272 complaints reported

2013 Kia Sportage Engine

Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.

Reports
272
Crashes
1
Fires
13
Injuries
1

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Dec 2022

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made an abnormally loud knocking sound. The contact stated that the vehicle previously had the brakes, four tires, fuel injectors, and spark plugs replaced; however, the failure recurred. Additionally, the vehicle experienced rough driving. The vehicle was taken to two independent mechanics, who diagnosed that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, and the dealer informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 KIA SPORTAGE, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Dec 2022
Dec 2022

I was driving down a back country road where the speed limit was 50mph. The truck in front of me kept stopping so I went around him and he tried to cut me off so I had to step on it to get in front of him and my check engine, battery, and oil lights all popped on at the same time. My car then stopped accelerating so I had to coast to a stop and pull over and turned my car off. My car wouldn’t start back up I had to pay almost $200 to tow my car home to have someone look at it and tell me that an engine bearing went out and I would need a new engine.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 KIA SPORTAGE, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Apr 2022
Nov 2022

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made an abnormal knocking sound. The contact pulled over and had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 KIA SPORTAGE, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Jul 2022
Nov 2022

The contact's sister owns a 2013 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while she was driving approximately 65 MPH, there was a jolt to the vehicle with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact’s sister stated that the brakes worked as needed; however, the power steering assist failed, and extra effort was needed to steer the vehicle off the highway. The contact’s sister stated that soon after stopping, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer to be diagnosed and it was determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The mechanic related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 112,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 KIA SPORTAGE, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Nov 2022
Nov 2022

I have a 2013 Kia Sportage with 85,000 miles on it. I had an email back in 2018 that said that there was a recall for engine issues. I immediately called and they said that based on my VIN number, it did not affect my car. On 11/6/2022, My engine died while I was coming back from Tampa, FL to Jacksonville, FL in Ocala with no warning whatsoever. I had it towed to a mechanic who knew exactly what was wrong. He had worked on several Kia's with the same engine problem and told me to call KIA regarding the warranty. I called Kia Resolution Center as well as Kia Corporate Headquarters and they all stated that there was NOT a safety issue with my engine. They said they sent out a Product Update for an extended warranty, which I do not recall getting back in 2021, or I would have obviously called to get it. Because I did not respond to the Product Update, that I never received, they will NOT cover the replacement engine or even help with it. I had to sell my car as is with no engine to put a down payment on a car at a dealership. My car was paid for with very low mileage and very well maintained with regular oil changes, etc. There are hundreds and hundreds of complaints about this same issue, but Kia does not want to take responsibility for their obvious shotty engines. I will NEVER buy another Kia or recommend one.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 KIA SPORTAGE, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Jun 2022
Sep 2022

My motor completely seized up in the middle of driving on a busy road. I was left in traffic suddenly with no power and no way to maneuver out of harms way.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 KIA SPORTAGE, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Dec 2022
Sep 2022

I was driving home from work on 08/29/2022 in lane #4 at 60 mph during 5:00 o'clock traffic .a I heard a small pop and lost all power. Smoke came from under the hood and the car was dead. Luckily there was no on in the HOV lane and I immediately pulled to the left. Oil was all over the road and the car. An oils slick like that is dangerous not only to the driver of the car but other motorists or motorcycle riders. Thank god my wife wasn't driving it. I had it towed to the KIA dealer and they notified me there was a known issue with this engine and I I didn't have the KSDS sensor updated and Kia would not do any repairs. I had never received any notifications about safety issues or a recall. Since this has happened I found out there was a class action lawsuit which I never knew about either. I now have a car that has a blown engine and Kia will do nothing to repair it even though it is a known common problem. I believe KIA should provide more support for their engine failures and the lack of notification to their consumers.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 KIA SPORTAGE, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Aug 2022
Sep 2022

Incident occured early Dec. 2021.While driving at about 20-25 mph, as I approached stop sign, the Kia suddenly started jerking and cut off. Lucky for me the car crossing stopped before they hit us (family of 5 in car)After having my mechanic (he is a pro who owns his own shop with several employees and a good reputation)come to my home (incident happened 3/4 of a mile from home thank goodness) he stated the engine had siezed, I towed it to Kia of Port Charlotte and they stated it was "normal wear and tear" and want to charge 8500 to fix it. The oil has been changed regularly, (2 weeks prior to incident)and this came out of nowhere- no noises or warning at all. I have since researched KIa and see lots of recalls and law suites on thier cars

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 KIA SPORTAGE, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: May 2021
Aug 2022

My engine started making a tik-tik noise in June of 2022. I drive very little as I work from home, took it to get an oil change and for a service check, was advised nothing was wrong that they could identify on the vehicle. Ticking continued, Kia advised they were over a month out for service call appointments, got on the list and had my oil changed again after only 300 miles. Ticking noise got louder while waiting on service call appointment, then as I was driving home on a back road (thankfully), there was a loud banging noise from under my hood, spluttering, some whining noises, my instrument panel lit up with all engine-related lights, and the car shut off while driving. I lost power steering and brakes, and had to coast into a neighborhood and down a hill to safely move my car out of traffic's way. I had my 7 year old with me in the vehicle and have since had it towed to Kia, and was advised there was a 'voluntary maintenence' KSDS sensor I was supposed to have had installed in order to extend my currently-intact 100K/10 year factory warranty, and because they did not update my contact information correctly when i moved I never received the notification. My car is currently sitting at the Kia dealership, undriveable, and I am having to fight Kia to cover the engine replacement.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 KIA SPORTAGE, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Jul 2022
Jul 2022

Engine stalling and nocking when over 2000 RPM

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 KIA SPORTAGE, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Jul 2022
Jul 2022

My car engine seized on the freeway while going 75mph, almost causing an accident. My mechanic said it was an engine recall issue seen often in KIAs. Premature engine barring wearing. I had my car towed to the kia dealership and they confirmed that I had the same problem from the recalls and assumed my KIA was included but was 151,000 miles and they couldn't move forward because it needed to be 150,000 miles. I called customer service to get a goodwill extention of repair for my car as I had NEVER received a recall notice for this issue. Customer service called back later telling me my car was not included in that recall. My car exhibited the same defect as thousands of others and since 2017 I was not notified of potential safety issues.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 KIA SPORTAGE, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Jul 2022
Jun 2022

My engine got blown. No notice of a recall that was supposedly sent out on 4/1/2021 was received. I called Kia consumer affairs and asked if they did anything to confirm that the owners of the cars received the notice of the recall. The response I received was a sharp NO, we only send out postal notices. They never attempted to call me nor send me any type of email to ensure that I was notified in a timely manner before my engine got blown. I could have been extreme danger and put other lives including my own at risk, had this occurred at high speeds while driving. No warnings lights were lit up prior to the car engine blowing. I am concerned that because there was no confirmation of the notice being sent out, and that there are other Kia owners facing the same situation where they have not received said notice and are still driving potentially hazardous cars. This is something that Kia is well aware of, an easy email would suffice or sending a postal notice with tracking.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 KIA SPORTAGE, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Jan 2022
Jun 2022

While driving approximately 75 mph down the interstate, the car failed to accelerate, made a noise as if air was being released, and then died. Thankfully, we were able to make it to the side of the road, but the car would not restart. We had the car towed to a dealership not far from where we broke down. The mechanics at the dealership informed us that the engine had locked up while we were driving. No lights or messages had come up before the car died, and the only sound that we heard was the air release sound. Other vehicles of the same make and model have had engine recalls, but when we reached out to KIA, but there is not a recall on our vehicle.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 KIA SPORTAGE, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Jun 2022
Jun 2022

KIA needs to notify its customers that they have RECALL's, not CAMPAIGNS. It was unfortunately bad timing for me that when the letter from Kia arrived, announcing a “Campaign”, not a recall, that I was preparing to have another open heart surgery and a “campaign” just didn’t seem important. My business has campaigns all the time, marketing campaigns. If one of my product lines has a problem with a product that could impact safety or performance, they have a RECALL. I realize that I will never get reimbursed for the money I had to spend for a new engine, and when my credit card bill arrives in the next week or two, I will have to get a short term loan to pay for it. Because you did send a letter. But it was for a CAMPAIGN, not a RECALL. Even with my impending surgery a RECALL letter would have been put on my refrigerator or somewhere so that when I got out of the hospital I could have taken care of it. But it was a F’ing campaign!!! I’ll never stop telling people that with Kia, they don’t have RECALL’s I guess it is a bad word. Kia has Campaigns, that is why my engine wasn’t replaced when the letter came because it said CAMPAIGN. How many other consumers don't give the attention they should to a letter that arrives staying there is a "Campaign". It should say RECALL, like it does in Canada where my sister lives.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 KIA SPORTAGE, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Apr 2022
Jun 2022

The contact's son owns a 2013 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while her son was driving 40 MPH, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the vehicle with the check engine warning light illuminated. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to her home where a mechanic inspected the vehicle and informed her that there was a recall on the vehicle under NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The dealer was notified of the failure and her vehicle was towed to the dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed with engine failure and the contact was informed that her vehicle did not qualify for repair under the recall. The contact was then given an estimate for a new engine. The manufacturer was notified about the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 KIA SPORTAGE, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Jan 2022
May 2022

While driving home my engine seized. i contacted kia and was told that the recall does not apply because i did not get an ecm reprogram performed. but when i purchased the vehicle ( 9 months prior) the carfax report showed that there were no open recalls or campaigns and kia has not sent me any information regarding any recalls or campaigns.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 KIA SPORTAGE, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: May 2022
May 2022

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made an abnormal sound. The contact pulled over and had the vehicle towed to his residence. The vehicle was later towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The dealer declined the engine replacement due to the vehicle not having an unknown product improvement campaign software update prior to the failure. The contact stated that he had not received a notification for the product improvement campaign software update. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 124,300.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 KIA SPORTAGE, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: May 2022
Apr 2022

The contact's client owns a 2013 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while his client was driving 70 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. After the failure, the vehicle was towed to a dealer where the mechanic discovered that a rod had blown through the engine resulting in engine failure. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) which he linked to the failure. The vehicle was then towed to a dealer and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 158,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 KIA SPORTAGE, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Mar 2022
Apr 2022

Kia is not honoring this NHTSA safety recall results (2) Recall information provided by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fuel system, gasoline, engine Recall date 2018-12-19 Recall no. 18V907000 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 procedure, possibly causing a fuel leak. View details for Fuel system, gasoline, engine Engine and engine cooling Recall date 2017-03-31 Recall no. 17V224000 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. View details

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 KIA SPORTAGE, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Dec 2022
Apr 2022

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a knocking sound coming from the engine compartment before the vehicle started to stall and would not properly accelerate. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who was unable to determine to cause of the failure. The local dealer and manufacturer were not yet notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 KIA SPORTAGE, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Jan 2022
Apr 2022

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sportage. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. The contact pulled over and the check engine warning light and several unknown warning lights illuminated. Additionally, there was an abnormal burning odor coming from the vehicle. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle and the vehicle operated normally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed; however, the cause of the failure could not be determined. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 143,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 KIA SPORTAGE, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Apr 2022
Apr 2022

Was driving home at 11pm on freeway 2nd lane from right side, and engine started making a subtle knocking noise that gradually got louder. Vehicle began to lose power, and as the vehicle stalled, the check engine light came on at that moment. I shut power off to the vehicle and turned it back on, no check engine light however engine was knocking and shaking. I made it slowly and safely off freeway at that point.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 KIA SPORTAGE, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Apr 2022
Mar 2022

Was driving my Sportage at 70mph when the car started knocking. I had to pull over as the car began to slow down and I could not shift gears. my mechanic advised that the engine had seized and a replacement was needed. I was advised by the manufacturer that my Vin was not included in the recall even though I’m experiencing the exact recall defects.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 KIA SPORTAGE, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Feb 2022
Mar 2022

The engine in our 2013 Kia Sportage began making a weird clicking noise a few weeks ago. We called the Kia dealership and asked what to do and were informed that our car was NOT listed under the Kia Sportage engine recall for knocking engines. We were told to add additive to our fuel and it would fix the issue. It didn't and the knocking got worse. Soon, it was so bad and the car was moving sluggishly along the road. There were NO warning lights. We had the car towed to a Kia dealership and were informed the engine was BLOWN, but we still have NO warning lights (no check engine light, no low oil light, no overheating light). We had ZERO indication (other than the noise) that there was a catastrophic issue with the engine. This is a car that we use to travel highways with and it put my life and my daughter's life in danger. The Kia dealership is asking us to pay $7000 in order to fix the issue - when it's a KNOWN issue with Kia Sportages. The 2013 Kia Sportage (my car) is currently on the list for recall of this engine and somehow my VIN doesn't register as part of it, even though we have a blown engine, knocking noise, and NO WARNING LIGHTS.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 KIA SPORTAGE, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Mar 2022
Mar 2022

Exhaust camshaft position timing over advanced

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 KIA SPORTAGE, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Mar 2022

Trend Over Time

Complaints by year

Quick Summary

The 2013 Kia Sportage has 272 Engine complaints on file. 1 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.