2022 Kia Sportage User Complaints and Problems
The 2022Kia Sportage has just 4 complaints registered against it as per the NHTSA. Well, that comes in as no surprise as 2022 marks the last running year for the fourth generation Kia Sportage. From peaking out at almost 169 complaints in its first year (2017), this compact SUV has shown a fall in the number of complaints with each succeeding year. However, powertrain issues are something that still needs proper sorting even after all these years.
Listed below are the most common problems of the 2022Kia Sportage and their implications on the ownership experience.
Mechanical Complaints
- Engine- The Kia Sportage is no stranger to engine problems with over 106 complaints registered on the NHTSA website by presumable owners since 2017. Engine failure, oil over-consumption, and engine fires have been some common issues that have been troubling the Sportage. An “Engine overheating” warning, burning smell inside the cabin, thick smoke from the tailpipe and stuck throttle/ engine RPMs are precursors to the aforementioned complaints as per owners. Most cases lodged needed an engine replacement. Multiple instances of engine fires have been tagged with this issue, with no major injuries recorded thankfully. The initial batch of SUVs is also said to have faulty throttle mapping leading to unexpected accelerations which have resulted in crashes in multiple instances. Random stalls, check engine lights, misfires, and engines failing to start were also common issues faced by owners back then.
- Transmission slip- A few owners have complained about the transmission slipping on the Kia Sportage, mostly on 2018 and older cars. The engine revs high for a split second and comes back to normal RPMs, with a sudden jerk. Failing to accelerate from a standstill has also been related to the same issue. In some cases, the dealer was not able to replicate the issue and no failure codes were found. As alarming as it sounds, a couple of low-speed crashes were recorded against this problem.
- Service brake- Loss of assistance and complete loss of braking power has been reported on 2019 and older Kia Sportage models. The brake pedal gets completely depressed on the application of brakes without warning and a complete loss of braking force is experienced. All cases tagged to this issue have ended up in crashes with some even reporting injuries.
Electric System Complaints
- Exterior lighting- The fourth-gen of Kia Sportage has a headlamp beam that is set too low from the factory. Owners have to manually adjust it on their own. Even then, the dipper beam has been deemed too dim for night use, and the drivers are forced to use the brightest setting, which again increases the risk of blinding oncoming traffic.
- Window regulators- Initial batch of Kia Sportages were diagnosed with faulty window regulators that stopped working prematurely. In most cases, the replacements were not provided under warranty.
- Infotainment system- Not a widespread issue, but a handful of owners were found complaining about the infotainment screen going blank and the backup camera not showing up on the screen when reverse gear is engaged. The latter was fixed by resetting the infotainment UI while the former issue, in some cases, needed complete replacement of the units.
Structural Complaints
- Faulty door locks- Premature failure of power door locks and stuck front doors have been a major complaint that has been affecting many fourth gen-Kia Sportage owners. Multiple instances where owners were locked out of their SUVs have been recorded concerning this problem. This issue mainly affected the front doors of SUVs built before 2019.
- Shattered Sunroof- At least three instances where the sunroof on the car shattered while on the move have been recorded with the Kia Sportage. Not as wide an occurrence as the other problems mentioned here, but certainly a compromise in safety and convenience. No injuries were reported against this issue whatsoever.
Safety
- Faulty Airbags- Multiple owners have registered complaints about the dash throwing them airbag lights randomly. The error code has been traced down to a faulty passenger-side airbag module that needed replacement. There are cases where the owners were voided from the warranty and forced to pay the full amount for the fix. Also, several instances of airbags failing to deploy in the event of a crash have also been mentioned. Multiple crashes with injuries were recorded against this issue.
- Low-mount rear blinkers- Could be categorized as a design failure, as the low mount rear blinkers on the Kia Sportage have been raising concern among the owners for quite a while now. Placed low on the rear bumper, approaching drivers easily miss the blinkers leading to rear-end crashes. Even though this issue has been pointed out by several owners since launch, no steps have been taken by the automaker to alter the placement of the rear blinker lights.
- Collision avoidance system- Faulty collision avoidance and blind-spot system have been a concern to owners of the Kia Sportage. The blind-spot detection system is said to trigger for no reason. Also, the forward collision avoidance system turns itself off at times, which in one case has led to a head on crash as reported by the NHTSA.
|
Category
|
Number of complaints
|
|
Fuel and Propulsion System
|
31
|
|
Engine/ Powertrain
|
143
|
|
Safety
|
31
|
|
Service brakes
|
29
|
|
Electrical
|
49
|
|
Structural
|
29
|
2022 Kia Sportage Recalls
The 2022Kia Sportage comes with a clean record for this year as far as recalls go. That said, it would not be surprising to see a recall for possible engine fire to be initiated by the automaker for the current model year similar to the previous iteration, as they share identical hardware underneath. Even though the number of recalls on this compact SUV has been considerably low in recent years compared to many rivals, fire hazard is still a major concern and multiple accounts of damage have been recorded concerning it.
|
S. No
|
Date
|
NHTSA ID
|
Issues Noticed
|
Additional Remarks
|
|
1
|
4th March 2021
|
21V137000
|
Engine compartment fire
|
An electrical circuit in the Hydraulic Electronic control unit may short circuit, which can lead to a fire in the engine compartment.
|
|
2
|
19th December 2018
|
18V907000
|
High-pressure fuel pipe may leak
|
The high-pressure fuel pipe that connects to the fuel pump outlet may have been damaged, misaligned, or improperly torqued during previous engine replacement recall procedure, possibly causing a fuel leak, increasing the risk of fire
|
|
3
|
30th November 2016
|
16V862000
|
Trailer brakes may stay illuminated
|
Malfunction of trailer hitch module may result in the trailer lights being constantly illuminated, confusing other drivers and increasing risk of a crash
|
The high-pressure pipe fuel leak (18V97000) is specific to the 2011-2017 model years which have received an engine replacement under recall number 17V224 under the product improvement campaign launched by the automaker and shouldn’t be a concern for the rest of the owners. In comparison to the competition, the 2022 Kia Sportage comes out with zero recalls for 2022, as of now. The 2022 Honda CR-V and the 2022 RAV4 also fall in the same slate while the 2022 Ford Escape has already gone through the first round of recalls for “reduced braking performance”. That said, we expect the 2022 Kia Sportage to receive a recall for the faulty electrical circuit in the Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit soon with reference to the service bulletin released.
|
Component Affected
|
2022
|
2021
|
2020
|
2019
|
2018
|
2017
|
2016
|
|
Safety
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
Exterior
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
Electrical
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
|
Interior
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
Drive System
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
Fuel System
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
Engine
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
Which Kia Sportage model year should you avoid?
As with any other car, you would always be safer with a newer model year. 2017, being the introductory year for the 4th generation Sportage, would be the model year you should refrain from buying. NHTSA lists close to 170 complaints on this specific model year, which is by far the most lodged as far as the current generation SUV goes.
Should you buy a used Kia Sportage?
Engine issues are one thing that plagues the Kia Sportage and has been under recall till 2021 for possible fire hazards on its engines. Given the number of actual engine fires reported against this compact SUV in the last 5 years, it makes it hard for us to recommend one of these to prospective buyers. Also, the 10-year unlimited warranty that Kia offers on their cars often comes with its perks and as said by owners isn’t as seamless of a process as the one provided by its sister company, Hyundai, for the same package. The Kia Sportage does come out a value package here, but the persistent mechanical woes, especially with the powertrain, do make it a tough pill to swallow.
