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 6 of 16)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #220

Mar 102020

Sportage

  • 133,600 miles

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

This information is from mechanic: Engine began to smoke, vehicle drove into parking lot, put in park, opened hood, grey/green smoke noticed, engine would not restart. Mechanic stated that the engine seized up - would not restart - had to be towed to mechanic.

- Middlesboro, KY, USA

problem #219

Mar 042020

Sportage

  • 112,000 miles
I was driving on the highway and got over to pass in the left lane and as soon as I gave it gas, my car died and I had to coast back over onto the shoulder.

- Port Orchard, WA, USA

problem #218

Feb 272020

Sportage 4-cyl

  • 129,806 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sportage. Contact stated that while driving at 65 mph, without warning the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact with help from a bystander pushed the vehicle off of the roadway. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact stated that the vehicle started the next day and operated as designed. The vehicle was taken to demontrond Kia located at (14101 North freeway, houston, tx 77090, (281) 872-3859) where it was diagnosed and determined that the keyfob need to reprogrammed. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was towed back to the dealer for a 2nd diagnosis which determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign number 19V101000 (engine) as a possible solution to the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact to take the vehicle back to the dealer. No further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 129,806.

- Spring, TX, USA

problem #217

Mar 032020

Sportage

  • 107,000 miles

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

Our 2012 Kia Sportage ex 2.4L theta II mpi engine with 107K miles started knocking and jolting while driving. After being able to get home without any incidents. Kia tells us it has rod bearing issues. Kia then explains that even though the car was well maintained and rod bearing failures are a huge problem with these engines they won't cover it because it is not the gdi. Kia corporate needs to see that not just there gdi engines are trash but so are the mpi. Stand behind your product Kia and expand your recall to all 2.4L theta II engines

- Port Orchard, WA, USA

problem #216

Mar 022020

Sportage

  • 113,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 mph, a loud knocking noise was coming from the engine. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to accelerate and loss motive power with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer tempe Kia (8005 S. autoplex loop. Tempe AZ) who diagnosed that the engine bearing rod failed and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 113,000.

- Somis, CA, USA

problem #215

Feb 252020

Sportage

  • 72,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sportage. The contact stated while driving at 35 mph, the vehicle shuddered and made an abnormal sound without a warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over, opened the hood and noticed the engine was covered with engine oil. The vehicle was towed to sterling Kia located at (125 southcity pkwy, lafayette, la 70503) to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the engine was defective. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign number: 19V101000 (engine) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was informed of the failure but offered no assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 72,000. The VIN was not available.

- Lafayette, LA, USA

problem #214

Feb 152020

Sportage

  • 86,076 miles

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

On 02/15/2020, I noticed a knocking on right side of engine, I made a a appointment with folsom lake Kia on 02/16/2020 for 02/18/2020. Explained to service department my concerns about engine knock on right side of engine, one tech said sounds like rod bearings, where I thought sounded like idler pulley just behind alternator. So after dropping off tech said we will check next day when engine was cold, I received a call on the 19th saying it was the tensioner pulley, which was under warranty, so I said replace it. They had to order parts and that they had a loaner car for me, so back to dealership I go (21 miles each way), I got another call on the 21st wanting me to come back and listen to engine with the belt off, don't know want that has to with it. They said we still have to order parts, will call you when ready. On the 26th of February they called an said it's done come pick up. I had to send my wife due to I work nights, she called me when she got home and said she believes engine is still making knocking noise. Dealership replaced tensioner pulley ildler pulley and new belt. Idler pulley and belt not under warranty had to pay $129 fpr an $80 pulley and $40 belt. I'm still upset that when I took car in the first place tech said all was covered under warranty.10/100mile. Also while the many days I was in contact with service department they said they were sending data collected from diagnostic tests to Kia multiple times. So I have made another appointment with a different dealership closer to home for March 2nd(I went to folsom lake because that's where I purchased new in 2012} I believe the engine is coming apart internally and do not want my wife to drive it. When car is first started, put into drive engine makes knocking noise stationary and in motion, at first noise would go away when it got to operating temperature noise would quiet down some. Getting worse

- Elk Grove, CA, USA

problem #213

Feb 262020

Sportage

  • 105,000 miles
Motor seizure valve and cam shaft affected

- Wellsville, NY, USA

problem #212

Feb 232020

Sportage

  • 45,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at driving 55 mph, when she noticed the oil light come on and saw smoke. When she pulled over and checked the hood she saw smoke and flames coming from underneath the hood. The contact quickly got her granddaughter out and quickly ran away from the vehicle. The vehicle exploded into flames. The vehicle made popping noises as it was on fire. The police and fire company came and put out the flames. A police report was filed and there were no injuries and the vehicle was towed by the city to an unknown location. The insurance company has yet to officially total the vehicle since the incident happened yesterday on a Sunday. The contact had learned of numerous reports from the internet of Kia vehicles catching on fire. The dealer West herr Kia (3565 southwestern blvd, orchard park, NY 14127 (716) 239-4859) offered to get her into a new vehicle. The manufacturer had not been contacted yet. The vehicle was purchased used on 07/2019. The failure mileage was 45,000.

- Clarence, NY, USA

problem #211

Feb 062020

Sportage

  • 0 miles
The contact called on behalf his daughter who owns a 2012 Kia Sportage. The contact stated while his daughter was driving 35 mph, the vehicle started making an abnormal noise. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and was notified the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was informed of failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Terril, IA, USA

problem #210

Feb 132020

Sportage

  • 129,000 miles

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

While driving down the road my car stalled and all dash lights came on. I was able to get to side of road. I thought it was a loose battery cable. Checked everything and tried to start and it turned right over. Then while driving I started to hear a knock then a boom and thud and the car shutoff. I was able to coast to the side of the road and wait for a tow. But now I have a 4 inch hole in the side of my engine and Kia is saying my vehicles VIN is not on the recall list.

- Baroda, MI, USA

problem #209

Jan 122020

Sportage

  • 15 miles
Knocking noise coming from engine, have taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic as well as Kia dealership service department both diagnosed the problem as needed a new engine ($5000-7,000). This vehicle 73,000 miles, oil changed at every 5000 miles. There is no explanation or reasonable cause of engine failure except for manufacturing. Only had the 1 1/2 years. Dealership told us only option is to buy a new car from.

- Thorndale, PA, USA

problem #208

Jan 012020

Sportage

  • 90,000 miles
Hi I came home on lunch one afternoon the car drove perfectly fine no issues what's so ever. About an hour passed and it was time to go back to work so I put the key in the ignition and they car never started again. It sounded to me like it wasn't getting any fuel so I thought I'll change the fuel pump..that's when I learned that there was a fuel pump from a polaris artticat snowmobile that was used by the manufacturer which ok I thought was funny at the time but finding a replacement part was a nightmare..I finally found a replacement part which I just had to get a whole new fuel pump and assembly but when it didn't start after that I didn't know what to do. I took it to vip and had them take a look they called me back the next day and said they had no clue what was wrong with it and that I needed to come grab it and bring it to the dealer where I bought it from. That's when I learned the engine somehow stopped getting compression and that blew up merchants said I needed a new engine that's $7,000 and when I went to find one that's when I found out it's discontinued gee wonder why so then I go to Kia and tell them now I found out there's all these recalls out on Kia Sportages but my VIN# doesn't match now how does that work so now I'm out a car and $7,000 and still paying on a car I don't have any more. So how am I to fix a discontinued motor and a polaris artic cat snowmobile fuel pump. By the way I've had the car less than 2 years and only put 30,000 miles on it ridiculous.

- Manchester, NH, USA

problem #207

Feb 062020

Sportage

  • 81,000 miles
Blinking engine light while driving

- Heath, OH, USA

problem #206

Dec 092019

Sportage

  • 108,000 miles
My wife and I were on our way to park city, ut for a family get together and after we dropped off our stuff at the hotel we headed to heber city, ut. On our way, the car started making a ticking sound when the gas pedal was pushed. And then the car died, without any warning. The next day we went and had the car towed to a Kia dealership and they determined that the engine had seized up and that I needed a new engine. I have had this car for 8 months, and it only has 108,000 miles on it. Kia refuses to take ownership of their defective product!

- Tooele, UT, USA

problem #205

Nov 132019

Sportage 4-cyl

  • 68,000 miles
On Sunday (11/3) I was driving my 2012 Kia Sportage (a car we purchased used from Kia of East hartford, ct and currently only has 68,000 miles on it) on a very busy interstate when the engine began to power down. I was barely able to make it to the shoulder of the road before the car seized up, a loud bang sounded from under the car, it began to smoke from underneath the car and oil covered the ground. The car was then towed to our local auto body shop where it was determined that the engine block suffered a quarter-sized hole from something being dispelled at a high rate of speed from the engine. When this was determined, we did some research and found there as a recall and we were never notified (see below). VIN #[xxx]. we were told by the Kia dealership that whatever caused our car to just stop working on the interstate"was not covered under the recall. It seems very suspect that given what exactly happened, this is not part of the recall. After much debate and over a month later still without a vehicle, Kia has told us they will supply the parts but that we were still be responsible for the $3,000+ of labor. I"M sorry, but Kia should stand behind their cars & engines. Again, we only have 68,000 miles on our car. We don't agree with the directive of having to pay the labor fees. We would like someone to review this complaint and provide some direction for us. I have tried on multiple occasions to talk to someone beyond the mechanic & first line rep, but have not received a response from anyone at Kia. This is the case # [xxx]for Kia. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions. [xxx]. thank you. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Manchester, CT, USA

problem #204

Jan 192019

Sportage

  • 101,003 miles
So he star to used all the oil without reason the dealer check the motor ad say the motor burn the oil but he cannot find the problem so 2 day after I was running 80 km when the car turn on engine light im parking and turn off the car towing the car dealer say engine broke down because was no breathe, el mecanico dijo que el flujo de motor de aceite a los cojinetes E las bielas SE desgatastaron Y por ende fallo el motor.

- Hamilton, NJ, USA

problem #203

Jan 012020

Sportage

  • 100,600 miles
1/1/2020 I was driving down the highway in the middle of nowhere Kansas, hours from home. I had to stop for about 5 minutes because of a stretch of highway that was down to 1 lane for construction and had a temporary stoplight (instead of a Pilot car). When it was finally my turn to go, my car started making a loud knocking sound, violently shaking, and wouldn't accelerate. Then all the warning lights and check engine lights turned on. I pulled over and called roadside assistance which towed me to the nearest mechanic. The mechanic said the engine was shot, the rods and stuff oroken, knocking a hole in the engine. I finally get it towed back home 1/3/2020 (hours away) and dropped off at the dealership. I finally hear back from the dealership 1/13/2020 and they confirm I need a new engine, but claim the current recall nor the manufacturer's warranty will cover the repairs (approximately 100,600 miles, only 600 miles over warranty). What I've read in my research of 3 recalls and about the class action lawsuit is exactly what has happened to my car's engine (except no fires thank goodness). I'm left with no car and no idea what to do.

- Wichita, KS, USA

problem #202

Aug 092019

Sportage

  • 100,000 miles
August 2019, I took my vehicle into my dealership after having driven the car for only four months for them to tell me that the radiator overheated and the engine blew and that I would have to pay $4000+ to get it fixed. I purchased my vehicle late March - early April 2019 and was not notified of any sort of recall concerning this issue. When I took my vehicle in early August the recall was still not brought to my attention and they were going to charge me for maintenance for an issue that was clearly common for my particular vehicle.

- Milwaukee, WI, USA

problem #201

Aug 122019

Sportage

  • 109,880 miles
While accelerating through a traffic controlled intersection the engine suddenly quit working. I was barely able to coast to a safe location. However, due to the heat of the day I almost had a problem with heatstroke while waiting on a tow truck. (fortunately I was able to find someplace to cool off while waiting). I am glad it happened there instead of on the highway at 70 mph while between towns.

- Antlers, OK, USA

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