2026 KIA SPORTAGE Complaints

When I start the car and use the dial to shift into drive or reverse gear quickly, it fails and locks up. I have to turn the car off and/or open the door before restarting the car and wait a few seconds until the "Ready" message appears on the instrument panel. Then, it did not fail to shift into gears so far. However, this is a major safety hazard if I need to quickly move the car to avoid an imminent danger. I can understand the car may not be ready to shift into the gear within a couple of seconds of starting, but it should accept the shift command when it's ready and not lock up, forcing the driver to take additional time to restart. At times, it made me panic.

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.

i PURCHASED BRAND NEW 2026 KIA SPORTAGE HYBRID END OF MAY 2026 FROM A KIA DEALERSHIP RAIRDON KIA IN BURLINGTON, WA. IT HAS LESS THAN 2,000 MILES CURRENTLY AND THERE IS A SQUEAKING NOISE FROM THE BRAKES. I CALLED THE KIA DEALERS (IN RENTON, WA AS WELL AS BURLINGTON, WA) AND THEY SAID THAT UNLESS IT IS A MANUFACTURER DEFECT IT IS NOT COVERED. I CAN NOT IMAGINE HAVING BRAKES MAKING SQUEAKING NOISE JUST WITHIN TWO MONTHS OF PURCHASING BRAND NEW VEHICLE.

Occurred on 8/3/2026: 1. I parked my car in my driveway 2. My car is sitting in the driver door storage area and my phone with digital key is sitting on the front passenger seat. 3. Vehicle is turned off; I exit the vehicle and close the door. 4. My toddler is the back seat (not on the driver side), so i start to walk over to take her out. 5. In the meantime, the car locks itself. 6. I walk back to driver door and it is locked as well. This was serious and immediate issue as the ambient temperature was 92 degrees F and car at this point has no circulation. Luckily I was at home so was able to hurry and grab my second key from home to unlock the car. It all took about 5 min and by the time I was able to get her out, she was sweating.

Falsification and/or alteration of repair logs, service dates, and/or mileage records across dealership diagnostic networks and third parties. Evasion of warranty and/or other maintenance requirements. Poor dealership and corporate treatment of military veterans. Suspected unauthorized non-factory wiring harness splices and/or other devices tapped directly into primary Controller Area Network (CAN-Bus) control modules on current model-year (2026) passenger vehicles. Disruption of primary vehicle (and total loss of secondary vehicle) control units resulting in inconvenient intermittent faults, potential safety hazards, severe mental distress, and time/financial losses. Vehicle currently in use as needed only for family requirements, pending purchase of a new vehicle outside the kia motor corporation and West hills dealership network. Both compromised vehicles will then be parked pending investigations.

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”.

The contact owns a 2026 Kia Sportage equipped with Kumho Tires, Tire Line: Crugen HP71, Tire Size: 235/60/R18, DOT Number: 1K2CMYA8E . While the contact’s daughter was driving approximately 75 MPH, the vehicle suddenly started shaking violently and vibrated abnormally, causing the driver to almost lose control of the steering wheel. The driver regained control of the steering wheel and parked the vehicle. The Police and a towing service was called to the scene. Upon inspection, it was discovered that the front passenger’s side tire had tread separation at the center of the tire, causing the center rim of the wheel to be exposed and caused damages to the wheel well and fender. The vehicle was later towed to the residence. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The vehicle manufacturer and rental car company were notified of the failure. The tire manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 3,900.

I was driving on the freeway, when all of a sudden my car felt like it was driving on its own. It began jerking, rapidly accelerating causing the rpm to go up on its own, and causing the engine to rev. It alternated between accelerating and braking. I pulled off to the side and had it towed to the dealership I lease it from. The dealership drove it and the same thing happened. They said it was stuck in 2nd gear, so they have to completely replace the transmission. There were absolutely no warning lights or messages prior to this occurrence. It happened during rush hour so there were a lot of cars out, and I felt as if I lost control of my car. I also had to pull off to the side of an off ramp as I was attempting to get off at an exit to go to work.

Odometer Fraud. The contact owns a 2026 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that after purchasing the vehicle, it was determined that there was a mileage discrepancy. At the time of the purchase, the mileage was 0. The vehicle was a dealer sale. The document from the dealer indicated that the mileage was 488. The vehicle was a used rental vehicle prior to the purchase. The contact determined that the actual mileage was 1,060. The contact called the attorney general and Penn DOT regarding odometer fraud.

Car does not unlock with keyless key fob. This is too often an issues to overlook. Car will just keep locking and eventually nothing. I have been stuck outside in thunderstorms, a huge safety concern, rain, snow and uncomfortable situations. This causes me to be more soaked, wetting the car and fishing out my keys getting items inside wet. Key is mostly in pocket because its a keyless entry car, or in backpack. 2023 was superior.