2025 Kia Sportage PHEV Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2025 Kia Sportage PHEV, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Driver assistance457.1%
- Fuel system114.3%
- Other / unspecified114.3%
- Powertrain (other)114.3%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
My 2025 Kia Sportage PHEV, brand-new with ~750 Miles, was in a low-speed collision with a parked vehicle when the Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA) system failed. I was pulling out of a parking spot from a complete stop. My foot was not on the accelerator; the vehicle moved forward under idle power as I prepared to brake. A parked vehicle was directly ahead. The FCA gave no audible warning, no visual warning, and applied no automatic braking. A collision occurred. This system is designed to detect obstacles ahead and warn or brake to prevent a forward collision. It did neither, despite a large, solid, stationary vehicle directly ahead, in clear conditions, with an unobstructed sensor. In normal use it routinely alerts on nearby cars and objects, so it is active and sensitive to exactly this hazard. Its failure to detect a full-size vehicle directly ahead indicates a malfunction of a critical safety system. No warning lamps appeared before the failure. Only after the collision did the vehicle display a "Check Forward Safety System" warning. This is not the only concern. On April 3, 2026, over two months before this collision, I noted in writing to the selling dealer that Lane Keeping Assist would sometimes turn off while driving, the dash indicator shifting from green to white to grey to black. I was told this was normal, so I did not pursue it. Intermittent loss of an active safety system is itself a concern. Together these may indicate broader driver-assistance problems warranting investigation. The system is available for inspection. The vehicle was delivered to the dealer June 27, 2026 and remains there. Diagnostics are not complete, so the malfunction has not been confirmed and no findings produced. It has not been inspected by police or insurance. Kia corporate case #26217509 is open, reportedly with engineering for weeks with no response Failure of a primary safety system meant to prevent collisions, is a serious safety risk and remains unresolved
While driving the vehicle at 55 mph, it suddenly lost the ability to accelerate even when I pressed down on the accelerator. The RPMs went up to 4 or 5 but I could not go over 30-35 mph. Fortunately, I was able to move into a left turn lane to get away from the flow of traffic and avoid an accident. A semi-truck was behind us when I was unable to accelerate. We had to have the vehicle towed to a local dealership in the area. I had been driving the vehicle for about 2 hours when this occurred. The service department at the dealer was able to recreate the issue. My vehicle has been out of service and remains at the dealership. They told me that a new transmission would be installed due to loss of transmission fluid. They had a difficult time identifying the issue because there were no warning lights or codes registered.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Fuel system
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.
From owner reports, verbatim
on saturday [XXX] while driving on the highway my car lost propulsion and started slowing down even after i was pressing on the acceleration/gas pedal all the way. It happened 3 times within an hour's time frame the car refused to speed up and would stop driving. I was in immediate risk as well as the drivers behind me since i was on the highway and my vehicle immediately slowed down and came to a stop. The dealer asked me to not drive in an eco mode after i took it to the service station at winn kia fremont, they ran diagnostics. This happened in san jose California INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Other / unspecified
Reports whose component NHTSA recorded as unknown, or that do not map to one of the categories above.
From owner reports, verbatim
On [XXX] I took ownership of the described brand new vehicle from Kia of Portland OR,(12miles on the odometer) and insisted twice to sales management that the vehicle is prep'ed with a full fuel tank, fully charged battery and that tires are set to OE spec. The following 2 days the area experienced a head wave of near 100oF. During the following week, we noticed instability with the vehicle driving. Upon verification of the tires pressure with a digital pressure gauge on 6/12/25 at 8am to my disbelieve I discovered that both left side tires (Michelin PRIMACY TOUR A/S 235/55/R19) where at 50.3/50.4 PSI while the right side tires where set correctly at 35.4 PSI. After conversation with Michelin these tires may have exceeded during the heat wave the max allowed operating pressure of 51 PSI making them unsafe for driving. I immediately contacted the dealership Maintenance manager who confirmed that on their digital record the vehicle, as part of Kia standard procedure, was transported and arrived with all 4 tires above 50PSI and that the maintenance team, despite been warned, they forgot to reduce the tire pressure to OE spec of 35PSI on the left tires before allowing the vehicle to be operated on Oregon highways/streets. I requested Kia to send a technician to inspect and adjust the tires but the Maintenance manager refused. Thus I had to gradually release the pressure to match the right side tires and OE spec (35PSI). After the adjustment of the right side tires the vehicle did not exhibited more stability issues. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Powertrain (other)
Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.
From owner reports, verbatim
While driving the vehicle at 55 mph, it suddenly lost the ability to accelerate even when I pressed down on the accelerator. The RPMs went up to 4 or 5 but I could not go over 30-35 mph. Fortunately, I was able to move into a left turn lane to get away from the flow of traffic and avoid an accident. A semi-truck was behind us when I was unable to accelerate. We had to have the vehicle towed to a local dealership in the area. I had been driving the vehicle for about 2 hours when this occurred. The service department at the dealer was able to recreate the issue. My vehicle has been out of service and remains at the dealership. They told me that a new transmission would be installed due to loss of transmission fluid. They had a difficult time identifying the issue because there were no warning lights or codes registered.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .