The 2009 Kia Sportage has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 1,123,785 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 120 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the air bags. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC22V8000002022-10-2471,704 affected
Defect
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2008-2009 Sportage vehicles previously recalled under recall 16V-815. An engine compartment fire originating from around the Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) may occur while parked or driving.
Consequence
A fire increases the risk of injury.
Remedy
Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures and other vehicles until the recall repair has been performed. Dealers will inspect and replace the HECU, its wiring harness, and its fuses, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 22, 2022. Owners may contact Kia…
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2008-2009 Kia Sportage vehicles manufactured August 9, 2007, to May 13, 2009. The wire harness cover on the Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) may be improperly sealed allowing water to get onto the HECU circuit board. If the water is contaminated with…
Consequence
If the HECU short circuits, there is an increased risk of an engine compartment fire.
Remedy
Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the connector pins for corrosion, if no corrosion is found, the connector cover will be replaced. If corrosion is present, the dealer will replace the HECU assembly and the connector cover, free of charge. The recall began on November 28, 2016. Owners may contact…
Kia Motors Corporation (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2007-2010 Rondo, model year 2007-2011 Sedona, Sorento and Sportage, model year 2010-2011 Soul, model year 2008-2011 Optima, model year 2010 Forte, model year 2007-2009 Amanti, and model year 2009 Borrego vehicles. Originally, in April 2013, Kia recalled…
Consequence
Failure to illuminate the stop lamps during braking or inability to disengage the cruise control could increase the risk of a crash. Additionally, when the ignition is in the 'ON' position, the transmission shifter may be able to be moved out of PARK without first applying the brake. This may lead to unintentional…
Remedy
Kia will send an interim notification to owners in May 2013. When parts are available, owners will receive a second notification and dealers will replace the stop lamp switch, free of charge. Owners may contact Kia at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's recall campaign number is SC098.
Complaints by component
AIR BAGS
16
3crashes5injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
16
7fires
STEERING
14
ENGINE
10
4fires
SERVICE BRAKES
8
2crashes1fires2injuries
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
8
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
7
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
6
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
6
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
3
1fires
Total complaints120
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“In 2018 my I was driving home when it just shut off and wouldn’t start. Smelled like burning and had it towed to my house and had several mechanics look at it and couldn’t find the problem then as it was parked on day it started to smoke and the engine was burning I put out the fire and then a…”
“In 2018 my I was driving home when it just shut off and wouldn’t start. Smelled like burning and had it towed to my house and had several mechanics look at it and couldn’t find the problem then as it was parked on day it started to smoke and the engine was burning I put out the fire and then a…”
“In 2018 my I was driving home when it just shut off and wouldn’t start. Smelled like burning and had it towed to my house and had several mechanics look at it and couldn’t find the problem then as it was parked on day it started to smoke and the engine was burning I put out the fire and then a…”
“The contact owns a 2009 kia sportage. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 22v800000 (service brakes, hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted, and it was determined that parts were not yet available. The…”
“The contact owns a 2009 kia sportage. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 22v800000 (service brakes, hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted, and it was determined that parts were not yet available. The…”
“The contact owns a 2009 kia sportage. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle in the dealer's parking lot after the recall repair of nhtsa campaign numbers: 16v815000 (electrical system) and 22v800000 (service brakes, hydraulic) had been completed, the hecu, the abs, the tpms warning…”
“The contact owns a 2009 kia sportage. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle in the dealer's parking lot after the recall repair of nhtsa campaign numbers: 16v815000 (electrical system) and 22v800000 (service brakes, hydraulic) had been completed, the hecu, the abs, the tpms warning…”
“The frame has rusted out on this vehicle. The passenger side frame above the rear axle is completely rusted out. I can put my thumb through the rear frame on the driver's side. The exhaust system on this vehicle is still intact - ironic that the frame would rust out before the exhaust system.”
Defect investigations
InvestigationAQ23002 Opened 2023-11-17 · open
Hyundai and Kia ABS Module Fires
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received eight Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) and eight Kia America, Inc. (Kia) Part 573 Recall Reports between 2016 and 2023. The combined 16 safety recalls all involve the antilock braking system (ABS) modules or Hydraulic Electronic Control Units (HECU) manufactured…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2009 Kia Sportage as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.