then flipped 5 times and landed upside down. the door and windows did not work we were

NHTSA complaint 11678633, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION

2 injured · crash · towed

The ECU malfunctioned and the passenger side airbag didn’t go off and should have. There were error codes and I told KIA service department about it but they weren’t to concerned and said they would look at it at my first service appointment

NHTSA complaint 11642932. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

2 injured · crash · towed

The car emergency brake component was faculty and kicked in at an inappropriate time. When the emergency brake occurs you are unable to move the car at all. Being unable to move put myself and my passenger seater at risk for bring hit to which we were. The vehicle was not inspected due to Kia Corporate office not answering the phone.

NHTSA complaint 11687004. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

crash · towed · 22,500 miles

The contact owned a 2024 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving at 77 MPH, the vehicle was involved in a front-impact crash with a large-sized deer. The air bags did not deploy. The contact stated that two minor children were seated in the rear seat. The vehicle was towed to a local tow yard. No injuries were sustained. No medical attention was administered. A police report was filed. The vehicle was condemned as a total loss by the insurance company. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 22,500.

NHTSA complaint 11581139. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:BODY
I purchased a used 2024 Kia Sportage EX Gas that showed signs of trim peel at 5,000 miles. My extended warranty said they do not cover trim. I noticed multiple cars in our parking lot experiencing the same issues on 2024 or older models. In addition, the low gas indicator does not appear on the infotainment system after the Kia Connect expired despite gas being as low as 32 miles projected (avg. 24 mpg normal range). The Sportage lane assists yellow indicator comes on sporadically when changing lanes without or with the turn signal on. The steering assist will turn off when you go through a intersection and is not reliable enough to even turn on as it will give you a false sense of

NHTSA complaint 11765397, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VISIBILITY

44,800 miles

The contact owns a 2024 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, the glass panel between the windshield and the panoramic sunroof exploded, causing glass to fall into the vehicle. The dealer was contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 44,800.

NHTSA complaint 11764925. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
The SRS/airbag warning light illuminates and flashes, accompanied by a seat belt warning chime while the driver seat belt is fastened. I scanned the SRS module and retrieved DTC B1511-00 (Driver Seat Belt Buckle Switch Open Or Short To Battery) and B1515-00 (Driver Seat Belt Buckle Switch Defect), logged across two events. I purchased this vehicle used from a franchised dealer. I took it to that same dealer for diagnosis. Their technician found that the wiring harness under the driver seat had been cut and twisted back together. That splice was present before I purchased the vehicle. The dealership inspected and resold the vehicle to me in that condition and did not disclose any prior

NHTSA complaint 11764829, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
I am reporting a concern regarding the Forward Collision Warning and Automatic Emergency Braking systems on my 2024 Kia Sportage SX Prestige. I have been attempting to understand the operating behavior of the vehicle’s FCA system using cardboard boxes as targets. I conducted observations at very low speeds (approximately 5 mph) as well as at approximately 30 mph. During these observations, the vehicle did not provide a forward collision warning or automatic braking at distances at which I expected the system to recognize a potential collision. I have not intentionally caused a collision or placed a person or another vehicle in danger. I am uncertain whether this behavior represents normal

NHTSA complaint 11758974, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
I am reporting a concern regarding the Forward Collision Warning and Automatic Emergency Braking systems on my 2024 Kia Sportage SX Prestige. I have been attempting to understand the operating behavior of the vehicle’s FCA system using cardboard boxes as targets. I conducted observations at very low speeds (approximately 5 mph) as well as at approximately 30 mph. During these observations, the vehicle did not provide a forward collision warning or automatic braking at distances at which I expected the system to recognize a potential collision. I have not intentionally caused a collision or placed a person or another vehicle in danger. I am uncertain whether this behavior represents normal

NHTSA complaint 11758975, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I’ve had to replace my front windshield twice every year due to it cracking straight down the middle.

NHTSA complaint 11752458. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Kia Sportage

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2026 27 1 —
2025 52 1 —
2023 190 6 —
2022 46 1 —
2021 53 2 —
2020 161 2 —
2019 70 2 —
2018 164 3 —
2017 401 4 —
2016 131 2 —
2015 146 2 —
2014 123 3 —
2013 381 3 —
2012 392 5 —
2011 181 6 —
2010 20 2 1

Other 2024 Kia models

Telluride 218 EV9 207 EV6 76 Carnival 74 Seltos 45 Sorento 41 K5 30 Sportage PHEV 12

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