2006 Kia Sportage problems
The 2006 Kia Sportage has 169 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (22%) concerns air bags. Next are electrical system (13%) and engine (12%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 169 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Air bags 23% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 12 and 9
- Injuries and deaths
- 7 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 80,000 miles 138 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 8 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 20 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 7 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 34 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 22 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 13 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 15 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 4 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 13 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 2 |
What the data shows
Of the 138 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 80,000 miles. For air bags specifically, the median reported mileage is about 72,000 miles (31 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 12 complaints mention a crash; 9 complaints mention a fire; 7 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2006 ranks 21st most-complained-about out of 30 model years of the Kia Sportage with enough data (65 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 1 safety recall campaign.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Tl*the contact owns a 2006 kia sportage. While driving in reverse downhill, the contact's daughter applied the brakes and the vehicle accelerated. She applied the emergency brake, but the vehicle continued to roll backwards at approximately 10 MPH. The failure occurred while the vehicle was still shifted in park. The driver crashed into a tree to avoid merging into an intersection. All of the warning indicator lights illuminated. The road conditions were dry.
My daughter hit the rear of a large vehicle while driving my 2006 kia sportage. The investigating officer and the body shop repairman both told me they had never seen a vehicle so heavily damaged fail to deploy its air bags. None of the air bags deployed. The vehicle was a total loss.
Tl*the contact owns a 2006 kia sportage. While driving between 10-35 MPH, the contact's vehicle crashed into the rear of another vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. The driver was wearing a seat belt, but sustained bumps and bruises over her entire body caused by the steering wheel and column. There were no prior warning indicators. The vehicle was towed and determined to be destroyed by the insurance company. The vehicle has not been inspected by the dealer. A police report was filed.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 kia sportage. The contact was driving 45 MPH when the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic but was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted. The failure mileage was 60,000 and the current mileage was 89,000.
The contact owns a 2006 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while the vehicle was being inspected, the vehicle failed due to the autolocking brakes and Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.