2012 Kia Sportage Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2012 Sportage report engine problems far more than anything else: a ticking or knocking noise, a sudden loss of power, and engines that seize and will not restart, with the failures concentrated around 70,000 to 130,000 miles. Many say a dealer or independent shop diagnosed bearing or lower-engine damage and quoted an engine replacement, and several say they were told their VIN was not covered by an engine recall. A smaller group describes the engine using or losing oil between changes before the damage occurred.

1. 1
   Engine

   Engine stalls or seizes while driving, no restart

   • 206 complaints (53%)
   • median 99,992 mi at 7.7 yrs old (179 state mileage)
   • 9 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $6,400 (median of 31 quotes)
   • filed 2012–2026

   Complaints describe the engine cutting out at speed, often without any warning light beforehand, after which the vehicle coasts to a stop and will not restart. Owners say the car then has to be towed and that dealers or independent shops report the engine has seized or that a bearing failed, usually with an engine replacement as the only repair offered. Several report being told their VIN was not included in an engine recall and that the work would not be covered. Most often between about 70,000 and 130,000 miles; many happened at highway speed.

   Recall 17V2240001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Ask for the full service history and whether the engine has already been replaced, and confirm which engine-related recalls have been completed for the VIN. On a test drive, listen for any knock at start-up and at steady highway speed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was driving to pick up my kids from school when my vehicle started to stall and suddenly stopped and completely shut off on the middle of the highway. There was no check engine light or any other issues wrong with the vehicle. I took it to Kia dealership where they confirmed that the engine had seized and could not explain to me why or how.”

   NHTSA complaint #11364429, filed 2020-10, 115,000 miles

   “Engine totally seized up while driving. We managed to get off to the side of the road. We were told this particular engine was not under a Kia recall but the highway safety of canada is pursuing it . They are saying thar Kia did not go far enough on their engine recalls. There are complaints filed with the highway safety of canada”

   NHTSA complaint #11362426, filed 2020-10, 100,757 miles
2. 2
   Engine

   Engine knock or tick, then loss of power (bearing failure)

   • 111 complaints (28%)
   • median 103,000 mi at 7.7 yrs old (94 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $6,800 (median of 15 quotes)
   • filed 2015–2026

   Owners describe a ticking, tapping or knocking sound from the engine that shows up first at start-up or under light acceleration, sometimes with vibration, a rattling noise or a check engine light. Within days, or sometimes on the same drive, power drops and the vehicle goes into limp mode or stops. Complaints say shops diagnosed worn rod bearings, crankshaft damage or metal debris in the oil, with a replacement engine as the usual fix. Generally reported between about 70,000 and 125,000 miles in this sample, with a few at much lower mileage.

   Recall 17V2240003 related service bulletins

   What to check: Have a mechanic listen to a cold start and note any tick or knock, and ask whether the knock-sensor detection software campaign and any engine replacement campaign have been applied. Oil change records are worth asking for as well.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Very well maintained vehicle. All the sudden engine started knocking loudly and it didn't want to go very fast when I pressed gas. I was able to get it off the road. Vehicle had 144k miles. Repairman said the engine needed to be rebuilt or replaced. Quoted 5k which is more than the vehicle it worth. I see this is a common problem with this model vehicle. My VIN number is not included in the recall.”

   NHTSA complaint #11341679, filed 2020-07, 144,000 miles

   “I was driving at highway speeds going home and my engine started making a knocking noise. I lost power to the engine and could barely make it safely off the road. I was able to limp the car home with the engine still knocking,without a lot of power. I towed it to the Kia dealership here in reno, nv and they diagnoses it as a premature failure of the crank shaft. The car has less than 77 thousand miles on it. Because I am the second owner, Kia will not issue me the manufacturer warranty. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11348877, filed 2020-08, 76,500 miles
3. 3
   Engine

   Oil use and low oil level before engine damage

   • 26 complaints (7%)
   • median 100,501 mi at 7.8 yrs old (22 state mileage)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2016–2026

   A smaller set of complaints describes the engine going through oil between changes, with the oil-level or oil-pressure warning coming on and owners adding oil to keep driving. Some say a shop concluded the engine was burning oil without finding an external leak; others mention oil escaping from the pan area. After a later breakdown, owners report being told the damage was related to low oil or to maintenance. Mostly reported around 80,000 to 100,000 miles, on vehicles several years old.

   Recall 19V1010002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Check the dipstick level and look under the front of the engine for oil seepage, and ask the seller how much oil is added between changes. A service bulletin covers excessive oil consumption testing, so a dealer can document the rate if it is a concern.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “So he star to used all the oil without reason the dealer check the motor ad say the motor burn the oil but he cannot find the problem so 2 day after I was running 80 km when the car turn on engine light im parking and turn off the car towing the car dealer say engine broke down because was no breathe, el mecanico dijo que el flujo de motor de aceite a los cojinetes e las bielas se desgatastaron y por ende fallo el motor.”

   NHTSA complaint #11299415, filed 2020-01, 101,003 miles

   “My car has been recalled in relation to an oil leak which can cause stalling, engine to seize or car fire. Have inquired to the dealer several times. Global auto mall in north plainfield to no avail.”

   NHTSA complaint #11386067, filed 2021-01, 105 miles

Buying note. The sampled complaints for this model year centre on engine noise, power loss and seized engines, so a pre-purchase inspection that includes listening for knocks and checking the oil is worthwhile. Ask which engine-related recalls and software campaigns have been completed for the VIN and whether the engine has been replaced, since that history matters more here than on most used cars.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.