The contact owns a 2015 Kia Sportage. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle began to overheat and there was smoke coming out from underneath the hood of the vehicle. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact turned off the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the failure was related to the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 22V051000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the VIN was not included. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that he had to pay for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then towed to the residence. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 144,000. The VIN was not available.
2015 Kia Sportage: fire, smoke or burning smell
13 of the 146 complaints about the 2015 Kia Sportage describe fire, smoke or burning smell.
- owner complaints
- 13
- of this car's complaints
- 9%
- typical mileage
- 42,000
- recalls
- 0
Fire, smoke or burning smell by model year
What owners say
Two weeks ago my car began making a loud knocking noise from the bottom end and emitting a burning smell from the engine out of nowhere, without any warning lamps. I took it to a mechanic I trust. As soon as he heard the noise and looked at it he told me it was bad and that I could not drive my car, it concerned a HECU unit and/or fuse and could potentially lock up or start on fire. He gave me a printout with the federal safety agency Recall# 22V051 on it and told me I would need a new engine. When I called Kia Customer Care they did not have the recall number. I gave it to them and they put me on hold for 45 minutes so they could do some research; the representative and her supervisor eventually found the recall and authorized a safety tow to Peak Kia in Denver, CO At Peak Kia they told me they looked at my car and it would need a new engine, but there was nothing they could do because my car was past warranty. That was the first time I had ever heard of anything about a warranty or it being past due. The service clerk told me it would be an out of pocket expense of 6 -12,000$ for a new engine and explained that this was because my car had gone past 100,000 miles, and the engine had already failed so the warranty could not be extended. She also told me to contact my dealership because they could be at fault. I left that building scared, because I still owe about 8000$ on my loan. I purchased the vehicle in Rapid City, SD with my parents at a non Kia dealership called Granite Nissan. When we called the dealership they said they had not been informed of a recall by the previous owner or Kia manufacturers. Neither had I at the time of purchase, or since. My dad and I checked Kelley Blue Book to make sure. I was then informed that the dealership does not have legal responsibility to alert buyers of this info. Now we are being repeatedly told that this will be my expense, and it is a scam. Kia made a car that promised reliability and safety, but have left the defects up to the owner.
The contact owned a 2015 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, a burning odor was detected with smoke coming from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle then lost motive power. Additionally, after refueling the vehicle, a fuel odor was detected while driving. A bystander alerted the contact that the vehicle had caught fire and to exit the vehicle immediately. The contact was able to safely exit the vehicle. There were flames coming from the engine compartment and underneath the vehicle. The bystander used a fire extinguisher to put out the flames. The fire department arrived on the scene and extinguished the smoke coming from the engine compartment. Police and fire department reports were filed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired and remained at the dealer. The vehicle was not yet deemed totaled by the insurance company. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The VIN was included in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 22V051000 (Service Brake, Hydraulic) however, the contact had not yet received the notification. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.
I have received a recall and nothing is being done about it as of yet. I have taken it to the dealer about multiple issues that i felt have not been fully addressed, but the engine being able to catch on fire is the ultimate. I not only am in this vehicle , my children are as well. This is not safe to be driving around without any remedy. I either need my engine replaced or a vehicle replacement. Warning lights are always flashing on the dashboard. I keep calling and being left on hold for hours without any one addressing this issue. Does my car need to catch on fire or myself /children die before i receive any results. This is dangerous to keep driving and nothing being done. Please help
My engine started making a sound at the same time I was due for an inspection but the check engine light was not on. I took the car in for inspection the day after the sound started and when they looked at the engine they said the “ main rod Bering” was broken and the oil filter was full of metal shavings, but they were able to pass the car because the check engine light wasn’t on. The car only had 80,900 miles on it and it was well cared for so the mechanic suggested I check for a recall. When I checked online for a recall I learned that the car was on recall for POTENTIAL ENGINE FIRE! And this was the first I was hearing of it! I took the car to the kia dealership to get it fixed but they refused to fix it because the engine problem started before I got the “update”THAT NO ONE INFORMED ME I NEEDED. My car went from running fine to broken down in TWO DAYS. Imagine if I hadn’t had the time to get it checked out so quickly. The car could of broken down on the middle of the highway with myself and my children in it, it could of caught fire with myself and me children in it. VERRY VERRY DANGEROUS!
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Sportage. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 22V051000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulics) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect. On 3-31-2022, Kia sent a letter advising that my 2015 Sportage May erupt in flames. Kia goes on to suggest not to park the car near consumer's home or other vehicles. Consumer is on disability and have a proper disability tag.
Engine stalled at a stop sign. Smoke started coming from the front of the vehicle and engine burst into flames. No warning lights, no sign of something going wrong. My safety and that of my husband was out at risk due to risk of burning to death, being badly burned, others being injured from being in the vicinity etc.
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Sportage. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 22V051000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, there was smoke coming from the engine compartment. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available. (RECALL RELATED INCIDENT) TS
After heavy rain drove through large amount water slowly. Once I got threw the water all of my dashboard lights went off for 6 mins, so I pulled over and checked the switches. They came on, but as drove the smell of wires burning was very heavy in the cabin, I had to open all windows until the smell cleared. There has been frequent news coverage on kia vehicles catching fire on the highways in georgia. Also, reported that after required repair were done, these cars still caught fire. Still no nationwide acknowledge of this serious problem by the manufacturer. I don't feel safe driving my kia. I have not any investigations by any agency.
Tl* the contact owned a 2015 kia sportage. The contact stated that while the driver was driving at approximately 65 MPH, there was a popping noise coming from the engine compartment. The contact then noticed smoke coming from under the hood of the vehicle as all the warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was coasted to the side of the road where the engine was engulfed in flames and then exploded. The contact stated no injuries were sustained as they was able to exit the vehicle safely. The fire department was notified and extinguished the fire. The vehicle was towed to a towing lot and destroyed. The contact called kia of cerritos dealership ((562) 860-2424 located at 18201 studebaker rd, cerritos, ca 90703) where the contact was informed to contact the manufacturer. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in recall and did not offer further assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 39,000. The VIN was not available.
The 2015 kia sportage was in the parking lot at the medical center where my wife had a doctor appointment. She was inside approximately 10-15 minutes when an announcement was made about a red kia in the parking lot. When she looked, it was her car & the engine compartment was engulfed in flames. The police and fire department were already on scene & the fire was extinguished. The car was a total loss.
Drove vehicle approx 10 minutes smelled a burning smell, thought it was the vehicle driving in next lane, about 5 minutes later while stopped at a red light light, I noticed the heavy smoke coming from engine, I exited vehicle and just 1-2 minutes engine was fully engulfed in flames.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Customer satisfaction: anti-theft s/w logic upgreade $ decal installation (CS2302)
- Product improvement campaign: engine replacement instructions for DTC P1326 (PI1802Y/z)
- Owner re-notification
- Customer satisfaction: anti-theft s/w logic upgrade & decal installation (CS2302)
- Owner notification
- Owner notification
- Customer satisfaction: anti-theft s/w logic upgrade & decal installation (CS2302)
- TSB - product improvement campaign - knock sensor detection system - ECU logic improvement (PI1802)
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2015 Kia Sportage fire or smoke
Is fire, smoke or burning smell a common problem on the 2015 Kia Sportage?
13 of 146 owner complaints about the 2015 Kia Sportage (9%) mention fire, smoke or burning smell. The model year with the most reports is 2017.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2015 Kia Sportage?
There are 0 recalls and 39 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2015 Kia Sportage
Engine failure 27Check engine light 26Knocking 19Stalling 15Loss of power 10
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