Skip to content
EnginePart report

2011 Kia Sportage Engine Problems

Complaints
77about this part
Share
43%of 181 total for the year
Median mileage
99,500miles
Trend
StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 77 complaints about the engine of the 2011 Kia Sportage, 43% of the 181 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 99,500 miles. 2 of these say a crash was involved and 2 a fire, according to the filers. 2 recall campaigns on record are filed under a similar system.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“One day my ex wife drove what is now my 2011 Kia Sportage home, which she said ran fine up until that point. The next day she went out to start it and from the sound it was making the bottom half of the engine was turning and the top half was not, which we have verified that slack appears to be present in the timing chain upon taking the valve cover off to inspect. …”

NHTSA complaint #11192519, filed 2019-03, 125,000 miles

“I have an oil pan leak that is referred to in the interim notice sent to me ( NHTSA recall # 19v101 )that the dealer doesnt have the recall listed in there system yet & cannot fix my vehicle at no charge.I need vehicle to be serviced before it does major damage to my engine how do I proceed to get this done per the recall?”

NHTSA complaint #11206554, filed 2019-05, 139,000 miles

“My son was driving on route 1 in delaware at around 60 miles an hour. Route 1 is a 2 lane highway. The car shut off while he was driving at the above mentioned speed. After several attempts to start the car we had to get the car towed to my mechanic. My mechanic did a diagnostic on the engine and told me the engine had locked. He said the engine wasn't getting the proper oil flow to it.”

NHTSA complaint #11099905, filed 2018-06, 117,000 miles

“Was driving in cruze crontrol stepped on the gas and vehicle died. I pushed the start button nothing but a warning sign on dash screen that would go blank before I could see what it said. I lifted the hood and check the battery cables they were on tight got back in the truck push the button nothing smelled wires burning seen smoke top of my motors on fire. I was heading north on I-5 near the dupont exit.”

NHTSA complaint #11279767, filed 2019-11, 117,785 miles

“My car is having issues related to recall sc147. I understand this recall was issued recently, but my VIN does not show the recall when I research it. I'm worried that I will be declined service simply because my VIN doesn't show up in the database. What can I do to get my vehicle serviced? Can you add my VIN to that list?”

NHTSA complaint #11001216, filed 2017-06, 148,000 miles

Related recalls

Related service bulletins

Engine: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2025713%
20241115%
20233820%
20222146%
20212343%
20207747%
20193752%
20189155%
201722255%
20166246%
20158458%
20147358%
201330179%
201232884%
20117743%
2010210%
20091013%
20081717%
2007810%
20061514%
200511%
200221%
200110%
200021%
199921%
199821%

Other parts of the 2011 Kia Sportage

Electrical system
38 complaintsBrakes
25 complaintsOther or unknown
24 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
23 complaintsExterior lighting
12 complaintsFuel system
10 complaintsVehicle speed control
10 complaintsSteering
9 complaintsEngine cooling
7 complaintsElectronic stability control
5 complaintsBody and structure
5 complaintsSuspension
5 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2011 Kia Sportage

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 29, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology