VEHICLE: 2025 Kia Sportage X-Line VIN: 5XYK6CDF0SG319130 APPROXIMATE MILEAGE: 34,000 miles DATE OF INCIDENT: September 3, 2026 LOCATION OF INCIDENT: 6140 University Drive, Huntsville, Alabama 35806 COMPONENT: Steering / Motor-Driven Power Steering (MDPS) / Steering Column / Steering Shaft SAFETY ISSUE: Sudden loss of steering control immediately preceding a collision COMPLAINT I am reporting a serious steering-related safety incident involving my 2025 Kia Sportage X-Line, VIN 5XYK6CDF0SG319130. On September 3, 2026, at approximately 34,000 miles, I was operating my vehicle near 6140 University Drive, Huntsville, Alabama 35806, when the steering suddenly became locked/unresponsive immediately before a motor-vehicle collision. The steering malfunction occurred while the vehicle was being operated and immediately preceded the collision. I was unable to properly control the direction of the vehicle as intended. I believe the sudden loss of steering control may have caused or contributed to the collision. VEHICLE OPERATION IMMEDIATELY BEFORE THE COLLISION Immediately before the collision: * The engine remained running. * The brakes remained operable. * No EPS or MDPS warning light appeared before the collision. * No EPS/MDPS warning message was observed before the collision. * A low tire-pressure warning did appear. * The steering became locked/unresponsive. * I was unable to maintain the intended steering control of the vehicle. * The vehicle subsequently collided. * After the collision, the steering wheel became operable again. The fact that the steering became operable again after the collision is significant because the malfunction was intermittent or temporary rather than a permanent inability of the steering wheel to move. I am not making a technical determination regarding which steering component failed. I am reporting the observed behavior and requesting that the federal safety agency investigate the cause. WITNESS AND DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE There is independent corrobora
Kia Sportage power steering loss problems
30 of the 4,730 owner complaints about the Kia Sportage describe loss of power steering, most of them for the 2012 model year.
- owner complaints
- 30
- worst model year
- 2012
- typical mileage
- 90,000
By model year
- 20252
- 20241
- 20231
- 20182
- 20173
- 20152
- 20134
- 20124
- 20111
- 20092
- 20062
- 20052
- 20021
- 20012
- 19991
Often reported together
Loss of power 10Stalling 9Engine failure 8Knocking 4Warning lights 3Check engine light 2Brake failure 2
What owners say
Main 12V electrical system failed completely. The engine stalled, the entire dashboard blacked out, and all auxiliary safety power was lost. The vehicle is currently located at Parkway Family Kia and is fully available for inspection. At rush hour freeway speeds, the engine stalled and total electrical failure occurred. Navigating across active lanes without engine power or power steering was extremely difficult. The total blackout killed my hazard lights, preventing me from warning other high-speed drivers. The dead car blocked an active lane on the feeder road, and an inattentive driver nearly struck my stalled, unlit vehicle. With zero hazards, I had to abandon the car and flee to the roadside to avoid a rear-end collision. Additionally, all passenger doors permanently locked, creating a severe entrapment hazard. Not yet. The vehicle was towed to Parkway Family Kia on Tuesday and is currently awaiting an official manufacturer diagnostic inspection by their service technicians. No advance symptoms prior to the day of the incident. At the moment of failure, the dash suddenly lit up with multiple warning lights. Within a tight 1 to 2-minute window, I completely lost power steering, making the vehicle extremely heavy and difficult to maneuver off the highway. Immediately after those 2 minutes, the dashboard and all electrical components went completely dark.
On Tuesday, July 14th I started my vehicle around 6:30 am and started to drive. Once I was driving, I had multiple warning lights on my dash showing and my power steering failed on me. I stopped the vehicle, put it in park and turned it off. I restarted the car and still had the various warning lights and no power steering. The car was driving fine with no warning lights at 4:50 am that morning and again at 6:15 am that morning. I managed to drive the 2 miles home at a low rate of speed with no power steering since there were not many cars out. I called the Kia dealership and contacted a tow truck to take the vehicle in. The tow truck driver saw the warning lights as well and had to maneuver the car with no power steering onto his truck. Once Kia did the initial inspection, they said there were no warning lights and the power steering worked. They were going to conduct a more thorough inspection on Friday to see what the issue was. I called end of day Friday and was told they would need more time to inspect since they could not find any issues with the car. The know the warning light had shown up but if they could not recreate the issue then the car would not be looked at further. This is the 3rd issue with this vehicle that the dealer could not recreate. I've had the vehicle stall on me at a light when I was stopped or at a stop sign as well as not accelerate when I was at a high rate of speed in an emergency situation. This issue puts me and my family at risk if I were to be driving during a busy period or on a highway. My car is only 2 years old and has under 32k miles, I drive it frequently to visit family 4 hours away. I am to pick up my car from the Kia dealer and I am scared to drive this car. I feel it's a deathtrap and an accident waiting to happen. Kia said I can always trade it in for a new car, but no thank you.
I own a 2015 Kia Sportage VIN in detail. On 7-2-2026, an authorized Kia dealer completed the anti-theft ignition campaign. Within days of that repair, my daughter was driving at highway speed when the ignition moved from the ON/RUN position to ACC. The engine shut off, resulting in loss of power steering and brake assist. Fortunately, she was able to safely pull over. The servicing dealer has stated that the ignition's ability to rotate from RUN to ACC with minimal pressure is normal and that the vehicle is safe. However, because this incident occurred immediately following the anti-theft campaign and involved a loss of engine power while driving it appears there could be a casual impact.
Component Failure: Independent inspection confirmed a broken brake master cylinder mounting bracket and a missing AC compressor mounting bolt. Safety Risk: The broken brake bracket compromises the structural integrity of the braking system, posing a risk of brake failure while driving. The missing AC bolt creates a risk of the compressor becoming unseated, which could damage the serpentine belt and cause a sudden loss of power steering or engine cooling. Dealer Interaction: The selling dealer (Orr Nissan West) advertised the vehicle as "vetted" but has since ignored multiple formal requests for the pre-sale inspection records after these defects were discovered.
KIA America has rejected my appeal for an Engine replacement through the Recall , I had the KSDS, Knock Sensor Installed by North Town KIA 3900 Sheridan Drive Amherst NY , May 7 2021. The warranty I received mentioned to keep oil and filter changed every 7500 miles with 5 w 20 oil . The oil was changed by Myself and I have receipts every 5k miles or less. I was turned down for what KIA tech line said Insufficient maintenance . As in they are calling me a liar . I bought 5w 20 full Synthetic oil and filters on 12 occasions from Walmart that Fit my 2013 KIA Motor The weight was recommended by KIA and the Filters rated at 10K miles . Have worked on My cars since I was [XXX] old have thousands of dollars in tools. I do what ever maintenance that is still possible to do on newer cars . Brakes , Filters Fluid changes tire rotations Ect . If KIA would have mentioned in the Warrenty you need to take Videos I would have . Why are not receipts enough? Also the way the oil looks rite now ?? Clean on the dipstick. Have talked to 3 different car service technicians. And they said the same thing. If that motor was not maintained the oil would not look that good. I asked the dealer for the video that the technician does when they told me what I already knew. I paid 230 dollars for the diagnostic, They sent the video to KIA tech line. KIA told me I have to get a subpoena . To get a copy.. Does that tell you they may be hiding something?? So I have brought this to the attention of 3 different KIA dealers. They said hands are tied to to KIA tech line . My 2013 KIA Sportage looks as good if not better then some cars 3 years old .Everything works except The 2.4 liter motor with bad rod bearings. The car died while my Wife was driving it while at a stop light at a busy intersection. No light on dash no warning. What if it quit when she was at a high speed. No power steering, no power brakes??That is dangerous . This happened on September 4 2025, towed straight to the KIA Dealer . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF I
The steering shaft de-coupled from the steering wheel, leading to a complete loss of steering. After stop, engine was turned off and steering wheel lowered. At that point the steering wheel fell in my lap, completely decoupling from the steering collum.
Car shuts off while driving on interstate, causing loss of power steering and requiring navigation to shoulder before restarting. Car will restart. This is an intermittent issue. Had car repair work replacing the Crank Shaft Position Sensor at KIA Dealership and after picking up, it happened twice in the same week. Dealership is not able to reproduce the issue and unable to resolve. Car is not safe to drive. This has occurred at least 5 times.
Driving 25-30 MPH engine died, no warning lights illuminated prior to the engine stopping. The vehicle drifted to a stop on the side of the road. There was no loss of power steering. Safety was at risk due to sudden engine loss while driving on a road. Vehicle was towed to nearby service center for evaluation. Motor is seized per service center.
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Sportage. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle would not accelerate as designed. The contact depressed the brake pedal however, the vehicle failed to stop as needed. Additionally, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact continued driving until the vehicle independently slowed down and she was able to shift into the park positin. The vehicle was towed to the dealer but was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was out of warranty. No further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 60,181.
Related recalls
Steering: electric power assist system
- What is wrong
- Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2024 Kia Sportage vehicles. The circuit board in the motor-driven power steering assembly may short circuit, resulting in a loss of power steering assist.
- Risk
- A loss of power steering assist can increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the motor-driven power steering electric power pack, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 19, 2024. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1‑800‑333‑4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC319.
Recall number 24V422000 · Recall details
Questions about the Kia Sportage power steering loss
Which Kia Sportage years have loss of power steering problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2012 (4 complaints), 2013 (4 complaints) and 2017 (3 complaints).
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