2018 Kia Sportage: recalls and complaints
NHTSA advisory: park outsideCampaign 22V703000. NHTSA received the report on . 70,887 units. Trailer Hitches
Remedy of campaign 22V703000, in the NHTSA record
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 advisory: park outsideCampaign 21V137000. NHTSA received the report on . 379,931 units. Service Brakes, Hydraulic / Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip / Control Unit/Module
Remedy of campaign 21V137000, in the NHTSA record
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.
Park-outside advisory: A mark on a recall campaign in the NHTSA recall file. This site shows the mark as NHTSA sets it.
NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for the 2018 Kia Sportage. The newest campaign is 22V703000. NHTSA received the report on 19 Sep 2022. The NHTSA record gives the component Trailer Hitches. NHTSA has 164 complaints on file for this model year. 1 NHTSA investigation names this model year.
This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.
Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.
NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on . Complaint file through . Recall file through .
Since the last update
No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks
Recall campaigns
3 campaigns, newest first. 522,471 units in total.
22V703000Received . 70,887 units.
Trailer HitchesPark-outside advisory
- Defect, in the NHTSA record
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.
- Consequence, in the NHTSA record
A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
- Remedy, in the NHTSA record
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.
Report filed by Kia America, Inc.. Manufacturer campaign number SC249. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .
21V137000Received . 379,931 units.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic / Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip / Control Unit/ModulePark-outside advisory
- Defect, in the NHTSA record
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.
- Consequence, in the NHTSA record
An engine compartment fire can increase the risk of injury.
- Remedy, in the NHTSA record
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.
Report filed by Kia Motors America. Manufacturer campaign number SC206. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .
18V907000Received . 71,653 units.
Engine
- Defect, in the NHTSA record
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.
- Consequence, in the NHTSA record
A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.
- Remedy, in the NHTSA record
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.
Report filed by Kia Motors America. Manufacturer campaign number SC172. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .
The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.
Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.
Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.
Complaints by component
164 complaints, 230 component mentions.
A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. The figure per 1,000 component mentions shows how many of each 1,000 mentions name the component.
- 2018 Kia Sportage
- All 2018 vehicles
| Component | 2018 Sportage | All 2018 vehicles | Sportage, all years | Mentions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 395.7 | 162.1 | 219.1 | 91 |
| Electrical System | 126.1 | 120.7 | 96 | 29 |
| Unknown or Other | 82.6 | 100.9 | 70.3 | 19 |
| Power Train | 78.3 | 102.3 | 71.2 | 18 |
| Fuel/Propulsion System | 47.8 | 47.4 | 25 | 11 |
| Steering | 39.1 | 58.4 | 23.7 | 9 |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 34.8 | 32.9 | 28.5 | 8 |
| Exterior Lighting | 26.1 | 15.2 | 16.7 | 6 |
| Service Brakes | 26.1 | 82.1 | 23.1 | 6 |
| Structure | 26.1 | 30.4 | 42.2 | 6 |
The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 20.
- Complaints that report a crash
- 7
- Complaints that report a fire
- 12
- Injuries in the complaints
- 5
- Deaths in the complaints
- 0
- Date of the newest complaint
- 19 Sep 2026
These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.
Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.
Investigations
| Number | Type | Subject | Component | Opened | Closed | Campaign |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AQ23002 | Audit query | Hyundai and Kia ABS Module Fires | Service Brakes, Hydraulic / Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip / Control Unit/Module | 17 Nov 2023 | Open |
Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.
Other model years
The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.
Official channels
- NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
- NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.
- NHTSA page of the 2018 Kia SportageThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.
Cite this page
Recall Register. 2018 Kia Sportage: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/kia/sportage/2018/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through .
Sources
- Source
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
- Licence
- US government work, public domain
- Recall file through
- 30 Sep 2026
- Complaint file through
- 30 Sep 2026
- First complaint in the file
- 1 Jan 1995
- Manufacturer in the recall file
- Kia America, Inc.
The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.
Questions
- How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 2018 Kia Sportage?
- 522,471 units in 3 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
- How many recall campaigns does the Kia Sportage have for all model years?
- NHTSA lists 36 recall campaigns for the Kia Sportage, model years 1995 to 2026. 3 of them name the 2018 model year.
- Which component do the complaints about the 2018 Kia Sportage name most often?
- Engine: 91 of 230 component mentions, or 395.7 per 1,000. For all 2018 vehicles the figure is 162.1 per 1,000.
- Is an NHTSA investigation of the 2018 Kia Sportage open?
- 1 investigation has no closing date in the NHTSA file, of 1 that name this model year.