2013 Kia Sportage problems and complaints

Owners have filed 381 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 Kia Sportage. The most-reported areas: Engine (301), Unknown Or Other (27), Service Brakes (25).

Key takeaways

  • 381 owner complaints on file with NHTSA.
  • 5 involve a crash, 22 a fire, 6 reported injuries.
  • Complaints are unverified owner reports; recalls are confirmed defects.
Complaints by component
ComponentComplaintsShare
Engine30179%
Unknown Or Other277%
Service Brakes257%
Electrical System226%
Hydraulic195%
Power Train185%
Engine And Engine Cooling144%
Fuel/Propulsion System72%
Structure62%
Suspension62%
Air Bags41%
Vehicle Speed Control41%

One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.

NHTSA 5-Star crash ratings
VersionOverallFrontSideRollover
2013 Kia Sportage SUV FWD4/55/55/54/5
2013 Kia Sportage SUV AWD5/55/55/54/5

Latest complaints, as filed

Owner-written and unverified by NHTSA.

Engine - filed 2026-09-15

While driving all of a sudden my 2013 Sportage began shaking check Ingine light flashing. This happened out of nowhere. I pulled off to the side of the road, towed to Mechanic shop. They found that a piece of spark plug had broken off into the cylinder shaft. They said it was very unusual. I had it fixed through our lo...

Engine - filed 2026-04-26

Claim #25921274 To Whom It May Concern, I am writing to formally dispute Kia’s denial of warranty coverage for the engine failure in my 2013 Kia Sportage. Per communication with customer care, Kia denied my claim on the basis of “excessive mileage between oil changes.” However, this conclusion is not supported by su...

Structure - filed 2026-04-02

Driver side door will not open from the outside. Handle no longer operates.

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More for the 2013 Kia Sportage

Complaints are reports filed by owners with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them, and counts rise with how many cars were sold, so compare years of the same model rather than different models. Crash ratings are NHTSA's own 5-Star Safety Ratings results.