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Selling a junk Kia Sportage

Any Sportage sells for scrap or parts, running or not. Below: what owners report most often for each model year, the recalls on file, and which of those change the offer. Enter your ZIP for a buyer near you.

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What owners report about the Kia Sportage

NHTSA has 6,286 owner complaints on file for the Kia Sportage, model years 1995 to 2022, the 79th-most of the 423 models in our data. The most-reported components are engine (1,449, 23%), electrical system (578, 9%), brakes (565, 9%). 388 complaints involved a crash, 315 a fire, and 346 say the vehicle had to be towed. The median mileage when the problem was reported is 75,479 miles. The 2017 model year has the most complaints (567). Data as of 2026-10-12.

When the top complaint is engine, the question for a seller is whether a buyer will resell the car, pull the parts or scrap it. Read our guide to selling a car with a blown engine: it explains which offers assume the part works and how to describe the car so the price holds at pickup.

Kia Sportage by model year

YearComplaintsMost reportedCrashFireRecallsMedian miles
199588Engine and cooling212—
199698Brakes1333—
1997299Engine and cooling506397,000
1998558Engine and cooling317570,000
1999493Engine and cooling436571,200
2000462Fuel system278469,500
2001354Fuel system317260,000
2002321Engine and cooling197359,500
20034Fuel system000—
200593Air bags132389,000
2006169Air bags129180,000
2007113Air bags137269,000
2008138Electrical system237390,000
2009120Electrical system715375,000
201028Brakes402—
2011264Engine1010676,000
2012454Engine1025598,500
2013450Engine635394,532
2014155Engine31383,000
2015195Engine921270,000
2016187Engine138260,000
2017567Engine2546458,000
2018230Engine1117332,500
2019103Engine58236,000
2020207Engine1618216,000
202168Engine392—
202268Engine1021—

Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not confirmed defects. Median miles is the odometer reading owners gave when they reported a problem, shown only where 20 or more reports include it.

Kia Sportage recalls

NHTSA lists 29 recall campaigns across these model years, most often for brakes (5), lights (5), electrical system (3). Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer. Before you sell, check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a buyer who plans to resell the car will.

  • 2010 model year, brakes (campaign 23V652000, Sep 2023): Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2010-2019 Borrego, 2014-2016 Cadenza, 2010-2013 Forte, Forte Koup, Sportage, 2015-2018 K900, 2011-2015 Optima, 2011-2013 Optima Hybrid, Soul, 2012-2017 Rio, 2011-2014 Sorento,…
  • 2008 model year, brakes (campaign 22V800000, Oct 2022): Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2008-2009 Sportage vehicles previously recalled under recall 16V-815. An engine compartment fire originating from around the Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) may occur…
  • 2017 model year, trailer hitch (campaign 22V703000, Sep 2022): Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2016-2022 Sorento, 2021-2022 Sorento Hybrid (HEV), 2022-2023 Sorento Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV), and 2017-2022 Sportage vehicles equipped with a tow hitch harness installed as orig…
  • 2014 model year, brakes (campaign 22V051000, Feb 2022): Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2016-2018 K900 and 2014-2016 Sportage vehicles. The Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) module could malfunction and cause an electrical short, which could result in an …
  • 2017 model year, brakes (campaign 21V137000, Mar 2021): Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2017-2021 Sportage and Cadenza vehicles. The electrical circuit in the Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) may short-circuit, which can cause a fire in the engine compar…

What a Kia Sportage is worth as a junk car

Buyers price a junk Sportage on four things: its weight at today's scrap steel price (the floor), the parts still on it that can be resold, whether it starts and drives, and how far they have to tow it. None of those come from a complaint database, so use this page to describe the car accurately and our junk car value guide to work out a ceiling for the metal. Then get more than one offer.

Guides for selling this car

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Questions people ask

What is a junk Kia Sportage worth?
What a yard can recover: the car's weight at the current scrap steel price, plus parts it can resell (the catalytic converter, engine, transmission and wheels if they're good), minus towing and processing. The same Sportage gets different offers from different buyers, so compare at least two. Our value guide shows the public benchmark.
Will a junkyard buy a Kia Sportage that doesn't run?
Yes. Junkyards and junk car buyers take cars that don't start, and most arrange the tow. Tell them honestly whether it starts, whether the engine and transmission are still in it, and whether the catalytic converter is on; those are what change the price.
Should I fix an open recall before selling a Kia Sportage?
Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer for as long as the car exists. If the car is going for scrap, the repair won't change the scrap price. If a buyer might resell it or pull parts, a completed recall can help. Check your VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup first.
Where do these Kia Sportage numbers come from?
From the complaint and recall data NHTSA publishes for every make and model, counted by model year on 2026-10-12. A complaint is an owner's report, not a confirmed defect, and the count rises with how many of the model were sold.