Skip to content
RecallScanner Severity Profile

Kia SPORTAGE

Watch9 recall campaigns, verify by VIN.
0
RecallScore
Critical
2
Fire risk
3
Crash risk
7
Injuries
0
Deaths
0
Check your specific SPORTAGE

Is your VIN affected?

Start typing. We'll decode your VIN as you go.
Your VIN lives on the driver-side dashboard, the door jamb, or your registration card. We don't store it.

All Recalls

9 campaigns
9 recalls 2 critical🔥 3 fire risk💥 7 crash risk
Model year
Airbag
Nov 28, 2022
1391 days ago

Your side curtain airbag can deploy improperly and fail to protect you in a crash.

Affected: AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW:CURTAIN · 2023
CRASH RISK
NHTSA
Summary

Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Sportage vehicles. The side curtain air bags may have been twisted during installation.

Consequence

A twisted air bag can deploy improperly, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy

Dealers will inspect and reinstall the side curtain air bags as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 28, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC257.

Brakes
Apr 3, 2021
1995 days ago

Your car's electrical system can short-circuit and catch fire in the engine compartment while parked.

Affected: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE · 2021
FIRE RISK
NHTSA
Summary

Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2017-2021 Sportage and Cadenza vehicles. The electrical circuit in the Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) may short-circuit, which can cause a fire in the engine compartment.

Consequence

An engine compartment fire can increase the risk of injury.

Remedy

Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures as a precaution until the recall repair is complete. Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace certain fuses in the electrical junction box. Vehicles equipped with an electronic parking brake (EPB) will also receive a HECU software update. Repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on April 30, 2021. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC206.

Electrical
Aug 29, 2022
1482 days ago

Your alternator connection can loosen and cause the engine to stall or start a fire.

Affected: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR · 2023
FIRE RISKCRASH RISK
NHTSA
Summary

Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Sportage vehicles. The alternator battery positive terminal nut may loosen, which can result in an engine stall or an electrical surge.

Consequence

An engine stall increases the risk of a crash, and an electrical surge increases the risk of a fire.

Remedy

Dealers will inspect and tighten the alternator battery positive terminal nut, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 23, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC248.

Brakes
Jul 6, 2023
1171 days ago

Your brake booster can fail and make it take longer to stop your car.

Affected: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST · 2023
CRASH RISK
NHTSA
Summary

Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Sportage vehicles. The brake booster diaphragm may become misaligned and cause an internal vacuum leak, which can result in a loss of power brake assist.

Consequence

A loss of power brake assist can extend the distance required to stop, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will inspect and replace the brake booster as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 21, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC272.

Steering
Jul 6, 2024
805 days ago

Your power steering can fail suddenly, making the car harder to steer and crash risk higher.

Affected: STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM · 2024
CRASH RISK
NHTSA
Summary

Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2024 Kia Sportage vehicles. The circuit board in the motor-driven power steering assembly may short circuit, resulting in a loss of power steering assist.

Consequence

A loss of power steering assist can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the motor-driven power steering electric power pack, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 19, 2024. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC319.

Fuel System
Dec 19, 2018
2831 days ago

Your fuel pipe can leak and catch fire while you drive or park your car.

Affected: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS · 2018
FIRE RISK
NHTSA
Summary

Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2011-2017 Optima, 2012-2017 Sorento and 2011-2018 Sportage vehicles that previously received an engine replacement under recall number 17V-224, warranty, or the Knock Sensor Detection System (KSDS) Product Improvement Campaign. The high pressure fuel pipe that connects to the fuel pump outlet may have been damaged, misaligned or improperly torqued during the engine replacement procedure, possibly causing a fuel leak.

Consequence

A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.

Remedy

Kia has notified owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the fuel pipe, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 17, 2019. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC172.

Other
Nov 30, 2016
3580 days ago

Your trailer brake lights can stay on constantly and confuse other drivers on the road.

Affected: TRAILER HITCHES · 2017
CRASH RISK
NHTSA
Summary

Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Sorento vehicles manufactured October 27, 2014, to August 25, 2016, and 2017 Sportage vehicles manufactured December 10, 2015, to August 26, 2016. The affected vehicles are equipped with an accessory trailer hitch wiring harness that, due to a malfunction of the tow hitch module, may result in the trailer brake lights being constantly illuminated. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, " Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."

Consequence

If the trailer brake lights stay illuminated while being used, other drivers may be confused, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the trailer tow hitch harness, free of charge. The recall began January 18, 2017. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC142.

Body
Jan 18, 2024
975 days ago

Your roof molding can detach and fly into traffic, causing a crash.

Affected: STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS · 2024
CRASH RISK
NHTSA
Summary

Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023-2024 Sportage and 2022-2024 Carnival vehicles. The roof molding may loosen and detach.

Consequence

A detached roof molding can create a road hazard for other vehicles, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will inspect the roof molding and replace or secure it as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 15, 2024. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC292.

Other
Dec 17, 2025
276 days ago

Your instrument panel screen can go blank and hide your speed and warning lights while driving.

Affected: TRAILER HITCHES · 2025
CRASH RISK
NHTSA
Summary

Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023-2025 Sportage Plug-In Hybrid Electric (PHEV) and 2024-2025 Sportage vehicles equipped with a 4.2" screen and a Genuine Kia tow hitch harness accessory. Due to a software error, the instrument panel screen may fail. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 101, "Controls and Displays."

Consequence

An instrument panel screen that fails to display critical safety information, such as the speedometer or warning lights, can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the tow hitch harness control module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 13, 2026. Owners may contact Kia Customer Service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC359. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning December 31, 2025.

Full analysis: how to read the Kia SPORTAGE recall history
Year range, common components, complaint patterns, and how to use this page.

Understanding the Kia SPORTAGE recall history

The Kia SPORTAGE currently has 9 recall campaigns indexed from the NHTSA public database. Each recall represents a formal campaign to fix a defect at no cost to the current owner. Owner complaints are self-reported incidents that haven't (yet) resulted in a recall but can indicate emerging patterns worth watching.

The most frequent recall categories for the SPORTAGE in our dataset are brake (2), electrical (1), and air bag (1). These clusters matter when you're shopping for a used SPORTAGE: recalls in these systems tend to be the ones most likely to have been skipped by previous owners, because they aren't always visible during a routine test drive or pre-purchase inspection.

The tracked recalls span model years 2017–2025, with campaigns reported to NHTSA between 2016 and 2025. Not every model year carries every recall. Each campaign is scoped to a specific year range and often a specific build window, which is why a VIN lookup is the only way to know whether a particular SPORTAGE is actually affected by any of these campaigns.

How to use this page

The safest path for an owner is to run your VIN through the checker above. A VIN query hits NHTSA's live API and tells you whether your specific SPORTAGE has an open, unresolved recall. If you're researching a used SPORTAGEbefore buying, use the recall list below to understand the model's full history, then check the seller's VIN to see whether prior owners actually completed the free repairs. Many don't, and unresolved recalls can linger for years.

Figures are generated live from the RecallScanner dataset, which is sourced from NHTSA's public recall and complaint APIs and refreshed daily. RecallScanner is independent and not affiliated with Kia or any U.S. government agency.