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Exterior lightingPart report

2012 Kia Sportage Exterior lighting Problems

Complaints
2about this part
Share
1%of 392 total for the year
Median mileage
6,955miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 2 complaints about the exterior lighting of the 2012 Kia Sportage, 1% of the 392 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 6,955 miles.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

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

“At approximately 5:30am, I was driving down the freeway. My Kia Sportage suddenly made a loud bang, and the engine stalled. It also shut off the headlights, and disabled the power steering, while on a curve, going 70mph. The power assisted brakes were also not working, because the engine shut down. I managed to pull the vehicle over without incident, but was almost hit by several vehicles that could no longer see me, because my lights were off. The engine would not start up again, and I had to have the vehicle towed home. …”

NHTSA complaint #10574623, filed 2014-03, 6,955 miles

Related service bulletins

Exterior lighting: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
202512%
202423%
202311%
202124%
202032%
201934%
201864%
2017154%
201632%
201532%
201310%
201221%
2011127%
201015%
200979%
200877%
20071216%
200665%
200511%
200231%
200152%
199952%
199862%
199732%
199512%

Other parts of the 2012 Kia Sportage

Engine
328 complaints
Electrical system
29 complaints
Other or unknown
23 complaints
Transmission and drivetrain
21 complaints
Brakes
11 complaints
Fuel system
7 complaints
Steering
6 complaints
Air bags
4 complaints
Body and structure
4 complaints
Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
4 complaints
Vehicle speed control
3 complaints
Electronic stability control
2 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2012 Kia Sportage

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 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