Kia Sportage 2017–2022 problems by year and mileage
4th generation (QL)
NHTSA data through 24 September 2026890 complaints, 312 with mileageMethod
A DO NOT DRIVE recall covers part of this generation — check the VIN before driving it home.
Which year is yours? Tap it to see what breaks on it.
The 2017 Kia Sportage
Close- Median failure report
- 54,000 mi
- Complaints filed
- 399
- Recalls naming this year
- 4
At least 40% of the complaints about the 2017 were filed after 2020, and most complaints filed since then carry no odometer reading. The median here rests on the earlier reports and likely understates the mileage these failures happen at.
Most reported on the 2017
- Engine219 reports · median 67,000 mi
- Problems owners could not categorise69 reports
- Electrical system62 reports
4 recall campaigns name the 2017: Trailer hitches; Service brakes, hydraulic — antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip; Engine. Not every car in a campaign is affected — check the VIN at NHTSA. Recall repairs are free.
The 2018 Kia Sportage
Close- Median failure report
- 18,000 mi
- Complaints filed
- 164
- Recalls naming this year
- 3
At least 40% of the complaints about the 2018 were filed after 2020, and most complaints filed since then carry no odometer reading. The median here rests on the earlier reports and likely understates the mileage these failures happen at.
Most reported on the 2018
- Engine91 reports
- Electrical system29 reports
- Problems owners could not categorise19 reports
3 recall campaigns name the 2018: Trailer hitches; Service brakes, hydraulic — antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip; Engine. Not every car in a campaign is affected — check the VIN at NHTSA. Recall repairs are free.
The 2019 Kia Sportage
Close- Median failure report
- too few reports to time
- Complaints filed
- 70
- Recalls naming this year
- 2
Most reported on the 2019
- Engine36 reports
- Problems owners could not categorise14 reports
- Electrical system10 reports
2 recall campaigns name the 2019: Trailer hitches; Service brakes, hydraulic — antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip. Not every car in a campaign is affected — check the VIN at NHTSA. Recall repairs are free.
The 2020 Kia Sportage
Close- Median failure report
- 13,000 mi
- Complaints filed
- 160
- Recalls naming this year
- 2
Most reported on the 2020
- Engine73 reports
- Problems owners could not categorise31 reports
- Electrical system19 reports
2 recall campaigns name the 2020: Trailer hitches; Service brakes, hydraulic — antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip. Not every car in a campaign is affected — check the VIN at NHTSA. Recall repairs are free.
The 2021 Kia Sportage
Close- Median failure report
- too few reports to time
- Complaints filed
- 51
- Recalls naming this year
- 2
Most reported on the 2021
- Engine21 reports
- Problems owners could not categorise14 reports
- Electrical system6 reports
2 recall campaigns name the 2021: Trailer hitches; Service brakes, hydraulic — antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip. Not every car in a campaign is affected — check the VIN at NHTSA. Recall repairs are free.
The 2022 Kia Sportage
Close- Median failure report
- too few reports to time
- Complaints filed
- 46
- Recalls naming this year
- 1
Most reported on the 2022
- Engine21 reports
- Electrical system8 reports
- Forward collision avoidance5 reports
1 recall campaign names the 2022: Trailer hitches. Not every car in a campaign is affected — check the VIN at NHTSA. Recall repairs are free.
Each tile shows the median mileage at which that model year’s failures were reported. † marks a year whose median likely understates the mileage: much of its reporting came after 2020, when most complaints stopped recording an odometer reading. The 2017 reports latest and the 2020 earliest, but part of that gap is age: the 2017 has had 3 more years on the road to accumulate mileage. 3 of these years carry fewer than 30 reports with an odometer reading and show no median at all, rather than one computed from a handful.
The short answer
“Is the 2017–2022 Kia Sportage reliable?”
- Median of reported failures
- 40,000 mi
- 90% of reports came by
- 107,000 mi
- Reports with mileage
- 312
- Recalls
- 4
At least 40% of this generation’s complaints were filed after 2020, and most complaints filed since then carry no odometer reading, so the median likely understates the mileage these failures happen at.
Most reported
- Engine51.8% of complaints · median 54,000 mi
- Problems owners could not categorise17.0% of complaints · median 20,000 mi
- Electrical system15.1% of complaints · median 53,000 mi
Owners filed 890 complaints with NHTSA about the 2017–2022 Kia Sportage; the engine leads with 51.8% of them, and half of the 312 that record an odometer reading came by 40,000 miles. A count like this can’t rate reliability on its own: NHTSA records what owners chose to report, not how many of each car were sold.
26% of complaints that record mileage fall within the first 12,000 miles, against 2.0 reports per 1,000 miles between 20,000 and 80,000. Failures clustered that early usually indicate a design or manufacturing problem rather than wear.
Before-you-buy checklist ↓At your mileage ↓Check this VIN — NHTSA ↗
How many miles does a 2017–2022 Kia Sportage last?
Complaint records can’t measure how long a car lasts; they show when reported failures happened. On the 2017–2022 Kia Sportage, half of the 312 complaints that record an odometer reading were filed by 40,000 miles and 90% by 107,000 miles.
7 reports came in past 150,000 miles and 1 past 200,000 — each one proof that a Sportage reached that mileage, not that it failed there.
Figure 1 · Kia Sportage 2017–2022 · 312 reports with mileage
Mileage at failure
Complaints per 10,000-mile bin, 0 to 200,000 miles, equal bins on a linear scale. Tallest bar = 65 complaints.
- First 12,000 miles — 26% of all failures
- Rest of the range
- Median
- 200,000+ — 1 complaints (0.3%), plotted separately
- 10%
- 2,500
- 25%
- 12,000
- Median
- 39,750
- 75%
- 80,000
- 90%
- 107,000
Show the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 0–10,000 | 65 | 20.8% |
| 10,000–20,000 | 48 | 15.4% |
| 20,000–30,000 | 18 | 5.8% |
| 30,000–40,000 | 25 | 8.0% |
| 40,000–50,000 | 10 | 3.2% |
| 50,000–60,000 | 21 | 6.7% |
| 60,000–70,000 | 24 | 7.7% |
| 70,000–80,000 | 22 | 7.1% |
| 80,000–90,000 | 21 | 6.7% |
| 90,000–100,000 | 16 | 5.1% |
| 100,000–110,000 | 11 | 3.5% |
| 110,000–120,000 | 10 | 3.2% |
| 120,000–130,000 | 5 | 1.6% |
| 130,000–140,000 | 3 | 1.0% |
| 140,000–150,000 | 6 | 1.9% |
| 150,000–160,000 | 3 | 1.0% |
| 160,000–170,000 | 2 | 0.6% |
| 180,000–190,000 | 1 | 0.3% |
| 200,000+ | 1 | 0.3% |
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain. Complaint counts reflect what owners reported and are not a measure of failure rate per vehicle sold.
What this can and cannot tell you: these are complaints owners chose to file, not a failure rate. Popular models accumulate more of them simply by being common. How this is built.
Common Sportage problems, and when they happen
Figure 2 · Kia Sportage 2017–2022
When each system fails
Bar spans the middle half of reports; the notch inside each bar is the median. Miles at failure on a proportional scale — equal distances are equal ratios, not equal miles.
- Throttle and speed control34 reports19,0009,500–60,000Throttle and speed control: 34 reports, median 19,000 miles, middle half 9,500 to 60,000 miles.
- Fuel and propulsion system51 reports20,0004,000–44,000Fuel and propulsion system: 51 reports, median 20,000 miles, middle half 4,000 to 44,000 miles.
- Problems owners could not categorise151 reports20,0007,500–50,000Problems owners could not categorise: 151 reports, median 20,000 miles, middle half 7,500 to 50,000 miles.
- Transmission and driveline75 reports36,00014,000–60,000Transmission and driveline: 75 reports, median 36,000 miles, middle half 14,000 to 60,000 miles.
- Electrical system134 reports53,0009,500–79,000Electrical system: 134 reports, median 53,000 miles, middle half 9,500 to 79,000 miles.
- Engine461 reports54,00015,000–87,000Engine: 461 reports, median 54,000 miles, middle half 15,000 to 87,000 miles.
- Body structure43 reports56,0009,000–70,000Body structure: 43 reports, median 56,000 miles, middle half 9,000 to 70,000 miles.
- Your odometer — appears after you enter it in “Where your car sits”
Ordered by median mileage, earliest first. The first 12,000 miles are shaded: that is the boundary this site uses between a manufacturing defect and ordinary wear, not a property of the world.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain.
All systems in a table
| System | Complaints | Share | Median | 25–75% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 461 | 51.8% | 54,000 | 15,000–87,000 |
| Problems owners could not categorise | 151 | 17.0% | 20,000 | 7,500–50,000 |
| Electrical system | 134 | 15.1% | 53,000 | 9,500–79,000 |
| Transmission and driveline | 75 | 8.4% | 36,000 | 14,000–60,000 |
| Fuel and propulsion system | 51 | 5.7% | 20,000 | 4,000–44,000 |
| Body structure | 43 | 4.8% | 56,000 | 9,000–70,000 |
| Throttle and speed control | 34 | 3.8% | 19,000 | 9,500–60,000 |
| Brakes | 32 | 3.6% | 16,000 | 900–95,000 |
| Engine and its cooling system | 31 | 3.5% | 84,000 | 63,000–97,000 |
| Steering | 30 | 3.4% | 16,000 | 500–53,000 |
System by system, in words
Complaints about this generation are not spread evenly across the vehicle, and the systems that generate the most of them do not all fail at the same point in a car's life. The median failure across all systems here is 40,000 miles; the figures below show which parts of the car run ahead of that and which run behind.
The engine accounts for 51.8% of complaints (461 reports, 133 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 54,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 15,000 and 87,000 miles.
A single system taking 51.8% of all complaints is a concentration worth noting. It means that for this generation, most of what owners reported came back to one area of the car rather than being distributed across many small faults.
Problems owners could not categorise accounts for 17.0% of complaints (151 reports, 37 of them with a mileage figure), and it fails early — a median of 20,000 miles, well before the vehicle's overall median. Failures clustered this far below the rest of the car usually point to a design or manufacturing problem rather than wear, because wear does not selectively target one system on low-mileage examples. The middle half of these reports falls between 7,500 and 50,000 miles.
The electrical system accounts for 15.1% of complaints (134 reports, 49 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 53,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 9,500 and 79,000 miles.
The transmission and driveline accounts for 8.4% of complaints (75 reports, 34 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 36,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 14,000 and 60,000 miles.
The fuel and propulsion system accounts for 5.7% of complaints (51 reports, 14 of them with a mileage figure), and it fails early — a median of 20,000 miles, well before the vehicle's overall median. Failures clustered this far below the rest of the car usually point to a design or manufacturing problem rather than wear, because wear does not selectively target one system on low-mileage examples. The middle half of these reports falls between 4,000 and 44,000 miles.
Body structure accounts for 4.8% of complaints (43 reports, 14 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 56,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 9,000 and 70,000 miles.
Known problems with the 2017–2022 Sportage
Engine - Bearings 2017–2019
Theta II connecting rod bearing failure claims continue into the early years of this generation; the class settlement population extends to roughly MY2019 for affected Theta II applications.
Before you buy a 2017–2022 Sportage: the 3-minute check
Generated from 312 mileage-tagged complaints, 4 recall campaigns, 1 documented problem area. Print this page — the checklist survives print.
- Run the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. 4 campaigns cover this generation; an open recall is a free repair you can make the seller's problem.
- Check engine - bearings on 2017–2019 primarily cars. Theta II connecting rod bearing failure claims continue into the early years of this generation; the class settlement population extends to roughly MY2019 for affected Theta II applications.
- Complaint reports are not spread evenly across model years here — see the by-model-year table below before you settle on a year.
- End with a pre-purchase inspection of this car. Aggregate data describes the population; the example in front of you has its own history.
For a buyer of a newer example: 26% of the reported failures occur in the first 12,000 miles, and many of these cars have not covered that yet. The early window may still be ahead, so check what the factory warranty still covers and whether any recall on the VIN is open.
On inspection, the engine and problems owners could not categorise are where this generation's reports concentrate, so those are the areas worth a specific look. Problems owners could not categorise in particular shows a median failure mileage of 20,000, which gives a concrete number to compare against the odometer of any car you are considering.
None of this is a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection on the individual car. Aggregate patterns describe a population; the example in front of you has its own history.
Sportage problems by mileage: where your car sits
Type your odometer reading, or read the common mileages in the table. Your marker lands on the timing chart above and on the curve below.
| System | Middle half of reports, mi | At 60k mi60% below | At 90k mi81% below | At 120k mi93% below | At 150k mi98% below | At 200k mi100% below |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 15,000–87,000 | in window | earlier | earlier | earlier | earlier |
| Problems owners could not categorise | 7,500–50,000 | earlier | earlier | earlier | earlier | earlier |
| Electrical system | 9,500–79,000 | in window | earlier | earlier | earlier | earlier |
| Transmission and driveline | 14,000–60,000 | earlier | earlier | earlier | earlier | earlier |
| Fuel and propulsion system | 4,000–44,000 | earlier | earlier | earlier | earlier | earlier |
| Body structure | 9,000–70,000 | in window | earlier | earlier | earlier | earlier |
| Throttle and speed control | 9,500–60,000 | earlier | earlier | earlier | earlier | earlier |
Figure 3 · Kia Sportage 2017–2022 · 312 reports with mileage
Share of reports below each mileage
Share of mileage-tagged reports filed at or below each odometer reading. Steps rise only at bin edges, by exact counted shares.
- 60,000 mi — 60% of reports below
- 90,000 mi — 81% of reports below
- 120,000 mi — 93% of reports below
- 150,000 mi — 98% of reports below
- 200,000 mi — 100% of reports below
- Median — the staircase crosses the 50% line here
- Your odometer — appears after you enter it above
The staircase tops out at 100%: the remaining 0.3% of reports (1) came above 200,000 miles.
Nothing is smoothed or interpolated. Linear axis, same as Figure 1.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain.
2017–2022 Kia Sportage recalls (4)
NHTSA records 4 recall campaigns covering vehicles in this generation. A recall means the manufacturer or the regulator concluded there was a safety defect or a standard was not met, and that a free remedy is owed to owners — including second and later owners.
2 of these carry a severe advisory — NHTSA's do not drive or park outside warnings, which the agency applies only when it considers the risk immediate. If you own one of these vehicles, that is the first thing to check by VIN.
The campaigns cluster around trailer hitches (2), the hydraulic brake circuit (1), the engine (1). Several campaigns against one area can mean a remedy that did not hold, or separate defects in parts filed under the same heading; the summaries below name each defect.
Recall status is specific to the individual vehicle, not the model. Checking a VIN against NHTSA's lookup is free and takes under a minute, and it is the only way to know whether a particular car has had the work done.
Sep 2022 · 2017–2022 · Trailer Hitches park outsideA fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
The defect. Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2016-2022 Sorento, 2021-2022 Sorento Hybrid (HEV), 2022-2023 Sorento Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV), and 2017-2022 Sportage vehicles equipped with a tow hitch harness installed as original equipment, or purchased as an…
What can happen. A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
The free fix. Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will inspect the vehicle, and, as necessary, replace the fuse and/or tow hitch harness module…
Mar 2021 · 2017–2021 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic park outsideAn engine compartment fire can increase the risk of injury.
The defect. Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2017-2021 Sportage and Cadenza vehicles. The electrical circuit in the Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) may short-circuit, which can cause a fire in the engine compartment.
What can happen. An engine compartment fire can increase the risk of injury.
The free fix. Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures as a precaution until the recall repair is complete. Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace certain fuses in the electrical…
Dec 2018 · 2017–2018 · EngineA fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.
The defect. Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2011-2017 Optima, 2012-2017 Sorento and 2011-2018 Sportage vehicles that previously received an engine replacement under recall number 17V-224, warranty, or the Knock Sensor Detection System (KSDS) Product…
What can happen. A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.
The free fix. Kia has notified owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the fuel pipe, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 17, 2019. Owners may contact Kia customer service at…
Nov 2016 · 2017 · Trailer HitchesIf the trailer brake lights stay illuminated while being used, other drivers may be confused, increasing the…
The defect. Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Sorento vehicles manufactured October 27, 2014, to August 25, 2016, and 2017 Sportage vehicles manufactured December 10, 2015, to August 26, 2016. The affected vehicles are equipped with an…
What can happen. If the trailer brake lights stay illuminated while being used, other drivers may be confused, increasing the risk of a crash.
The free fix. Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the trailer tow hitch harness, free of charge. The recall began January 18, 2017. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's…
Crashes, fires and injuries owners reported
What owners reported alongside the failure itself, out of 890 complaints against this generation:
- Crashes
- 44 (4.9%)
- Fires
- 63
- Injury reports
- 33
- Fatality reports
- 0
These flags are self-reported by complainants and unverified by NHTSA; one report can carry several flags, so the counts overlap and do not sum to a total. They are not adjusted for how many of these vehicles are on the road. No chart is drawn here on purpose: overlapping counts spanning very different magnitudes cannot be honestly encoded as lengths.
Sportage problems by model year
The 2017 drew the most complaints of this generation, 399, most of them about the engine, and the 2022 the fewest, 46. A typical year drew about 115.
That makes the 2017 stand out at roughly 3.5 times a typical year. A count like this follows how many cars of each year were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as how often they failed, so it is not by itself evidence of a worse year; what each year's reports name, in its card and row, is the useful part.
| Year | Complaints | With mileage | Median miles | Most reported | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 399 | 180 | 54,000† | Engine (219) | 4 |
| 2018 | 164 | 51 | 18,000† | Engine (91) | 3 |
| 2019 | 70 | 23 | under 30 reports | Engine (36) | 2 |
| 2020 | 160 | 37 | 13,000 | Engine (73) | 2 |
| 2021 | 51 | 12 | under 30 reports | Engine (21) | 2 |
| 2022 | 46 | 9 | under 30 reports | Engine (21) | 1 |
What Sportage owners reported
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle lost automotive power with the accelerator pedal depressed. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be…
2018 · 65,000 miles · Engine
The contact owns a 2022 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked with the engine running, there was an alert on the instrument panel that stating "Warning - System Overheating". The contact checked the coolant level, and the level was at the operational level; however, the A/C was not…
2022 · 97,000 miles · Electrical system
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while parked on several occasions, a "Battery Discharge Warning" message was displayed, which disappeared once the vehicle was driven. The contact then stated that on several occasions after the vehicle sat unoperated for a day, the engine failed to start.…
2021 · 55,000 miles · Electrical system
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the drain plug detached, and oil started leaking from the oil pan. The accelerator was depressed, but the vehicle failed to move and stalled while driving on the highway. The vehicle failed to restart. The oil light…
2021 · 60,000 miles · Engine and its cooling system
Built from 312 NHTSA complaints with mileage · snapshot 2026-09-26 · open data · how it is built
Other Sportage generations
- Sportage 1995–2002 567 reports with mileage, most about the engine and its cooling system
- Sportage 2005–2010 340 reports with mileage, most about the electrical system
- Sportage 2011–2016 872 reports with mileage, most about the engine