Complaint volume
43 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
Complaint records
2021 Kia Sportage Complaints
43 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2021 Kia Sportage, grouped by component category.
43 Total complaints
3 Crash reports
7 Fire reports
2 Injury reports
Complaint data reflects consumer-submitted reports. A complaint is not proof
of a defect, recall, or manufacturer fault. Enriched severity fields come
from official bulk records when the complaint can be matched by ODI number.
Buyer interpretation
How to use these complaints before buying
Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.
Pattern to inspect
The most common categories are engine, unknown or other, engine and engine cooling. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 3 crash reports, 7 fire reports, 2 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 10 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 43,873 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to engine, unknown or other, engine and engine cooling?
- Can I see recent maintenance and repair records?
- Has the vehicle ever been towed, involved in a crash, or repaired for the same issue twice?
- Can we also check the recall record for this 2021 Kia Sportage?
Used-car checklist
Use these complaints before the test drive.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
2021 Kia Sportage
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2021 Kia Sportage complaints?
3 Crash
7 Fire
2 Injury
0 Fatality
5 Towed
2 Medical attention
What are the most common 2021 Kia Sportage complaint categories?
ENGINE 14
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 10
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 2
TRAILER HITCHES 2
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 2
AIR BAGS 1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,ENGINE 1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1
43 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2023 | POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The contact owns a 2021 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost all electrical and motive power. As a result, the vehicle collided with a shopping cart, causing it to collide with another vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 35,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2023 | TRAILER HITCHES | The contact owns a 2021 Kia Sportage. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V703000 (Trailer Hitches) 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 manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. The VIN was not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2023 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | The panoramic sunroof spontaneously exploded on the highway. There were no other vehicles nearby that could have thrown any debris at my vehicle. The edges of the glass are pushed out as if the force came from inside the vehicle. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2023 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2021 Kia Sportage. The contact stated while exiting a parking lot, the vehicle lost motive power motive and stalled with an unknown warning light illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the dealer stated that no failure was found. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to file a complaint. The failure mileage was 10,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 10,000 |
| Jan 2023 | VISIBILITY | While sitting in my driveway I heard a loud sound popping within the car but did not investigate immediately. I drove down the road and noticed that the car seemed to be noisy and there was a rattling sound within the headliner. I stopped to investigate and realized that the sunroof had exploded outward. Dealer denied responsibility. Car has been out of use for more than 3 weeks. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | Remote start my car walked out to a puddle of oil. All the oil ran out. Had 400 mile left before oil change was due. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2022 | EQUIPMENT | The contact owns a 2021 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front passenger’s side tire was punctured. The contact stated that while using the factory OEM jack to raise the vehicle to change the tire, the jack fractured causing the vehicle to collapse. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was awaiting the replacement jack. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact left a voicemail but had not received a response. The failure mileage was 17,614. | Crash: No Fire: No | 17,614 |
| Aug 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | My Kia can be easily broken into and stolen. In January of this year I was in Denver for military assignment and I locked my car at night however a their was able to break into my car by popping off the driver side lock and then basically hot wiring the car. Eventually I got my car back after it was repaired but then again someone broke back Into my car using the same method. However, I had a steering lock so they could not drive away. The security and safety features on my care are worthless and do not provide the security a modern car should. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The car was stolen and no safety/security features were deployed. In doing research, Kias are being stolen on a daily basis in my city and this was not communicated to me by the dealer when I bought the vehicle 6 months ago. These cars should not be allowed to be sold without steering wheel locks and/or signed acknowledgment by the buyer. They clearly do not have the necessary equipment or features to prevent them from easily being stolen. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2022 | ENGINE | The contact owned a 2021 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that upon pulling into a parking space on the third floor of a parking garage at her workplace, she smelled a strong burning odor. The contact also noticed smoke coming from underneath the driver's side of the hood. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact turned off the vehicle and quickly exited it. The contact stated that the vehicle caught fire. The contact began to extinguish the fire with the assistance of sheriffs who used fire extinguishers until the fire department arrived and took over. There were no injuries sustained. A fire department report was filed. A police report was filed. The vehicle remained at the scene and was totaled. The dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The contact was awaiting a call back from the manufacturer. The failure mileage was approximately 19,920. | Crash: No Fire: Yes | 19,920 |
| Jan 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | ON 1/17/2022 I TOOK MY CAR TO SERVICE DEPARTMENT FOR OIL CHANGE AND ON 1/18/2022 MY VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE AND BURNT UP | Crash: No Fire: Yes | Unknown |
| Nov 2021 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | On 01/04/2021 my son [XXX] purchased New 2021 Kia Sportage LX. On 10/15/2021 this car was stolen In West Allis Wisconsin parked in front of his work place. On 10/21/2021 police found the car abended on the north side of Milwaukee with substantial damage totaling $9,705.66. This car has been towed to [XXX] for repairs. Because of shortage of part and lots of damage it might take up to 4 months or longer to fix it. Starting on 11/15/2021 [XXX] will have to pay $50.00 a day or more for rental car to be able to get to work. Kia should be held responsible for designing a car with a key starting ignition that the tiffs can start the car jamming a screwdriver in the ignition. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). | Crash: Yes Fire: No Towed | Unknown |
| Jul 2021 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 2021 KIA SPORTAGE WITH 4300 MILES CAUGHT ON FIRE PUTTING ME AND 10 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER IN DANGER . BOught car brand new only had one oil change at kia dealership,no warning lights. CAR WAS TOTAL LOSSINPECTED BY INSURANCE COMPANY,FIRE DEPARTMENT HAVE NOT HEARD FROM ANYONE ELSE | Crash: No Fire: Yes | Unknown |
| Jul 2021 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | The contact's wife owns a 2021 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while he was driving in another vehicle following his wife's vehicle, the contact noticed that his wife's rear turn signals were not visible since the rear turn signal headlights were mounted on the bumper and was too low to be visible for larger vehicles such as a SUV following from behind. The dealer was made aware of the issue but informed the contact that they could not modify the rear turn signal assembly since it would void the warranty. The contact attempted to notify the manufacturer of the issue but could not connect with a live representative. The contact had not experienced a failure. The contact was concerned about the design of the rear taillight assembly. There was no failure. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2021 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The right rear passenger door does not unlock when putting the car in park intermittently! This occurs from the inside and outside. I realize I can disengage using my unlock feature but this should not happen. We have checked the child safety lock and it is not engaged! I can also tell you that my daughter-in-law has a 2019 Sorrento and my sister-in-law has a 2016 Sportage and both vehicles experience the identical issue! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2021 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I HAVE OWNED 3 KIAS AND ALL 3 HAVE HAD RECALLS. KIA HAS NEVER CONTACTED ME AND DEALERSHIP HAS TOLD ME IT'S NOT INVOLVED IF YOU DIDN'T RECEIVE INFO. AS THINGS STARTED TO GO WRONG LIKE ABS SENSOR LITE GOING ON AND OFF DEALER SAID NOTHING THEY COULD DO UNLESS THEY COULD GET A CODE WHILE IT WAS ON SO I HAD TO DRIVE THE CAR WITH THE ISSUE UNTIL IT STAYED ON CONSITENTLY SO THEY COULD FIGURE IT OUT. THIS HAPPENED ON 2 VEHICLES IN A ROW. MY HUSBAND TRADED HIS IN FOR A TRUCK AND GOT AWAY FROM KIA. I TRADED IN AND ENDED UP WITH A 2021 WITH LESS THAN 6000 MILES AT THIS POINT. I HAVE CONTACTED KIA HEADQUARTERS STILL HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE RECALL IS FOR. ALL I HAVE HEARD IS ON THE NEWS ADVISING NOT TO PARK CAR INSIDE OR NEAR HOUSE DUE TO CHANCE OF CAR CATCHING FIRE. AT THIS POINT I HAVE NOT USED THE CAR IN ABOUT 2 WEEKS I'M AFRAID TO, BUT I HAVE A LOVELY LAWN ORNAMENT THAT COST ME OVER 500 A MONTH. I WOULD LIKE KIA TO BUY BACK THE CAR SO I CAN GET SOMETHING I HAVE TRUST IN LIKE A CHEVY. NEVER HAD A RECALL ON THAT IN FOURTY YEARS. WILL NEVER BUY ANYTHING BUT AMERICA MADE AGAIN. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2021 | LANE DEPARTURE | TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2021 KIA SPORTAGE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 55 MPH, THE LANE KEEPING ASSIST VEERED THE VEHICLE OFF THE ROAD AND CRASHED INTO THE GUARD RAIL. THE LANE ASSIST WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. ADDITIONALLY, WHILE DRIVING AT UNKNOWN SPEEDS THE CHECK SYSTEM IMMEDIATELY MESSAGE WAS DISPLAYED. THERE WERE NO REPORTED INJURIES. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO LOU FUSZ KIA (1025 N LINDBERGH BLVD, ST. LOUIS, MO 63132:;(314) 931-4482) BUT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY WAS 700. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Towed | 700 |
| Dec 2020 | AIR BAGS | TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2021 KIA SPORTAGE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS CRASHED HEAD ON INTO A UNKNOWN VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THERE WERE NO REPORTS OF FIRE. THE DRIVER AND OCCUPANT SUSTAINED INJURIES TO THE HEAD AND NECK AND MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS PROVIDED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT LO FOR BODY WORK REPAIRS. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO WERNER KIA 2755 W TENNESSEE ST, TALLAHASSEE, FL 32304 (850) 632-4044 WHERE DIAGNOSED THE TRANSMISSION, COOLER, AND RADIATOR NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED HOWEVER NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE WAS PROVIDED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 9,500. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 2 Towed Medical attention | 9,500 |