2024 Kia Sportage: What to check before buying

The instrument cluster goes black for several seconds while driving, then reboots with a system check. Speedometer and warning lights vanish during the blackout, and cruise control can drop out. Dealers replace clusters and charging pads and push software updates, but many reports say the blackouts return because the shop cannot reproduce them. Another pattern is sudden power loss or stalling at intersections and on the interstate. All dash lights come on, hybrid system failure messages appear, and the car may not restart for minutes. Some owners also report random lock failures and battery discharge warnings.

Cruise control sets itself to 110 mph and the car surges forward. The down button does nothing, and turning cruise off and on brings back the same setting. Only shutting the car off fully clears it, and it often happens again later. Most reports come within weeks or months of purchase. Dealers call it a known problem with no fix and tell owners not to use cruise control. Two crash reports describe the car suddenly accelerating while parking and hitting a building.

The panoramic sunroof explodes without warning, often at highway speed and with no debris or nearby traffic. Owners describe a gunshot-like bang and glass hitting their heads, eyes, and children in the back seat. Some drivers barely keep control. Several failures happen in freezing weather, and one dealer calls the break a manufacturing defect. The glass panel between the windshield and sunroof also blows out. Separately, roof trim and molding come loose at highway speed and flap against the roof.

Front rotors warp early and send a left-to-right pulse through the steering wheel under braking. Reports put this at 4000 miles and under 18K. Some owners say the rotors were resurfaced or replaced more than once at their own expense, and then the rear rotors developed problems. Automatic braking also slams on with no obstacle present, including when water covers the rear camera while backing. One crash report describes a stiff pedal that would not stop the car while parking at 6,100 miles.

The windshield cracks with no impact, usually in freezing weather after the defroster or a heated deicer is used. One crack spreads from the mirror sensor housing, and another appears while the car sits parked at about 23,000 miles. Wipers also fail in heavy snow. Auto wipers that run under packed snow strip the wiper gear, and the dealer says the repair is not covered by warranty. In another report, a wiper falls out of sync in wet snow and lodges on the windshield frame. The fix is tightening the linkage.

A warning to check the hybrid system and stop safely appears, then the car loses propulsion and goes into reduced power. One dealer calls it a known hybrid defect but refuses to repair it under warranty. In EV-only mode, the gas engine revs to about 3000 RPM, which the dealer calls normal. One crash report describes the engine revving and the car surging into another car while the driver braked to park. Another owner reports brake shaking that comes back after a rotor replacement, worsening between 23,000 and 24,500 miles.

The wheel freezes at 40 to 50 mph while a string of safety-system and power-steering warnings appears. The car has to be towed, and the problem returns after a dealer repair. A new car shows heavy wheel vibration within a day of purchase, and the dealer replaces a rotor after keeping the car for 8 days. One crash report with 2 injuries says the emergency brake engaged at the wrong moment and left the car unable to move before it was struck.

Driver-assist systems take steering control away from the driver. In one report, lane assist pulls the car back from a lane change in the rain, the car steers itself into a mountainside, and it rolls over. That crash lists 5 injuries. The other report repeats the cruise control fault seen elsewhere. The set speed jumps from 70 mph to 110 mph, a dealer reset fails, and the surge happens again two months later. Only two complaints are filed here, but both describe loss of control.