2023 Kia Sportage Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2023 Kia Sportage most often describe stalling or loss of power while driving, warnings and screens that blank out or flicker, and brakes that felt weak or pulsed at relatively low mileage. A recurring theme is intermittent faults that dealers could not duplicate, plus several reports of glass on the roof or windshield cracking without an impact.

1. 1
   Engine

   Stalling / loss of power while driving

   • 32 complaints (16%)
   • median 47,000 mi at 3.0 yrs old (7 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2022–2026

   Complaints describe the vehicle shutting off or losing motive power at speed, sometimes with the accelerator doing nothing and the engine unable to rev past a low speed. Some owners say it restarted after a short wait or a jump start, while others had it towed; dealers often could not duplicate the fault, and a few report diagnoses of engine misfire, fuel injector or internal bearing damage requiring major repair. Spread from a few thousand miles up to about 120,000 miles, with many reports between roughly 5,000 and 50,000 miles.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask for a full service history and whether any engine software updates or the thermal management module campaign work were completed; on a test drive, note any hesitation, warning lights or hard restarts.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Main 12V electrical system failed completely. The engine stalled, the entire dashboard blacked out, and all auxiliary safety power was lost. The vehicle is currently located at Parkway Family Kia and is fully available for inspection. At rush hour freeway speeds, the engine stalled and total electrical failure occurred. Navigating across active lanes without engine power or power steering was extremely difficult. The total blackout killed my hazard lights, preventing me from warning other high-speed drivers. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11756745, filed 2026-08

   “2023 Kia Sportage misfires, engine will stall and shut off. Afterwards, I am unable to start the car. It has happened three times. (11/23/24, 3/05/24 and 5/05/24). Each time the dealership blamed poor fuel quality (three different gas stations). Not covered under warranty. First incident almost $8,000 in repair cost. Second incident $1,300 in repair cost. Third incident the dealership took responsibility. I had been without my car for a total of 6 months or more. Each time the vehicle is repaired within 13/14 days it happened again. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11593509, filed 2024-06
2. 2
   Electrical system

   Electronic warnings, blank screens and dead battery

   • 56 complaints (29%)
   • median 25,388 mi at 2.2 yrs old (16 state mileage)
   • 10 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2022–2026

   Owners report the instrument cluster or infotainment screen going black or flickering while driving, multiple warning lights (forward collision, lane assist, seat belt) lighting at once, and occasional no-start or battery drain that needed a reset. Dealers sometimes replaced the cluster or wiring harness, or applied software updates; several complaints say the fault could not be reproduced during a shop visit. Mostly reported between about 3,000 and 70,000 miles, often after the vehicle sat or shortly after a software-related complaint.

   Recall 23V2980004 related service bulletins

   What to check: Confirm the vehicle's software version is current (infotainment and cluster updates are covered by service bulletins) and check that the digital cluster displays normally at startup; ask whether recall 23V298000 was completed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “God Morning For the past several months my computer screen flickers back and forth while driving. cuts off then on off then on. We have tried to get the dealership to see the problem but while with them it doesnt happen until afterwards. Need some help before we take the next steps with Kia”

   NHTSA complaint #11571802, filed 2024-02

   “Multiple times I have reported all of my cluster lights come on randomly while driving. They are distracting and it's difficult to tell if the systems are actually working. The dealership claims it's a rear sensor however they refuse to fix it due to my car appears to have been hit. There's no damage to my vehicle any where. Now I have to wait for the lights to come on again before I can take it to another dealership and have it reassessed.”

   NHTSA complaint #11646989, filed 2025-03
3. 3
   Other or unknown

   Sunroof, rear glass and windshield cracking

   • 21 complaints (11%)
   • typically at 1.5 yrs old
   • filed 2022–2026

   Owners describe the panoramic sunroof or fixed roof glass shattering with a loud bang while driving or parked, with no impact found, and glass falling onto the shade. Others report windshields and rear cargo glass cracking, chipping or pitting unusually easily, with straight fracture lines the owners attribute to stress rather than road debris; dealers generally declined coverage or attributed the breaks to outside objects. Reported across a wide mileage range, from under 500 miles to about 30,000 miles, in both cold and warm conditions.

   Recall 24V025000

   What to check: Inspect roof glass, windshield and rear glass closely for chips, edge cracks or prior replacement, and ask whether any glass was replaced under warranty or insurance.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was driving to Christmas Eve service and heard a very loud explosion from the top of 2023 Kia Sportage. I then started hearing air coming from my panoramic sunroof. I pulled to the side of the road to inspect, and found that my sunroof had basically exploded.”

   NHTSA complaint #11499014, filed 2022-12

   “I was driving and heard a loud pop like a gunshot and then the sound of glass breaking. When I inspected, the sunroof had just shattered for no reason. All the edges of the sunroof have a shatter line along them with no damage in the middle of the glass”

   NHTSA complaint #11730818, filed 2026-04
4. 4
   Brakes

   Brake vibration, premature pad/rotor wear and weak stopping

   • 15 complaints (8%)
   • median 11,000 mi at 0.9 yrs old (3 state mileage, few)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2023–2026

   Complaints describe pulsation or vibration through the pedal when braking, grinding, and pads and rotors worn out well before expected, with some owners paying for replacements and others getting them done as a courtesy before the symptom returned. A smaller number describe the pedal going to the floor or the vehicle failing to slow, in some cases ending in a collision. Wear complaints cluster from about 10,000 to 23,000 miles; loss-of-braking reports range from a few hundred to about 27,000 miles.

   Recall 23V4100002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask for brake service records and whether the brake booster recall 23V410000 was performed; check pedal feel for pulsation and look at rotor condition on a test drive.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Purchased a brand new 2023 Kia Sportage and at 10,000 miles my brakes felt like they were worn out, the car had a wobbling to it and a grinding sound. Took it into the dealer and they told me my brakes and rotors are worn out. They wanted $900.00. I complained to the manager and he said they would do it as a courtesy. Now again at 20,000 I am having the same issue. Again took it back and they told me they need to talk to me about my braking habits! Also they said they will do it again as a courtesy, which I am extremely grateful! …”

   NHTSA complaint #11590607, filed 2024-05

   “The contact owns a 2023 Kia Sportage. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed to slow the vehicle however, the brakes was inoperable. The contact stated that the vehicle started spinning and landed in a ditch and struck a wooden fence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 26,887.”

   NHTSA complaint #11541532, filed 2023-08, 26,887 miles
5. 5
   Forward collision avoidance

   Automatic emergency braking and driver assist misbehaving

   • 12 complaints (6%)
   • median 15,500 mi at 0.7 yrs old (3 state mileage, few)
   • 6 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2022–2026

   Complaints describe the forward collision system braking on its own with a warning chime when no obstacle was present, or failing to warn and brake when approaching a stopped vehicle. Owners also report lane assist and other driver-assist features switching off unexpectedly or showing disabled messages; dealers frequently could not duplicate the behavior. Mostly reported under about 16,000 miles, sometimes within the first few hundred miles of ownership.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: During a test drive, confirm the forward collision and lane assist menus are enabled and that no warning messages appear; ask whether any related software updates have been applied.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “On Aug 25th I was driving and the screens all shut off while driving, I didn't think anything of it, but a few hours later in ocala fl, cars had started breaking and slowing down, but then started again, but one lady had not started moving and I ended up hitting her I didn't have no warning telling me I was getting close to a car nor did it break at all like it's supposed to. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11496407, filed 2022-12

   “While actively parking, my car accelerated and slammed into a wall an arm's length away. The collision was impactful enough to cause my seatbelt to engage and slam into my sternum. While attempting to turn off the car, the computer system glitched, engaging all three different drive modes (N, R, D). The breaking command I gave the vehicle was ignored, and the vehicle accelerated into the parking garage wall. No front collision assist or safety feature engaged. The vehicle is currently at a repair shop with the damage cost totalling $17K. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11721553, filed 2026-03

Buying note. A 2023 Sportage can be a reasonable used buy, but check that the open recalls (brake booster, instrument cluster, roof molding and others) have been completed and that infotainment and cluster software is current, since many complaints involve warnings and screens rather than mechanical wear. Pay attention on the test drive to braking smoothness, any hesitation or stalling, and the condition of the roof and windshield glass.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.