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What 392 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 Kia Sportage Plug-in Hybrid

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (392)Crash / fire / injury (26)Engine (328)Electrical system (29)Transmission & drivetrain (21)Brakes (11)Fuel system (7)Steering (6)Airbags (4)Body & structure (4)Visibility & wipers (4)Speed control (3)

1 of 392 complaints match · Body & structure · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Dec 8, 2018Body & structure1 injury

MY CAR WAS PARKED AT MY RESIDENCE. ALL DOORS WERE UNLOCKED. I PROCEEDED TO PULL THE RIGHT REAR PASSENGER DOOR HANDLE AND IT CAME OFF OF THE DOOR. THIS SMALL PULLING ACTION AND THE DETACHMENT OF THE DOOR HANDLE CAUSED ME TO FALL ON MY REAR END. THE FALL CAUSED BRUISING TO MY BUTTOCKS AND BACK.

NHTSA ODI 11157058

Working with the data? Download all 392 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 19, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2012 Kia Sportage Plug-in Hybrid verdict →