Kia Sportage Recalls

The Kia Sportage has 53 recalls spanning 1995 through 2026, with the most serious recent issue being a brake hydraulic electronic control unit (HECU) short circuit on 2017–2021 models that can start an engine compartment fire whether the vehicle is parked or being driven.

The 2026 model year has a software error that can cause the instrument panel to go blank, hiding the speedometer, tire pressure readings, and warning lights. The 2024 model year has an electric power steering circuit board that can short circuit and drop power steering assist. On 2023–2025 models with a Genuine Kia tow hitch harness and a 4.2-inch screen, a software fault can similarly blank the instrument panel. The 2023 model year has several additional issues: a loose alternator terminal nut that can stall the engine or trigger an electrical surge leading to fire; an idle stop-and-go oil pump controller that can overheat and start a fire; a brake booster diaphragm that can misalign and reduce braking power; side curtain airbags that may have been installed twisted and can deploy incorrectly; and a digital instrument cluster that can start up blank. The 2023–2024 models also share a roof molding that can detach and become a road hazard.

The 2017–2022 models equipped with a factory or dealer-installed tow hitch harness can develop a wiring fault that creates a fire risk while parked or driving. The 2014–2016 model years have an HECU that can short circuit and cause an engine compartment fire. The 2011–2018 model years are subject to a fuel leak on vehicles that received an engine replacement under a prior recall, where the replacement engine can leak fuel near ignition sources. The 2011–2013 model years have an engine bearing wear issue that can cause the engine to seize. The 2008–2009 model years have an HECU that can admit water through an improperly sealed harness cover, short circuit, and catch fire; vehicles that received the original remedy may still require a second repair.

Going further back, the 2007 and 2006 model years both have stop lamp switch faults that can cause brake lights to fail to illuminate or stay lit when they should not. The 2005 model year has an electronic stability program sensor that can recalibrate incorrectly and apply a brake at one wheel without driver input, a fuel tank o-ring that can leak and cause stalling or an external fuel leak, and a parking brake ratchet that can wear and allow the vehicle to roll. The 2002 model year has a cooling fan whose blades can crack from heat stress and separate at speed. The 1998 model year has a steering shaft that can contact a brake line and cause rear brake fluid loss, and engine wiring connectors that can loosen and stall the engine. The 1996 model year has an accelerator pedal that can stick and hold the throttle partially open. The 1995 model year has rear axle bearing retainer nuts that can loosen, allowing oil to contaminate the rear brakes or the wheel to separate from the axle.