2020 Kia Sportage Problems: 5 Known Issues

On the 2017-2022 Kia Sportage, sportage SUVs equipped with the genuine Kia tow hitch harness can suffer an electrical short in the harness module's printed circuit board. Foreign material and moisture contamination on the PCB can cause a short circuit that can ignite even with the vehicle parked and off. Kia documented 3 confirmed fires and roughly 30 'localized melting' incidents across the recall population (~70,887 Sportage and Sorento units), all on 2016-2020 Sorentos; as of September 2022 none involved the Sportage. This is distinct from the separate HECU/ABS module fire issue on 2012-2016 models — the failure is in the trailer-wiring control module, not the brake hydraulic unit.

On the 2011-2022 Kia Sportage, sportage with a turn-key ignition and no factory engine immobilizer can be started by breaking the steering column shroud and turning the exposed ignition cylinder with a USB cable or similar metal object - the technique publicized as the 'Kia Challenge' and driving a nationwide theft wave. Affected owners face not just the theft itself but destroyed steering columns and ignition assemblies on recovered cars, spiking insurance premiums, and in some regions insurers declining to write policies on the vehicle at all. Kia and Hyundai settled class litigation covering 2011-2022 vehicles built without an immobilizer, valued at over $200 million and covering roughly 9 million cars. Note this is a build-configuration issue: Sportage delivered with push-button start and a smart key already had an immobilizer and are not part of the affected population.

On the 2017-2022 Kia Sportage, the A6MF-family 6-speed automatic can develop harsh or erratic shifting, hard 6-to-4 kickdown 'bang,' shift flares, brief neutral feel during up/downshifts, and torque-converter clutch (TCC) shudder. The root cause is wear of the reducing-valve bores in the valve body, which lets line pressure drift out of spec; neglected fluid (SP4-spec) accelerates the wear. The internal wiring harness is also a known high-failure component on this transmission family, producing intermittent solenoid faults.

On the 2017-2022 Kia Sportage, aWD-equipped Sportages develop a humming, growling, or grinding noise from the rear differential coupling unit. The electronically-controlled clutch pack coupling wears internally, and the coupling fluid degrades from heat. The noise increases during turns and low-speed maneuvering. If ignored, the coupling can fail completely, leaving the vehicle in front-wheel-drive only mode.

On the 2016-2021 Kia Sportage, owners report poor or intermittent A/C cooling — air that runs cold then warms up, or never gets cold on hot days. Kia issued TSB CLI046 covering intermittent poor A/C performance on 2017-2019 Sportages built Dec 1, 2015 through Jul 7, 2017, with a remedy of replacing the A/C compressor, evaporator temperature sensor and/or external control valve; a separate TSB (CLI035) covers evaporator core leaks from a defective tube weld on 2017 Sportages built Dec 10, 2015 through Dec 12, 2016. Common physical causes are a leaking front-mounted condenser (vulnerable to road-debris punctures and tube/seal leaks) and a failing compressor clutch. A failing compressor can also send metallic debris downstream, contaminating the condenser and orifice tube. Loud A/C compressor operation and 'not blowing cold' are the top owner complaints on CarComplaints.