"How reliable is the 2008 Kia Sportage?"

"Based on 138 NHTSA complaints, the 2008 Kia Sportage has a median complaint mileage of 88000 miles. The most common issue is Electrical System."

"What are common problems with the 2008 Kia Sportage?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2008 Kia Sportage is Electrical System, accounting for a significant portion of the 138 total complaints filed."

2008 Kia Sportage: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 138 complaints

138

Total Complaints

88,000mi

Median Mileage

Electrical System

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

42,000 25th Percentile

88,000 Median Mileage

123,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Electrical System

Engine

Service Brakes

Body

Electronic Stability Control (Esc)

Power Train

Exterior Lighting

Service Brakes, Hydraulic

Air Bags

Engine And Engine Cooling

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"I WAS RECENTLY INJURED WHEN USING A 2008 KIA SPORTAGE. AS I WAS OPENING THE BACK DOOR, THE RING FINGER ON MY LEFT HAND WAS CAUGHT IN THE LATCH, BELOW THE EXTERIOR METAL PORTION WHERE YOU PUSH THE DOOR SHUT. THE END OF THAT FINGER WAS CRUSHED IN THE LOCK HIDDEN UNDER THE LATCH. IT BLED PROFUSELY AN..."

"2008 KIA SPORTAGE HAD PROBLEMS FROM DAY ONE. CONSUMER HAD PROBLEM WITH CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. *NJ"

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.

Electrical System 26 complaints

25th: 48,682 mi Median: 90,000 mi 75th: 132,500 mi

Engine 17 complaints

25th: 65,733 mi Median: 90,000 mi 75th: 125,000 mi

Service Brakes 15 complaints

25th: 51,000 mi Median: 75,000 mi 75th: 99,500 mi

Body 11 complaints

25th: 90,000 mi Median: 90,000 mi 75th: 145,500 mi

Electronic Stability Control (Esc) 9 complaints

25th: 43,050 mi Median: 68,000 mi 75th: 109,750 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

PA: 25 NY: 23 OH: 9 MD: 8 GA: 7 CO: 6 NJ: 5 VA: 5 FL: 5 MN: 4

Who Files Complaints?

0.7%

Original Owners

99.3%

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
2006	169	79,500	Air Bags	12
2007	113	69,000	Electrical System	13
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