Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2026 Kia Sportage, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Unknown or other8
- Forward collision avoidance6
- Electrical system6
- Service brakes5
- Structure4
- Fuel/propulsion system4
- Lane departure2
- Seats1
- Steering1
- Service brakes, hydraulic1
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 1 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2026 Kia Sportage failed the safety check 0.04% of the time — 73% less often than the average 2026 passenger car (0.16%). Median odometer at inspection: 15 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Engines
The most common engines in 2026 Kia Sportage cars on Dutch roads are the 1.6 hybrid (132 kW, 177 hp) and 1.6 hybrid (118 kW, 158 hp).
| Engine | Power | Cars |
|---|---|---|
| 1.6 hybrid | 132 kW 177 hp | 2,490 |
| 1.6 hybrid | 118 kW 158 hp | 73 |
RDW Open Data (CC0): registered passenger cars and their fuel data · engine size rounded to 0.1 litre, net maximum power · versions with at least 20 cars
In the Netherlands
2,565 first registered in 2026 are on Dutch roads; 2% arrived later as imports. Median list price when new: €49,900.
Colours
RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording
In Finland
144 of these cars first registered in 2026 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 0 km on the odometer at their last inspection.
Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency), open data on vehicles in use · CC BY 4.0
In New Zealand
2,101 2026 cars are on the New Zealand register.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0
Crash-test ratings
NHTSA 5-star results for 3 variants; 2 of 2 rated variants score five stars overall. Rollover risk is the estimated chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
| Variant | Overall | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 KIA SPORTAGE SUV N/A AWD | ★★★★★ | 16.9 % |
| 2026 KIA SPORTAGE SUV N/A FWD | ★★★★★ | 16.9 % |
| 2026 KIA SPORTAGE PHEV SUV PHEV AWD | — | 0.0 % |
- Electronic stability control
- Standard
- Forward collision warning
- Standard
- Lane departure warning
- Standard
- Best overall rating
- 5 / 5
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (5-Star Safety Ratings), api.nhtsa.gov · US federal work, public domain
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 2 variants: combined 8.3–8.9 L/100 km (about 26–28 mpg US), CO₂ 194–210 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sportage · Sport utility vehicle: Small · Regular gasoline | 9.3 | 7.0 | 8.3 |
| Sportage AWD · Sport utility vehicle: Small · Regular gasoline | 9.9 | 7.8 | 8.9 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
1 Transport Canada recall for the 2026 Kia Sportage.
| 2026032 26 Jan 2026 | Lights And Instruments Issue: On certain vehicles, a software problem could cause the instrument cluster display to go blank while driving. As a result, you may not be able to see c… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2025 Kia K4, 2025-2026 Sorento, Sorento Hybrid, Sorento Plug-In Hybrid Electric (PHEV), 2026 Sportage, Sportage Hybrid, Sportage PHEV, K5, EV9, Carnival, and Carnival Hybrid vehicles. Due to a software error, the instrument panel display may fail. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 101, "Controls and Displays" and 138, "Tire Pressure Monitoring System."
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words