2020 Kia Sportage · symptom sheet
Burns oil or oil level rises
- 31owner reports
- 73,000median miles
- 1involved a crash
Newest report Jun 15, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
87 of the 161 complaints on this car are about the engine. 31 of those describe oil consumption. Only engine failure is reported more often on this car.
Tick what matches of 31 reports
Oil consumption on other Sportage years
Report counts are for each model year on its own, so a newer car has had less time to collect them. Model years with too few reports of it for a sheet: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2023, 2026.
What this problem usually is
Two different complaints land here. The more common one is an engine that uses oil: owners add a quart between changes, get a low-oil warning, or are told by the dealer that the rate is normal. The other is the opposite, where the oil level climbs and the oil smells of gasoline. Both deserve a proper test, and both are easier to argue with records in hand.
What got replaced
Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the piston rings (11 reports) and the engine (3 reports).
Recalls and investigations
No recall on the engine covers the 2020 model year as of Oct 2, 2026.
NHTSA investigations into the engine on the Sportage
Loss of motive power. Closed dec 12, 2023.
Engine fires. Closed feb 5, 2024, led to recall 23V-877.
Scope and timeliness. Closed dec 22, 2021, led to recall 17V-224.
Fan blade cracking/separation. Closed apr 16, 2007, led to recall 07V-161.
Fan blade cracking/separation. Closed jan 22, 2007.
Fuel tank leakage. Closed nov 30, 2007.
Fuel tank leakage. Closed may 9, 2006.
When it happens
The middle half of failures fell between 5,000 and 91,000 miles, from the 11 reports that gave a mileage.
Is this a known problem?
The manufacturer has sent NHTSA 2 service bulletins or notices for the 2020 Kia Sportage that deal with this problem. Newest first.
Federal rules make a manufacturer send NHTSA a copy of any notice about a defect that goes to more than one dealer or owner. Most of these are service bulletins, the repair instructions manufacturers send to dealers. NHTSA generally leaves safety recall bulletins out of this file, and recalls are listed separately.
EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION NU/GAMMA/THETA/KAPPA ENGINES This bulletin provides information on diagnosing and/or repairing some 2011-2024MY vehicles (refer to the table on pages 9 and 10 for applicable models and engine), which may exhibit a symptom of excessive oil consumption.
EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION NU/GAMMA/THETA/KAPPA ENGINES This bulletin provides information on diagnosing and/or repairing some 2011-2021MY vehicles (refer to the tables on pages 8-9 for applicable models and engine), which may exhibit a symptom of excessive oil consumption.
What owners wrote
“My 2020 Kia Sportage continues to consume too much oil. There is not a leak detected where I park my car during work, nor in my garage. I need to add oil to the vehicle every other week.”
Filed Jan 10, 2026
“My Kia Sportage was stolen, however a couple of years ago I had the Kia Anti Theft Logic software updated on the car. Iâve been told that although it does not prevent anyone from breaking in, they should not have been able to move the car. Prior to this, the engine is running on 3 cylinders instead of 4 which has caused major issues with the car burning oil rapidly.”
Filed Oct 19, 2025
“Just got my oil changed 2 weeks ago and the oil light came on, checked and there was no oil, so been adding oil and it keeps burning it up, after reading a bunch of forums I see that Iâm not the only one to have this issue. This isnât the first time Iâve had this issue, I figured first 2 times were accidental but now that Iâm on my 3rd time I believe that something is wrong.”
Filed Mar 5, 2025
“The engine has excessive engine oil consumption. Frequent oil changes and payment for oil. Vehicle also is not indicating when it is low on oil. This has been ongoing since the purchase of the vehicle in 2021”
Filed Jun 12, 2024
Should you keep driving it?
This page can't tell you that. 1 of 31 reports involved a crash. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.
File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation. How reports land on this sheet.
Guide Taking it to a shop? How to describe this problem so it gets found
Other problems on this car
- Engine failure, knocking or rod bearing 37 reports