159 owner complaints filed with the United States safety regulator · top issue: Engine · verdict CAUTION 50/100
“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”NHTSA complaint, 2020 Kia Sportage owner
“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”NHTSA complaint, 2020 Kia Sportage owner
“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.”NHTSA complaint, 2020 Kia Sportage owner
| Reported | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 04/03/2021 | Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip:Control Unit/Module SAFETY | 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 compa |
| 19/09/2022 | 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 orig |
On the federal record it scores 50/100: 159 owner complaints (26.5 per year on the road) and 2 recall campaigns, 1 touching safety-critical systems.
The most-reported component in NHTSA complaints is Engine, with 73 of 154 categorised reports.
The 2020 Kia Sportage scored 50/100 on the federal record.