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Owner-Reported Problems · NHTSA

2012 Kia Sportage — Problems & Complaints

NHTSA has 392 owner complaints on file for this vehicle. Every report below was filed by a real owner with the US government's road-safety agency.

392
Complaints
filed with NHTSA
7
Involved a Crash
owner-reported
16
Involved Fire
owner-reported
10
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

70 complaints

Problem Areas

What Owners Complain About Most

Engine 328 reports
Electrical System 29 reports
Unknown Or Other 23 reports
Power Train 21 reports
Service Brakes 11 reports
Hydraulic 11 reports
Fuel/propulsion System 6 reports
Steering 6 reports
In Their Own Words

Recent Owner Reports

Service Brakes ODI 11633380 12/31/2024

The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sportage. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not…

Engine ODI 11445598 12/30/2021

KIA notified me of a KSDS recall for my engine in July 2021. I went and had the recall software installed at a KIA dealership in August 2021. On October 10, 2021, as I was driving down the freeway, my car lost power and the engine light illuminated. (Due to the installation of the KSDS software recall) Took the car to Valley KIA of Fontana. They told me that my vehicle was…

Engine ODI 10938677 12/30/2016

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, WE HEARD A THUMP FROM OUR 2012 KIA SPORTAGE. WHEN WE GOT HOME, MY HUSBAND CHECKED THE ENGINE AND HE FOUND WE HAD NO OIL. WE NEVER HAD A CHECK ENGINE OR OIL LIGHT COME ON AND NEVER HAD AN OIL SPOT UNDER OUR CAR. WE TOOK IT TO OUR KIA DEALER AND WAS TOLD IT NEEDED A NEW ENGINE. AFTER READING OTHER COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE SAME ISSUE, I REALIZE WE WERE …

Engine ODI 11445273 12/28/2021

The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sportage. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V750000 (Engine). The contact stated there was an abnormal knocking noise detected and the vehicle went into limp mode. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who informed the contact that the rod bearing had failed. The vehicle…

Engine ODI 11499012 12/27/2022

It died when we turned it on but we didn’t think it started so we started it again and it was fine. Then 1 hour later we were driving and check engine light came on and it turned off then the car was dying. When I pulled over to let it cool down the car wouldn’t turn back on and when I checked under the hood there was oil all over the engine and the cap was there, it was smoki…

Same Vehicle

Recalls & Crash Tests

Complaints are one half of the picture — see the official recalls and NHTSA crash-test stars for the 2012 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 2012 Kia Sportage reliable?
Owners have filed 392 safety complaints with NHTSA for the 2012 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.