2025 Kia Sportage: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
49 NHTSA owner complaints · 1 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Reviewed by the MotorJury data desk · 2 sources · Last updated 2026-08-20
49 NHTSA owner complaints · 1 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Complaints per year on the road: 49.0
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
Twice since I purchased my car, once in 2025 and two weeks ago in 2026, I turned my car off in the garage and the engine kept running. I had to start the car up and turn it off again in order for it to shut down. I mentioned that to Arapaho Kia at my last visit in November 2025 and they just said that they didn’t find anything on the computer.
The cluster system of the vehicle lit up every warning system which prevented the running vehicle from being able to be put into drive. Safety was put at risk because I'm afraid this will happen while driving. I've seen this same concern on many Kia owner forums who describe the same issue possibly related to a faulty wiring harness. I had just purchased this vehicle that has 15,000 miles and there were no othe…
While exiting the John C. Lodge Freeway in Detroit at approximately 40 MPH, the brake pedal became stuck halfway during braking and the vehicle did not stop properly on the first brake application. I had to remove my foot from the brake pedal and press it again before the brakes engaged and the vehicle stopped. This has occurred approximately seven times intermittently. The issue creates a serious safety hazard and r…
What the community is saying right now.
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 25V874000 | Trailer Hitches | Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023-2025 Sportage Plug-In Hybrid Electric (PHEV) and 2024-2025 Sportage vehicles equipped with… |
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Unknown Or Other (20 complaints in our indexed sample).
Our data verdict is AVOID with a reliability score of 39/100, computed from 49 NHTSA complaints and 1 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
Yes — NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign(s) for the 2025 Kia Sportage, 0 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 17/12/2025. Check this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy.
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorComplaints & recalls: NHTSA ·
Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov ·
Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements.
Last updated: 2026-08-20.