10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 15
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
81,834 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2013 Kia Sportage engine problems

engine problem

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2013 Kia Sportage Owner Comments (Page 3 of 14)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #229

Jul 132021

Sportage 4-cyl

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Car stopped while at a stop light. There was traffic all around. We had it towed. Airport Kia ([XXX]) states it needs a new engine. They said they could not repair on a recall or product improvement because it had been too long. I spoke with Kia Corporate and they said there was a software update in April 2021 that was designed to (Product Improvement) to fix the engine issue. Once the software update was done the car would get a 15 year warranty. We did not receive information regarding the update or any other recall notices. We found out only when the engine quit. The car was still tied to the original owner @ Kia Corporate (per their records) - although they had [XXX] and her address as the Registered Driver. They did not contact [XXX]. Neither the dealership or corporate will help us with this issue. The engine replacement will be $6000. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Naples, FL, USA

problem #228

Jul 102021

Sportage

  • miles
Car stopped running while driving and the engine seized and locked up. Had my mechanic look at it. Put myself and others at risk being in traffic. No problems prior and no warning lamps whatsoever.

- Naples, FL, USA

problem #227

Jun 172021

Sportage

  • miles
I was driving from Abilene, Texas to San Antonio, Texas, when coming up a hill, all of a sudden, I hear something pop, and then right after a loud ticking noise. I lost acceleration, and brought it down from 75mph, to about 15-20mph in order to pull over. My car then needed to be towed into Fredericksburg, and then was towed to a shop in San Antonio, Texas. After the shop reviewed what had happened, they said it was a bearing, and that there was a recall for that particular year and model. After calling KIA, they said they could not help me, as my VIN was not included in that recall; even though the recall (SC147) is for the 2011-2014 KIA Optima, Sorento and the Sportage. I was told that it only affected the 2.0L engine, and not my 2.4L engine. This information, along with my VIN # needs to be added to the RECALL, as it is the 'same' issue with all of those other vehicles. KIA does not want to help or assist. I asked for someone else, a high supervisor, but was denied. There were no warnings given, or prior symptoms before the failure. I was totally taken by surprise when this happened to me in the middle of no where.

- Tuscola, TX, USA

problem #226

Oct 162020

Sportage

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Sudden Engine knocking. Engine needs replacing. Recall placed for my vehicle type but not my specific vehicle.

- Lancaster, CA, USA

problem #225

Jun 102021

Sportage

  • miles
I was driving on Hwy 100 in Fairview, Tn and my Kia Sportage just stop running and I coasted off the Hwy in a front yard. I was on a two lane Hwy. very Scary had to tow car into a repair shop in Fairview but they said found engine locked up and then Kia said to have it towed to a dealership in Franklin, Tn. I have never had this happen ever in any vehicle. I-€™m 70 years old and need this engine to be paid for. I have two tow cost and a diag. From Hall Repair Shop.

- Nunnelly, TN, USA

problem #224

Jun 132021

Sportage

  • miles
Just purchased Kia Sportage 2013 a few weeks ago and everything was just find under under the hood. Yesterday I was driving to work and the car just stalled on me on the highway and started smoking. No warning signs! By the grace of god, i was able to enter to the right lane without losing my live as many were all driving fast around me as I was trying to make it to the side. When I was able to park and I noticed that the oil was pouring out from the bottom.

- Pasadena , TX, USA

problem #223

Jun 092021

Sportage

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Traveling at highway speeds, the following happened. 2013 KIA Sportage purchased July 2019 -Started to lose power and loud knocking noise from engine (No check engine light and coolant temps average to make me aware of a problem). The lack and loss of power in any situation with other vehicle at high rates of speed has the possibility of cause severe accidents, casualties, and endangering large groups of individuals. -Pulled off to the shoulder of the highway due to lack of power and car shaking (Very high risk of getting hit). -Had car towed to AAA approved (Kwik Kar). -Mechanic called and mentioned that this specific engine (2.0L and 2.4L) is that the oil pump has defects and will starve the engine of oil with no signs (Such as check engine light). -Estimated cost of repair $8000. -I called KIA and the response was "since I did not take my vehicle in when there was a product improvement campaign that KIA would not repair/replace the engine due to my negligence" (I was never contacted about this "Campaign") and when I would check the KIA website (I checked every 3 months) there were and still are no recalls specific for my VIN.

- Perkins, OK, USA

problem #222

Jun 052021

Sportage

  • 135,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sportage. The contact stated while driving at 70 mph, the engine ceased. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with the engine needing to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was relating the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer had been informed of the failure and informed the contact that the Vin was not under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 135,000.

- Mechanicsville, VA, USA

problem #221

Dec 132020

Sportage

  • 100,000 miles
I was driving my 2013 Kia Sportage on the freeway and my car just died on me. Was able to pull over and found out by mechanic that my engine had seized. He said I needed to tell Kia because of all the recalls they had for 2013 vehicles. My car was not part of the recall.

- Menifee, CA, USA

problem #220

Jan 202021

Sportage

  • 100,000 miles
When I was driving on the freeway, my engine seized on me. Luckily I was able to glide off to the side without being hit. I contacted the Kia corporation which is a horribly ran business. After letting them know I would contact a lawyer if they didn't fix the problem, they decided to replace the engine. Not calling it a recall, though it is doing the exact same thing the recall stated. They are making me pay $3000 labor costs to fix my vehicle, and I believe they should be paying for the whole thing! my car has been at the dealership for two months now and still isint fixed!

- Menifee, CA, USA

problem #219

Apr 042021

Sportage

  • 62,500 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My husband was returning home to Oregon from the san francisco bay area and was driving 50 mph on the freeway when the car (2013 Kia Sportage) began making loud knocking noises and immediately lost power. He was in the middle lane of the freeway when it lost power, making it incredibly unsafe and putting him in danger because the people behind him had to slam on their brakes to avoid rear-ending him. It was also very dangerous to try and move the car off of the freeway with other cars going by at 50+ mph. Fortunately, he was able to get the car off the freeway and pulled over whereupon the car died. He tried starting it again and it still had the very loud knocking noise and would not stay on. All of the warning lights on the dash lit up and the check engine light stayed on after he had turned the car off and then back on. After waiting for 3 hours for a tow, the car was finally towed to the closest dealer hilltop Kia in richmond ca. My husband had to wait for close to a week to get the dealer to look at the car and once they did, they came back with an $11,000 estimate stating that the car needed the engine replaced, it was out of warranty because the 100,000 mile warranty only applied to the original owner, there was no recall on this car and Kia would not replace the engine free of cost. We have learned that the engine in this car has a manufacturer's defect and that Kia is not replacing these even though they know it's a defect of their own making. This has been incredibly stressful because the car only had 62,000 miles on it, and we kept up with all of the maintenance requirements. We still owe $3500 on a car that we can't even drive, the lowest we've been quoted to get it running again is $5000 which means that the cost of fixing it is equal to or more than the resale value of the car.

- Jacksonville, OR, USA

problem #218

Apr 062021

Sportage

  • 130,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving at 70 mph, the vehicle failed to accelerate. The check engine and battery warning lights were illuminated. The contact exited the freeway and stopped by a nearby parking lot. The contact felt that the vehicle was unsafe to drive and had the vehicle towed to her residence. The contact's father inspected the vehicle and noticed that there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine. Stafford Kia of fredericksburg (5204 jefferson davis highway, fredericksburg, va 22408, (888)736-2604) was contacted by phone however, the call got disconnected. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The contact mentioned NHTSA campaign number: 17V224000 (engine and engine cooling) as a possible solution to the failure however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided the contact with a case number. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

- Spotsyvania, VA, USA

problem #217

Apr 092021

Sportage

  • 200,010 miles
My 2013 Kia Sportage caught fire while on the interstate the gas pedal didnt work I pulled over and the car was smoking because it was on fire

- Gonzales, LA, USA

problem #216

Mar 232021

Sportage 4-cyl

  • 124,344 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sportage. The contact stated while driving 70 mph, the RPM started fluctuating with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle started to decelerate. The contact pulled over to the shoulder of the roadway and turned off the vehicle. The vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The mechanic stated that all the engine oil had leaked out of the engine. The vehicle was then towed to nalley Kia (7849 mall pkwy, lithonia, ga 30038) to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 124,344.

- Conyers, GA, USA

problem #215

Mar 232021

Sportage

  • 70,000 miles
At a freeway off ramp stop sign my 2013, Kia Sportage engine died and could not be restarted.there are 70,000 miles on it. The car was towed to my mechanic. Investigation determined that the motor bearings were defective. This is the exact problem for which Kia is having a recall. Kia denied my claim saying my VIN # was not one approved for recall.they claim that my car was not manufactured at the assembly plant where the defects occurred. Regardless of where my car was assembled, motor bearing failure with only 70,000 miles is Kia's fault. The emotional stress is severe. Kia's stonewalling is very frustrating and the expense (approximately $6,000) is backbreaking.

- Toluca Lake, CA, USA

problem #214

Mar 282021

Sportage

  • 106,000 miles
I was driving home on the highway at approximately 60-65 mph, when a loud knocking noise started from under the hood of the car. The car suddenly died and we were able to merge out of traffic. Once the car died the engine light turned on. The car has 106,000 miles. Prior to this incident it had been serviced regularly, had no lights on, no leakage and nothing to indicate there was or would be a problem with the engine. I called Kia coorperate who claims this specific VIN was not part of the 2013 Kia Sportage engine recalls. There are 42 pages of consumer complaints with this almost identical scenario. Kia should be ashamed of what they are doing to people. This is a huge safety hazard with the vehicle dying suddenly at fast speeds and a huge financial burden. I am being quoted more then the value of the car to replace it with a used engine. Which very clearly will also have issues as these engines are faulty.

- Fitchburg, WI, USA

problem #213

Jan 112021

Sportage

  • 70,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at low speeds in traffic, several unknown warning lights illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The contact's wife attempted to restart the vehicle however, the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to youngblood Kia (3525 S campbell ave, springfield, mo 65807, (866) 825-9532) and diagnosed however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure recurred. The contact mentioned NHTSA campaign number: 17V224000 (engine and engine cooling) as a possible solution to the failure however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage approximately 70,000. The VIN was not included.

- Springfield, MO, USA

problem #212

Mar 262021

Sportage

  • 70,000 miles
My wife was driving in traffic and vehicle lost power to everything.luckily she was in a position to pull into a parking lot. After the vehicle stopped she was able to start it again. This happened to her twice while trying to get home. I told her to get it home and make a service appointment. She told service department that since it was in we wanted all recalls dealt with. They only found two recalls( charcoal canister/ undercoating) we had them run a diagnostic test $150 and we were told they found nothing. On the return trip from the service department my wife calks again and said the vehicle completely shut down again! I went to see if I could help and found the vehicle with a trail of oil behind it and about 3 quarts of oil underneath. I called the dealership and they said to tow it to them. The next morning I call and decided to make a in person visit to speak with the service manager. After I tell him what happened he makes no mention of any engine recall. I informed him there was with the engine. Then he tells me there is a recall with the 2.4 gdi engines and not fir the 2.4 mpi engines. This Sportage has 70K miles on it. Still pending a call back about what they discover the engine may be replaced or not. This needs further investigation about the 2.4 mpi being included in recalls.

- Springfield, MO, USA

problem #211

Feb 252021

Sportage

  • 94,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 mph, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle coasted to the side of the road and shifted into park. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that metal debris was found in the engine. The contact contacted oakes Kia (2900 burlington St, North Kansas City, mo 64116, (816) 474-2900) and was informed that there was a total engine loss due to metal debris found in the engine which created a hole in the piston. The dealer had not diagnosed nor repaired the vehicle. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 94,000.

- Kansas City, MO, USA

problem #210

Mar 052021

Sportage

  • 172,000 miles
My boyfriend and I were on my way to gatlinburg for my birthday weekend. Just made it into knoxville when my dashboard lights came on and the engine made a loud knocking noise and stopped. We barely made it to the side of the interstate (the left lane of I-75 in knoxville). My boyfriend stated that the engine just threw a rod. We waited 2 hours for a tow truck with tdot behind us for an hour and 1/2 for that. There was oil all over the road. We finally got towed to the Kia closest to us. They ran my VIN and stated that isn't part of the recall because my engine isn't the gdi engine. So, even though 2013 Kia Sportages are all having engine failure without warning in potentially dangerous situations for all of Kia's customers, Kia is doing nothing about it. My boyfriend works as a mechanic and submitted a pa and it was denied as well. If there are more than 100 customer's having issues with the same engine, then there should be a recall. This looks bad on Kia, and it looks bad on the NHTSA for not issuing the recall due to safety. Had any of the numerous 250 complaints I have seen so far not been able to get out of the road, due to no warning, then I'm sure there would be a recall. But it shouldn't have to come to death before a recall is issued.

- Sale Creek, TN, USA

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