Any Kia Sportage Hybrid owners here?

NeilF

NeilF

NeilF

Soldato
Joined
15 Nov 2003
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14,417
Location
Marlow
We have a 2yr old model, which - especially this winter - I've noticed when driving along in the cold, when the electric motor kicks in (& the petrol turns off) any resemblence of warm air blowing into the footwell is replaced with cold air (ie: seemingly unheated from outside).

So if you're say driving along the motorway in cold weather, and the car switches to electric, you then get cold air blown over your feet for a minute or two.


Any other owners able to compare notes?
 
From some quick Googling looks like there is no PTC heater so it can only blow ambient temperature air when the motor isn't producing heat - but it isn't supposed to entirely switch off when the temperature is below a certain level but seems quite a few people are having that issue, maybe a design limitation.
 
Thanks!

"but seems quite a few people are having that issue" - I couldn't find anyone else complaining of a similar issue?

Having noticed it repeatedly over the past few months, at times it very uncomfortable to drive. Cold air blowing over your feet/legs. The only option is to manually turn fans off/on over and over which is daft.

Clearly the car should simply turn off the fans in such circumstances.


Going to report it to Kia.
 
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NeilF said:
"but seems quite a few people are having that issue" - I couldn't find anyone else complaining of a similar issue?
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I had to do a bit of Googling around whether there was a PTC heater or not, as it isn't a common feature with hybrids but some do have it. And that lead me to a few complaints about this kind of behaviour.

NeilF said:
Having noticed it repeatedly over the past few months, at times it very uncomfortable to drive. Cold air blowing over your feet/legs. The only option is to manually turn fans off/on over and over which is daft.
Click to expand...

Do you have the AC on auto w/ a set temperature or manually configuring it?
 
Rroff said:
Do you have the AC on auto w/ a set temperature or manually configuring it?
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Tried it with both approaches.

It basically seems like if the car's blowing (warm) air into the car (footwell) and the engine turns off, you're going to get ambient (cold) air blown over your feet cos it blindly carrys on blowing... Unpleasant at times!

You would have thought the residual temperature from the engine/matrix would have lasted for a minute or two without the engine running?
 
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NeilF said:
You would have thought the residual temperature from the engine/matrix would have lasted for a minute or two without the engine running?
Click to expand...

Possibly diverter flap and/or sensor not working properly - no idea if OBD2 will have any relevant information in that respect.
 
I'm surprised the coolant drops temperature that quickly. The only thing I can think of is that when the engine isn't running it also isn't pumping the coolant so you've only got the residual temperature of the volume within the heater matrix? I'm just spit balling ideas here though.

As an aside the lack of electric heater was one of the really off putting things of the Sportage PHEV for me. I do loads of full electric trips in my Astra PHEV with the heating set to 22'C. Shame as the 5% BIK was quite appealing.
 
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