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HomeKiaSportage → 2023

2023 Kia Sportage Recalls & Complaints

6

open safety recalls on record

Critical

309 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.63 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Critical22V651000

Electrical System:Alternator/Generator/Regulator

engine stall raises the risk of a crash, and an electrical surge increases the risk of a fire.

Remedy & full details

Dealers will inspect and tighten the alternator battery positive terminal nut, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 23, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC248.

Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Sportage vehicles. The alternator battery positive terminal nut may loosen, which can result in an engine stall or an electrical surge.

Critical23V531000 Park outside

Power Train:Automatic Transmission:Fluid/Lubricant:Pump

electric oil pump assembly that overheats raises the risk of a vehicle fire.

Remedy & full details

Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will inspect and replace the electric oil pump controller, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed September 28, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC275.

Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Soul, Sportage, and 2023-2024 Seltos vehicles. The electronic controller for the Idle Stop & Go oil pump assembly may contain damaged electrical components that can cause the pump to overheat.

Serious22V878000

Air Bags:Side/Window:Curtain

twisted air bag can deploy improperly, raises the risk of injury.

Remedy & full details

Dealers will inspect and reinstall the side curtain air bags as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 28, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC257.

Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Sportage vehicles. The side curtain air bags may have been twisted during installation.

Serious23V298000

Electrical System: Instrument Cluster/Panel

blank instrument cluster display will not show critical information, such as tire pressure, warning messages, and warning lights, raises the risk of a crash.

Remedy & full details

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. (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."

Serious23V410000

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Power Assist

loss of power brake assist can extend the distance required to stop, raises the risk of a crash.

Remedy & full details

Dealers will inspect and replace the brake booster as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 21, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC272.

Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Sportage vehicles. The brake booster diaphragm may become misaligned and cause an internal vacuum leak, which can result in a loss of power brake assist.

Serious24V025000

Structure:Body:Roof And Pillars

detached roof molding can create a road hazard for other vehicles, raises the risk of a crash.

Remedy & full details

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. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023-2024 Sportage and 2022-2024 Carnival vehicles. The roof molding may loosen and detach.

Complaint volume

309 this model-year 9 median, same year

Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.

What owners reported happened

44Crashes
2Fires
25Injuries
0Deaths

Across 309 complaints. Severity Index 0.63.

Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.

What owners report most

Unknown Or Other45 · 15%Electrical System43 · 14%Engine37 · 12%Service Brakes30 · 10%Forward Collision Avoidan…18 · 6%Power Train17 · 6%Forward Collision Avoidan…13 · 4%Fuel/Propulsion System12 · 4%
  1. Unknown Or Other — 45 reports
  2. Electrical System — 43 reports
  3. Engine — 37 reports
  4. Service Brakes — 30 reports
  5. Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings — 18 reports
  6. Power Train — 17 reports
  7. Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking — 13 reports
  8. Fuel/Propulsion System — 12 reports
  9. Air Bags — 11 reports
  10. Vehicle Speed Control — 9 reports

What to do

  1. Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
  2. Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
  3. Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.

Other model years

1995 (2) · 1996 (3) · 1997 (3) · 1998 (5) · 1999 (5) · 2000 (4) · 2001 (2) · 2002 (3) · 2003 · 2005 (3) · 2006 (1) · 2007 (2) · 2008 (3) · 2009 (3) · 2010 (2) · 2011 (6) · 2012 (5) · 2013 (3) · 2014 (3) · 2015 (2) · 2016 (2) · 2017 (4) · 2018 (3) · 2019 (2) · 2020 (2) · 2021 (2) · 2022 (1) · 2023 · 2024 (3) · 2025 (1) · 2026 (1)

Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.

Questions

Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?

Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.

Do I pay for recall repairs?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.

Why are there complaints but no recalls?

Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.