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Electrical systemPart report

2013 Kia Sportage Electrical system Problems

Complaints
22about this part
Share
6%of 381 total for the year
Median mileage
87,000miles
Trend
RisingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% higher than in the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 22 complaints about the electrical system of the 2013 Kia Sportage, 6% of the 381 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 87,000 miles. 5 a fire, according to the filers.

Example complaints

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

“I was out driving my car one day and the window switch started acting up,the radio shut off, the AC compressor and the radiator fan stopped working at the same time while driving in motion.”

NHTSA complaint #11404819, filed 2021-03, 100,000 miles

“I have had this vehicle less than 1 year. I have already bought 3 batteries due to something continuously draining battery power causing vehicle not to start. Upon taking to dealership for testing, I am told battery/alternator operates fine and they will charge about 85/hour to test fuses to see what else could be the problem. Approximately 3/23/3018, my radio shorted out. It is not functioning at all, cannot use radio at all nor bluetooth connectivity control. …”

NHTSA complaint #11099365, filed 2018-06, 169,000 miles

“I was on the interstate driving around 70 miles per hour my car died as in stopped in front of a semi! My car has been serviced regularly and had no problems -nothing-no noise it just died. We are lucky I was not killed. Car was towed to cookeville Kia they said it was internal engine failure possible rod bearing. He told us it would cost around $7000 to fix. I still owe 4000 on my piece of crap of a car that only had 130,000miles on it. I have had a few nightmares from the ordeal and in general, I'm kinda scared to drive even a few days later. …”

NHTSA complaint #11252699, filed 2019-09, 130,000 miles

“While driving at 65mph my Kia Sportage went dead. I pulled over onto the side of the road. I tried to start it again but it would not start. After that, smoke started coming out from under the hood. The Kia was towed to the Kia dealership and checked by mechanics, who said that the rod bearing went bad and it seized the engine. The starter was also fried in the process. Kia agreed to replace the parts but would not agree to pay the approximately $2500 labor cost. The vehicle still sits at the dealership awaiting repair. It's been over 2 months now. …”

NHTSA complaint #11152115, filed 2018-11, 87,000 miles

“After having an upgrade to the system our car now goes into limp mode. They have changed several parts and $4,000.00 later they still can not fix the problem. They just keep charging us for different parts and our car still goes into limp mode even though they have said they have fixed it. One day the car will run fine and the next we will be driving and cannot go over 40 miles per hour no matter how hard you are hitting the gas. Several hours later the check engine light will come on but according to Kia it has nothing to do with limp mode and all of these parts have already been replaced.”

NHTSA complaint #11186139, filed 2019-03, 100,000 miles

Related service bulletins

Electrical system: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2026621%
20251527%
20241621%
20234624%
2022817%
2021611%
20202012%
20191115%
20183018%
20176316%
20161713%
20151812%
201486%
2013226%
2012297%
20113821%
201015%
20091823%
20082728%
20071317%
20062220%
2005812%
2002167%
20012310%
20003211%
19994114%
19984716%
19972112%
1996712%
1995814%

Other parts of the 2013 Kia Sportage

Engine
301 complaintsOther or unknown
27 complaintsBrakes
25 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
18 complaintsEngine cooling
14 complaintsFuel system
9 complaintsBody and structure
6 complaintsSuspension
6 complaintsAir bags
4 complaintsVehicle speed control
4 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
3 complaintsSteering
2 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2013 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