2025 KIA SPORTAGE EX

The auction lists this 2025 Kia Sportage as having a salvage vehicle title and identifies the primary damage as “SIDE.” Stage 1 reports that the visible extensive damage on both sides—especially the driver-side doors, rocker area, fender, quarter panel, and missing mirror—supports the “SIDE” damage code. However, Stage 1 also notes that the salvage title itself cannot be confirmed from the photos. The most significant damage is concentrated along both vehicle sides. The driver-side front and rear doors are severely crushed, with sharp creasing, inward deformation, and irregular or torn edges. The driver-side lower sill and rocker area are substantially deformed, and the lower trim is damaged or displaced. The driver-side front fender has moderate dents, creasing, and scraped or chipped paint near the rear edge and wheel arch. The driver-side rear quarter panel and wheel-arch area show severe deformation and irregular panel edges; the outer wheel-arch trim is missing. The driver-side exterior mirror assembly is absent, with mounting components exposed. A long rocker molding or lower side-trim piece, along with an exterior mirror housing or related component, is detached and lying beside the vehicle. On the passenger side, both the front and rear door panels have pronounced moderate dents, creases, and localized paint scuffing across the middle and lower sections. Minor paint scraping and chipping are also visible along the rear edge of the hood and adjacent driver-side fender. The VIN decodes as a 2025 Kia Sportage EX SUV with front-wheel drive/4x2 configuration, a 2.5-liter gasoline GDI THETA III engine, and manufacture by Kia Georgia, Inc. in the United States. The decoded vehicle equipment includes standard ABS, electronic stability control, traction control, forward-collision warning, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assistance, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and front and rear automatic emergency braking. NHTSA recall campaign 25V874000 applies to certain 2023–2025 Sportage plug-in hybrids and 2024–2025 Sportage vehicles equipped with a 4.2-inch screen and a Genuine Kia tow-hitch harness accessory. The reported issue may cause the instrument-panel screen to fail, potentially preventing display of the speedometer or warning lights. The available information does not establish whether this specific vehicle has the listed equipment or is included in the recall population; VIN-specific confirmation should be obtained from Kia or NHTSA.