2026 Kia Sportage Hybrid

On October 21, 2026, while driving my 2026 Kia Sportage Hybrid LX (approx. 3780 miles), smoke started coming from the steering wheel / steering column area. There was a burning electrical smell. / No warning lights came on. I pulled over, turned the vehicle off, and exited. There was no open flame and no one was injured. The LX trim does not have a heated steering wheel, so a heating element fault is ruled out. The smoke appears to come from an electrical component inside the steering column (clock spring, combination/turn-signal switch, or column wiring). I am concerned this is an electrical short with a fire risk. The vehicle is drived back to home, I try to reach out to Kia customer service and local dealership, but neither of them take this seriously. I checked NHTSA recalls: the only 2026 Sportage recall (SC361, instrument cluster display) does not cover this issue.

NHTSA ID

11772744

Incident

Oct 21, 2026

While driving october 19, 2027 on highway 80 i was driving in my lane when the car violently veered to the right...was hard to control. I could have been hit by oncoming car or crashed. The auto is being inspected by the dealer There were no signals or warnings

NHTSA ID

11772645

Incident

Oct 19, 2026

As the vehicle ahead of me began braking, I attempted to slow down accordingly. Despite applying the brake pedal, my vehicle did not decelerate as expected. The brake went down to the floor without resistance. I attempted harder braking, but the vehicle continued moving forward. During this incident, the forward collision warning system activated and issued audible alerts. Unfortunately, I was unable to stop before making contact with the vehicle ahead.

NHTSA ID

11770930

Incident

Oct 13, 2026

I am writing to formally report a severe and life-threatening safety defect regarding my 2026 Kia Sportage Hybrid. On September 28, 2026 around 8 am, I experienced a terrifying Sudden Unintended Acceleration (SUA) event while operating the vehicle. I was completely stopped at an intersection, waiting to make a left turn. The vehicle was stationary with the AUTO HOLD function engaged. When it was time to proceed, I lightly pressed the accelerator pedal to begin moving. Instead of accelerating normally, the vehicle dangerously surged and accelerated on its own. I immediately removed my foot from the accelerator pedal and attempted to stop the vehicle by repeatedly pressing the brake pedal. However, the vehicle did not slow down as expected and continued moving at a high speed. At this time, my foot was completely off the accelerator. The unexpected acceleration lasted for approximately 10 seconds. While repeatedly applying the brake pedal and trying to maintain control, I managed to steer the vehicle into a nearby side street/alley, where the vehicle eventually came to a stop. Fortunately, there was no collision, injury, or property damage. However, this was an extremely frightening and dangerous event. No warning lights or error messages were displayed on the instrument cluster during or after the incident. I requested the Kia Tustin dealer for Inspection and Data Preservation. I also reported to Kia Amerca.

NHTSA ID

11768268

Incident

Sep 28, 2026

Vehicle: 2026 Kia Sportage X-Line HybridVIN: [XXX] Complaint – Unexpected Forward Collision-Avoidance Emergency Braking I am submitting this complaint regarding a serious safety incident involving my 2026 Kia Sportage X-Line Hybrid. While driving on the highway at approximately 66 mph, my vehicle suddenly and unexpectedly activated the Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA) system and applied extremely hard emergency braking. There was no vehicle, pedestrian, or other visible obstruction in front of my vehicle that would have required emergency braking. The braking was severe and unexpected. The force of the braking was significant enough that it caused the passenger door to unlock. I was traveling at highway speed, making the unexpected braking a potentially dangerous situation for me and surrounding traffic. I did not intentionally activate the braking system, and there was no apparent obstruction immediately ahead of the vehicle at the time of the incident. I am concerned that the FCA/ADAS system may have incorrectly detected an object or otherwise malfunctioned and activated emergency braking when it was not warranted. I am requesting that NHTSA document this complaint and investigate whether similar incidents have been reported involving the 2026 Kia Sportage X-Line Hybrid, particularly unexpected or false FCA activation resulting in hard braking at highway speeds. I also intend to have the vehicle inspected by an authorized Kia dealer and request that the incident, diagnostic findings, software status, sensor/camera calibration, and any applicable technical service information be documented. Vehicle: 2026 Kia Sportage X-Line Hybrid VIN: [XXX] Approximate vehicle speed: 66 mph System involved: Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA) Result: Unexpected severe emergency braking with no apparent obstruction ahead Additional concern: Passenger door unlocked during the hard braking event while on highway INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11767671

Incident

Sep 26, 2026

Vehicle experiences intermittent stalls when accelerating at freeway speeds. This is my second NHSTA report on this vehicle. Kia replaced the engine to try to fix the problem but it persists.

NHTSA ID

11766698

Incident

Sep 13, 2026

COMPONENT: Shift-by-wire transmission selector / hybrid control system. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. WHAT HAPPENED: Intermittently, after starting the vehicle, it will not engage Drive or Reverse. The selector input is accepted but the vehicle remains in Park/Neutral and does not move. The only way to clear it is to shut the vehicle off and restart it, sometimes up to 10 times, or by waiting a few hours, before a gear will engage. This has occurred repeatedly since purchase in November 2025. Vehicle currently has approximately 2,800 miles. SAFETY RISK: The vehicle can become unable to move without warning. If this occurs after a stop in traffic, at an intersection, or on a railroad crossing, the vehicle would be stranded in the roadway. It also prevents moving the vehicle quickly in an emergency. DEALER CONFIRMATION: Reported to a Kia dealership ion 09/02/2026. Dealer attempted to reproduce by starting the vehicle 10 times and reported it worked each time. No diagnostic trouble codes or module data were documented. Problem not confirmed by dealer. I have found other owners of the same model year and powertrain reporting the identical symptom online. OTHER INSPECTION: Not inspected by manufacturer, police, or insurance. A case has been opened with Kia consumer affairs requesting a field technician inspection. WARNING LAMPS: None. No warning lights, messages, or chimes before or during the failure. UNKNOWN cause.

NHTSA ID

11763449

Incident

Jan 25, 2026

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.

NHTSA ID

11760497

Incident

May 15, 2026

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: PARTIAL REPAIR – ELECTRICAL A/C COMPRESSOR - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information regarding the partial repair of the Air Conditioning (A/C) compressor assembly on some 2011MY~ Optima Hybrid (TF HEV, JF HEV/PHEV), 2015MY~ Soul EV (PS EV), 2017MY~ Niro (DE HEV/PHEV/EV), 2022MY~ EV6 (CV), 2021MY~ Sorento (MQ4 HEV/PHEV), 2023MY~ Sportage (NQ5 HEV/PHEV), and 2023MY~ Niro (SG2 EV/HEV/PHEV) vehicles.

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER ACTION: UPPER ACTIVE AIR FLAP DUCT ASSEMBLY REPLACEMENT (CA2606) - This bulletin provides information to replace the upper active air flap (“AAF”) duct assembly on certain 2026-2027MY Sportage (NQ5), Sportage Hybrid (NQ5 HEV), and Sportage Plug-In Hybrid (NQ5, PHEV) vehicles produced from May 15, 2025, through May 11, 2026, which may exhibit a MIL ON with DTCs P05A300 and/or P059F00 due to insufficient flap rigidity, resulting in reduced AAF performance.

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: WIND NOISE FROM FRONT LEFT DOOR (CA2601) - This bulletin provides information regarding a wind noise heard on certain 2026MY Sportage vehicles listed. The affected vehicles may experience wind noise coming from the front left door while driving. Wind can travel through the run channel of the upper corner of the window run.

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM SOFTWARE UPDATE USING UPDATE.KIA.COM - This bulletin provides information and service procedures for updating the infotainment systems on applicable Kia vehicles using the Kia Navigation Updater available at update.kia.com. The software update may improve system performance, enhance existing features, and apply the latest operating software for supported vehicles (2021-2026MY All Models).

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: INFOTAINMENT SOFTWARE UPDATE PROCEDURE - This bulletin provides information on the process for downloading infotainment software updates and preparing USB for installation on applicable Kia vehicles. The software downloads and USB preparation process is similar across all supported platforms; however, in‑vehicle installation procedures vary by head unit type.

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: DCU OPERATIONSOFTWARE LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SA635) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information to improve the Data Connectivity Unit (DCU) performance on all 2026MYSportage and Sportage HEV/PHEV and 2025MY EV6 vehicles equipped with Kia Connect Services. The affected vehicles may encounter the following issues: Remote Start/Climate Control function not working, Vehicle Status on the Kia Access App not updating. and/or Connected routing not functioning properly.