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Kia Sportage Problems by Year

Which Kia Sportage years have the most owner complaints, what goes wrong, and how many recalls each year has.

Kia Sportage, 2023 to 2024 model years
Photo: Benespit, CC BY-SA 4.0

Owners have filed 2,360 complaints with NHTSA about the Kia Sportage from 2012 to 2024. Across every year, the most reported problem areas are the engine and cooling, the electrical system and the brakes and stability control. The years with the most complaints are 2017, 2012 and 2013.

Years to avoid

The most complaints compared with other Sportage years.

Safer bets

Clearly fewer complaints than a typical Sportage year. Years from 2022 on are too new to rate.

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Complaints by year

Tap a year to see its most reported problems, its recalls and what to check before you buy. Newer years have had less time on the road, so they always look better here. Red marks the worst years, orange years worse than most, and green the better ones.

Every year at a glance

YearVs. other yearsComplaintsRecallsMost reported
2012 SportageAmong the worst years3925Engine and cooling
2013 SportageAmong the worst years3813Engine and cooling
2014 SportageAbout average1253Engine and cooling
2015 SportageAbout average1462Engine and cooling
2016 SportageAbout average1342Engine and cooling
2017 SportageAmong the worst years4044Engine and cooling
2018 SportageAbout average1653Engine and cooling
2019 SportageOne of the better years712Engine and cooling
2020 SportageAbout average1692Engine and cooling
2021 SportageOne of the better years542Engine and cooling
2022 SportageToo new to judge471Engine and cooling
2023 SportageToo new to judge1976Electrical system
2024 SportageToo new to judge753Electrical system

Kia Sportage questions

What are the worst Kia Sportage years?

Compared with its other years, the Sportage years with the most owner complaints to NHTSA are 2012, 2013 and 2017. The most reported problem area across all years is the engine and cooling.

What are the best Kia Sportage years?

The Sportage years with clearly fewer complaints than a typical year are 2019 and 2021. Years from 2022 on are too new to rate fairly, since complaints keep coming in as cars age.

What are the most common Kia Sportage problems?

Across 2012 to 2024, owners report problems with the engine and cooling, the electrical system and the brakes and stability control most often. Each model year has its own pattern, so check the year you are looking at.

How many recalls does the Kia Sportage have?

NHTSA lists 38 recalls across the 2012 to 2024 Sportage, counted per model year. A recall can cover several years.

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Where these numbers come from. Complaints are reports that owners filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), counted from NHTSA’s complaint database as of November 5, 2026. Owners do not have to prove a problem to file one, so a complaint is a report, not a confirmed defect. Models that sell in big numbers get more complaints, and newer model years have had less time on the road, so compare years of the same model rather than different models. Recalls come from NHTSA’s recall database and cover every vehicle of that model year, not one particular car. Quotes are trimmed, and anything that looks like a VIN is hidden.