What breaks most · 1995 to 2026 model years
Kia Sportage problems by year
Owners have filed 4,671 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Kia Sportage across model years 1995 to 2026. Three years stand out: 2017 for engine complaints, 2012 for engine complaints and 2013 for engine complaints. The quietest years are 2003, 2010 and 2022.
- Years to check closely: 2017, 2012, 2013
- Fewest complaints: 2003, 2010, 2022
- Complaints on file
- 46711995 to 2026, all trims
- Worst year
- 2017399 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 306205 fires · 264 injuries · 3 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 78kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 87Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 56 | 2 | 2 | Engine and cooling (14) | |
| 57 | 12 | 3 | Brakes (hydraulic) (14) | |
| 181 | 32 | 3 | Engine and cooling (56) | |
| 303 | 19 | 5 | Engine and cooling (79) | |
| 284 | 27 | 5 | Engine and cooling (79) | |
| 304 | 23 | 4 | Fuel system (75) | |
| 228 | 25 | 2 | Fuel system (50) | |
| 234 | 15 | 3 | Engine and cooling (69) | |
| 4 | 0 | 0 | Fuel system (2) | |
| 68 | 6 | 3 | Air bags (12) | |
| 111 | 8 | 1 | Air bags (38) | |
| 77 | 10 | 2 | Electrical system (13) | |
| 98 | 2 | 3 | Electrical system (27) | |
| 80 | 4 | 3 | Electrical system (18) | |
| 20 | 3 | 2 | Air bags (4) | |
| 181 | 7 | 6 | Engine (77) | |
| 392 | 7 | 5 | Engine (328) | |
| 380 | 5 | 3 | Engine (300) | |
| 122 | 2 | 3 | Engine (71) | |
| 146 | 7 | 2 | Engine (84) | |
| 130 | 8 | 2 | Engine (58) | |
| 399 | 14 | 4 | Engine (219) | |
| 162 | 7 | 3 | Engine (89) | |
| 69 | 3 | 2 | Engine (35) | |
| 159 | 11 | 2 | Engine (73) | |
| 50 | 3 | 2 | Engine (21) | |
| 46 | 6 | 1 | Engine (21) | |
| 187 | 24 | 6 | Unknown or other (47) | |
| 68 | 7 | 3 | Unknown or other (20) | |
| 49 | 3 | 1 | Unknown or other (20) | |
| 26 | 4 | 1 | Unknown or other (8) |
What fails on the 2017 Kia Sportage
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 55% |
219 | 3 | Shop engine parts for the 2017 Kia Sportage |
| Unknown or other | 17% |
69 | 4 | — |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 16% |
62 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2017 Kia Sportage |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 10% |
40 | 2 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 6% |
24 | 1 | Shop body and structure parts for the 2017 Kia Sportage |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 5% |
21 | 1 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2017 Kia Sportage |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 4% |
17 | 4 | Shop speed control and throttle parts for the 2017 Kia Sportage |
| Air bags | 4% |
16 | 6 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
Engine burns excess oil, I am forced to add oil every other day as it consumes an excessive amount. When I spoke with the Kia Dealership they told me I have an unlimited warranty on the engine but it need to blow before they will replace it. I’m spending a fortune on oil.
-
VIN# [XXX] My recall has not been repaired because Kia claims the repair parts have not been made available to them yet. This recall is from Sept. 2023. Why hasn't this been taken care of yet? Ridiculous & DANGEROUS!! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
-
the engine on my 2013 kia sportage is under recall and the dealer is refusing to replace the engine after it locked up due to issues that kia was having with their engine i bought the suv brand new and this should be covered
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Kia Sportage years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2017, 2012, 2013 carry the most filings on the Kia Sportage. The 2017 alone has 399 complaints, led by engine.
What is the most common Kia Sportage problem?
On the 2017 model year, the most-reported component is engine with 219 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Kia Sportage problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Kia Sportage complaints that include mileage is about 78,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.