2013 Kia Sportage problems
The 2013 Kia Sportage has 450 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (70%) concerns engine. Next are brakes (6%) and electrical system (5%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 450 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 70% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 6 and 35
- Injuries and deaths
- 6 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 94,000 miles 327 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 | 27 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 8 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 27 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 52 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 66 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 60 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 50 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 19 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 10 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 3 |
| 200k+ miles | 5 |
What the data shows
Of the 327 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 94,000 miles. For engine specifically, the median reported mileage is about 100,000 miles (240 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 6 complaints mention a crash; 35 complaints mention a fire; 6 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2013 ranks 11th most-complained-about out of 30 model years of the Kia Sportage with enough data (146 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 3 safety recall campaigns.
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.
I hit a patch of ice and rikashaded off a guard rail flew across the highway was tbones by another vehicle and went into the ditch. My airbags did not deploy at all causing bruising and problems with the rods in my back.
Kia sportage 2013 plate. Complete brake failure on approach to junction despite pumping brake pedal. Resulted in crash and injuries sustained. Malfunction of ability to deactivate cruise control by applying brake in addition, on one occasion. Currently under investigation. Have informed manufacturer. Awaiting investigation outcome.
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at 45 MPH, the daughter collided with another vehicle after the vehicle aggressively merged in front of her. The collision was at the front driver and passenger side of the vehicle. The contact added that the collision threw her daughter forward and backward, and the contact's daughter sustained neck, shoulder, and lower back injuries, and surgery on her neck was needed. A police report was filed.
We experience an intermittent raw gasoline smell in the interior cabin of the vehicle. This problem started a few weeks after purchasing the vehicle and has persisted ever since despite 3 repair attempts at kia dealerships (22aug2012, 07jan2013, 30jan2013). Because it is intermittent (occurring once or twice every couple weeks) and without an obvious pattern, the dealerships have been unable to reproduce the smell on the days we've brought the vehicle in.
I bought a kia sportage in 2015, paid cash for this vehicle because everyone raved how these vehicles are so good and dependable, had the vehicle for 3 yrs, and my engine blew. I learned about a recall for several different types of kia's however unfortunately my engine isn't covered under the recall. Which is confusing to me because my engine is the same that's in the optima which is included in the recall just different body style.