2020 Kia Sportage problems and recalls

46% of owner complaints on the 2020 Kia Sportage related to the Engine (73 of 159).

159
Complaints
2
Recalls
11
Crash reports
12
Fire reports
8
Injuries
93.0
Severity index

Severity index 93.0 High. The index weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints. How it is calculated.

Middle half of all tracked vehiclesThis vehicle: 93.0p25 46p75 80cleanestworst
Severity index against the quartile range for all tracked vehicles.

Ranked 13 of 103 by severity index among 2020 vehicles with at least 40 complaints, highest first. 87% of those vehicles scored lower. Full 2020 ranking.

Components cited in complaints

EngineEngine: 73 complaints (45.9%)73 46%Unknown Or OtherUnknown Or Other: 31 complaints (19.5%)31 19%Electrical SystemElectrical System: 19 complaints (11.9%)19 12%Service BrakesService Brakes: 12 complaints (7.5%)12 8%StructureStructure: 10 complaints (6.3%)10 6%Engine And Engine Cooli…Engine And Engine Cooling: 9 complaints (5.7%)9 6%SteeringSteering: 8 complaints (5.0%)8 5%Fuel/Propulsion SystemFuel/Propulsion System: 7 complaints (4.4%)7 4%
A single complaint can cite more than one component, so shares total over 100%.
ComponentComplaintsShare of complaints citing it
ENGINE7345.9%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER3119.5%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM1911.9%
SERVICE BRAKES127.5%
STRUCTURE106.3%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING95.7%
STEERING85.0%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM74.4%

Complaints filed per year

022452019: 22020: 42021: 192022: 172023: 282024: 162025: 452026: 28 (partial year)192021222324254526
Complaints by the calendar year they were filed. The hatched bar is the current year to date.
YearComplaints
20192
20204
202119
202217
202328
202416
202545
2026 (year to date)28
Filings in 2023 to 2025 ran 2.2x those in 2020 to 2022 (89 against 40).

Recall campaigns

CampaignReportedComponentSummary
21V13700004/03/2021SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULEKia 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.
22V70300019/09/2022TRAILER HITCHESKia 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 d

Other Kia Sportage model years

Severity index for every other model year on file. Compare all 15 years side by side.

Source. NHTSA public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-08-17. Complaints are unverified consumer reports. Totals vary with units sold and years on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.