The best Sportage years to buy are 2021 and 2022. Avoid the 2012 and 2013: engine seizures give them the highest complaint rates of any Sportage.
Best years: 20212022 Years to avoid: 20122013
Every Sportage year compared
Owner complaints per 100,000 cars sold. Lower is better. The newest years have had less time to collect complaints, so they are marked too new to judge.
Known Sportage problems
Year by year
| Year | Complaints | Per 100k sold | Recalls | Top issue | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 110 | - | 3 | Other | Too new to judge |
| 2023 | 313 | - | 7 | Electrical | Too new to judge |
| 2022 | 47 | 38 | 1 | Engine | Good buy |
| 2021 | 54 | 61 | 2 | Engine | Good buy |
| 2020 | 169 | 200 | 2 | Engine | Good year |
| 2019 | 71 | 80 | 2 | Engine | Good year |
| 2018 | 165 | 199 | 3 | Engine | Good year |
| 2017 | 404 | 555 | 4 | Engine | Average |
| 2016 | 134 | 165 | 2 | Engine | Good year |
| 2015 | 146 | 272 | 2 | Engine | Average |
| 2014 | 125 | 291 | 3 | Engine | Average |
| 2013 | 381 | 1,156 | 3 | Engine | Skip this year |
| 2012 | 392 | 1,078 | 5 | Engine | Skip this year |
About the Sportage
The Sportage is Kia's compact SUV. The 2011-2013 cars have very high engine failure rates, with engines seizing without warning, and they are covered by Kia's engine recalls. Later years are much better, and the 2019-2022 cars are among the most dependable.
- 2011-2016: Third generation. Engine seizure on 2012-2013.
- 2017-2022: Fourth generation. 2017 has more complaints; 2019-2022 low.
- 2023 on: Fifth generation, too new to judge fully.
Sportage warranty extensions and special coverage
Carmakers sometimes extend the warranty on a part that fails too often, or pay for a fix outside a recall. These notices come from the dealer bulletins Kia files with NHTSA. 588 Sportage bulletins are on file in total.
WARRANTY EXTENSION CAMPAIGN: DEALER PRINCIPAL MEMO (WTY047) - This document is the announcement to the dealer principals advising that Kia is extending the New Vehicle Limited Warranty coverage to owners for certain repairs rel...
WARRANTY EXTENSION CAMPAIGN: DEALER PARTS AND SERVICE MANAGER MEMO (WTY047) - This document is the announcement to dealer Parts and Service managers advising that Kia is extending the New Vehicle Limited Warranty coverage to ow...
WARRANTY EXTENSION CAMPAIGN: QUESTION AND ANSWER (WTY047) This document is the Question and Answer Guide containing the most frequently asked questions regarding Warranty Extension Campaign WTY047.
WARRANTY EXTENSION CAMPAIGN: OWNER NOTIFICATION (WTY047) - This document is the owner notification advising that Kia is extending the New Vehicle Limited Warranty coverage to owners for certain repairs related to oil leakage fr...
WARRANTY EXTENSION CAMPAIGN: REIMBURSEMENT FORM (WTY047) - This document is a Reimbursement Request form that was mailed with the customer letter advising them to submit the form if they had paid for repairs for this same matte...
WARRANTY EXTENSION CAMPAIGN: REAR SHOCK ABSORBER INSPECTION & REPLACEMENT (WTY047) - This bulletin provides information associated with the Warranty Extension Program (WTY047) to inspect, and if necessary, replace one or both l...
WARRANTY EXTENSION: OWNER NOTIFICATION - Kia Motors America, Inc.
WARRANTY EXTENSION: QUESTION AND ANSWER - This document is the Question and Answer Guide containing the most frequently asked questions regarding the warranty extension (WTY020).
WARRANTY EXTENSION: DEALER PARTS AND SERVICE MANAGER MEMO - Kia Motors America, Inc.
WARRANTY EXTENSION: DEALER PRINCIPAL MEMO - Kia Motors America, Inc.
Ask a dealer to check a specific car by VIN. Extensions usually have a time or mileage limit.
Government investigations into the Sportage
NHTSA opens an investigation when complaints point to a possible safety defect. Some end in a recall and some close without one.
Audit query AQ23002 · 2012–2021 · opened Nov 2023
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received eight Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) and eight Kia America, Inc.
Defect petition DP22003 · 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021 · opened Sep 2022, closed Dec 2023
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a letter dated July 13, 2022, petitioning the Agency to initiate a safety defect investigation into loss of motive power allegations attributed to oil drain pan assembly failures on certain Hyundai Motor America, Inc.
Engineering analysis EA21003 · 2012, 2013 · opened Dec 2021, closed Feb 2024 · led to recall 23V877
On March 29, 2019, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened two Preliminary Evaluations (PE19-003 on Hyundai and PE19-004 on Kia) to broadly investigate incidents of non-crash fires (regardless of origin or operational status of the vehicle) on various model year Hyundai and Kia vehicles.
Recall query RQ17003 · 2012, 2013 · opened May 2017, closed Dec 2021 · led to recall 17V224000
NHTSA opened Recall Query (RQ) 17-003 to investigate the timeliness and scope of Kia's Theta II GDI engine recall (Recall No.
Sportage vs rivals
Questions
What is the best year for the Kia Sportage?
2021 and 2022. The best Sportage years to buy are 2021 and 2022. Avoid the 2012 and 2013: engine seizures give them the highest complaint rates of any Sportage.
Which Kia Sportage years should I avoid?
2012, 2013. These drew far more owner complaints per car sold than the Kia Sportage average.
Is the Kia Sportage engine recall still open?
Recalls 17V224, 19V101 and 20V750 cover engine failure on many 2011-2013 Sportages. Kia also offers extended engine coverage after a knock sensor software update. Check the VIN at a Kia dealer.
Based on 2,511 complaints filed by owners with U.S. safety regulators for model years 2012 to 2024, and U.S. sales by calendar year. How we score.