2011 Kia Sportage problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Engine (55) · Power Train (17) · Service Brakes, Hydraulic (12)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Kia Sportage model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
122 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (6)
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip:control Unit/Module 2023-09-25 · campaign 23V652000 · 1,730,192 vehicles ⚠ PARK OUTSIDE
Defect: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2010-2019 Borrego, 2014-2016 Cadenza, 2010-2013 Forte, Forte Koup, Sportage, 2015-2018 K900, 2011-2015 Optima, 2011-2013 Optima Hybrid, Soul, 2012-2017 Rio, 2011-2014 Sorento, and 2010-2011 Rondo vehicles. The Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) may experience an electrical short, which can result in an engine compartment fire while parked or driving.
Risk: An engine compartment fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will replace the HECU fuse, free of charge. Interim notification letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed November 14, 2023. Owner notification letters were mailed March 29, 2024 through June 18, 2024. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC284.
Engine 2019-02-15 · campaign 19V101000 · 32,296 vehicles
Defect: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2011-2012 Kia Sportage vehicles. The engine oil pan may leak and, if not addressed, the loss of oil may result in engine damage.
Risk: A damaged engine can increase the risk of a fire or it can cause an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Kia has notified owners, and dealers will replace the oil pressure switch with an improved one, free of charge. In addition, dealers will inspect the oil pan for any oil leaks, replacing it if necessary, free of charge. The recall began July 3, 2019. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC174.
Engine 2018-12-19 · campaign 18V907000 · 71,653 vehicles
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.
Risk: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.
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.
Engine And Engine Cooling:engine 2017-03-31 · campaign 17V224000 · 618,160 vehicles
Defect: Kia Motor Company (Kia) is recalling certain 2011-2014 Optima, 2012-2014 Sorento and 2011-2013 Sportage vehicles. Machining errors during the engine manufacturing process may cause premature bearing wear within the engine.
Risk: Bearing wear may result in the engine seizing, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the engine assembly, and replace the engine if necessary, free of charge. The recall began June 20, 2017. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC147.
Exterior Lighting:brake Lights:switch 2015-06-09 · campaign 15V360000 · 7,722 vehicles
Defect: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2011 Sportage vehicles manufactured March 7, 2011, to June 8, 2011. In the affected vehicles, the brake light switch may intermittently fail.
Risk: Whenever the brake switch is not working, the brake lights will not illuminate, reducing the ability to warn other motorists of the driver's intentions of stopping, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake light switch, free of charge. The recall began on July 7, 2015. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC121.
Exterior Lighting:brake Lights:switch 2013-04-01 · campaign 13V114000 · 980,377 vehicles
Defect: Kia Motors Corporation (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2007-2010 Rondo, model year 2007-2011 Sedona, Sorento and Sportage, model year 2010-2011 Soul, model year 2008-2011 Optima, model year 2010 Forte, model year 2007-2009 Amanti, and model year 2009 Borrego vehicles. Originally, in April 2013, Kia recalled 623,658 model year 2007-2010 Rondo and Sportage, model year 2007-2011 Sorento, model year 2007 Sedona, model year 2010-2011 Soul, and model year 2011 Optima vehicles. In September 20
Risk: Failure to illuminate the stop lamps during braking or inability to disengage the cruise control could increase the risk of a crash. Additionally, when the ignition is in the 'ON' position, the transmission shifter may be able to be moved out of PARK without first applying the brake. This may lead to unintentional movement of the car which may increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Kia will send an interim notification to owners in May 2013. When parts are available, owners will receive a second notification and dealers will replace the stop lamp switch, free of charge. Owners may contact Kia at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's recall campaign number is SC098.
Service bulletins (172)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Structure:body 2026-06-09 · CS2311_TSB_R4 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: customer satisfaction: theft deterrent ignition: cylinder protector & decal installation (cs2311) - this bulletin has been revised to include additional information. new/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. this bulletin provi
Structure:body 2026-06-08 · CS2312_TSB_R2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: customer satisfaction: theft deterrent ignition cylinder protector and decal installation (cs2312) - this bulletin has been revised to include additional information. new/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. this bulletin prov
Engine 2026-03-11 · PI2103_OWNR_501 · Other
product improvement campaign: owner renotification (pi2103 flight #501) - this document is the owner renotification advising that kia is conducting an important product improvement campaign to perform a software update on 2011-2013 my kia sportage vehicles equipped with 2.4-liter mpi engines to prot
Structure:body 2026-02-19 · TSB_CS2312_R1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: customer satisfaction: theft deterrent ignition cylinder protector and decal installation (cs2312) - this bulletin has been revised to include additional information. new/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. this bulletin prov
Structure:body 2025-12-19 · CS2311_OWNR_PC201 · Other
customer satisfaction campaign: postcard owner renotification (cs2311) - this document is the owner renotification advising that kia is conducting customer satisfaction campaign. kia has developed a new zinc-reinforced ignition cylinder protector hardware upgrade and can be installed at the ignition
Structure:body 2025-12-18 · TSB_CS2312 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: customer satisfaction: theft deterrent ignition cylinder protector and decal installation (cs2312) - this bulletin provides information to install a theft deterrent ignition cylinder protector on certain 2010-2022my kia vehicles outlined on page 19, which may not have bee
Showing the 6 most recent of 172 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-06-20 · Suspension“front headlights went out also rear brake lights now i have a problem with brake light and tailgate lamp staying on when car and lights are off. the suspension has had a issue ever since i bought it it makes awful loud noises when driving and especially hitting bumps in road. passenger front and rear windows won't roll down. had to replace battery …”
2026-06-17 · Engine And Engine Cooling · 180,000 mi“the contact owns a 2011 kia sportage. the contact stated that while driving 40 mph, the vehicle went into limp mode. while accelerating to overtake a vehicle driving under the speed limit, the vehicle started to stall. the check engine light was flashing, and the vehicle went into eco mode. the contact associated the failure with nhtsa campaign num…”
2025-08-28 · Unknown Or Other · 🔥 fire“update to nhtsa (odi #11679186) subject: update to odi complaint #11679186 – kia america written response body: dear nhtsa office of defects investigation, i am writing to provide an update to my odi complaint #11679186 regarding my 2011 kia sportage sx (vin: [xxx] ), which caught fire while i was driving on [xxx]. on august 27, 2025, kia amer…”
2025-08-07 · Unknown Or Other · 🔥 fire“on [xxx], my 2011 kia sportage sx (vin: [xxx] ) caught fire while i was driving. the vehicle rapidly filled with smoke, causing throat and eye irritation from smoke inhalation. my insurance company declared the vehicle a total loss. kia america (case #[xxx]) acknowledged the incident and confirmed that a fire inspection would be conducted. the ins…”
2025-03-12 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic“the contact owns a 2011 kia sportage. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 23v652000 (service brakes, hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the dealer was made aware of the issue and …”
2025-03-10 · Engine And Engine Cooling:exhaust System:emission Control · 243,000 mi“the contact owns a 2011 kia sportage. the contact stated that upon taking the vehicle for the state inspection, the vehicle failed the emissions test. the state inspector diagnosed a failure with the evaporative emissions control system (evap). the contact was informed that the system was leaking. the check engine warning light was illuminated. the…”
2024-12-17 · Engine · 102,063 mi“i'm [xxx] from brooks alberta canada. i purchased this car from a private seller here in brooks last [xxx] named “hein teresa lorraine” lives in [xxx], brooks ab t1r 0r7" and she did not include all the details in her car that it has a recall issue with the engine which is the knock sensor problem. after a couple of days of using it i experience en…”
2024-10-14 · Electrical System“kia issue a recall for my vehicle. visited the dealership as instructed and the replacement part was not available. after a month and a half, they still don't know when they will receive the part. driving a car with a safety recall (fire possible) is not ideal. …”
2024-09-17 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic“the contact owns a 2011 kia sportage. the contact became aware that the vin was included in nhtsa campaign numbers: 19v101000 (engine) and 23v652000 (service brakes, hydraulic); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. the local dealer, a second dealer, team kia of el cajon (619-444-7200), and a third dealer, kearny mesa …”
2024-08-20 · Air Bags · 180,000 mi · 💥 crash“the contact owned a 2011 kia sportage. the contact stated while driving at approximately 55 mph she rolled over a large puddle of water on the roadway. the contact stated that she hydroplaned and she lost control of the vehicle. the contact stated that she drove off of the roadway and down an embankment and rolled over several times before coming t…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.