2026 Kia Sportage

The contact owns a 2026 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that his wife had driven for 6.5 hours at 35-70 MPH with the seat heater activated, the seat heater overheated. Upon exiting the vehicle, the driver discovered second-degree burns on her right thigh and significant bruising extending from her left thigh to her buttocks. The contact stated that the failure had occurred while the contact and wife were traveling on a 6.5 hours trip. The contact's wife received medical treatment for the injuries. The manufacturer was contacted by phone and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 14,223.

NHTSA ID

11764801

Incident

Sep 6, 2026

Mileage

14,223 mi

Wiring harness keeps getting chewed up by rodents in engine bay. Had to have Kia fix 2 times for the parking distance sensors. Have done lots of prevention things to keep from engine bay, but attracted to this vehicle. My 2 other vehicles no problems. They are not Kias. It causes loss of driver assistance systems.

NHTSA ID

11760371

Incident

Aug 1, 2026

Occurred on 8/3/2026: 1. I parked my car in my driveway 2. My car is sitting in the driver door storage area and my phone with digital key is sitting on the front passenger seat. 3. Vehicle is turned off; I exit the vehicle and close the door. 4. My toddler is the back seat (not on the driver side), so i start to walk over to take her out. 5. In the meantime, the car locks itself. 6. I walk back to driver door and it is locked as well. This was serious and immediate issue as the ambient temperature was 92 degrees F and car at this point has no circulation. Luckily I was at home so was able to hurry and grab my second key from home to unlock the car. It all took about 5 min and by the time I was able to get her out, she was sweating.

NHTSA ID

11754881

Incident

Aug 3, 2026

While adaptive cruise was engaged, the vehicle read Alabama highway 80 west state road sign and incorrectly interpreted the sign for a speed limit sign which is 55 MPH.The vehicle displayed a “80 MPH” speed limit sign on the instrument cluster and then began to accelerate. When I took it to the dealer for repair, the “turned off safety feature”.

NHTSA ID

11753359

Incident

Jul 22, 2026

The contact owns a 2026 Kia Sportage equipped with Kumho Tires, Tire Line: Crugen HP71, Tire Size: 235/60/R18, DOT Number: 1K2CMYA8E . While the contact’s daughter was driving approximately 75 MPH, the vehicle suddenly started shaking violently and vibrated abnormally, causing the driver to almost lose control of the steering wheel. The driver regained control of the steering wheel and parked the vehicle. The Police and a towing service was called to the scene. Upon inspection, it was discovered that the front passenger’s side tire had tread separation at the center of the tire, causing the center rim of the wheel to be exposed and caused damages to the wheel well and fender. The vehicle was later towed to the residence. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The vehicle manufacturer and rental car company were notified of the failure. The tire manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 3,900.

NHTSA ID

11752974

Incident

Jul 25, 2026

Mileage

3,900 mi

I was driving on the freeway, when all of a sudden my car felt like it was driving on its own. It began jerking, rapidly accelerating causing the rpm to go up on its own, and causing the engine to rev. It alternated between accelerating and braking. I pulled off to the side and had it towed to the dealership I lease it from. The dealership drove it and the same thing happened. They said it was stuck in 2nd gear, so they have to completely replace the transmission. There were absolutely no warning lights or messages prior to this occurrence. It happened during rush hour so there were a lot of cars out, and I felt as if I lost control of my car. I also had to pull off to the side of an off ramp as I was attempting to get off at an exit to go to work.

NHTSA ID

11750670

Incident

Jul 1, 2026

Odometer Fraud. The contact owns a 2026 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that after purchasing the vehicle, it was determined that there was a mileage discrepancy. At the time of the purchase, the mileage was 0. The vehicle was a dealer sale. The document from the dealer indicated that the mileage was 488. The vehicle was a used rental vehicle prior to the purchase. The contact determined that the actual mileage was 1,060. The contact called the attorney general and Penn DOT regarding odometer fraud.

NHTSA ID

11750534

Incident

Jan 26, 2026

Mileage

1,060 mi

Car does not unlock with keyless key fob. This is too often an issues to overlook. Car will just keep locking and eventually nothing. I have been stuck outside in thunderstorms, a huge safety concern, rain, snow and uncomfortable situations. This causes me to be more soaked, wetting the car and fishing out my keys getting items inside wet. Key is mostly in pocket because its a keyless entry car, or in backpack. 2023 was superior.

NHTSA ID

11749748

Incident

Jul 11, 2026

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 OPERATIONS: PITSTOP: ENGINE BAY/DASHBOARD RATTLE NOISE (PS811) - This Pitstop provides information related to an intermittent rattle or tapping noise heard from the engine bay or dashboard area while driving on 2026MY Sportage (NQ5a) vehicles. The fuel feed and vapor tube bracket (A) may rattle/tap against the brake booster (B) while driving.

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN: OIL LEVEL PLUG (OLP) INSPECTION, AND OLP GASKET AND/OR ATF FILLER BOLT REPLACEMENT OR A/T REPLACEMENT (SC363) - This bulletin provides information to inspect the oil level plug and automatic transmission fluid (ATF) for signs of leakage and, if necessary, replace the oil level plug gasket and/or ATF filler bolt, or the 8-speed Automatic Transaxle (A/T) assembly on certain 2025-2026 Kia model vehicles listed in the table below. Also, dealers are to ensure the oil level plug is tightened to Kia’s factory specifications upon the completion of the inspection and necessary repair. The oil level plug in the subject vehicles may not have been installed properly during assembly. The oil level plug may be loose or detached from the 8-speed Automatic Transaxle (A/T) which may result in leaking automatic transmission fluid (ATF). A transaxle which is operated with excessively low ATF may become damaged over time.

VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN: OWNER NOTIFICATION (SC363) - This document is the owner notification advising that Kia is conducting a Voluntary Service Campaign on certain 2026 MY Sportage vehicles to inspect the oil level plug and automatic transmission fluid (ATF) for signs of leakage and, if necessary, replace the oil level plug gasket and ATF filler bolt and ensure the oil level plug is tightened to Kia’s factory specifications. If necessary, the 8-speed Automatic Transaxle (A/T) may require replacement based on the inspection results.