Back from vacation - Battery dead (2023 Hybrid)

We were gone on a 12-day vacation and I came home to find the battery in my 2023 Sportage hybrid to be totally dead. I had to open the door with the hidden key in the fob. Thankfully they have a button on the dash to start the car from the hybrid battery (my assumption), but this seems like a real problem and this is the second time this has happened.

I've read a few posts here that seem to indicate that the periodic check-in from the car to Kia Connect is actually draining the battery that starts the car, but this can't be right since I don't even have the Kia Connect app. Also, since "starting" the car takes almost no power (after all, it's not turning the engine over where cold cranking amps are really required), there must be some type of leakage current that is draining the battery. Do you think there is something wrong with the battery?

Is Kia working on a solution? I thought a normal gasoline-powered car could sit for months and months before the battery won't start the car and in this case it's even worse because the battery won't even open the doors after 12 days..

I have a 2011 GMC Sierra pickup truck and the battery will be dead due to phantom loads in about a week. I hav e aged out of using it very often. It is parked outside and I keep a small solar panel on the dashboard, plugged into the cigarette lighter port (which is always connected to the battery on this vehicle,) and that keeps the battery in good shape. I know of no way to do this with the Kia as that outlet seems to have continuity to the battery only when the ignition is on. There may be a way that I am not aware of.

I have not had a similar problem with my 2023 Kia HEV, but I cannot recall the longest interval I have gone between trips in it.

Unfortunately, there are quite a few "parasitic" loads draining the 12V side of the hybrid battery constantly - the onboard cell modem (active even if you don't subscribe to a Kia Connect paid account), the proximity sensors, etc. And note that there isn't a specific 12V battery in this design. Part of the hybrid battery is "reserved" storage for the 12V side and is just converted down to 12V as needed. This is why they shut it down so quickly and offer the boost button to get it started again, as it could drain down the hybrid battery and make the car non-operational. However, I believe you can still jump it to get it started and charging again via the "+" post in the engine bay near the fuse box on the right side.

You can certainly take it to the dealer to have them test your hybrid battery and check for unusual parasitic loads. Otherwise, the only other option is to disconnect the 12V system via the connector in the engine bay when you go on vaca, but I believe that will also clear out your profile/radio/seat settings, etc. But if the car as been working "normally" before that and you have been getting decent gas mileage, its probably not a hybrid battery issue.

12 days isn't that long, so wondering if the 12V side got drained a bit via accessory mode, or doors open/lights on for a while while the engine was off just before your trip? Could just be a fluke. Hope it doesn't happen again!

I’m a little late to this but I have been dealing with the same exact issue with my ‘23 Sportage PHEV. Purchased new in January ‘24.

In May ‘24 I went away for 3 days and left my car at the airport, came back to it completely dead. Jumped the car (the PHEVs don’t have the battery reset button) to be able to get home and scheduled a service appointment for a few days later. When I brought it in they found nothing in all the diag tests and couldn’t replicate the issue. They told me jumping the car resets the computer & error codes, so if it happens again don’t jump the car and have it towed.

In May ‘25, I again went away for 8 days and left my car at the airport and came home to it completely dead. I had it towed and called everyone under the sun letting them know to not jump the car so the error codes could be read, which was a task in itself. After 5 or 6 days at the dealership, the only thing they found was a dead battery. No parasitic draws, no error codes. They told me the noises from the planes probably set the alarm off which drained my battery — this is simply not true, I have the Kia Access app which tells me when the alarm goes off. So they replaced the battery and sent me in my way.

In October ‘25, again was gone for 6 days and this time I intentionally left my car at home and plugged in since they had told me the planes caused it to die. Came home and the car was dead. I immediately called the dealership and they told me to bring it in when th service dept opened a few days later, so jumped the car and went about my day. Ran all my post-vacation errands with no issues, woke up the next day and the car was dead again. Jumped it again and drove directly to the dealership to drop it off. The car has now been there for a full 14 days, and again the only thing they have found is a dead battery. No error codes, no parasitic draws, no electrical faults, no issues with the battery management system. All the tests were clean as a whistle. They have mentioned several other things besides planes that can drain the battery, and I have none of them. So again they have just replaced the battery and sent me on my way with no answers.

This has been an absolute nightmare of an experience with Kia, there is very clearly something wrong with this brand new car that they can’t or won’t find. It’s really a shame because I absolutely love the car, everything from how it drives to the aesthetics. It’s the first new car I’ve ever bought myself and the experience has been spoiled by this recurring issue. I’m beginning the process of a lemon law claim because this loss of use & inability to fix the problem at the dealership is just unacceptable at this point.

Your battery has already been replaced multiple times, so sounds like a problem w/12V charger? Maybe it somewhat works, or is sporadically charging the 12V battery?...

But an easy thing to try is to reset/reboot the media center which controls most of the 12V stuff - its a little pinhole button down on the lower left near the volume knob. Use a paper clip to push and hold it for a few seconds.

I know there can also be a battery drain issue if the key fob is too close to the car while it is parked. Is there any chance there was an extra key fob in/near the car during these issues? Maybe even just if you are keeping the fob on the other side of the wall from the garage? If so, it could be draining the 12V battery every single night, so it finally can't hold much of a charge anymore. Try moving it to somewhere further into the house.

I have had the same issue with my 2024 Sportage HEV when the car was 3 months old. Had left it in the garage with the doors locked while away for 2 weeks. Came home to find I could not unlock the doors. Popped the keyhole cover off the driver's door & used the 12V reset button to get power back. Researching online, it appears that the battery will drain faster if the doors are left unlocked, but at least then I will not have to use the key to get in. Of course, this precludes my taking the car to the airport. Good thing the 10 year old Honda CRV does not have this issue.

What battery do you have, and what Sportage? Is it X-Line prestige?