Kia Sportage 2017–2022
4th generation (QL)
NHTSA data through 13 August 20261,218 complaints, 426 with mileageMethod
A DO NOT DRIVE recall covers part of this generation — check the VIN before driving it home.
- Reports with mileage
- 426
- Median of reported failures
- 40,000 mi
- Most-reported system
- Engine (37.4%)
- Recalls
- 4
Before-you-buy checklist ↓Check this VIN — NHTSA ↗
On this generation, 27% of complaints that record mileage fall within the first 12,000 miles, against 3 reports per 1,000 miles between 20,000 and 80,000.
Figure 1 · Kia Sportage 2017–2022 · 426 reports with mileage
Mileage at failure
Complaints per 10,000-mile bin, 0 to 200,000 miles, equal bins on a linear scale. Tallest bar = 90 complaints.
- First 12,000 miles — 27% of all failures
- Rest of the range
- Median
- 200,000+ — 3 complaints (0.7%), plotted separately
- 10%
- 3,000
- 25%
- 11,100
- Median
- 39,500
- 75%
- 79,000
- 90%
- 107,000
Show the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 0–10,000 | 90 | 21.1% |
| 10,000–20,000 | 63 | 14.8% |
| 20,000–30,000 | 24 | 5.6% |
| 30,000–40,000 | 38 | 8.9% |
| 40,000–50,000 | 16 | 3.8% |
| 50,000–60,000 | 28 | 6.6% |
| 60,000–70,000 | 30 | 7.0% |
| 70,000–80,000 | 33 | 7.7% |
| 80,000–90,000 | 27 | 6.3% |
| 90,000–100,000 | 22 | 5.2% |
| 100,000–110,000 | 13 | 3.1% |
| 110,000–120,000 | 14 | 3.3% |
| 120,000–130,000 | 10 | 2.3% |
| 130,000–140,000 | 3 | 0.7% |
| 140,000–150,000 | 6 | 1.4% |
| 150,000–160,000 | 3 | 0.7% |
| 160,000–170,000 | 2 | 0.5% |
| 180,000–190,000 | 1 | 0.2% |
| 200,000+ | 3 | 0.7% |
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain. Complaint counts reflect what owners reported and are not a measure of failure rate per vehicle sold.
What this can and cannot tell you: these are complaints owners chose to file, not a failure rate. Popular models accumulate more of them simply by being common. How this is built.
Owners filed 1,218 complaints with NHTSA about the 2017–2022 Kia Sportage, and 426 of them record the mileage at which the failure happened. That is enough to show not just what fails, but when.
27% of complaints that record mileage fall within the first 12,000 miles, against 3 reports per 1,000 miles between 20,000 and 80,000. Failures clustered that early usually indicate a design or manufacturing problem rather than wear.
The most-reported areas are the engine (37.4% of complaints, typically around 54,000 miles), problems owners could not categorise (12.3% of complaints, typically around 20,000 miles), the electrical system (10.9% of complaints, typically around 53,000 miles).
4 recall campaigns cover this generation. 2 of them carry a severe NHTSA advisory.
If you arrived asking “is it reliable?” — this page answers the version of that question the data can support: which problems owners reported, and at what mileage.
How many miles does a 2017–2022 Kia Sportage last?
Half of the failure reports on the 2017–2022 Kia Sportage were filed by 40,000 miles and 90% by 107,000 miles — figures drawn from 426 NHTSA complaints that record an odometer reading, so they time reported failures, not the cars whose owners never filed one.
3 reports (0.7%) came in past 200,000 miles — each one proof a Sportage reached that mileage, not that it died there.
Before you buy a 2017–2022 Sportage: the 3-minute check
Generated from 426 mileage-tagged complaints, 4 recall campaigns, 1 documented problem area. Print this page — the checklist survives print.
- Run the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. 4 campaigns cover this generation; an open recall is a free repair you can make the seller's problem.
- Check engine - bearings on 2017–2019 primarily cars. Theta II connecting rod bearing failure claims continue into the early years of this generation; the class settlement population extends to roughly MY2019 for affected Theta II applications.
- Complaint reports are not spread evenly across model years here — see the by-model-year table below before you settle on a year.
- End with a pre-purchase inspection of this car. Aggregate data describes the population; the example in front of you has its own history.
For a buyer, an early-failure pattern is comparatively good news on a used example: 27% of the reported failures occur in the first 12,000 miles, which on a car of this age means they have already happened or they were never going to. Service history matters more than mileage here.
On inspection, the engine and problems owners could not categorise are where this generation's reports concentrate, so those are the areas worth a specific look. Problems owners could not categorise in particular shows a median failure mileage of 20,000, which gives a concrete number to compare against the odometer of any car you are considering.
None of this is a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection on the individual car. Aggregate patterns describe a population; the example in front of you has its own history.
What fails, and when
Figure 2 · Kia Sportage 2017–2022
When each system fails
Bar spans the middle half of reports; the notch inside each bar is the median. Miles at failure on a proportional scale — equal distances are equal ratios, not equal miles.
- Throttle and speed control33 reports19,0009,500–60,000Throttle and speed control: 33 reports, median 19,000 miles, middle half 9,500 to 60,000 miles.
- Fuel and propulsion system50 reports20,0004,000–44,000Fuel and propulsion system: 50 reports, median 20,000 miles, middle half 4,000 to 44,000 miles.
- Problems owners could not categorise150 reports20,0007,500–50,000Problems owners could not categorise: 150 reports, median 20,000 miles, middle half 7,500 to 50,000 miles.
- Transmission and driveline72 reports36,00014,000–60,000Transmission and driveline: 72 reports, median 36,000 miles, middle half 14,000 to 60,000 miles.
- Electrical system133 reports53,0009,500–79,000Electrical system: 133 reports, median 53,000 miles, middle half 9,500 to 79,000 miles.
- Engine456 reports54,00015,000–87,000Engine: 456 reports, median 54,000 miles, middle half 15,000 to 87,000 miles.
- Body structure42 reports56,0009,000–70,000Body structure: 42 reports, median 56,000 miles, middle half 9,000 to 70,000 miles.
- Your odometer — appears after you enter it in “Where your car sits”
Ordered by median mileage, earliest first. The first 12,000 miles are shaded: that is the boundary this site uses between a manufacturing defect and ordinary wear, not a property of the world.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain.
| System | Complaints | Share | Median | 25–75% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 456 | 37.4% | 54,000 | 15,000–87,000 |
| Problems owners could not categorise | 150 | 12.3% | 20,000 | 7,500–50,000 |
| Electrical system | 133 | 10.9% | 53,000 | 9,500–79,000 |
| Transmission and driveline | 72 | 5.9% | 36,000 | 14,000–60,000 |
| Fuel and propulsion system | 50 | 4.1% | 20,000 | 4,000–44,000 |
| Body structure | 42 | 3.4% | 56,000 | 9,000–70,000 |
| Throttle and speed control | 33 | 2.7% | 19,000 | 9,500–60,000 |
| Brakes | 32 | 2.6% | 16,000 | 900–95,000 |
| Steering | 30 | 2.5% | 16,000 | 500–53,000 |
| Engine and its cooling system | 30 | 2.5% | 84,000 | 63,000–97,000 |
Where your car sits
Failure reports by the odometer reading they were filed at. Pick the anchor nearest your car — or type the exact mileage: your marker lands on this curve and on the timing chart above.
Figure 3 · Kia Sportage 2017–2022 · 426 reports with mileage
Share of reports below each mileage
Share of mileage-tagged reports filed at or below each odometer reading. Steps rise only at bin edges, by exact counted shares.
- 60,000 mi — 61% of reports below
- 90,000 mi — 82% of reports below
- 120,000 mi — 93% of reports below
- Median — the staircase crosses the 50% line here
- Your odometer — appears after you enter it below
The staircase tops out at 99%: the remaining 0.7% of reports (3) came above 200,000 miles.
Nothing is smoothed or interpolated. Linear axis, same as Figure 1.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain.
At 60,000 miles
61% of the failure reports on this generation came below this mileage. That describes reports, not your odds.
Reported earlier than this mileage — ask for repair records
- Problems owners could not categorise — median 20,000 mi
- Transmission and driveline — median 36,000 mi
- Fuel and propulsion system — median 20,000 mi
- Throttle and speed control — median 19,000 mi
In the reporting window
- Engine — middle half 15,000–87,000 mi
- Electrical system — middle half 9,500–79,000 mi
- Body structure — middle half 9,000–70,000 mi
At 90,000 miles
82% of the failure reports on this generation came below this mileage. That describes reports, not your odds.
Reported earlier than this mileage — ask for repair records
- Engine — median 54,000 mi
- Problems owners could not categorise — median 20,000 mi
- Electrical system — median 53,000 mi
- Transmission and driveline — median 36,000 mi
- Fuel and propulsion system — median 20,000 mi
- Body structure — median 56,000 mi
- Throttle and speed control — median 19,000 mi
At 120,000 miles
93% of the failure reports on this generation came below this mileage. That describes reports, not your odds.
Reported earlier than this mileage — ask for repair records
- Engine — median 54,000 mi
- Problems owners could not categorise — median 20,000 mi
- Electrical system — median 53,000 mi
- Transmission and driveline — median 36,000 mi
- Fuel and propulsion system — median 20,000 mi
- Body structure — median 56,000 mi
- Throttle and speed control — median 19,000 mi
Which systems, and when
Complaints about this generation are not spread evenly across the vehicle, and the systems that generate the most of them do not all fail at the same point in a car's life. The median failure across all systems here is 39,500 miles; the figures below show which parts of the car run ahead of that and which run behind.
The engine accounts for 37.4% of complaints (456 reports, 133 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 54,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 15,000 and 87,000 miles.
A single system taking 37.4% of all complaints is a concentration worth noting. It means that for this generation, most of what owners reported came back to one area of the car rather than being distributed across many small faults.
Problems owners could not categorise accounts for 12.3% of complaints (150 reports, 37 of them with a mileage figure), and it fails early — a median of 20,000 miles, well before the vehicle's overall median. Failures clustered this far below the rest of the car usually point to a design or manufacturing problem rather than wear, because wear does not selectively target one system on low-mileage examples. The middle half of these reports falls between 7,500 and 50,000 miles.
The electrical system accounts for 10.9% of complaints (133 reports, 49 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 53,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 9,500 and 79,000 miles.
The transmission and driveline accounts for 5.9% of complaints (72 reports, 34 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 36,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 14,000 and 60,000 miles.
The fuel and propulsion system accounts for 4.1% of complaints (50 reports, 14 of them with a mileage figure), and it fails early — a median of 20,000 miles, well before the vehicle's overall median. Failures clustered this far below the rest of the car usually point to a design or manufacturing problem rather than wear, because wear does not selectively target one system on low-mileage examples. The middle half of these reports falls between 4,000 and 44,000 miles.
Body structure accounts for 3.4% of complaints (42 reports, 14 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 56,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 9,000 and 70,000 miles.
Differences between model years
Within this generation, complaint volume is not constant across model years. The 2017 model year drew the most — 560 complaints — while 2021 drew the fewest at 60. The median year sits at 153.
That makes 2017 an outlier: roughly 3.6 times the median year of this generation. A single year standing that far apart usually reflects either a first-year issue that was later corrected, or a component change introduced for that year. Anyone shopping this generation has a straightforward reason to prefer a different year, all else being equal.
Recalls and what they cover
NHTSA records 4 recall campaigns covering vehicles in this generation. A recall means the manufacturer or the regulator concluded there was a safety defect or a standard was not met, and that a free remedy is owed to owners — including second and later owners.
2 of these carry a severe advisory — NHTSA's do not drive or park outside warnings, which the agency applies only when it considers the risk immediate. If you own one of these vehicles, that is the first thing to check by VIN.
The campaigns cluster around trailer hitches (2), the hydraulic brake circuit (1), the engine (1). Repeated recalls against the same area of the car generally mean the first remedy did not fully resolve the underlying problem.
Recall status is specific to the individual vehicle, not the model. Checking a VIN against NHTSA's lookup is free and takes under a minute, and it is the only way to know whether a particular car has had the work done.
Reported severity
What owners reported alongside the failure itself, out of 1,218 complaints against this generation:
- Crashes
- 70 (5.7%)
- Fires
- 97
- Injury reports
- 52
- Fatality reports
- 0
These flags are self-reported by complainants and unverified by NHTSA; one report can carry several flags, so the counts overlap and do not sum to a total. They are not adjusted for how many of these vehicles are on the road. No chart is drawn here on purpose: overlapping counts spanning very different magnitudes cannot be honestly encoded as lengths.
Documented problems
Engine - Bearings 2017–2019 primarily
Theta II connecting rod bearing failure claims continue into the early years of this generation; the class settlement population extends to roughly MY2019 for affected Theta II applications.
By model year
| Year | Complaints | With mileage |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 560 | 249 |
| 2018 | 224 | 74 |
| 2019 | 102 | 34 |
| 2020 | 205 | 42 |
| 2021 | 60 | 14 |
| 2022 | 67 | 13 |
Recalls (4) — is your car included?
Jul 2023 · 2017–2022 · Trailer Hitches park outsideA fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
The defect. 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. 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.
What can happen. A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
The free 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.
Apr 2021 · 2017–2021 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic park outsideAn engine compartment fire can increase the risk of injury.
The defect. Kia 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.
What can happen. An engine compartment fire can increase the risk of injury.
The free fix. Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures as a precaution until the recall repair is complete. Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace certain fuses in the electrical junction box. Vehicles equipped with an electronic parking brake (EPB) will also receive a HECU software update. Repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on April 30, 2021. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC206.
Jan 2019 · 2017–2018 · EngineA fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.
The defect. Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2011-2017 Optima, 2012-2017 Sorento and 2011-2018 Sportage vehicles that previously received an engine replacement under recall number 17V-224, warranty, or the Knock Sensor Detection System (KSDS) Product Improvement Campaign. The high pressure fuel pipe that connects to the fuel pump outlet may have been damaged, misaligned or improperly torqued during the engine replacement procedure, possibly causing a fuel leak.
What can happen. A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.
The free fix. Kia has notified owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the fuel pipe, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 17, 2019. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC172.
Jan 2017 · 2017 · Trailer HitchesIf the trailer brake lights stay illuminated while being used, other drivers may be confused, increasing the…
The defect. Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Sorento vehicles manufactured October 27, 2014, to August 25, 2016, and 2017 Sportage vehicles manufactured December 10, 2015, to August 26, 2016. The affected vehicles are equipped with an accessory trailer hitch wiring harness that, due to a malfunction of the tow hitch module, may result in the trailer brake lights being constantly illuminated. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, " Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
What can happen. If the trailer brake lights stay illuminated while being used, other drivers may be confused, increasing the risk of a crash.
The free fix. Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the trailer tow hitch harness, free of charge. The recall began January 18, 2017. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC142.
What owners reported
My 2017 Kia Sportage completely died on me. It was towed to jensen tires and i was told that the engine was totally blown. I then had it towed to h&h Kia in omaha, ne and shane clapps (service person) stated that the engine was indeed blown and needs a new engine. The vehicle was in motion and died on my in the middle…
2017 · 10 miles · Engine
The car slightly veered to the left, at first. I brought it up to the sales person during the drive. There was also a slight burning smell when i drove the car home in the evening from the dealer. I brought it back the next day to have it checked out, and the service manager said that he could not find anything. One…
2017 · 36 miles · Steering
On january 14,2021 after work around 3:30 when i got in my car it wouldn't start. We checked the oil and it had no oil. A towing truck picked up my car and took it to clay cooley Kia in irving. It's been sitting there since then and i was told i needed to pay 2,600 and that's only for what they believe is wrong with…
2017 · 73 miles · Electrical system
Fmvss 108,table i-a, daytime running lamp (drl), device activation requires that drls be "automatically deactivated when the headlamp control is in any 'on' position." On the 2017 Kia Sportage the drls remain on with the headlamp control in all "on" positions. This gives the appearance that the high beams are on all…
2017 · 225 miles · Exterior lighting
Built from 426 NHTSA complaints with mileage · snapshot 2026-08-18 · open data · reproduce this page