2020 Kia Sportage: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
159 NHTSA owner complaints · 2 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Reviewed by the MotorJury data desk · 2 sources · Last updated 2026-08-20
159 NHTSA owner complaints · 2 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Complaints per year on the road: 26.5
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
Need an engine replaced for the infamous knocking of the motor from the previous class action but my model isn’t covered. Ridiculous to need a new engine on a less than 5 year old car
My 2020 Kia sportage spontaneously caught fire. It started smoking about 1/3 mile from my destination. There were no dash lights on and the temperature gauge was not elevated and was below half so it wasn’t the engine overheating. I pulled into the parking lot and shut off the car and the smoke then increased and turned darker rapidly and the car caught fire and was quickly engulfed and then there were several explos…
I bought vehicle used from a Honda dealership at 51,000 miles. At 55,000 my engine broke, mechanics found metal fragments in my engine. The Honda dealer nor Kia were willing to do nothing. So I had purchase new engine at 12,000.
What the community is saying right now.
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 21V137000 | Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Tract | Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2017-2021 Sportage and Cadenza vehicles. The electrical circuit in the Hydraulic Electronic C… |
| 22V703000 | Trailer Hitches | Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2016-2022 Sorento, 2021-2022 Sorento Hybrid (HEV), 2022-2023 Sorento Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV), and… |
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Engine (73 complaints in our indexed sample).
Our data verdict is CAUTION with a reliability score of 50/100, computed from 159 NHTSA complaints and 2 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
Yes — NHTSA lists 2 recall campaign(s) for the 2020 Kia Sportage, 1 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 04/03/2021. Check this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy.
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorComplaints & recalls: NHTSA ·
Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov ·
Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements.
Last updated: 2026-08-20.