2019 KIA Sportage

Typical pattern

9.8% of complaints about the 2019 KIA Sportage came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2019 vehicle — around the middle of the 191 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 5.3 yr in service. The most-reported system is engine (36 complaints), typically at 6.0 yr or about 40,000 miles.

Complaints: 102
Median age at failure: 5.3 yr
Median mileage: 32,000 n=33
Crash / fire / tow: 22.5% of reports
Safety recalls: 2 2 do not drive

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

22V703000 2022-09-19 Do not drive

Trailer hitches

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.

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

21V137000 2021-03-04 Do not drive

Service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip:control unit/module

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.

An engine compartment fire can increase the risk of injury.

In owners’ own words

Engine 5,000 mi 3 mo in service

PURCHASED CAR ON JULY 28 2019 FROM HOLLYWOOD KIA. TOOK IT TO THEIR SERVICE CENTER ON NOVEMBER 26 FOR COMPLIMENTARY OIL AND FILTER CHANGE. ON DECEMBER 5 ON THE I-75 EXPRESSWAY GOT AN ALARM SOUND AND SIGN THAT THE "ENGINE HAS OVERHEATED". MANAGED TO GET HOME, NEXT DAY WAITED ALL DAY FOR TOWING COMPANY. EITHER CAR IS DEFECTIVE OR THE SERVICE THEY DID CAUSED THIS DANGEROUS ISSUE.

Engine 18,000 mi 2.4 yr in service

WHEN DRIVING IN TRAFFIC ENGINE SHUTS OFF WITH NO WARNING. COMPLETE LOSS OF ENGINE POWER. HAVE TO COME TO A COMPLETE STOP IN LANE OF TRAFFIC AND THEN PUT VEHICLE IN PARK AND RESTART ENGINE. HAPPENED 3 TIMES IN LAST MONTH. MY KIA SPORTAGE 2019 ONLY HAS 18,000 MILES ON IT. NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS ON. EXTREMELY UNSAFE AND KIA SERVICES VERY UNHELPFUL. VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION ALL 3 TIMES THIS HAPPENED ON A CITY STREET GOING STRAIGHT IN TRAFFIC.

Engine mileage not reported 2.8 yr in service

When you put the car in gear, the car rolls backward in drive. The engine light, oil light and battery light are on the dashboard.

Other Sportage model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

2019 KIA Sportage

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

In owners’ own words

Other Sportage model years

How to read this