NHTSA lists 161 complaints for the 2020 Kia Sportage, 11 of them mention a crash and 12 mention a fire. 7 complaints mention an injury, with 8 injuries and 0 deaths reported.
Data build 2026-10-09.
NHTSA lists this vehicle as KIA SPORTAGE.
At a glance
Complaints
161
With crash
11
With fire
12
With injury (complaints)
7
Injuries
8
Deaths
0
Recalls
2
Do not drive recalls
0
Park outside recalls
2
Recall potential units (maximum)
379,931
Investigations
2
Open investigations
1
Manufacturer communications
93
Complaints per 100k sold unavailable. The available sales group does not match this vehicle variant.
Where the complaints are
Top systems
System
Complaints
Share of this vehicle's complaints
ENGINE
74
46.0%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
31
19.3%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
19
11.8%
STRUCTURE
10
6.2%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
9
5.6%
STEERING
8
5.0%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
7
4.3%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
6
3.7%
SERVICE BRAKES
6
3.7%
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
6
3.7%
Top subsystems
System
Subsystem
Complaints
STRUCTURE
BODY
10
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
3
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
INSTRUMENT PANEL
2
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
WARNINGS
2
LANE DEPARTURE
ASSIST
2
VISIBILITY
WINDSHIELD
2
BACK OVER PREVENTION
WARNINGS
1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
IGNITION
1
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
HEADLIGHTS
1
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
1
One complaint can name several systems, so shares can add to more than 100 percent.
Confidence is the model's own probability for the label it chose (0 to 1), not accuracy.
Model-generated labels on tagged complaints only. Model years 2013 and newer are tagged in full; 2012 in part (see tagged_share); earlier model years have no tags. NHTSA's own flags remain separate in the complaints block.
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 accessory through a Kia dealership. Debris and moisture accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (PCB) may cause an el (excerpt)
Consequence: A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury. (excerpt)
Remedy: 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, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 11, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC249. (excerpt)
Date: 2021-03-04. Systems: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC.
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. (excerpt)
Consequence: An engine compartment fire can increase the risk of injury. (excerpt)
Remedy: 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 junction box. Vehicles equipped with an electronic parking brake (EPB) will also receive a HECU software update. Repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on April 30, 2021. Owners may (excerpt)
Do not drive: No. Park outside: Yes.
Investigations
2 investigations; 1 open.
AQ23002
Opened: 2023-11-17. Closed: Not listed.
Hyundai and Kia ABS Module Fires
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received eight Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) and eight Kia America, Inc. (Kia) Part 573 Recall Reports between 2016 and 2023. The combined 16 safety recalls all involve the antilock braking system (ABS) modules or Hydraulic Electronic Control Units (HECU) manufactured by the equipment supplier Mando. The Part 573 Recall Reports contain varying defect
Systems: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC.
Linked campaign numbers: None listed.
DP22003
Opened: 2022-09-12. Closed: 2023-12-12.
Loss of Motive Power
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a letter dated July 13, 2022, petitioning the Agency to initiate a safety defect investigation into loss of motive power allegations attributed to oil drain pan assembly failures on certain Hyundai Motor America, Inc. and Kia America, Inc. vehicles spanning Model Years (MY) 2005-2021. The Petitioners cited examples of complaints i
Systems: ENGINE.
Linked campaign numbers: None listed.
Manufacturer communications
93 manufacturer communications.
Communications by system
System
Count
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
48
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
25
ENGINE
15
EQUIPMENT
8
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
7
STEERING
7
STRUCTURE
7
EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY
6
11034003
Date: 2026-06-08. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: THEFT DETERRENT IGNITION CYLINDER PROTECTOR AND DECAL INSTALLATION (CS2312) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin prov
VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: THETA II 2.4L GDI EMISSIONS: ECM LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SC340 REVISION 5) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information to
VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: OWNER NOTIFICATION (SC340 FLIGHT 105) - This document is the owner notification advising that Kia is conducting a Voluntary Emissions Service Campaign to improve the emissions software logic in the Electronic Control Module (ECM) for certain 2017-2022 MY Sportag
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: THETA II 2.4L GDI EMISSION SECM LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SC340 REV 4) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin p
11028908
Date: 2026-02-19. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: THEFT DETERRENT IGNITION CYLINDER PROTECTOR AND DECAL INSTALLATION (CS2312) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin prov
VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: OWNER NOTIFICATION (SC340 FLIGHT 103 / QL) - This document is the owner notification advising that Kia is conducting a Voluntary Emissions Service Campaign to improve the emissions software logic in the Electronic Control Module (ECM) for certain 2017-2022 MY Sp
11026825
Date: 2025-12-18. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: THEFT DETERRENT IGNITION CYLINDER PROTECTOR AND DECAL INSTALLATION (CS2312) - This bulletin provides information to install a Theft Deterrent Ignition Cylinder Protector on certain 2010-2022MY Kia vehicles outlined on page 19, which may not have bee
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION CAMPAIGN: OWNER NOTIFICATION (CS2312) - This document is the owner notification advising that Kia is conducting Customer Satisfaction Campaign. A software upgrade that addresses the social media theft method has been made available to owners of eligible Kia model vehicles free
11026533
Date: 2025-12-10. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ENGINE.
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: THETA II 2.4L GDI EMISSIONS ECM LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SC340) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provide
11026698
Date: 2025-12-09. Type: Other. Systems: BACK OVER PREVENTION.
PITSTOP: TECHNICAL OPERATIONS: EXTERNAL DAMAGE TO ULTRASONIC SENSOR: This Pitstop provides information related to Parking Distance Warning (PDW) alerts and repairs involving ultrasonic sensors. The PDW system alerts the driver while parking, by calculating distance based on the difference in signal
Notes on this record
Complaints from the API and bulk file are merged and deduplicated by ODI number; the API alone misses records.
System and subsystem counts are numbers of distinct complaints, recalls or communications that name them. One record can name several systems, so shares across systems can add to more than 100 percent; a single share never exceeds 100 percent.
Recalls are counted once per campaign, investigations once per action and manufacturer communications once per NHTSA id, even when NHTSA lists several model names for the same record.
A sales denominator is a calendar-year proxy, not the population of vehicles still in use. Rates are copied from verified pipeline output.