2020 Kia Sportage: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
159 NHTSA owner complaints · 2 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Editor's note
Avoid the 2017 and 2023 Sportage, AVOID verdicts at 46 and 33 on 399 and 187 complaints; buy a 2014 to 2016 or a 2018 to 2022, which score between 73 and 91. The 2012 and 2013 cars are CAUTION at 65 and 66, and the 2024 and 2025 cars are CAUTION at 67 and 60 on thinner evidence. Read the full note on the model page. 2020 specifically: a year the record favours — 159 complaints, score 73/100. The caveats in the note apply to other years of this nameplate more than to this one.
Read the guide
Used Kia Sorento, Sportage and Soul: the recall years and the good years after them, including 2020 — written and signed by Adir Trabelsi, 2026-09-01.
Owner complaints: 159 filed with NHTSA
Complaints per year on the road: 26.5
What owners say
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.
Recalls: 2 campaigns (1 severe)
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 21V137000 | Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip:Control Unit/Module | Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2017-2021 Sportage and Cadenza vehicles. The electrical circuit in the Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) may short-circuit, which can cause a fire in the engine compartment. |
| 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 2017-2022 Sportage vehicles equipped with a tow hitch harness installed as original equipment, or purchased as an accessory through a Kia dealership. |
What it costs to buy — and what owning it really takes
Class-level estimates, priced as a compact SUV of its model year, re-priced to your country. Not a quote, not a valuation of one specific car — condition, mileage and options move it. How these are computed.
What it costs to run
EPA combined 23 MPG · estimated annual fuel cost $2,650
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
What this car's problems cost to fix
Ranked by the components owners of this exact model year actually complain about. Each figure is flat-rate labour hours x the local shop rate plus a parts band — an estimate of what this kind of failure costs, not a quote, and not a prediction that this car will need it. Formula.
- Engine73 complaints · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair (6.0 h labour + parts)$1,040–$2,220
- Unknown Or Other31 complaints · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair (2.0 h labour + parts)$360–$940
- Electrical System19 complaints · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement (3.0 h labour + parts)$540–$1,310
- Service Brakes12 complaints · typical job: Pads, rotors and caliper service, both axles (3.0 h labour + parts)$580–$1,140
- Structure10 complaints · typical job: Body, subframe or corrosion repair (6.0 h labour + parts)$1,070–$2,920
- Engine And Engine Cooling9 complaints · typical job: Water pump, thermostat and coolant service (3.5 h labour + parts)$600–$1,040
Other Kia Sportage years
FAQ
What is the most common problem with the 2020 Kia Sportage?
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Engine (73 complaints in our indexed sample).
Is the 2020 Kia Sportage a good used car to buy?
Our data verdict is BUY with a reliability score of 73/100, computed from 159 NHTSA complaints and 2 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
How much does it cost to fix the 2020 Kia Sportage's most common problem?
73 of the NHTSA complaints filed against the 2020 Kia Sportage sit in the Engine group — more than any other component on this model year. The representative job there is cooling-system or timing-drive repair: about 6.0 hours of labour plus parts, roughly $1,040–$2,220 at a US independent shop and re-priced to your country at the top of the page. It is an estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote for this car.
What does a 2020 Kia Sportage cost to run per year?
About $4,663 a year in fuel or energy plus the maintenance band — roughly $23,318 over five years, before purchase price, insurance and depreciation. Figures come from available EPA fuel-economy data and industry maintenance averages, and are re-priced to your country.
Does the 2020 Kia Sportage have recalls?
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.
Compare with
Other compact suvs of about the same age.
What will a 2020 Kia Sportage really cost YOU per year?
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorData sources
Complaints & 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: 2026-10-04.
Strong evidence — 159 complaints, 2 recalls on record
- 159 NHTSA complaints on record (26.5/yr of exposure) — worse than a typical year of this model (20.2/yr)
- 2 recall campaigns, 1 touching safety-critical systems