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Owner-Reported Problems · NHTSA

2015 Kia Sportage — Problems & Complaints

NHTSA has 146 owner complaints on file for this vehicle. Every report below was filed by a real owner with the US government's road-safety agency.

146
Complaints
filed with NHTSA
7
Involved a Crash
owner-reported
11
Involved Fire
owner-reported
5
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

162 complaints

54 complaints

46 complaints

Problem Areas

What Owners Complain About Most

Engine 84 reports
Service Brakes 31 reports
Hydraulic 28 reports
Unknown Or Other 25 reports
Electrical System 18 reports
Fuel/propulsion System 7 reports
Power Train 6 reports
Vehicle Speed Control 5 reports
In Their Own Words

Recent Owner Reports

Unknown Or Other ODI 11291606 12/27/2019

I WAS DRIVING ALONG THE INTERSTATE AT A HIGH SPEED WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN I HEARD THIS TERRIFYING SOUND LIKE GLASS BREAKING AND THEN MY SUNROOF VIOLENTLY EXPLODED WITH THE GLASS HITTING THE DRIVERS BEHIND ME. THE SOUND ITSELF WAS EXTREMELY STARTLING AND I AM VERY LUCKY TO HAVE NOT CAUSED AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF IT. I AM THANKFUL THAT MY SUNROOF SHADE WAS CLOSED DURING THIS INCIDE…

Unknown Or Other ODI 11160918 12/12/2018

WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10 MILES PER HOUR WHILE APPROACHING TRAIN TRACKS THE VEHICLE SHUT OFF THE ENTIRE INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTS CAME ON WHEN I TRIED TO ACCELERATE IT WOULDN'T DO SO. I HAD JUST ENOUGH MOMEMTIUM TO GET ME OVER THE TRACKS. I PULLED ONSIDE THE SHOULDER SHUT THE CAR OFF COMPLETELY. WHEN I TRIED TO CUT ON CAR AGAIN IT SHUT IMMEDIATELY OFF. I SAT THERE 10-15 MIN…

Exterior Lighting ODI 10934620 12/12/2016

THE LATE MODEL KIA SPORTAGE'S HAVE TERRIBLE REAR TURN SIGNALS. THEY ARE A VERY SKINNY 1" X 6" LONG SLIT THAT IS MOUNTED INTO THE LOWER BUMPER COVER. WHEN FOLLOWING ONE OF THESE VEHICLES, ESPECIALLY IN DAYLIGHT, A DRIVERS EYE IS NOT TRAINED TO BE LOOKING FOR A VERY SMALL, SKINNY LITTLE TURN SIGNAL THAT IS NOT INTEGRATED INTO THE BRAKE LIGHTS OR EVEN NEAR THE BRAKE LIGHTS OF T…

Service Brakes ODI 11557867 12/01/2023

The contact owns a 2015 Kia Sportage. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the ABS and traction control warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the ABS control module. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V051000 (Serv…

Engine ODI 11282832 11/29/2019

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 KIA SPORTAGE. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC BECAUSE HE SUSPECTED AN ISSUE WITH THE SERPENTINE BELT. THE INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TEST DROVE THE VEHICLE AND THE ENGINE SEIZED. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO WESTGATE KIA (10956 STAR RD, WAKE FOREST, NC 27587, (919) 263-3061) WHERE AN UNKNOWN RECALL WAS DISCOVERED. THE ENGINE WAS…

Same Vehicle

Recalls & Crash Tests

Complaints are one half of the picture — see the official recalls and NHTSA crash-test stars for the 2015 Kia Sportage, or check your exact car by VIN with the free VIN lookup.

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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 2015 Kia Sportage reliable?
Owners have filed 146 safety complaints with NHTSA for the 2015 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.