"How reliable is the 2006 Kia Sportage?"

"Based on 169 NHTSA complaints, the 2006 Kia Sportage has a median complaint mileage of 79500 miles. The most common issue is Air Bags."

"What are common problems with the 2006 Kia Sportage?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2006 Kia Sportage is Air Bags, accounting for a significant portion of the 169 total complaints filed."

2006 Kia Sportage: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 169 complaints

169

Total Complaints

79,500mi

Median Mileage

Air Bags

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

57,750 25th Percentile

79,500 Median Mileage

119,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Air Bags

Electrical System

Engine

Electronic Stability Control (Esc)

Vehicle Speed Control

Exterior Lighting

Power Train

Service Brakes

Suspension

Body

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"THE REAR WIPER ARM OF THE KIA SPORTAGE IS MADE OF WEAK PLASTIC AND CANNOT WITHSTAND GOING THROUGH A CAR WASH. THE FIRST CAR WASH IT WENT THROUGH RIPPED OFF THE WIPER BLADE AND COVER OVER THE INSTALLATION NUT. THE SECOND CAR WASH THEN BROKE THE ARM. THIS RESULTS IN THE INABILITY TO CLEAR THE REAR ..."

"DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING HOME, THERE WAS A STRONG SMELL AND FUMES WHICH EMANATED FROM THE INSIDE TO THE OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. IT WAS DRIVEN HOME AND PARKED IN THE GARAGE. UPON INSPECTION, GAS WAS OBSERVED LEAKING UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. THE DEALER WAS CONTACTE..."

"WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR INOPERATIVE DURING A STORM WHILE I WAS DRIVING MY WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR BROKE LEAVING ME WITH NO WIPERS THE DEALERSHIP HAS FIXED THE PROBLEM BUT THEY TOLD ME THAT THIS SAME PROBLEM HAPPENED TO ABOUT 10 OF THE SAME CARS DURING THE SAME STORM. *JB"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Air Bags 37 complaints

25th: 58,500 mi Median: 72,000 mi 75th: 96,000 mi

Electrical System 20 complaints

25th: 69,800 mi Median: 80,000 mi 75th: 129,250 mi

Engine 15 complaints

25th: 106,550 mi Median: 126,000 mi 75th: 177,825 mi

Electronic Stability Control (Esc) 9 complaints

25th: 68,600 mi Median: 99,204 mi 75th: 119,500 mi

Vehicle Speed Control 8 complaints

25th: 77,500 mi Median: 112,000 mi 75th: 122,262 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

FL: 20 NY: 19 CO: 17 CA: 14 AZ: 11 GA: 9 PA: 7 VT: 6 MI: 5 MD: 5

Who Files Complaints?

7.7%

Original Owners

92.3%

Second+ Owners

Kia Sportage — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1995	88	-	Buckle Assembly	2
1996	98	79,000	Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip	13
1997	299	97,000	Gasoline	50
1998	558	70,000	Gasoline	31
1999	493	71,200	Gasoline	43
2000	462	69,000	Fuel System, Gasoline	27
2001	354	48,595	Fuel System, Gasoline	31
2002	321	58,400	Fuel System, Gasoline	19
2005	93	89,000	Air Bags	13
2007	113	69,000	Electrical System	13
2008	138	88,000	Electrical System	2
2009	117	75,000	Electrical System	4
2010	28	89,500	Air Bags	4
2011	260	70,505	Engine	10
2012	448	97,000	Engine	10
2013	447	94,000	Engine	6
2014	149	79,500	Engine	2
2015	190	70,000	Engine	9
2016	182	60,000	Engine	13
2017	523	54,000	Engine	25
2018	209	18,200	Engine	11
2019	98	25,000	Engine	5
2020	187	11,300	Engine	16
2021	45	47,000	Unknown Or Other	3
2022	58	33,000	Engine	10
2023	285	15,250	Unknown Or Other	41
2024	85	22,500	Unknown Or Other	14
2025	69	3,500	Unknown Or Other	6

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28