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Owner-Reported Problems · NHTSA

2011 Kia Sportage — Problems & Complaints

NHTSA has 181 owner complaints on file for this vehicle. Every report below was filed by a real owner with the US government's road-safety agency.

181
Complaints
filed with NHTSA
7
Involved a Crash
owner-reported
8
Involved Fire
owner-reported
8
Injuries
across all reports
Years to Avoid

Kia Sportage — Complaints by Model Year

Years flagged AVOID have at least twice this model's average complaint count — the strongest public-data signal of a bad year.

20 complaints

181 complaints

392 complaints

381 complaints

124 complaints

146 complaints

134 complaints

401 complaints

164 complaints

Problem Areas

What Owners Complain About Most

Engine 77 reports
Electrical System 38 reports
Service Brakes 25 reports
Unknown Or Other 23 reports
Power Train 23 reports
Exterior Lighting 12 reports
Hydraulic 12 reports
Vehicle Speed Control 10 reports
In Their Own Words

Recent Owner Reports

Exterior Lighting ODI 10938688 12/30/2016

THE BRAKE LIGHTS DON'T REDUCE TO LET ANOTHER DRIVER KNOW THAT YOU ARE STOPPING.

Engine And Engine Cooling ODI 10441703 12/29/2011

CHECK ENGINE IS ON LIGHT. NO POWER WHEN YOU APPLY THE GAS PEDAL. THIS IS THE 3RD TIME THE CAR IS AT THE DEALERSHIP FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. PREVIOUSLY DEALERSHIP SCANNED FOR CODES. CODES THAT WHERE PRESENT INDICATED TURBO BOOT CONTROL/POSITION SENSOR AND ADJUSTED EWGA ROD.B. *KB

Electrical System ODI 10937920 12/28/2016

2011 KIA SPORTAGE AT TIMES WON'T START BUT ALL LIGHTS AND RADIO AND ELECTRICAL STUFF WORK. HAD NEW BATTERY PUT IN AND CHECKED OUT IT IS NOT BATTERY. IT IS DOING THIS MORE AND MORE AND I HAVE TO LET IT SET FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME THEN IT WILL START. IT CAN'T BE BOOSTED OFF EITHER WHEN THIS HAPPENS. IT STARTED AND HAS NEVER STOPPED.PLEASE HELP.

Steering ODI 10936671 12/21/2016

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2011 KIA SPORTAGE. WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH AND MAKING A TURN, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO TURN. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE STRUCK A PARKED VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED A BRUISE ON THE KNEE THAT DID NOT REQUIRE MEDICAL ATTENTION. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A COLLISION CENTER WHERE IT WAS DE…

Engine ODI 10556779 12/20/2013

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 KIA SPORTAGE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AN ABNORMAL RATTLING NOISE WAS HEARD FROM THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE BUSHINGS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 5,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 15,000. ...UP…

Same Vehicle

Recalls & Crash Tests

Complaints are one half of the picture — see the official recalls and NHTSA crash-test stars for the 2011 Kia Sportage, or check your exact car by VIN with the free VIN lookup.

Check Another Car

Problems Checker

Any year, make and model: open the Car Problems Checker. Data: NHTSA (US DOT, public domain), cached up to 7 days.

Questions

FAQ

Is the 2011 Kia Sportage reliable?
Owners have filed 181 safety complaints with NHTSA for the 2011 Kia Sportage, most often about engine. Compare the complaint counts across model years above — a year with far more complaints than the model's average is the strongest 'avoid' signal in public data.
Which Kia Sportage years should I avoid?
The rule of thumb used by analysts: a model year whose complaint count is well above the model's own average (we flag 2× or more) usually had a real manufacturing or design problem — not just noisy reporting. Use the year-by-year strip on this page.
Where do these complaints come from?
Directly from NHTSA, the US government road-safety agency. Any owner can file a Vehicle Owner Questionnaire; NHTSA publishes them as public domain data. We cache each lookup for up to 7 days.
Do complaints mean a recall is coming?
Sometimes. NHTSA opens defect investigations when complaint patterns emerge, and investigations can end in recalls. Check the recalls page for this vehicle to see what has already been recalled.