2012 KIA SPORTAGE — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data
4/5
Safety Rating
450
Owner Complaints
5
Recalls
37
Service Bulletins
0
Investigations
Overview of the 2012 KIA SPORTAGE
The 2012 KIA SPORTAGE has received a total of 450 safety complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). It earned an overall safety rating of 4 out of 5 stars in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program crash tests. There have been 7 recall campaigns affecting this vehicle, covering issues with SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE, ENGINE. 37 technical service bulletins have been issued by Kia America, Inc. for this model year. The most commonly reported problems involve the Engine (326 complaints), Unknown Or Other (23 complaints), and Electrical System (22 complaints).
Recalls for the 2012 KIA SPORTAGE
NHTSA has recorded 7 recalls for the 2012 KIA SPORTAGE, potentially affecting up to 4,548,902 vehicles.
Recall 23V652000 — SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE
| 1,730,192 vehicles affected
Defect: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2010-2019 Borrego, 2014-2016 Cadenza, 2010-2013 Forte, Forte Koup, Sportage, 2015-2018 K900, 2011-2015 Optima, 2011-2013 Optima Hybrid, Soul, 2012-2017 Rio, 2011-2014 Sorento, and 2010-2011 Rondo vehicles. The Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) may experience an electrical short, which can result in an engine compartment fire while parked or driving.
Consequence: An engine compartment fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
Remedy: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will replace the HECU fuse, free of charge. Interim notification letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed November 14, 2023. Owner...
View full details →Recall 23V652000 — SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE
| 1,730,192 vehicles affected
Defect: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2010-2019 Borrego, 2014-2016 Cadenza, 2010-2013 Forte, Forte Koup, Sportage, 2015-2018 K900, 2011-2015 Optima, 2011-2013 Optima Hybrid, Soul, 2012-2017 Rio, 2011-2014 Sorento, and 2010-2011 Rondo vehicles. The Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) may experience an electrical short, which can result in an engine compartment fire while parked or driving.
Consequence: An engine compartment fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
Remedy: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will replace the HECU fuse, free of charge. Interim notification letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed November 14, 2023. Owner...
View full details →Recall 20V750000 — ENGINE
| 294,756 vehicles affected
Defect: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2012-2013 Sorento, 2012-2015 Forte and Forte Koup, 2011-2013 Optima Hybrid, 2014-2015 Soul, and 2012 Sportage vehicles. An engine compartment fire can occur while driving.
Consequence: An engine compartment fire increases the risk of injury.
Remedy: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the engine compartment for fuel and/or engine oil leaks, perform an engine test and make any repairs, including engine replacement, as necessary, free of charge. In addition, Kia dealers will update the...
View full details →Recall 19V101000 — ENGINE
| 32,296 vehicles affected
Defect: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2011-2012 Kia Sportage vehicles. The engine oil pan may leak and, if not addressed, the loss of oil may result in engine damage.
Consequence: A damaged engine can increase the risk of a fire or it can cause an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Kia has notified owners, and dealers will replace the oil pressure switch with an improved one, free of charge. In addition, dealers will inspect the oil pan for any oil leaks, replacing it if necessary, free of charge. The recall...
View full details →Recall 18V907000 — ENGINE
| 71,653 vehicles affected
Defect: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2011-2017 Optima, 2012-2017 Sorento and 2011-2018 Sportage vehicles that previously received an engine replacement under recall number 17V-224, warranty, or the Knock Sensor Detection System (KSDS) Product Improvement Campaign. The high pressure fuel pipe that connects to the fuel pump outlet may have been damaged, misaligned or improperly torqued during the engine replacement...
Consequence: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Kia has notified owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the fuel pipe, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 17, 2019. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC172.
View full details →Recall 18V907000 — FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
| 71,653 vehicles affected
Defect: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2011-2017 Optima, 2012-2017 Sorento and 2011-2018 Sportage vehicles that previously received an engine replacement under recall number 17V-224, warranty, or the Knock Sensor Detection System (KSDS) Product Improvement Campaign. The high pressure fuel pipe that connects to the fuel pump outlet may have been damaged, misaligned or improperly torqued during the engine replacement...
Consequence: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Kia has notified owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the fuel pipe, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 17, 2019. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC172.
View full details →Recall 17V224000 — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
| 618,160 vehicles affected
Defect: Kia Motor Company (Kia) is recalling certain 2011-2014 Optima, 2012-2014 Sorento and 2011-2013 Sportage vehicles. Machining errors during the engine manufacturing process may cause premature bearing wear within the engine.
Consequence: Bearing wear may result in the engine seizing, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the engine assembly, and replace the engine if necessary, free of charge. The recall began June 20, 2017. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is...
View full details →Owner Complaints for the 2012 KIA SPORTAGE
450 complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2012 KIA SPORTAGE. Below is a breakdown by vehicle component.
Most Recent Complaints
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sportage. The contact stated while attempting to open to the front driver's side door from the inside of the vehicle, the contact heard an unknown part inside the door fall, and the door required to be opened manually by pulling on the exterior door handle. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was inspected, and the contact was informed that the vehicle would not be repaired unless the manufacturer contacted the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 103,841.
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sportage. The contact stated while attempting to open to the front driver's side door from the inside of the vehicle, the contact heard an unknown part inside the door fall, and the door required to be opened manually by pulling on the exterior door handle. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was inspected, and the contact was informed that the vehicle would not be repaired unless the manufacturer contacted the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 103,841.
The car experienced sudden engine failure, flashing check engine light. The car was towed to the nearest mechanic and knock sensor code P1326, consistent with recall 20V750, was present. Kia Corporate refuses to authorize inspection and repair under the recall because the code was cleared after the event in order to get it towed to the dealer. The defect clearly matches the recall condition, but Kia is declining inspection in violation of recall obligations. Car has been maintained with regular oil changes at the scheduled intervals for the duration of it's life.
VIN# [XXX] My recall has not been repaired because Kia claims the repair parts have not been made available to them yet. This recall is from Sept. 2023. Why hasn't this been taken care of yet? Ridiculous & DANGEROUS!! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
I was sold this car in April 2025. June 29 2025 my engine stopped working. Confirmed it is entirely blown. I was unaware of open unaddressed recalls when I purchased the car. Because of the recalls not being addressed by previous owners, kia and the warranty company refused to fix the engine.
Safety Rating for the 2012 KIA SPORTAGE
The 2012 KIA SPORTAGE received an overall safety rating of 4 out of 5 stars from NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program (NCAP).
| Test Category | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall Rating | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Frontal Crash | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Side Crash | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Rollover | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
Safety ratings are based on controlled crash tests conducted by NHTSA. A 5-star rating indicates the highest level of occupant protection.
Technical Service Bulletins for the 2012 KIA SPORTAGE
Kia America, Inc. has issued 37 technical service bulletins (TSBs) for the 2012 KIA SPORTAGE. TSBs are notices sent by manufacturers to their dealers describing a known issue and the recommended repair procedure.
PI2103_OWNR_401 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: OWNER RENOTIFICATION (PI203) - This document is the owner renotification advising that Kia is conducting a Product Improvement Campaign to perform a software update on 2011-2013 MY Kia Sportage vehicles equipped with 2.4-liter MPI engines to protect the engine from excessive connecting rod bearing damage. The update...
PI2103_OWNR_401 — ENGINE
PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: OWNER RENOTIFICATION (PI203) - This document is the owner renotification advising that Kia is conducting a Product Improvement Campaign to perform a software update on 2011-2013 MY Kia Sportage vehicles equipped with 2.4-liter MPI engines to protect the engine from excessive connecting rod bearing damage. The update...
PI2103_OWNR301 — ENGINE
PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: OWNER RENOTIFICATION (PI2103) - This document is the owner renotification advising that Kia is conducting an important Product Improvement Campaign to perform a software update on 2011-2013 MY Kia Sportage vehicles equipped with 2.4-liter MPI engines to protect the engine from excessive connecting rod bearing damage. The...
PI2103YZ_TSB_R1 — ENGINE
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: SUBSEQUENT REPAIR ACTION: ENGINE REPLACEMENT INSTRUCTIONS FOR DTC P1326 (PI2103Y/Z) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information related to the Technical Service...
CS2311B_OWNRSL — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION CAMPAIGN: OWNER NOTIFICATION - This document is the owner notification advising that Kia now has an additional vehicle modification available for installation to help deter or thwart attempted thefts. This modification consists of a theft deterrent ignition cylinder protector and will be available to you free of charge...
CS2311_TSB_R1 — STRUCTURE
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: THEFT DETERRENT IGNITION CYLINDER PROTECTOR & DECAL INSTALLATION (CS2311) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information to install a Theft Deterrent Ignition Cylinder...
CS2302_TSB_R4 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:ANTI-THEFT:CONTROL MODULE
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: ANTI-THEFT S/W LOGIC UPGRADE & DECAL INSTALLATION (CS2302) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides the procedure to upgrade the software logic of the...
TSB_ENG222_R5 — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:OIL/LUBRICATION
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION NU/GAMMA/THETA/KAPPA ENGINES - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information on diagnosing and/or repairing some 2011-2021MY vehicles (refer to the tables on pages...
TSB_SST067_R1 — EQUIPMENT
This bulletin provides information regarding test procedure of the Bearing Clearance Tester (BCT) Special Service Tool (SST). The SST comes pre-calibrated from the supplier however, in some cases, due to variable shop compressor air pressure, the SST may need to be re-calibrated to ensure that the tool provides accurate readings...
PI2103_OWNR — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: OWNER NOTIFICATION - This document is the owner notification advising that Kia is conducting a Product Improvement Campaign to perform a software update on 2011-2013 MY Kia Sportage vehicles equipped with 2.4-liter engines to protect the engine from excessive connecting rod bearing damage. The update will be...
Showing 10 of 37 technical service bulletins.
NHTSA Investigations for the 2012 KIA SPORTAGE
There are no NHTSA defect investigations on record for this vehicle.
Other Model Years of the KIA SPORTAGE
- 2007 KIA SPORTAGE — 113 complaints
- 2008 KIA SPORTAGE — 138 complaints
- 2009 KIA SPORTAGE — 120 complaints
- 2010 KIA SPORTAGE — 28 complaints
- 2011 KIA SPORTAGE — 260 complaints
- 2012 KIA SPORTAGE (current)
- 2013 KIA SPORTAGE — 447 complaints
- 2014 KIA SPORTAGE — 149 complaints
- 2015 KIA SPORTAGE — 190 complaints
- 2016 KIA SPORTAGE — 181 complaints
- 2017 KIA SPORTAGE — 516 complaints
Other KIA Models
- KIA SORENTO — 13,451 total complaints
- KIA OPTIMA — 10,045 total complaints
- KIA SOUL — 7,147 total complaints
- KIA FORTE — 3,450 total complaints
- KIA SEDONA — 3,334 total complaints
- KIA SEPHIA — 3,080 total complaints
- KIA TELLURIDE — 2,109 total complaints
- KIA RIO — 1,784 total complaints