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2016 Kia Sportage

Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 2016 Sportage.

Body SUVTransmission Automatic (S6)

The 2016 Kia Sportage is an SUV delivered with an automatic (S6) transmission and EPA ratings of 19/26/22 mpg. Its reliability profile shows 2 recalls and 130 owner complaints, with engine issues cited as the top complaint area. Within the model’s 1995–2026 complaint history, which spans from a low of 4 complaints in 2003 to a high of 394 in 2017, the 2016 model’s 130 complaints place it well below the worst years while still reflecting a measurable level of owner-reported issues.

Model year2026 2025 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2016

Quick specs

Fluid capacities, tune-up values and fuel economy at a glance.

EPA fuel economy19/26/22 mpgEPA · verified

Fitment & sizes

Replacement part sizes and factory part numbers — battery, bulbs, filters and belts.

From the factory this vehicle uses a BCI 124R · 600 CCA battery. Each part links to every other vehicle that shares it, so a part you already stock may fit more of your fleet than you'd expect.

Battery groupBCI 124R · 600 CCAOEM · verified

Tail / brake / turnOFFOEM · verified

Tire sizeP235/55R18OEM · verified

Wheel / rim7.0 inOEM · verified

Full specifications

Engine, drivetrain, dimensions and economy.

Engine & drivetrain NHTSA vPIC

Transmission

Automatic (S6)

Dimensions & weight NHTSA vPIC

Overall length	174.8 in
Overall width	73.2 in
Overall height	65 in
Wheelbase	103.9 in
Curb weight	3426 lb
Track (front / rear)	63.4 / 63.8 in
Weight distribution (front / rear)	58/42

Ratings & economy EPA / vPIC

EPA city / highway / combined	19 / 26 / 22 mpg
Drivetrain	All-Wheel Drive
Recommended fuel	Regular Gasoline

Performance & power Independent road tests

0–60 mph, quarter-mile, horsepower and torque from independent road tests.

Independent road tests for the Sportage of this era, listed by trim and engine — this page spans more than one engine, so no single horsepower figure is shown.

6.7–9.0 sec0–60 mph (tested)quickest 6.70 sec — 2017 SX T-GDI

Year	Trim / engine	0–60	¼ mile	HP	Drivetrain
2015	SX T-GDI 2.0L Turbo I-4	7.60 sec	15.80 sec	260 hp	AWD
2017	SX T-GDI 2.0L Turbo I-4	6.70 sec	15.10 sec	240 hp	FWD
2017	SX T-GDI 2.0L Turbo I-4	6.90 sec	15.40 sec	240 hp	AWD
2017	SX T-GDI 2.0L Turbo I-4	7.10 sec	15.40 sec	240 hp	AWD
2017	FE LX 2.4L I-4	8.00 sec	16.30 sec	181 hp	FWD
2017	SX T-GDI 2.0L Turbo I-4	8.10 sec	16.20 sec	240 hp	AWD
2017	EX 2.4L I-4	8.60 sec	16.80 sec	181 hp	AWD
2017	EX 2.4L I-4	9.00 sec	16.90 sec	181 hp	AWD

Service quick specs OEM factory data

Capacities, torques and tune-up values from the factory service manual.

This engine 75W-90 · GL-5 in the differential, DOT 3 · DOT 4 brake fluid. Torque the oil drain plug to 22.0-29.0 ft-lbs. The firing order is 1-3-4-2.

Lubricants & capacities

Automatic Transmission Fluid	ATF
Brake Fluid	DOT 3 · DOT 4
Differential Gear Oil	75W-90 · GL-5
Differential Gear Oil Capacity	1.5 qt
Engine Coolant	Ethylene Glycol
Engine Coolant Capacity	7.2
Engine Coolant	Ethylene Glycol
Engine Coolant Capacity	7.1

Engine torques

Intake Manifold to Engine Bolts	14
Exhaust Manifold to Cylinder Head Bolts	36
Intake Manifold to Engine Bolts	14
Engine Oil Pan Drain Plug	22.0-29.0 ft-lbs

Chassis torques

Steering Track (Rod End) Bolts	17.4-24.6 ft-lbs
Transfer Case Fill Plug	29.0-43.0 ft-lbs
Transfer Case Drain Plug	29.0-43.0 ft-lbs

Ignition

Cylinder Firing Order	1-3-4-2
Curb Idle Speed (No Load)	600-800 rpm
Curb Idle Speed (No Load)	580-780 rpm
Ignition Timing	6 degrees
Ignition Timing Acceptable Variance	10 degrees
Ignition Timing	6 degrees
Ignition Timing Acceptable Variance	10 degrees

Battery & A/C

Refrigerant	R134a
Refrigerant Capacity	1.15-1.30 lbs
Oil Group	PAG
Oil Type	46
Oil Capacity	3.70-4.40 oz
Standard BCI Group Number	124R
Standard BCI Cranking Performance	600 cca

Service checks

Regulated Fuel System Pressure (With Vacuum)	70.0-75.0 psi
Regulated Fuel System Pressure (With Vacuum)	72-73 psi
Regulated Fuel System Pressure (With Vacuum)	70-75 psi
Engine Compression	psi 135-156 / max variation 15 psi
Engine Compression	psi 171 - 192 / Max Variation 15 psi
Intake Valve Lash	0.0067-0.0090 in
Exhaust Valve Lash	0.0126-0.0150 in
Intake Valve Lash	0.0067-0.0090 in

Brakes

Brake Caliper Bolt to Carrier Torque	Front or rear: 16-23 / 16-23
Brake Caliper Carrier to Hub Bolt Torque	Front: 58-; Rear: 47-
ABS Sensor Torque	7 / NS
Minimum Pad Thickness	0.079 in
Minimum Shoe Thickness	0.039 in
Vented Rotor Minimum Thickness for Replacement	Front: .960; Rear: .330
Variation from Parallelism Thickness Variation	.0002
Maximum Rotor Runout	Front: .0010; Rear: .0012

Factory maintenance schedule OEM · verified

Normal service, condensed from the factory interval matrix.

Under the factory schedule, replace the engine oil and filter at 3,000 mi; coolant every 7,500 mi. The big-interval services (every 7,500 mi for coolant, and the transmission fluid) are the ones owners most often skip — on a lower-mileage example, assume the original fluids are still in it and check them first.

At 3,000 mi	Engine Oil (drain & refill) · Engine Oil Filter (replace)
Every 5,000 mi	Engine Oil (drain & refill) · Engine Oil Filter (replace)
At 7,500 mi	Battery (inspect) · Body Fasteners (inspect) · Body Latches, Locks & Hinges (lubricate) · Brake Hydraulic System (inspect fluid level) · Brake Line (inspect) · Brake Linings (inspect)
Every 7,500 mi	Air Conditioning System (inspect) · CV Joint Boot (inspect) · Driveshaft U-Joint (lubricate) · Engine Air Filter Element (inspect) · Engine Coolant System (leak inspection) · Engine Oil (drain & refill)
Every 15,000 mi	Accessory Drive Belt (inspect) · Battery (inspect) · Body Fasteners (inspect) · Body Latches, Locks & Hinges (lubricate) · Brake Hydraulic System (inspect fluid level) · Brake Line (inspect)
At 30,000 mi	Battery (inspect) · Body Fasteners (inspect) · Body Latches, Locks & Hinges (lubricate) · Brake Hydraulic System (inspect fluid level) · Brake Line (inspect) · Brake Linings (inspect)
Every 30,000 mi	Engine Coolant System (drain, flush & refill) · Fuel Evaporative Canister Filter (inspect) · Fuel Evaporative Emission Control System Lines (inspect) · Fuel Filter (inspect) · Fuel Line (inspect) · Fuel Tank Filler Cap (inspect)
Every 37,500 mi	Differential (inspect fluid level) · Transfer Case Assembly (inspect fluid level)
At 60,000 mi	Accessory Drive Belt (inspect)

Reliability & federal safety record

Owner-reported issues, recalls, investigations and service bulletins on record with NHTSA — an unfiltered look at what owners actually experience.

The 2016 Kia Sportage sits in a relatively quiet pocket of its generation's federal record, posting 130 complaints, 2 recalls, 2 investigations, and 127 TSBs — figures that are lower than the elevated 2011-2013 era (which peaked at 392 complaints in 2012) and markedly better than the 2017 model year, which spiked to 394 complaints, 4 recalls, and 191 TSBs immediately after. Notably, 2016 shows declining TSB volume compared to 2014 (181) and 2015 (153), suggesting engineering refinements rather than emerging issues, and its complaint count represents a step down from 2015's 146. The dominant concern areas are concentrated in Engine (34 complaints) and Service Brakes/Hydraulic (31), which together account for the bulk of filings, while Electrical System issues are comparatively minor at 7; the data does not specify a root cause for either the engine or brake cluster. With 8 crash-related and 5 fire-related complaints out of 130, the severity ratio is meaningful and warrants a pre-purchase inspection focused on those two systems. The takeaway: the 2016 model year is a defensible buy within this generation, as it precedes the clear 2017 trouble spike and shows moderating service-bulletin activity, but a buyer should specifically verify engine and brake performance and confirm that all 2 recalls have been completed.

Open recalls

NHTSA campaigns

127

Service bulletins

Manufacturer communications

ODI investigations

Office of Defects Investigation

130

Owner complaints

8 involved a crash · 5 a fire

NHTSA crash-test rating federal NCAP · out of 5 stars

Overall★★★★★

Frontal★★★★★

Side★★★★★

Rollover★★★★★

Owner complaints by model year NHTSA · this generation & adjacent

’95 ’96 ’97 ’98 ’99 ’00 ’01 ’02 ’03 ’05 ’06 ’07 ’08 ’09 ’10 ’11 ’12 ’13 ’14 ’15’16’17 ’18 ’19 ’20 ’21 ’22 ’23 ’24 ’25 ’26

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA, by component

All 130 complaints on record, top 8 components.

Engine34

Service Brakes, Hydraulic31

Electrical System7

Unknown Or Other7

Unknown Or Other,Engine5

Engine,Fuel/Propulsion System3

Vehicle Speed Control3

Electrical System,Engine3

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint database.

Recalls NHTSA · verified

Showing 2 of 2 campaigns on record for this vehicle.

18V907000Fuel System, Gasoline:Delivery:Hoses, Lines/Piping, And FittingsReported 19/12/2018

Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2011-2017 Optima, 2012-2017 Sorento and 2011-2018 Sportage vehicles that previously received an engine replacement under recall number 17V-224, warranty, or the Knock Sensor… Remedy: Kia has notified owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the fuel pipe, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 17, 2019. Owners may contact Kia customer…

22V051000Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip:Control Unit/ModuleReported 02/02/2022

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… Remedy: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will install a new fuse for the HECU circuit board, free of charge. Owner…

Technical service bulletins NHTSA · verified

Showing 5 of 127 bulletins on record with NHTSA.

Bulletin	Date	Component	Summary
CS2312_TSB_R2	2026-06-08	Structure	TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: THEFT DETERRENT IGNITION CYLINDER…
TSB_CS2312_R1	2026-02-18	Structure	TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: THEFT DETERRENT IGNITION CYLINDER…
TSB_CS2312	2025-12-17	Structure	TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: THEFT DETERRENT IGNITION CYLINDER…
CS2312_OWNR	2025-12-17	Structure	CUSTOMER SATISFACTION CAMPAIGN: OWNER NOTIFICATION (CS2312) - This document is the owner…
PS797	2025-12-09	Back Over Prevention	PITSTOP: TECHNICAL OPERATIONS: EXTERNAL DAMAGE TO ULTRASONIC SENSOR: This Pitstop…

Common OBD-II trouble codes

The most common OBD-II codes for this vehicle's emissions system. These are standardized SAE J2012 definitions, not vehicle-specific fault reports.

P0420

Catalyst system efficiency below threshold — Bank 1

P0300

Random / multiple cylinder misfire detected

P0171

System too lean — Bank 1

P0455

Evaporative emission system leak detected — large leak

P0128

Coolant thermostat below regulating temperature

P0442

Evaporative emission system leak detected — small leak

VIN tools

Decode factory build data for a specific vehicle by VIN.

VIN

Decode a VIN to confirm the transmission and build data for a specific Sportage. OEM

Build data

Plant, GVWR class, engine and body data for any 17-character VIN.

Recalls

Check open recall campaigns against a specific vehicle by VIN.

Vehicles with shared specs

Find every vehicle that shares this one's battery, bulbs, oil capacity, platform or parts.

Group 124R battery

Reference guides

Cross-vehicle references for the kinds of data on this page.

Vehicle recalls & TSBs OBD-II trouble codes Maintenance schedules Fluid capacities & specs

Frequently asked

Does the 2016 Sportage have open recalls?

NHTSA lists 2 recall campaign(s) for this model year. Check your specific vehicle by VIN.

What gas mileage does the Sportage get?

EPA figures are 19 city / 26 highway / 22 combined mpg.