10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 15
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
83,664 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2012 Kia Sportage engine problems

engine problem

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2012 Kia Sportage Owner Comments (Page 4 of 16)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #260

Dec 032020

Sportage

  • 121,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Turned my car on and heard a weird ticking sound while it was idol. I decided to take it in to my mechanic. On the way to the mechanic, the sound started happening while accelerating. Once I reached 40 mph, the car stopped accelerating and stalled. I had to use the momentum and turn left into dirt parking lot to pull over since there was no pull over lane on the right side. My passenger and back windows do not work unless driver pushes buttons next to them to roll windows down.

- Scottsdale, AZ, USA

problem #259

Nov 172020

Sportage

  • 69,123 miles
On November 12 I purchased the Kia Sportage ex 2012 and it was transferred on November 16 from pittsburgh to the dhillon auto center workshop located at penndel Pennsylvania being attended by the mechanic (the vehicle was stationary) who after performing the usual technical inspections found that the engine did not work properly and after a short period of ignition, it smoked intensely and went out almost immediately; insisting a couple of times more and continued checking other components of the ignition system after which he did not insist more and reaching the conclusion that the engine was internally damaged. Before which I felt frustrated and confused and without knowing who to turn to. Until doing the proper historical monitoring of this vehicle I find out that this car has a pending recall to be solved by Kia. Therefore I come to you to know how to proceed and make the due claim for this pending recall

- Philadelphia, PA, USA

problem #258

Jul 142020

Sportage

  • 144,157 miles
I was on the highway driving at approximately 65 mph. The car suddenly shut down and I had to pull over since the car was slowing down. I was able to take an exit and when I came to a complete stop the car would not start. It was making a noise in the engine like it wanted to start but it couldn't. I had to tow my car home.

- Grand Prairie, TX, USA

problem #257

Oct 252020

Sportage

  • 220,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

While driving vehicle and trying to pass a slow moving vehicle on a highway it stalled with no warning, I had to coast to a safe location where I could pull over. Car was towed to rally Kia in palmdale ca. Would not start again after stalling while driving with no warning lights flashing. I was told by rally that engine seized and had to be replaced. Car is still at location service advisor is larry.phone number 6613498017

- Acton, CA, USA

problem #256

Sep 132020

Sportage

  • 80,000 miles
Merging on to highway at about 45 mph, vehicle started to stall and suddenly stopped and completely shut off on the middle of the highway. Check engin light came on but there was no check engine light or any other issues wrong with the vehicle prior. It was regularly maintained and oil changed. Had it towed to Kia dealership where they confirmed that the engine had seized and said it was out of warenty and not part of recall. 1 affected product

- West Islip, NY, USA

problem #255

Sep 272020

Sportage

  • 92,361 miles
While driving approximately 65mph on the highway, all vehicle warning lights came on and our 2012 Kia Sportage LX stalled. Fortunately, the driver was able to avoid a collision while coasting to a roadside stop on a busy highway, but the vehicle could not be restarted. After leaving passengers stranded roadside on a Sunday evening, the vehicle was towed to a Kia dealership that completed a diagnostic workup and determined that the 2.4 L DOHC mpi theta II engine with 92,361 miles required replacement. Regular maintenance had been completed and the vehicle was in otherwise excellent condition. The Kia warranty was not honored as we were not original owners and the extended warranty purchased from the Kia dealership had just expired. The cost of a replacement engine was quoted to be $7,500 for the engine alone excluding labor which exceeded the value of the car prior to this incident. Per dealership recommendations, Kia's corporate customer service was contacted to request reconsideration. Although the staff was very nice and committed to refile the warranty request for reconsideration and call us within 72 business hours, we were never contacted by Kia with a final decision.

- Granger, IN, USA

problem #254

Oct 042020

Sportage

  • 83,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Driving on farm roads, started hearing faint noise in engine. Then the car lost all power (while going 70-75). Also lost breaking for a short amount of time.was able to get off road safely. Had diagnostic test done. Seized engine. Kia says there is no recall on my vehicle. There are other recalls for similar issues on the same make and year though. ?? a rod was completly shattered in the bottom end. Engine has to be replaced.

- Kountze, TX, USA

problem #253

Jul 172020

Sportage

  • 115,000 miles
I was driving to pick up my kids from school when my vehicle started to stall and suddenly stopped and completely shut off on the middle of the highway. There was no check engine light or any other issues wrong with the vehicle. I took it to Kia dealership where they confirmed that the engine had seized and could not explain to me why or how.

- Sanford, FL, USA

problem #252

Mar 012020

Sportage 4-cyl

  • 109,000 miles
The contact owns a Kia Sportage. The contact stated while driving at 55 mph, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to East vancouver automotive (705 SE park crest ave D430, vancouver, wa (360) 314-4723) where it was diagnosed there was metal shavings in the engine. The engine was replaced however the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to beaverton Kia service & parts (12520 sw canyon rd, beaverton, or 97005 503- 526-2186) where it was diagnosed there was metal in the engine again. The contact was referred to original dealer. The contact stated the failure was similar to NHTSA campaign number 17V224000 (engine and engine cooling). The failure mileage was 109,000.

- Portland, OR, USA

problem #251

Oct 032020

Sportage

  • 83,000 miles
Driving down freeway at 70 miles an hour when engine started knocking and car stopped, took to shop they said that two rods blew through the block and can't figure out why since there's still all the oil in car. Extremely scary to happen on freeway!! they are saying at 83,000 miles it's not covered since I'm the second owner- still owe money on car. Gonna cost 6,000 to fix since used engine is 4,000 and then U have labor. Can't believe Kia is allowing so many to have this problem and they refuse to help.

- Kelso, WA, USA

problem #250

Oct 012020

Sportage

  • 150,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Driving down the interstate between 60-70 mph when the engine began to sputter just prior to stalling coasted to the shoulder. Upon visual investigation noticed fresh oil on the road under the car coming from the the bottom of the engine compartment. Called for a tow truck as we were 700+ miles away from home. As the vehicle was being loaded onto the tow truck noticed metal fragments on the road by the fresh oil. Vehicle was towed to citrus Kia in Ontario, ca, . we are currently waiting for our vehicle to be brought home to Utah on a car hauler semi. The service dept at the dealership informed us of a recall on Kia engines that we believe is the reason for our problem. Very upset that we were never informed of this problem or to go have it looked at.

- Logan, UT, USA

problem #249

Aug 142020

Sportage

  • 100,757 miles
Engine totally seized up while driving. We managed to get off to the side of the road. We were told this particular engine was not under a Kia recall but the highway safety of Canada is pursuing it. They are saying thar Kia did not go far enough on their engine recalls. There are complaints filed with the highway safety of Canada

- Conover, NC, USA

problem #248

Sep 142020

Sportage

  • 108,000 miles
We purchased the vehicle from a family member. My granddaughter was coming home on the expressway, and the car started to vibrate and knock and began to shut down. She pulled off the expressway and the she was able to maneuver the car to the side of the road. When they opened the hood, smoke came out but there wasn't a fire. After having the car towed to the Kia dealership the next day, it was determined that the engine seized up. Because there is was out of warranty, the dealership has declined to fix the problem. We are being told the VIN number that is on our theta II gdi engine is not on the other engine recalls for the 2012 Kia sportagetheta II engine. It appears that Kia is trying to distance itself from fixing an obvious problem with these engines by designating only certain engines qualify. Putting an engine in a vehicle is out of the question, particularly now with this pandemic and having limited work hours. There are no savings to repair this. We now have a beautiful vehicle with no engine that is useless for us. We have contacted Kia consumer department and will again appeal to them now that the dealership has examined it. But I would hope that your Agency is able to push Kia to include any of these engines that have failed, particularly if they have been well maintained over the years.

- Punta Gorda, FL, USA

problem #247

Sep 172020

Sportage

  • 94,000 miles
While driving on the I-10 freeway in phoenix, my engine seized up. All instrument lights came on and the vehicle died while driving approx 65mph. Luckily I was able to get to the shoulder without incident. I had to wait over an hour in 106 degree heat with a highway patrol officer until the tow truck could arrive. The Kia dealership confirmed that the engine died. This exact problem was addressed with Kia in 2017 under a recall of over 600 thousand vehicles across their lineup including the Sportage of this exact manufacturing year. In 2019, Kia expanded the vehicles covered to avoid a class action lawsuit. But I was told that my VIN doesn't qualify for the recall or the Kia engine settlement. My vehicle only had 94000 miles on it and I performed all routine maintenance timely. I am the second owner of this vehicle and apparently the 10 year or 100K warranty also doesn't apply to me. I worked in automotive industry for years. Everyone knows that all of these engines are made with dozens of shared components to keep costs down during manufacturing, regardless of what your VIN is. Had it been my 15-year-old son, learning how to drive for the first time, he would not have had the experience to know how to handle the situation. He would most likely have that day or caused a massive accident on the highway. It is shameful that Kia won't help customers like me when they know these engines are all defective. Does it take multiple deaths from car accidents before Kia will act on behalf of their customers? do the right thing Kia!

- Chandler, AZ, USA

problem #246

Jul 252020

Sportage

  • 100,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving, she heard a loud noise from the front end of the vehicle. The vehicle shutoff without warning. The vehicle was restarted but was immobile. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the lower engine was blown and needed to be replaced. The contact called the columbia Ford Kia dealer located at 234 willimantic rd, columbia, ct 06237, and was informed that there was no recall on the VIN. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

- Columbia, CT, USA

problem #245

Sep 112020

Sportage

  • 45 miles
My car has a knocking sound in the engine. The oil has been changed on a regular basis. This car has been well taken care of. Also 2 of the windows will not work.

- Louisville, KY, USA

problem #244

Aug 162020

Sportage

  • 85,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving at 20 mph and when depressing the accelerate pedal, she began to hear an abnormal noise and the vehicle began to vibrate. The contact stated the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to park on the side of the road and after 5 minutes she restarted the vehicle and drove to her residence but continued to experience the failure. The vehicle was taken to local dealer (rick case Kia located at 3190 satellite blvd, duluth, ga 30096, (678) 321-1590) and was being serviced at the moment. The VIN was associated to NHTSA campaign number: 19V101000 (engine). The vehicle had not been repaired as of yet. The manufacturer had been informed of failure. The failure mileage was 85,000.

- Norcross, GA, USA

problem #243

Jan 192020

Sportage

  • 73,000 miles
Can you please make Kia corporate recall 2012 Kia Sportage mpi theta 11 engine! Kia sold my 20 year old daughter this unsafe car. She was driving at 55 mph when the engine blew. She could have been killed. And we still own thousands on the car. Making payments during covid on a car that is sitting at the dealership! absolutely no help from the dealership or Kia corporate. How is it possible that my engine has 0 recalls!

- Thorndale, PA, USA

problem #242

Aug 172020

Sportage

  • 183,000 miles
My car had been running perfectly, no engine lights or warnings, and then one day I drove to work and everything was fine, but when I left to go home that evening I heard a weird knocking noise that only got worse until I got home. I had it towed to my mechanic as soon as he had an opening, and after a lot of work he was finally able to find that the issue was spun rod bearings and that there were metal shards in my oil pan. After doing some research after finding this out I learned of the Kia recall SC147, which was for this exact issue. I then contacted Kia because my car did not show up on the warranty list on their website, and the customer service representative told me that my car was in fact not covered under this recall, even though it has the defect that they were recalling so many vehicles for.

- Knoxville, TN, USA

problem #241

Jul 242020

Sportage

  • 76,500 miles
I was driving at highway speeds going home and my engine started making a "knocking" noise. I lost power to the engine and could barely make it safely off the road. I was able to "limp" the car home with the engine still knocking, without a lot of power. I towed it to the Kia dealership here in reno, nv and they diagnoses it as a premature failure of the crank shaft. The car has less than 77 thousand miles on it. Because I am the second owner, Kia will not issue me the manufacturer warranty. There is a class action lawsuit regards to this problem with Kia and hundai motors here in the us for single port injector motors and in Canada about the multi-port injector motors. I believe that with my car having the same engine problems as the class action lawsuit, my car should be included in the lawsuit.

- Reno, NV, USA

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