2018 Kia Sportage power train problems
18 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the power train on the 2018 Kia Sportage — 11% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“Purchased my Kia on the XXX then on the XXX, My engine light came on and my car went into Safety Mode . I at once took it to Auto Zone and their test came back with P1326 Knock signal range / performance. I then looked it up and found that a recall was put out quite a while back called an [XXX] #…”
filed Aug 16, 2026
“I received a voluntary emissions update letter from kia, and although it was voluntary, the letter said failure to update could be considered lack of maintenance. The update was performed on XXX at Dorsch Ford/Kia in [XXX]. The vehicle ran poorly from that day forward. I gave it a couple of weeks…”
filed Jun 4, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Power Train problems in other Sportage years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 Sportage | 6 | 12% |
| 2024 Sportage | 3 | 4% |
| 2023 Sportage | 19 | 10% |
| 2022 Sportage | 3 | 7% |
| 2021 Sportage | 4 | 8% |
| 2020 Sportage | 3 | 2% |
| 2019 Sportage | 7 | 10% |
| 2017 Sportage | 40 | 10% |
| 2016 Sportage | 8 | 6% |
| 2015 Sportage | 6 | 4% |
| 2014 Sportage | 4 | 3% |
| 2013 Sportage | 18 | 5% |
Other reported problem areas on the 2018 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.