Diagsheet

Compact SUVs · 8 model years, 2014 to 2026

Kia Sportage vs Nissan Rogue: problems and reliability

On the 7 measures below that do not grow with sales, the Sportage looks better on 3 and the Rogue on 1, with 3 too close to call.

Kia Sportage

Kia Sportage

1,337 complaints · 13 recalls

Nissan Rogue

Nissan Rogue

3,679 complaints · 27 recalls

Newest report Sep 23, 2026 · checked Sep 27, 2026

Counts are not adjusted for sales. The more cars of a model there are on the road, the more complaints it draws, so the raw totals above say a lot about sales. Everything below compares shares of each model's own complaints, the mileage problems start at, recalls per model year and each model's years against its own median.

Scorecard

Measure, 2014 to 2026SportageRogue
Complaints that report a crash5.8%5.7%
Complaints that report a fire5.2%1.1%
Complaints that report an injury4.1%4.2%
Median miles when problems are reported55,00039,000
Recall campaigns per model year1.63.4
Do-not-drive recalls00
NHTSA investigations15

The shaded side is lower (for miles, higher). Values within about a tenth of each other count as too close to call.

What owners complain about

The system Sportage owners complain about most is engine; for the Rogue it is transmission and drivetrain. Complaints citing engine make up 47% of all Sportage complaints, against 16% on the Rogue. The Rogue leans the other way on transmission and drivetrain: 18% of its complaints, against 7.3% for the Sportage.

Kia SportageNissan Rogue

Engine47%16%
Electrical15%14%
Transmission and drivetrain7.3%18%
Brakes5.6%13%
Collision avoidance2.9%10%
Airbags3.3%9.4%
Fuel and propulsion5.8%5.8%
Speed control4.2%5.5%
Structure4.3%4.5%
Service Brakes, Hydraulic8.0%0.2%

Share of each model's complaints that cite each system, from NHTSA's own component codes. One complaint can cite several systems, so the shares add up to more than 100%.

The most reported problems

The most reported problem on the Sportage is engine failure (20% of its complaints). On the Rogue it is brake wear (13% of its complaints), against 14% on the Sportage.

ProblemSportageRogue
Brakes grind, pulse or wear early14% 181most in 2016 · 40k mi13% 468most in 2018 · 19k mi
Engine stalls or loses power while driving15% 197most in 2017 · 70k mi9.8% 360most in 2023 · 59k mi
Engine failure, knocking or rod bearing20% 273most in 2017 · 82k mi3.4% 126most in 2023 · 42k mi
Check engine light or misfire12% 166most in 2017 · 87k mi4.2% 156most in 2023 · 61k mi
Airbag warning light or recall2.8% 3726k mi9.4% 347most in 2015 · 37k mi
Burns oil or oil level rises7.9% 106most in 2017 · 64k mi0.5% 20
Brakes on its own (automatic emergency braking)0.7% 97.6% 279most in 2018 · 16k mi
Transmission shudders, slips or shifts hard0.9% 125.1% 189most in 2016 · 77k mi

Share of each model's own complaints, with the count beside it. "Most in" links to the symptom sheet for the model year with the most reports of it, and the mileage is the median from reports that gave one.

When problems start

Rogue owners report problems earlier. Half the Rogue complaints that give a mileage come before 39,000 miles; for the Sportage the halfway point is 55,000. 47% of Sportage reports and 59% of Rogue reports come before 50,000 miles. Older model years have had longer to reach high mileage, so a window that runs to recent years pulls both medians down.

Kia SportageNissan Rogue

Under 25k34%36%
25k to 50k13%23%
50k to 75k18%18%
75k to 100k16%12%
100k to 150k17%9.0%
Over 150k2.9%1.6%

Share of the complaints that state a mileage: 551 for the Sportage and 1,882 for the Rogue.

Worst and best years

The 2023 Sportage draws 3.9 times the complaints of a typical Sportage year for its age. The 2023 Rogue draws 3.6 times the complaints of a typical Rogue year for its age.

Kia Sportage

  • Years to avoid: 2017, 2023 and 2024
  • Best years: none since 2016 is clearly better

Every Sportage model year

Nissan Rogue

Every Rogue model year

Kia SportageNissan Rogue

Each model year against its own model's median. Sportage: 2014 0.8, 2015 1.0, 2016 1.0, 2017 3.3, 2018 1.5, 2019 0.7, 2020 1.9, 2021 0.7, 2022 0.8, 2023 3.9, 2024 1.9. Rogue: 2014 0.6, 2015 0.9, 2016 1.0, 2017 1.2, 2018 1.5, 2019 0.9, 2020 0.4, 2021 1.0, 2022 1.1, 2023 3.6, 2024 1.4.2014 Sportage: 0.8 times its median2014 Rogue: 0.6 times its median'142015 Sportage: 1.0 times its median2015 Rogue: 0.9 times its median'152016 Sportage: 1.0 times its median2016 Rogue: 1.0 times its median'162017 Sportage: 3.3 times its median2017 Rogue: 1.2 times its median'172018 Sportage: 1.5 times its median2018 Rogue: 1.5 times its median'182019 Sportage: 0.7 times its median2019 Rogue: 0.9 times its median'192020 Sportage: 1.9 times its median2020 Rogue: 0.4 times its median'202021 Sportage: 0.7 times its median2021 Rogue: 1.0 times its median'212022 Sportage: 0.8 times its median2022 Rogue: 1.1 times its median'222023 Sportage: 3.9 times its median2023 Rogue: 3.6 times its median'232024 Sportage: 1.9 times its median2024 Rogue: 1.4 times its median'241x

Each bar is that model year's complaints for each year on the road, divided by the same figure for a typical year of the same model (the dashed line). Measuring each model against itself takes the sales gap between the two out of the picture, so they can share a scale. Years too new to judge are left out.

Recalls and investigations

The Rogue draws more recalls: 3.4 campaigns per model year against 1.6 for the Sportage. A recall counts once however many cars it covers, so this figure does not grow with sales the way complaint totals do.

Kia Sportage

13 recall campaigns and 1 NHTSA investigation across these model years. Most recalled: service brakes, hydraulic (3), electrical (3) and trailer hitches (2).

  • 18V-907 (fuel system) covers 5 model years
  • 22V-051 (service brakes, hydraulic) covers 3 model years

Investigations

  • DP22003: Loss of motive power (closed)

Nissan Rogue

27 recall campaigns and 5 NHTSA investigations across these model years. Most recalled: electrical (4), airbags (3) and seats (3).

  • 23V-093 (electrical) covers 6 model years
  • 16V-244 (airbags) covers 4 model years

Investigations

  • PE24020: 2021 nissan rogue inner tie rod failures (closed)
  • PE24017: Side curtain air bags may deploy inadvertently (open)
  • PE23023: Complete loss of motive power due to engine failure (closed, led to a recall)

Whether a particular car is included depends on its VIN. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Crashes, fires and injuries

Crashes turn up in about the same share of complaints on both (5.8% and 5.7%). Fire reports: 69 for the Sportage and 40 for the Rogue. Complaints on file report 0 deaths in the Sportage and 3 in the Rogue for these model years.

Kia SportageNissan Rogue

Report a crash5.8%5.7%
Report a fire5.2%1.1%
Report someone hurt4.1%4.2%

Share of each model's complaints in which the owner reported it. These are owners' own accounts as filed with NHTSA, and one report on its own doesn't prove a defect.

Questions

Is the Kia Sportage or the Nissan Rogue more reliable?

On the 7 measures below that do not grow with sales, the Sportage looks better on 3 and the Rogue on 1, with 3 too close to call. NHTSA complaint totals cannot settle it alone: the Sportage has 1,337 complaints and the Rogue 3,679 for the 8 model years from 2014 to 2026 that both have on file, and those totals follow how many of each were sold.

Which has more recalls, the Sportage or the Rogue?

The Sportage has 13 recall campaigns and the Rogue 27 across the 8 model years from 2014 to 2026 that both have on file. The Rogue draws more recalls: 3.4 campaigns per model year against 1.6 for the Sportage.

What are the most common problems on the Sportage and the Rogue?

The most reported problem on the Sportage is engine failure (20% of its complaints). On the Rogue it is brake wear (13% of its complaints), against 14% on the Sportage.

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