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Owner-Reported Problems · NHTSA

2021 Kia Sportage — Problems & Complaints

NHTSA has 54 owner complaints on file for this vehicle. Every report below was filed by a real owner with the US government's road-safety agency.

54
Complaints
filed with NHTSA
3
Involved a Crash
owner-reported
7
Involved Fire
owner-reported
4
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.

124 complaints

146 complaints

134 complaints

401 complaints

164 complaints

70 complaints

162 complaints

54 complaints

46 complaints

192 complaints

73 complaints

54 complaints

0 complaints

Problem Areas

What Owners Complain About Most

Engine 23 reports
Unknown Or Other 14 reports
Engine And Engine Cooling 7 reports
Electrical System 6 reports
Power Train 4 reports
Visibility/wiper 2 reports
Fuel/propulsion System 2 reports
Exterior Lighting 2 reports
In Their Own Words

Recent Owner Reports

Air Bags ODI 11384033 12/18/2020

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2021 KIA SPORTAGE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS CRASHED HEAD ON INTO A UNKNOWN VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THERE WERE NO REPORTS OF FIRE. THE DRIVER AND OCCUPANT SUSTAINED INJURIES TO THE HEAD AND NECK AND MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS PROVIDED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT LO FOR BODY WORK R…

Unknown Or Other ODI 11496058 12/05/2022

Remote start my car walked out to a puddle of oil. All the oil ran out. Had 400 mile left before oil change was due.

Unknown Or Other ODI 11440172 11/11/2021

On 01/04/2021 my son [XXX] purchased New 2021 Kia Sportage LX. On 10/15/2021 this car was stolen In West Allis Wisconsin parked in front of his work place. On 10/21/2021 police found the car abended on the north side of Milwaukee with substantial damage totaling $9,705.66. This car has been towed to [XXX] for repairs. Because of shortage of part and lots of damage it might t…

Engine ODI 11697338 11/04/2025

I have experienced chronic and excessive engine oil consumption in my 2021 Kia Sportage S with the 2.4 L Theta II engine. Since around 80,000 miles, I have had to add oil every 2 weeks between oil changes to prevent the engine from running low. My vehicle now requires a complete engine replacement, estimated at $10,000. Despite regular maintenance and oil changes (documented …

Power Train ODI 11550184 10/16/2023

The contact owns a 2021 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost all electrical and motive power. As a result, the vehicle collided with a shopping cart, causing it to collide with another vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an indepen…

Same Vehicle

Recalls & Crash Tests

Complaints are one half of the picture — see the official recalls and NHTSA crash-test stars for the 2021 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 2021 Kia Sportage reliable?
Owners have filed 54 safety complaints with NHTSA for the 2021 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.