2009 Kia Sportage engine problems
10 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the engine on the 2009 Kia Sportage — 13% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“In 2018 my I was driving home when it just shut off and wouldn’t start. Smelled like burning and had it towed to my house and had several mechanics look at it and couldn’t find the problem then as it was parked on day it started to smoke and the engine was burning I put out the fire and then a…”
filed Sep 23, 2025
“I was parked at the grocery store with the car idling in park. The engine suddenly died and smoke was coming out from under the hood. I honestly thought the car was about to burst into flames. A good Samaritan looked under the hood and it was still smoking but eventually stopped. The electrical…”
filed Oct 24, 2022
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Related service bulletins
PITSTOP - ENGINE COMPONENT RE-USE GUIDELINES - In general, parts and components removed during engine repairs should be considered serviceable, and should be thoroughly cleaned and transferred to the new engine.
PS539 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 2, 2018
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 2009 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.