2016 Kia Sportage Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often describe engine problems: knocking or rattling noises, sudden loss of power and stalling, and oil levels that drop between changes, often without a warning light. A second, distinct cluster of complaints concerns the antilock brake hydraulic control unit recall, where owners report long waits for parts rather than a failure they experienced themselves.

1. 1
   Engine

   Engine knocking, stalling and loss of power

   • 44 complaints (33%)
   • median 90,500 mi at 5.5 yrs old (18 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $500 (median of 6 quotes)
   • filed 2017–2026

   Complaints describe a knocking or rattling noise from the engine compartment followed by loss of motive power, stalling at speed, or a no-start condition. Several owners say the dealer diagnosed engine failure or a spun rod bearing and recommended engine replacement, while others report the dealer could not reproduce the problem. Some complaints mention oil being low at the time of failure and no warning light before the stall. Mostly reported between roughly 35,000 and 125,000 miles, often while driving at highway speed.

   Recall 18V9070006 related service bulletins

   What to check: Listen for a knock or rattle at cold start and during a test drive, and check the oil level and condition before and after the drive. Ask whether engine replacement or the knock sensor detection software was ever performed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “One night I was driving my car and my car all the sudden just quit going so I took it to the Kia dealership and they told me when they put it on the computer that it needed a motor mind you this car only has 60,000 miles on it so I said okay they were going to replace the motor but then they said that I never did an oil change with them which was a lie but I didn't have my receipts so they wouldn't replace my motor plus there's two other recalls on this besides the motor the fuel line and the airbags”

   NHTSA complaint #11342820, filed 2020-08, 60,000 miles

   “I was driving 60mph on highway 225 when the oil light flashed on then off and then I had no control of the car. The whole car shut down and I was able to coast to an exit and into a business (donut time) in pasadena, tx. The brakes were not working. I thought I was going to crash into the business. I stopped short of being in an actual parking spot. I was fortunate there were no other cars around this time. A lady who worked there came out and asked what was going because she could see I did not stop or have control. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11122233, filed 2018-08, 50,441 miles
2. 2
   Brakes

   ABS/HECU recall with parts unavailable

   • 44 complaints (33%)
   • median 82,000 mi at 6.5 yrs old (5 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2022–2026

   Many complaints are about recall 22V051000 for the hydraulic electronic control unit rather than a symptom the owner felt. Owners say they were notified but told the remedy part was not available, that appointments were cancelled after long drives, and some mention a burning odor from the engine compartment while waiting. Others describe the vehicle taking longer to stop or rear brake work being needed. Reported largely in 2022 through 2024, at mileages ranging from about 23,000 to 154,000.

   Recall 22V051000

   What to check: Ask whether recall 22V051000 has actually been completed on this vehicle, with the repair order to confirm it, and check for any burning smell or brake fluid loss.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “This Recall has been ongoing since February 2022. In my travels I see hundreds of new KIA Sportages on the road but they can't come up with a single fuse to keep me from burning alive in my car? I am 70 years, working part time and need my job. I won't take the risk of transporting clients in my Sportage because of the potential danger and my employer is becoming impatient with this situation. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11479949, filed 2022-08

   “can not get recall 22v051 resolved, received a letter from Kia corp. headquarters,Irvine,ca stating parts were available for the recall. I made an appointment with Roseville Kia, ca. for oct. 17. We drove for an hour to the dealership, only to be told they did not have the parts on hand, we were told to make another appointment. we said we would that when they had the psrts on hand. We have not heard anything so I called the service dept. this morning. the first thing I was told was they are an independent dealership? …”

   NHTSA complaint #11491341, filed 2022-10
3. 3
   Engine

   Excessive oil consumption and oil leaks

   • 16 complaints (12%)
   • median 80,239 mi at 5.3 yrs old (9 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2019–2026

   Owners report oil levels dropping noticeably between changes, sometimes with oil visible on the ground or a low-oil warning light. Several say the dealer ran an oil consumption test by refilling and asking them to drive a set distance, and some describe being told to simply add oil. A few complaints link the low oil to later engine noise or failure. Reported from about 29,000 to 120,000 miles, often noticed within weeks of an oil change.

   5 related service bulletins

   What to check: Check the dipstick level and look for leaks or fresh residue under the engine, and ask whether an oil consumption test has been done or oil added between services.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Our 2016 Kia Sportage began emitting light smoke out of the exhaust. We became concerned and asked out dealer to look into things. The dealership said they needed to do tests (this consisted of filling the oil up and asking us to drive 1500miles) we did as they asked and pithing 700mile the engine started to make clacking noises and on 2 occasions lost power. We returned the car to the dealership stating our concerns, they wanted to repeat the test but we refused to drive the car. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11209271, filed 2019-05, 60,000 miles

   “I own a 2016 Kia Sportage and in january 2019 on a trip to a nearby town the car engine started to catch. At this time the car only had about 29,000 miles on it and had the oil changed about 4 weeks prior. My husband checked the all the fluids and found the car had very little oil in it. We were surprised since no warning lights ever came on and we had just change the oil. He put oil in it and watched it and again 2 weeks later there was very little oil in the car. I took it to the dealer and explain all of this. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11276987, filed 2019-10, 29,000 miles
4. 4
   Engine

   Engine compartment smoke or fire

   • 24 complaints (18%)
   • median 61,000 mi at 6.5 yrs old (9 state mileage, few)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2018–2026

   A number of complaints describe smoke or flames from under the hood, sometimes with the check engine light on beforehand and sometimes with no warning. Owners report pulling over and the vehicle being destroyed or the engine severely damaged, and several connect the event to the open brake control unit recall. Reported across a wide mileage range, from roughly 40,000 to 155,000 miles.

   Recall 22V051000

   What to check: Confirm the brake control unit recall is closed out, and inspect the engine bay for scorching, melted connectors or a persistent burning smell.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My husband and I were driving our 2016 Kia Sportage that we had bought on 05/23/2018 (just made the first payment the day before) to myrtle beach sc, we heard a pop, I lost function to the gas, pulled to the side of the road and popped the hood to find fire flames coming from the engine. We grabbed what we could out of our car and ran as far away as we could. It wasn't even 2 minutes later and the whole car was in flames and everything was destroyed. All that was left was the frame of the car. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11105067, filed 2018-07, 53,200 miles

   “Called local Kia dealer about part because my engine light is on and black liquid is dripping from underneath the front end. The dealer in Iowa said the Kia corporation in CA has no remedy or part so they can’t help me and they hope I don’t catch on fire. This is my only means of transportation and my teenager drives it occasionally. Hoping I don’t catch on fire is unacceptable. I am also paying $393 a month for a car payment for a car I can’t drive or if I do, I risk injury or death.”

   NHTSA complaint #11482195, filed 2022-08
5. 5
   Vehicle speed control

   Hesitation or delayed response when accelerating

   • 9 complaints (7%)
   • median 28,500 mi at 2.8 yrs old (7 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2016–2026

   Owners describe the vehicle hesitating or feeling like it has no fuel when pulling into traffic, with a delay of a few seconds before power arrives. Some complaints mention a puff of smoke from the rear at the same moment, and one reports the dealer replacing a component with the problem returning. Reported at low mileage, mostly between about 1,000 and 29,000 miles.

   What to check: Test acceleration from a stop and at low speed during the test drive, and ask whether any throttle or fuel system repairs have been attempted.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I have a 2016 Kia Sportage when I pull out in traffic it hesitates when I push the gas its like we have no gas.it doesnt do it all the time but when it does it that will scare the krap out of you especialy when oncoming traffic is coming at you.you ask when it happened well it has happened numerous times if not fixed this could result in a law suit”

   NHTSA complaint #11035826, filed 2017-10, 21,000 miles

   “The car hesitated or choked when accelerating to change lanes and a cloudy fume emitted from the rear. This has happened 5 times in the span of 2 weeks, both on freeway and surface streets. Several times came very close to getting rear ended.”

   NHTSA complaint #11208679, filed 2019-05, 28,500 miles

Buying note. The engine is the main thing to investigate on this model year: verify oil consumption history, listen for knocking, and confirm any engine replacement or knock sensor campaign work. Also check that the brake control unit recall was actually completed, since many owners report waiting a long time for the part.

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.