Verified government source

NHTSA complaint #11726557

This page summarizes an official U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration owner complaint. Use the verification links below to confirm the record directly with NHTSA.

Vehicle

2019 KIA SPORTAGE

Manufacturer

Kia America, Inc.

Components

ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

Dates

Incident: 12/16/2025
Filed: 03/23/2026

Owner complaint summary

The vehicle is experiencing excessive engine oil consumption. The engine was found by the dealership to be low by 3 quarts of oil after about 1000 miles during an oil consumption test, indicating abnormal oil loss. The suspected failure involves internal engine components, possibly piston rings, allowing oil to enter the combustion chamber and burn. This condition creates a safety risk because the engine can become critically low on oil, without warning, potentially leading to engine damage, loss of power, or engine failure while driving. The problem has been reproduced and documented by the dealership during oil consumption testing. However, there are inconsistencies in the dealership’s reporting, as later documentation stated that no oil consumption was found despite earlier records showing excessive oil loss. This vehicle has been inspected multiple times by an authorized dealership and is currently part of an open case with the manufacture. The vehicle was also held at the dealership for approximately three weeks without clear documentation of work performed. There were minimal warnings indicators prior to the issue. The vehicle showed rough engine performance, which was consistent with oil fouling the spark plugs. No clear warning light reliably indicated the severity of the oil loss before the condition was discovered during testing.

This is an owner complaint filed with NHTSA (ODI #11726557). It is not automatically an official recall, investigation outcome, or manufacturer admission unless the complaint text itself describes one.

Official record ID (ODI): 11726557. This page is the human-readable source link used across afterwarranty. The raw JSON link proxies NHTSA's public API for machine verification; prefer this page when reading the complaint.