2012 Kia Sportage Recalls and Problems

NHTSA lists 5 safety recalls and 392 owner complaints for the 2012 Kia Sportage.

Recalled components: brakes, engine, fuel system, and engine and cooling. Most-described problem: engine failure or replacement (167 complaints, 43%). Most-reported area: engine (328 complaints, 84%; median mileage when it happened: 100,000).

Data: NHTSA recall, complaint and investigation filesUpdated Oct 2, 2026

Year to avoid

5 safety recalls for the 2012 Kia Sportage

Do-not-drive and park-outside recalls first, then newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.

Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

NHTSA investigations

NHTSA has opened 2 investigations that name the 2012 Kia Sportage, not counting audit queries; both are closed. An investigation means NHTSA is reviewing reports of a problem. It is not a finding that the vehicle has a defect.

An engineering analysis is a deeper review, usually opened after a preliminary evaluation. A recall query is a review of whether a recall covered the right vehicles or whether its fix works. NHTSA lists investigations by make, model and model year only, so one can apply to only some versions of a model, such as one engine; its summary says which.

What owners report

Owners have filed 392 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Sportage. Below, they are sorted by the problems owners describe and by the areas NHTSA files them under. NHTSA does not verify complaints.

Problems owners describe

• Engine failure or replacement167 · 43%
  Median 100,000 miles at failure, from 146 reports with mileage
• Stalling or shutting off98 · 25%
  Median 104,600 miles at failure, from 88 reports with mileage
• Check engine light62 · 16%
  Median 105,000 miles at failure, from 48 reports with mileage
• Loss of power or limp mode43 · 11%
  Median 87,500 miles at failure, from 38 reports with mileage
• Smoke or a burning smell42 · 11%
  Median 90,000 miles at failure, from 29 reports with mileage
• Engine knocking, ticking or rattling40 · 10%
  Median 97,800 miles at failure, from 36 reports with mileage
• Won't start32 · 8%
  Median 95,600 miles at failure, from 30 reports with mileage
• Shaking, shuddering or vibration17 · 4%
  Median 89,400 miles at failure, from 16 reports with mileage

Counted from the complaint text: a complaint counts once for each problem it describes (how we match them). Some complaints describe none of these. Compare other models in the problem owners report most for every model year.

Areas named in complaints

• Engine328 · 84%
  Median 100,000 miles at failure, from 275 reports with mileage
• Electrical system29 · 7%
  Median 84,000 miles at failure, from 19 reports with mileage
• Powertrain21 · 5%
  Median 83,000 miles at failure, from 17 reports with mileage
• Brakes11 · 3%
• Fuel and propulsion system6 · 2%
• Steering6 · 2%
• Air bags4 · 1%
• Unknown or other23 · 6%

A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%. Mileage is shown where at least 15 owners reported it.

Kia Sportage recalls and complaints by model year

The highlighted bars are the 2012 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2023 Sportage drew the most (244) and the 2012 drew 16.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.

2012 Sportage MPG

Questions