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2018 Kia Sportage

Gas Compact SUV

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Specs & fuel economyRecallsComplaintsCrash ratingsCompare
F
Safety Signal
55 / 100
FSafety Signal · 55 / 100
3Recalls · 3 critical
162Complaints · owner reports
5★Crash rating · NHTSA overall
26 mpgFuel economy · best combined
⚠️
Active NHTSA advisory: park outside and away from structures until repaired. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and see the recall details below.

The 2018 Kia Sportage is sold in the U.S. as a gas compact SUV with 6 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Sportage FE FWD, is EPA-rated at 26 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for this model year, 3 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of F. Owners have filed 162 complaints, most often about engine. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.

Specs & fuel economy (EPA)

ConfigurationPowertrainDriveEngine / motorCityHwyCombAnnual fuel*
Sportage FE FWDGasFWD2.4L 4-cyl233026$2,400
Sportage FWDGasFWD2.4L 4-cyl222925$2,500
Sportage AWDGasAWD2.4L 4-cyl212523$2,700
Sportage FWDGasFWD2.0L 4-cyl turbo212623$2,700
Sportage FE AWDGasAWD2.4L 4-cyl212522$2,850
Sportage AWDGasAWD2.0L 4-cyl turbo202321$2,950

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year and EPA reference fuel/electricity prices. Source: fueleconomy.gov vehicle records.

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The 2018 Kia Sportage is in the years where transmission, electronics and drivetrain repairs land on the owner. Compare extended-coverage quotes in about two minutes.

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Recalls (3)

Trailer Hitches

critical
Park outside70,887 vehicles

Problem: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2016-2022 Sorento, 2021-2022 Sorento Hybrid (HEV), 2022-2023 Sorento Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV), and 2017-2022 Sportage vehicles equipped with a tow hitch harness installed as original equipment, or purchased as an accessory through a Kia dealership. Debris and moisture accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (PCB) may cause an electrical short, which can result in a fire.

Risk: A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.

Fix: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will inspect the vehicle, and, as necessary, replace the fuse and/or tow hitch harness module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 11, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC249.

NHTSA campaign 22V703000 · reported Sep 19, 2022 · Kia America, Inc.

Service Brakes, Hydraulic

critical
Park outside379,931 vehicles

Problem: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2017-2021 Sportage and Cadenza vehicles. The electrical circuit in the Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) may short-circuit, which can cause a fire in the engine compartment.

Risk: An engine compartment fire can increase the risk of injury.

Fix: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures as a precaution until the recall repair is complete. Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace certain fuses in the electrical junction box. Vehicles equipped with an electronic parking brake (EPB) will also receive a HECU software update. Repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on April 30, 2021. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC206.

NHTSA campaign 21V137000 · reported Mar 4, 2021 · Kia Motors America

Fuel System, Gasoline

critical
71,653 vehicles

Problem: 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.

Risk: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.

Fix: 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.

NHTSA campaign 18V907000 · reported Dec 19, 2018 · Kia Motors America

NHTSA investigations

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip:Control Unit/Module — Hyundai and Kia ABS Module Fires (open)

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received eight Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) and eight Kia America, Inc. (Kia) Part 573 Recall Reports between 2016 and 2023. The combined 16 safety recalls all involve the antilock braking system (ABS) modules or Hydraulic Electronic Control Units (HECU) manufactured by the equipment supplier Mando. The Part 573 Recall Reports contain varying defect descriptions and differing remedy descriptions for the same or similar equipment supplied by Mando. Safety recalls included in this Audit Query (AQ) review include: Hyundai recalls 20V-520, 20V-543, 21V-161, 21V-160, 21V-303, 22V-056, 22V-810, and 23V-651. Kia recalls 16V-815, 20V-518, 20V-519, 21V

Opened Nov 17, 2023 · action AQ23002

Owner complaints

162 complaints filed

7 involved a crash, 11 a fire, 5 injuries, 0 deaths reported by owners.

Filed by year — 2018: 8 · 2019: 25 · 2020: 9 · 2021: 14 · 2022: 18 · 2023: 25 · 2024: 13 · 2025: 33 · 2026: 17

Most-cited components

  • Engine — 89
  • Electrical System — 28
  • Unknown Or Other — 19
  • Power Train — 18
  • Fuel/Propulsion System — 10
“I PURCHASED MY 2018 KIA SPORTAGE EX BRAND NEW 6-8-18. LESS THAN 100 MILES ON THE CAR AND THE DASHBOARD INSTRUMENT LIGHTS WENT DARK WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY IN THE DARK. I BROUGHT IT BACK TO DEALER, THEY HAD TO ORDER A NEW GAUGE DIMMER CLUSTER BECAUSE THE ORIGINAL FAILED. SEVERAL WEEKS LATER THE BRAKES BEGAN VIOLENT…”Feb 2, 2019 · Service Brakes · NHTSA owner report
“AFTER 2 ATTEMPTS TO TRY AND HAVE THE SOUL REPAIRED PROPERLY AS TO STEERING AND AT LEAST 30 EMAILS AND BEGGING FOR HELP, AND FINDING MYSELF THE REASON THERE WAS A RECALL ON A RECALL...WE CONTACTED SENATOR MARCO RUBIO WHO IN TURN CONTACTED NHTSA, A CONGRESSIONAL AIDE ETC. NO HELP CAME FOR TWO DISABLED PERSONS. I EVEN WRO…”Jan 31, 2019 · Steering · NHTSA owner report
“ENGINE WAS UPDATED REGARDING SOFTWARE , BUT ENGINE SHUT DOWN WHILE IN HWY OPERATION AT ACCELERATING SPEEDS AND IMMEDIATLY SHUT DOWN REDUCING SPEED TO 20 MPH MAY CAUSE FATAL ACCIDENT IF TRATOR TRAILER REAR ENDS YOU DURING THIS OCCURACE SINCE ONE WAS COMING UP OR TRAFFIC IN GENERAL CONSIDERING PEOPLE DON'T REACT ANYMORE.…”Jan 20, 2019 · Engine · NHTSA owner report

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Crash ratings

ConfigurationOverallFrontalSideRolloverRollover risk
SUV AWD★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆15%
SUV FWD★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆16%

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program.

Compare the 2018 Sportage with

2018 Toyota RAV42018 Honda CR-V2018 Chevrolet Equinox2018 Nissan Rogue2018 Hyundai Tucson

Other Sportage model years

A

2027 Sportage

0 recalls · 1 complaints

A

2026 Sportage

1 recalls · 32 complaints

A

2025 Sportage

1 recalls · 69 complaints

C

2024 Sportage

3 recalls · 98 complaints

F

2023 Sportage

7 recalls · 299 complaints

B

2022 Sportage

1 recalls · 46 complaints

C

2021 Sportage

2 recalls · 50 complaints

C

2020 Sportage

2 recalls · 160 complaints

C

2019 Sportage

2 recalls · 69 complaints

F

2017 Sportage

4 recalls · 399 complaints

C

2016 Sportage

2 recalls · 130 complaints

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records (ids 38721, 38747, 38725, 38722, 38727, 38728). Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

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