2013 Kia Sportage engine problems
300 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the engine on the 2013 Kia Sportage — 79% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“Claim #25921274 To Whom It May Concern, I am writing to formally dispute Kia’s denial of warranty coverage for the engine failure in my 2013 Kia Sportage. Per communication with customer care, Kia denied my claim on the basis of “excessive mileage between oil changes.” However, this conclusion is…”
filed Apr 26, 2026
“My engine failed due to the knock sensor recall a known issue on my 2013 Kia Sportage the recall is supposed to provide a lifetime warranty but I was denied coverage because the failure happened before I was able to perform the update as I was a new owner to the car and was unaware of the recall at…”
filed Dec 14, 2025
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Related recalls
- Machining errors during the engine manufacturing process may cause premature bearing wear…Campaign 17V224000 · Mar 31, 2017
Related service bulletins
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…
PI2103_OWNR_401 · Other · issued Jul 8, 2025
Engine problems in other Sportage years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 Sportage | 6 | 12% |
| 2024 Sportage | 9 | 14% |
| 2023 Sportage | 37 | 20% |
| 2022 Sportage | 20 | 44% |
| 2021 Sportage | 20 | 42% |
| 2020 Sportage | 71 | 45% |
| 2019 Sportage | 35 | 51% |
| 2018 Sportage | 86 | 54% |
| 2017 Sportage | 219 | 55% |
| 2016 Sportage | 58 | 45% |
| 2015 Sportage | 84 | 58% |
| 2014 Sportage | 71 | 58% |
Other reported problem areas on the 2013 Kia Sportage
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints naming this component group. Complaints are unverified owner reports; mileage is computed only from complaints that included a usable odometer reading.