Owner-reported complaints naming the exterior lighting system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2017 Kia Sportage submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 13 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
Engine light came on flashing on the dash. Went to O’reily auto shop to get it checked and their scanner discovered P1326 code, “knocking sensor” and oil light came on and flashing as well. The motor oil was replaced about a month ago. Checked the oil dip stick and it was below the first dot.
My KIA Sportage 2017 headlights malfunctioned by flickering on and off and the screen and dashboard lights went totally out while I was driving on THE FREEWAY at NIGHT. This happened five times in the span of 30 minutes and each incident lasted approximately five to ten seconds. My car is available for inspection upon request. My safety or the safety of others was put at risk. I worried my lights might actually go out totally, plus drivers on the freeway would be confused and distracted; it might blind them, or possibly result in road rage. This issue has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer nor have the lights been inspected by anyone yet. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the repeated failure. This problem with 2017 KIA Sportage has been reported by others on the internet. KIA, the manufacturer, would not admit to me there is an issue with the lights flickering and the dashboard going black nor what might cause it. They said I could submit a claim for reimbursement AFTER my KIA dealer’s service department gives a diagnostic on the vehicle. I have been issued a KIA Case #. It would be a great benefit to know the cause and the remedy from other KIA vehicle owners that have been repaired. The earliest service appointment available with my KIA service dealer is October 25, 2023. I am not able to drive my car in the dark until this issue has been resolved. This is a great hardship on me because I am a widow and the sole driver in my household. Thank you for looking into this. I look forward to your response and information.
Headlights have started flickering. The dash lights and radio also went out completely and came back on after a few seconds.
My 2017 KIA Sportage was purchased in 2016 and does not have any recalls showing under my VIN number for this issue but I have all of the signs of a serious malfunction and the dealer won't respond. My car has less than 23k miles on it, I barely drive it because I work from home and all of the ABS warning lights are on including the ABS, Hill Descent, Tire Pressure, Traction/Stability Control, Emergency Brake Light. My dashboard light to Check TPMS also pops on the screen consistently and there is a weird smell coming from my dashboard. My husband is a certified mechanic for Largo Honda and he claims it is a safety issue in the vehicle that should be recalled. In addition to this issue, my windows will not go down and this will be the third time I have to take the car to the dealer to get fixed in the short period that I've had the car.
RECENTLY I HAD A CAR ACCIDENT , MY CAR BREAKS FAILED TO STOP WHEN I WAS DRIVING, MY KIA WAS GIVING ME ALERTS WITH TIRES PRESURES, NEEDS A LT S IDE BRAKE LAMP REPLACED IN MULTIPLE TIMES, BRAKES ROTATORS BEEN CHANGED, SMELL OF BURNT CABLE INSULATION, CAN YOU INVESTIGATE IF IT COULD BE RELATED TO THE RECALLS NKS TWICE,*DT*JB
DRIVER SIDE HEADLIGHT LAMP LENS IS TURNING YELLOW, VERY DISTORTED. *TR
HIGHLIGHTS TO BRIGHT, CAN NOT DRIVE AT NIGHT WITHOUT GETTING HIGH BEAM BY MOST CARS THAT PASS
NEWER MODEL KIA SPORTAGE VEHICLES HAVE LOW MOUNTED TURN SIGNALS THAT ARE SEPERATE FROM THE REST OF THE BRAKE LIGHT ASSEMBLY. THIS PRESENTS TWO ISSUES: 1: THE LOW MOUNT MAKES IT HARDER TO SEE IN GENERAL 2: THE SEPARATION MAKES THE TURN SIGNAL NOT AS APPARENT WHEN THE SIGNAL IS USE. I BELIEVE THAT THESE VEHICLES ARE A HAZARD ON THE ROAD DUE TO THE DESIGN OF THE TURN SIGNAL.
SAFETY ISSUE: 2017 KIA SPORTAGE REAR TURN SIGNALS NOT INTEGRATED INTO THE BRAKE LIGHTS AND TOO LOW TO BE EASILY SEEN. I'VE BEEN TOLD ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS THAT MY REAR TURN SIGNALS ARE TOO SMALL (7 7/8" WIDE X 1 3/4" HIGH), TOO LOW (23" FROM STREET LEVEL, ON THE REAR BUMPERS), AND TOO FAR AWAY FROM MY BRAKE LIGHTS (20" FROM TURN SIGNALS ON BUMPERS TO BRAKE LIGHTS) TO BE SEEN BY CARS BEHIND ME, ESPECIALLY DURING DAYLIGHT HOURS. WHAT MAKES THIS EVEN MORE UNSAFE IS THE SIGNALS WRAP AROUND THE BUMPER, SO THAT OF THE 7 7/8" OF LAMP, ONLY 2 1/2" SHOW IN THE REAR. THE REST OF THE SIGNAL LAMP AREA IS ON THE SIDE OF THE VEHICLE AND NOT VISIBLE TO CARS BEHIND ME. (PLEASE SEE UPLOADED PHOTOS.) IF A DRIVER IS FOLLOWING TOO CLOSE OR IF I'M IN BUMPER-TO-BUMPER TRAFFIC, IT'S IMPOSSIBLE FOR A CAR BEHIND ME TO SEE ME SIGNAL. THIS MAKES IT DANGEROUS FOR ME TO CHANGE LANES, MERGE, OR MAKE TURNS. AFTER BEING NOTIFIED BY MANY DRIVERS OF MY SMALL, OUT-OF-PLACE AND INCONSPICUOUS TURN SIGNALS, I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER, THINKING THAT THE CIRCUIT TO THE BRAKE LIGHTS WAS FAULTY, SINCE THE BRAKE LIGHTS DON'T BLINK TO SIGNAL A TURN. THE DEALER CHECKED THE CAR AND STATED THAT THIS IS THE WAY THE CAR WAS DESIGNED: BRAKES LIGHTS DO NOT BLINK TO SIGNAL A TURN; THE ONLY REAR TURN SIGNALS ARE LOCATED ON THE REAR BUMPERS. ODDLY, THIS DANGEROUS DESIGN FLAW SHOWS UP ONLY ON THE SPORTAGE. OTHER KIA MODELS HAVE TURN SIGNALS INCORPORATED INTO OR ADJACENT TO THE BRAKE LIGHTS. IT SHOULD BE A SIMPLE MATTER FOR KIA TO INCORPORATE THE TURN SIGNALS INTO THE BRAKE LIGHTS ON THE SPORTAGE, SINCE ALL THEIR OTHER MODELS ALREADY DO SO. TO MY KNOWLEDGE THIS IS THE ONLY CAR IN THE UNITED STATES WITH TINY BUMPER-MOUNTED TURN SIGNALS AND NO SIGNALS IN THE BRAKE LIGHT AREA. HOPEFULLY, THIS DANGEROUS DESIGN IS SO RADICALLY OUT OF STEP WITH RECOGNIZED AUTO SAFETY STANDARDS AS TO MERIT A SAFETY RECALL.
FMVSS 108,TABLE I-A, DAYTIME RUNNING LAMP (DRL), DEVICE ACTIVATION REQUIRES THAT DRLS BE "AUTOMATICALLY DEACTIVATED WHEN THE HEADLAMP CONTROL IS IN ANY 'ON' POSITION." ON THE 2017 KIA SPORTAGE THE DRLS REMAIN ON WITH THE HEADLAMP CONTROL IN ALL "ON" POSITIONS. THIS GIVES THE APPEARANCE THAT THE HIGH BEAMS ARE ON ALL THE TIME. OPPOSING DRIVES HAVE FLASHED THEIR LIGHTS AT ME TO INDICATE THAT MY HIGH BEAMS WERE ON WHEN THEY WERE NOT. THIS CREATES TENSION AND ANGER IN BOTH DRIVERS. I WAS EVEN STOPPED ONCE BY THE POLICE BECAUSE OF THE HIGH BEAM ON APPEARANCE. SINCE THESE LIGHT FAIL TO MEET FMVSS REQUIREMENTS, KIA SHOULD INITIATE A RECALL TO REMEDY THE PROBLEM. GIVEN THE COMMONALITY OF SYSTEMS MANUFACTURERS USE IN SEVERAL VEHICLE MODELS, OTHER KIA MODELS MAY BE SIMILARLY AFFECTED.
THE FOCUSED BEAM HEADLIGHTS ON LOW BEAM ARE EXTREMELY BRIGHT WHEN SET TO KIA STANDARDS. ONCOMING TRAFFIC PERIODICALLY FLASHES HEADLIGHTS AT ME TO DIM MY HEADLIGHTS WHICH ARE ON LOW BEAM. A FEW ONCOMING CARS HAVE KEPT THEIR HIGH BEAM LIGHTS ON EVEN THOUGH I FLASH MY HIGH BEAMS TO LET THEM KNOW MY LOW BEAMS ARE ON. THE APPROACHING HIGH BEAM LIGHTS PARTIALLY BLIND ME RESTRICTING MY VISION. SOME CARS I AM FOLLOWING INDICATE MY LOW BEAM LIGHTS ARE TOO BRIGHT BY SLOWING DOWN OR USING THE TURN SIGNAL FLASHERS TO INDICATE MY LIGHTS ARE TOO BRIGHT. THESE ACTIONS OCCUR ON STATE HIGHWAYS WHILE I AM DRIVING AT NIGHT. I HAVE AN OPEN CASE WITH KIA. CASE NUMBER 12446047. KIA CUSTOMER SERVICE HAS ADVISED THEY CAN DO NO MORE BECAUSE THE FOCUSED BEAM HEAD LIGHTS ARE SET PER KIA SPECIFICATIONS.
RE: 2017 KIA SPORTAGE EX. THE REAR TURN SIGNALS AND THE BACK-UP LIGHTS ARE IN-CONSPICUOUSLY LOCATED. 16" LOWER THAN TAIL/BRAKE LIGHTS AND LOWER THAN LICENSE PLATE DEEMS A PROBABLE TRAFFIC SAFETY HAZARD. THE 9" CURVED LENSES ILLUMINATE APPROX 2-3 " IN THE REAR AND APPROX 6-7" ON THE SIDE. A CERTAIN DAYTIME HAZARD. VERY POOR ENGINEERING THIS PROBABLE UNSAFE HAZARD TAKES PLACE EVERY TIME THE TURN SIGNALS ARE APPLIED OR THE VEHICLE IS IN REVERSE. AN ACCIDENT HAS NOT OCCURRED DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY TO THIS COMPLAINT...YET. THIS COMPLAINT IS ONGOING SINCE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE, 5/17/2017. PLEASE INVESTIGATE AND RETURN FURTHER INFORMATION. THANK YOU
WHEN PURCHASED IN MAY, 2017, THE HEADLIGHTS HAD TO BE ADJUSTED AS THEY WERE AIMED TOO HIGH. THE ADJUSTMENT MADE THE LIGHTS TOO LOW AND WITH A VERY SHORT "CUT-OFF" POINT. IT IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE THE ROADWAY IN FRONT OF THE VEHICLE AT NIGHT.
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.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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