2022 Kia Sportage Recalls and Problems

NHTSA lists 1 safety recall and 47 owner complaints for the 2022 Kia Sportage.

One recall for this model year tells owners not to drive or to park outside until repaired: Trailer hitch, park outside (22V-703). Check your VIN below to see whether yours is affected. Every do-not-drive and park-outside recall on 2010 and newer models

Recalled components: trailer hitch. Most-described problem: engine failure or replacement (7 complaints, 15%). Most-reported area: engine (22 complaints, 47%).

Fewer complaints than a typical Sportage year

The 2022 drew 30 owner complaints in its first three years, against 36 for a typical Sportage year.

Years to avoid: 2017 and 2023. Based on owner complaints, not adjusted for sales.

Every Sportage year ranked

1Safety recalls

47Owner complaints

6Complaints citing a crash

2Complaints citing a fire

Check your Sportage for open recalls

Opens NHTSA's lookup in a new tab; your VIN goes to NHTSA, not to us. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard, the door jamb and your registration. Safety recall repairs are free at Kia dealers.

How to check a car for recalls, step by step

Get a vehicle history report from EpicVIN (opens in a new tab): a paid report with the car's title, odometer and salvage records, from an approved NMVTIS data provider. Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you buy. If you typed a full VIN above, the link sends it to EpicVIN and opens its checkout page for that VIN. Check the price before you pay: EpicVIN's $1 trial lasts 3 days, then becomes a monthly subscription until you cancel ($49.99 to $99.99 a month on its pages as of Oct 2, 2026). Disclosure

Data: NHTSA recall, complaint and investigation filesUpdated Nov 12, 2026

1 safety recall for the 2022 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.

Trailer hitch

Sep 19, 2022

Park outside until repaired
NHTSA 22V-703
70,887 vehicles

Debris and moisture accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (PCB) may cause an electrical short, which can result in a fire.

Risk: A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.

The fix and full notice

Fix: 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.

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.

NHTSA listing: SPORTAGE. Kia campaign SC249.

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's investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026, lists no investigations for the 2022 Kia Sportage.

What owners report

Owners have filed 47 complaints with NHTSA about the 2022 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 replacement7 · 15%
Shaking, shuddering or vibration6 · 13%
Check engine light5 · 11%
Excessive oil consumption3 · 6%
Loss of power or limp mode3 · 6%
Shattered sunroof3 · 6%

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

Engine22 · 47%
Electrical system8 · 17%
Forward collision avoidance5 · 11%

Most named: warnings (5); automatic emergency braking (3)
Trailer hitch4 · 9%
Fuel and propulsion system3 · 6%
Powertrain3 · 6%
Visibility3 · 6%

Most named: sun/moon roof assembly (3)
Unknown or other4 · 9%

A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%.

Kia Sportage recalls and complaints by model year

The highlighted bars are the 2022 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 2022 drew 30.

Owner complaints

2022: 47 complaints

Show as a table

Owner complaints by model year, Kia Sportage
Model year	Complaints
2010	20
2011	181
2012	392
2013	381
2014	125
2015	146
2016	134
2017	404
2018	166
2019	71
2020	169
2021	54
2022	47
2023	313
2024	110
2025	76
2026	44

Safety recalls

2022: 1 recall

Show as a table

Safety recalls by model year, Kia Sportage
Model year	Recalls
2010	2
2011	6
2012	5
2013	3
2014	3
2015	2
2016	2
2017	4
2018	3
2019	2
2020	2
2021	2
2022	1
2023	7
2024	3
2025	1
2026	1

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.

Tested version	Overall	Frontal	Side	Rollover
Kia Sportage SUV AWD Rollover risk 14.7%
Kia Sportage SUV FWD Rollover risk 15.5%

2022 Sportage MPG

EPA rates the 2022 Kia Sportage up to 26 mpg combined.Every version and fuel cost

Questions

What are the most common 2022 Sportage problems?

In the 47 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2022 Kia Sportage, the problems described most are engine failure or replacement (7), shaking, shuddering or vibration (6), and the check engine light coming on (5). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can describe several problems.

Is the 2022 Kia Sportage safe?

In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2022 Kia Sportage earns 5 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.

Is NHTSA investigating the 2022 Kia Sportage?

No. NHTSA's investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026, lists no investigations for the 2022 Kia Sportage.

How do I check if my Sportage has an open recall?

Enter the 17-character VIN from your dashboard, door jamb or registration at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup lists unrepaired recalls for that exact vehicle. Safety recall repairs are free at Kia dealers.

Sources and method

NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Nov 12, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Nov 11, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026. Defect petitions, which ask NHTSA to open an investigation, are listed apart and only while open. Audit queries, which check whether a company met its recall and reporting duties rather than whether a vehicle has a problem, are not listed.
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP).
NHTSA model names covered: SPORTAGE.

Complaint counts are unverified owner reports. They rise with sales volume and time on the road, so compare model years with care. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.