2011 Kia Sportage Problems and Complaints

Users Opinions on 2011 Kia Sportage

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DP
Darrell D. Pratte
• 30/03/2020
Rating:
(1 Out Of 5 stars)
... diagnostic check, and there is never any thing wrong. Then the engine threw a rod. Paid $6000.00 for a new short block. Then I got a letter in the mail telling me Kia is extending the warranty on the engine, cause they are blowing up. I'm waiting to see if the company will refund the cost of the short block. Took the car to the dealer yesterday, somethingRead More
Source: edmunds
J
Jim
• 04/06/2019
Rating:
(1 Out Of 5 stars)
... includes the amplifier and subwoofer. The subwoofer stopped working 4 years ago. Now power to the rear speakers is fading. We have the front to rear fade biased all the way to the rear to try and balance the sound levels front to back and yet no one at the dealership can figure out what's wrong. 24) Cruise control set button has stopped working. This is my wife's daily driver to and from work and she drives the local/innerRead More
Source: edmunds
R
rifral
• 29/01/2014
Rating:
(2.75 Out Of 5 stars)
... too... 3 years ago! The styling is cool, awesome sunroof, decent cargo and passenger room and... well... that's about it. 2 brake switch replacements* (recently recalled), less than expected gas mileage, squeeks and rattles and lately the transmission is reving too high. I have no faith that this rather expensive model will last me the 10 years I was hoping for. It might be a hard sale onceRead More
Source: edmunds

Nathan Dyer

Senior Editor,

Updated on August 26, 2024

Here are the basic things you need to know about the SUV. Kia Sportage was a decent SUV back when it was initially released. But in the current period, the SUV can not keep up, since lots of changes like comfort, driving experience, and safety have more priority. Kia Sportage had a great interior and exterior design offered more premium features than most SUVs and had a decent interior and cargo space. The 2011 Kia Sportage currently has no safety rating, but the SUV had 5 recalls, 2 investigations, 1 of which is currently an open investigation, and 139 complaints.

Kia Sportage's competitors are the Ford Escape, the Honda CR-V, and the Hyundai Tucson and its reliability rating of 80/100 is among the best in the segment. The SUV had lots of issues regarding the electrical system, mechanical system, and more. Let's find out what the real issues are involved by checking out the video below by "AutoProblems". Read ahead to find out if this generation of Sportage is worth investing your money in for your family car needs.

2011 Kia Sportage Complaints and Problems

Mechanical Problems

Transmission being stubborn: Most users faced problems where the shifting of the gear had problems. Sometimes, the transmission would not shift but not all the way into gear, Sometimes it would not shift into Park. The gear shift would even be stuck sometimes and not move at all.
Issues with the engine: The most common problem was the engine. The common issue most faced was Kia’s engine catching fire, where the vehicle would spontaneously engulf in flames. 3 recalls and 1 investigation took place regarding these types of issues.
Suspension system: 1 user had an issue with the suspension rusting, due to poor rust protection. Another user noticed rattling noises coming from the suspension unit.
Steering being difficult: Steering tends to be found difficult to turn sometimes and cannot manage to maintain a straight trajectory under perfect road conditions.

Electrical problems

Electrical Malfunctions: The second most common complaint was regarding the electrical system which was, a noticeable amount of vehicles switching off, vehicles failing to start, issues with the automatic cruise controls switching on when there it is not necessary, faulty sensors, radio malfunction and lighting issues such as random headlight blinking, brake lights not switching on.
Electronic stability defective: Users noticed their SUV acting weird and not able to maintain a straight trajectory.

Safety Problems

Faulty Airbag and its components: A couple of users had noticed the Airbag light was on. Upon further inspection, the clock springs were defective, another user had sustained injuries during an accident and the airbags did not deploy.

2011 Kia Sportage Recalls

S.No	Date	NHTSA ID	Issues Noticed	Additional remarks	Remedy
1	15th February 2019	19V101000	Engine oil leak from the oil pan	The engine oil pan may leak and if not addressed, it may result in engine damage	Kia notified owners and dealers will replace oil pressure switch and oil pans if necessary for free of charge
2	19th December 2018	18V907000	High pressure in the fuel pipe causing leak	The high pressure fuel pipe that connects to fuel pump outlet may have been damaged or misaligned during engine replacement procedure and possibly cause a fuel leak	Kia notified owners and dealers will inspect and replace fuel pipe for free of charge
3	31st March 2017	17V224000	Bearing Wear results in engine seizure	Machining errors during engine manufacturing process may cause premature bearing wear within the engine	Kia will notify owners and dealers will inspect the engine assembly and replace the engine if necessary for free of charge.
4	9th June 2015	15V36000	Intermittent failure of brake light switch	The Brake light switch may intermittently fail.	Kia will notify owners and dealers will replace the brake light switch for free of charge
5	1st April 2013	13V114000	Stop Lamp switch may function intermittently	A malfunctioning stop lamp switch may cause brake lights to not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed.	Kia will send an interim notification to owners in May 2013 and when the parts are available owners will receive a second notification and dealers will replace the stop lamp switch, free of charge

Should you buy the 2011 Kia Sportage?

No, the 2011 Kia Sportage is too old right now to keep up with the current competition in the market and even a used unit would still not be worth it. Besides, the Kia Sportage has quite the reliability issues, and getting it now is a bad idea. According to NHTSA, there are lots of complaints in the engine department and the electrical department, so that does raise safety concerns. There are lots of other options than the Kia Sportage. These are the 2011 Ford Escape and 2011 Honda CR-V. Both have reasonable performance, and comfortability and both are around the same price range, although the 2011 Honda CR-V historically will be a bit more reliable than the Ford Escape.

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