2012 Kia Sportage Kia Sportage 2012

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2012 Kia Sportage repairs by problem area

Engine (23%)

Transmission and Drivetrain (0%)

Brakes and Traction Control (6%)

Suspension and Steering (17%)

Electrical and Air Conditioning (29%)

Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim (20%)

Other (6%)

Chart based on 35 repairs.
See TSBs and recalls for the 2012 Kia Sportage.

2012 Kia Sportage repair cost distribution

$2500+ (0%)

$1000 - $2499 (7%)

$500 - $999 (0%)

$100 - $499 (10%)

< $100 (83%)

Worried about potential repair costs? An extended warranty can provide peace of mind.

Chart based on 30 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.

2012 Kia Sportage 4dr SUV

turbocharged 260hp 2.0L I4 6-speed shiftable automatic FWD

Kia Sportage in North Carolina, United States
Nov 2011 - Jul 2014
Dec 2012

27000 mi
Replaced steering wheel due to peeling cover 
Jul 2014

52000 mi
Fusebox, wiring to right side parking lights. 

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2012 Kia Sportage 4dr SUV

turbocharged 260hp 2.0L I4 6-speed shiftable automatic AWD

Kia Sportage in British Columbia, Canada
Jun 2014 - Aug 2016
Jun 2015

88660 mi

C $359
front stabalizer bar Knocking noise between 20 50 K per hr 
Kia Sportage in Alberta, Canada
Sep 2011 - Jun 2012
May 2012

7520 mi
Windshield wiper position needed to be lowered, would not park low enough. 
Kia Sportage in Virginia, United States
Dec 2011 - Jun 2012
Jun 2012

9000 mi
Rattle above the driver by the sunroof. Dealer ordered a new sunroof hardness. However, while trying to replace it, they noticed the wind deflector was hitting the sunroof hardness. They used foam tape to fix. Repair was under warranty 
Kia Sportage in Pennsylvania, United States
Feb 2012 - Sep 2017
Mar 2014

19000 mi
Engine failed - Replaced with new short block engine under warranty Oil hose to turbocharger failed or was not correctly installed after new short block was installed 
Mar 2016

39000 mi

US $110
Battery died - bought and replaced the battery myself - NAPA Legend 
Jul 2016

40000 mi

US $35
replaced the aftermarket HID headlight low beam bulbs - one of the old ones had cracked 
Oct 2016

43000 mi
Smelt gasoline, looked under the hood with engine running and the plastic pretty cover pulled off. Fuel was spraying from the rigid fuel line where it meets the high pressure fuel pump. Stopped using the vehicle immediately The fuel line was replaced - they had overtightened it when the replaced the engine. I picked up the car drove it 200 feet and it lost power. They did not tighten the hose clamps on the turbo and didnt road test - obviously 
Apr 2017

47000 mi

US $295
Lower ball joint - passenger side was found to be worn out during the annual Mechanical inspection - replaced. Also performed synthetic oil and filter replacement and emissions inspection. 

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2012 Kia Sportage 4dr SUV

176-horsepower 2.4L I4 6-speed shiftable automatic FWD

Kia Sportage in Arkansas, United States
Jul 2014 - Oct 2019
Jun 2016

70000 mi

US $25
Brake switch preventing shift lock from unlocking to go into reverse 
Jun 2018

87000 mi

US $1500
a/c was intermittent. dealership could not find the problem so I took it to firestone. They performed evac and recharge but the a/c completely quit the next day. Brought it back and they found the pressure low and determined that the compressor clutch was failing/failed and a high pressure condition caused a leak at the compressor. They indicated replacing the compressor was required along with the drier 
Kia Sportage in Alberta, Canada
Feb 2017 - Sep 2021
Jan 2020

80600 mi
Engine Failure. Garbage Hyundai/Kia major issue affecting thousands of cars. Car out of warranty dealer would not help. Sold the car as is, as replacement engine $7000 was ridiculous. 
Kia Sportage in Arizona, United States
Apr 2012 - Jan 2014
Feb 2013

7100 mi
Fender under driver side headlamp was causing a squeaking sound, panel was slightly loose. Dealer repaired item under warranty 
Kia Sportage in District of Columbia, United States
Aug 2011 - Aug 2013
Mar 2012

6000 mi
Excessive creaking from the rear view mirror. Dealer ordered new one and we will take the Sportage back to have it installed when it comes in. 
Apr 2012

6000 mi
Return trip to have rear view mirror installed. 
Sep 2012

14000 mi
Steering wheel "leather" peeling. Dealer had to order new steering wheel cover. UVO/audio/back-up camera failed on a trip. Completely dead until we found a small reset button. Backup video is sometimes badly distorted. Even though we recorded issue, dealer could not fix b/c they could not replicate in shop. 
Kia Sportage in Minnesota, United States
Oct 2013 - Jun 2018
Oct 2017

125000 mi

US $85
front brakes worn, replaced just pads 

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2012 Kia Sportage 4dr SUV

176-horsepower 2.4L I4 6-speed shiftable automatic AWD

Kia Sportage in Oregon, United States
Feb 2012 - Jun 2017
Mar 2017

24000 mi
The car developed a battery drain, and would for no apparent reason sometimes drain so far the car would not start. The dealer kept the car 3 days and could not find a parasitic draw, but the problem continued 
Kia Sportage in Ontario, Canada
Apr 2012 - Jun 2015
Oct 2014

49880 mi
Knocking sound. 
Feb 2015

57060 mi
Knocking coming from rear suspension. Part replaced under warrantee. 
Kia Sportage in Minnesota, United States
Oct 2015 - Jun 2018
Oct 2016

49200 mi
The timing belt was stretched which caused the check engine light to go on. Mechanic, whom I know, said he had never seen that with so few miles. Kia paid 100% 

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2012 Kia Sportage 4dr SUV

176-horsepower 2.4L I4 6-speed manual FWD

Kia Sportage in New Jersey, United States
Apr 2016 - Jun 2017
Apr 2017

40000 mi

US $1200
engine actuator needed replacement. 

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2012 Kia Sportage 4dr SUV

161-horsepower 2.0L I4 6-speed shiftable automatic AWD

Kia Sportage in Nigeria
Jun 2013 - Sep 2018
Oct 2013

16000 mi
Water leaks into the tail lights. Reported to the dealer and light was dismantled cleaned out with compressed air installed again applying sealant.2 weeks later it was leaking again! 
Nov 2013

16900 mi
Smoke smell sometimes in the cabin on hard acceleration. This started after the vehicle was serviced at the dealers. 
Jun 2014

21700 mi
Squeaky noises coming from one of the drive pulleys on revving engine, Drive belts seem in good shape 
Jul 2015

27580 mi
Battery suddenly died on me at the dealership after routine service! Battery was less than one year months in use.Very odd.Suspect dealer used the battery to do heavy jump start on some other vehicle hence destroying a cell. Steering audio controls stopped functioning. 
Oct 2015

29340 mi
AC stopped working. Issue was traced to bad evaporator which was leaking. Very disappointed for a car less than 4 years. Dealer gave a cost estimate of almost $4,000! Car was 8 months out of warranty 
May 2016

32940 mi
Bushings on passenger side lower control arm was shot. 
Kia Sportage in Ontario, Canada
Mar 2015 - Jun 2016
May 2015

29300 mi
Warranty repair of broken shock absorber. Both broken rear shock and opposite rear shock replaced. 

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2012 Kia Sportage Repair Histories

See our lemon odds and nada odds page to see vehicles with no repairs or vehicles with more than three repairs. To see how frequently 2012 Kia Sportage problems occur, check out our car reliability stats.