Model year 2026 · Small Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD, Small Sport Utility Vehicle 2WD

2026 Kia Sportage: recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings

EPA rates the 2026 Kia Sportage at 24–42 mpg combined across 6 versions. NHTSA lists 1 safety recall and 40 owner complaints for this model year. Its best NHTSA overall crash-test rating is 5 out of 5 stars.

Safety recalls

1

EPA combined mpg

24–42

NHTSA overall rating

5/5

Recall file dated Oct 27, 2026 · EPA file dated Sep 29, 2026 · updated Oct 27, 2026, 7:34 AM EDT

NHTSA lists this vehicle as SPORTAGE HYBRID, SPORTAGE PHEV.

Check your own car: enter your 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see open recalls for that exact vehicle, and contact a Kia dealer to schedule the repair — safety recall repairs are free. The list below covers the whole model year, so not every recall applies to every car.

2026 Kia Sportage recalls

NHTSA's recall file lists 1 safety recall for the 2026 Kia Sportage, newest first.

Electrical system: Instrument cluster/panel

NHTSA 26V046000 Reported Jan 26, 2026
Filed by
Kia America, Inc. (manufacturer recall no. SC361)
Units affected
42,677 (estimate)
Problem
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."
Risk
An instrument panel display that fails to show critical safety information, such as the speedometer, tire pressure, or warning lights, increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy
The instrument panel display software will be updated over-the-air (OTA) or by a dealer, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed March 26, 2026. Owners may contact Kia Customer Service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC361. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov on February 9, 2026.

Full recall record on nhtsa.gov

Recall summaries are written by NHTSA from manufacturers' defect reports. Dates are when NHTSA received the report.

2026 Kia Sportage fuel economy by version

EPA city/highway/combined estimates for each engine, transmission and drive combination; electric figures are in MPGe (miles per gallon equivalent). Annual fuel cost is EPA's estimate for 15,000 miles a year (55% city, 45% highway) at EPA's current fuel-price assumptions; your cost will vary.

2026 Kia Sportage EPA fuel economy
VersionEngineTransmissionDriveFuelCity/Hwy/CombElectric rangeFuel cost/yrCO2 g/mi
Sportage AWD2.5L 4-cylAutomatic 8-speedAll-Wheel DriveRegular24/30/26 mpg—$2,600339
Sportage FWD2.5L 4-cylAutomatic 8-speedFront-Wheel DriveRegular25/33/28 mpg—$2,400317
Sportage Hybrid AWD1.6L 4-cyl turbo hybridAutomatic 6-speedAll-Wheel DriveRegular35/36/35 mpg—$1,900251
Sportage Hybrid FWD1.6L 4-cyl turbo hybridAutomatic 6-speedFront-Wheel DriveRegular41/44/42 mpg—$1,600209
Sportage Plug-in Hybrid1.6L 4-cyl turbo plug-in hybridAutomatic 6-speedAll-Wheel DriveRegular Gas and Electricity / Electricity35/36/36 mpg
83 MPGe on electricity		33 mi$1,85097
Sportage X-pro2.5L 4-cylAutomatic 8-speedAll-Wheel DriveRegular23/26/24 mpg—$2,800374

Source: FuelEconomy.gov (U.S. DOE and EPA), file dated Sep 29, 2026. Each version links to its FuelEconomy.gov record.

EPA estimates come from standardized lab tests so cars can be compared fairly; real-world mileage depends on speed, weather, load, tires and driving style.

2026 Kia Sportage crash-test ratings

NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings for the tested versions. More stars mean a lower chance of serious injury in that type of crash. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimated chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.

2026 Kia Sportage NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings
Tested vehicleOverallFrontalSideRolloverRollover riskForward collision warning
2026 KIA SPORTAGE HYBRID SUV HEV AWD5 stars5 stars5 stars4 stars16.9%Standard & Optional
2026 KIA SPORTAGE HYBRID SUV HEV FWD5 stars5 stars5 stars4 stars16.9%Standard & Optional
2026 KIA SPORTAGE PHEV SUV PHEV AWDNot ratedNot ratedNot ratedNot rated—Standard & Optional
2026 KIA SPORTAGE SUV N/A AWD5 stars5 stars5 stars4 stars16.9%Standard
2026 KIA SPORTAGE SUV N/A FWD5 stars5 stars5 stars4 stars16.9%Standard

Source: NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (New Car Assessment Program), checked Oct 26, 2026.

Star ratings compare vehicles of similar size and weight; a frontal rating for a large pickup is not directly comparable with one for a small car.

2026 Kia Sportage owner complaints

Owners have filed 40 complaints with NHTSA about the 2026 Kia Sportage, most recently on Oct 21, 2026. 5 mention a crash, 0 a fire, 1 injured people and 0 deaths. These are unverified reports; a complaint is not proof of a defect.

Most-cited components in 2026 Kia Sportage complaints
Component named in complaintsMentions
Unknown or other10
Electrical system9
Service brakes8
Engine5
Forward collision avoidance: Warnings5
Fuel/propulsion system5
Structure: Body4
Forward collision avoidance: Automatic emergency braking3
Lane departure: Assist3
Power train3

Source: NHTSA consumer complaint files (complaints received since January 1, 2015). One complaint can name several components.

Had a safety problem with your vehicle? You can report it to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem.

Other Kia Sportage model years

Kia Sportage by model year
YearCombinedRecallsComplaintsOverall rating
2027 Sportage24–41 mpg015/5
2025 Sportage25–43 mpg1745/5
2024 Sportage25–43 mpg31105/5
2023 Sportage25–43 mpg73095/5
2022 Sportage21–26 mpg1465/5
2021 Sportage21–26 mpg2545/5
2020 Sportage21–26 mpg21645/5
2019 Sportage21–25 mpg2715/5
2018 Sportage21–26 mpg31655/5
2017 Sportage21–26 mpg44035/5
2016 Sportage21–23 mpg21345/5
2015 Sportage21–23 mpg21465/5

All Kia Sportage years compared · Decode a VIN

Other 2026 Kia models

2026 Kia Carnival2026 Kia EV62026 Kia EV92026 Kia K42026 Kia K52026 Kia Niro2026 Kia Seltos2026 Kia Sorento

Sources

  • Recalls: NHTSA recall flat file (FLAT_RCL_POST_2010), dated Oct 27, 2026, plus a live check of api.nhtsa.gov in your browser.
  • Complaints: NHTSA consumer complaint flat files (COMPLAINTS_RECEIVED), counts only — we do not republish complaint text.
  • Crash tests: NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings API.
  • Fuel economy: FuelEconomy.gov vehicles file (U.S. DOE and EPA), dated Sep 29, 2026.
  • NHTSA, EPA and DOE do not endorse OpenVIN. Vehicle names identify vehicles only; OpenVIN is not affiliated with Kia.