Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| STRUCTURE | |||
| 12/20/2007 | 1 | 03/25/2001 | |
| Fuel tanks rust out quick. i noticed smell of gas, and replaced tank immediately. no damage was done, just concern for others. poor design captures moisture between fuel tank and skid plate. this has cost me 250.00 for the tank, a half day of labor, and i'm concerned with putting skid plate back on. i looked on the internet to see if there were similar problems. there were several exact and others found with the fuel tanks. no cars have caught fire yet. *tr | |||
| 05/01/2005 | 45230 | 09/18/2001 | |
| 2001 kia sportage temperature gauge never registered that the engine was running hot. the consumer had to have the engine replaced.*mr the coolant sensor malfunctioned, the rear hatch panel inside fell off, new clips were installed. replaced manual transmission clutch, timing belt was replaced, wind noise from front passenger side door area. *bf | |||
| 09/01/2001 | 58 | ||
| Continual problems with 2001 kia sportage convertible. replacement of brakes 5 times, replacement of belts 6 times and 14 other problems. *bf the cup holder, convertible top, and belts were replaced. the alarm wires were re-adjusted, the ac compressor, ignition coil pack, cd player right rear axle, right front strut, catalytic converter, center console, rear window fuse, spark plug and engine harness were all replaced numerous times. *jb *nm | |||
| 06/18/2003 | 16047 | 8 | 04/23/2002 |
| Several: loose bolts at heat shield, loose muffler bolts, problem with fan pulley, master brake cylinder defective, t-stat, engine light, dealership could not identify most recent problem, said they put a new computer in. reflected last date below........ *nlm | |||
| 06/02/2003 | |||
| Car seems to not want to start when it rains, moisture causes sportage to stall numerous times until i drive a few miles. *nlm | |||
| STRUCTURE - BODY | |||
| 03/01/2013 | 36000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2001 kia sportage. the contact stated that upon inspection, it was found that the frame was extremely rusted. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was contacted. the failure mileage was 36,000. mh | |||
| 08/01/2011 | 100004 | 1 | |
| As my wife was driving home from work she noticed the rear of the suv was swaying upon further inspection of myself and an auto mechanic we found a crack in the rt rear frame the mechanic told us to park it and contact kia. told by kia as this car was now over 100,000 miles that it was no longer covered and there was nothing that could be done or it . well we welded on a few pieces of steel and it lasted only another 3 months and it started again this time we checked and found that the frame was rotted from the passenger door to the back end of the vehicle you could put your finger thru it car is now parked and wont be driven again. kia will do nothing about this. i went to the bone yard to see if they had a frame and the 7 kias that i checked all had the same problem if i were you and i owned a kia i would check this out before i drove another mile. *tr | |||
| 08/01/2011 | 100004 | ||
| As my wife was driving home from work she noticed the rear of the suv was swaying upon further inspedtion of mysef and an auto mechanic we found a crack in the rt rear fraome the mechanic told us sto park it and contact kia. told by kia as this car was now over 100,000 miles that it was no longer covered and there was nothuing that could be done or it . well we welded on a few peices of steel and it lasted only another 3 months and it started again this time we checked and found that the frame was rotted from the passanger door to the back end of the vehicle you could put your finger thru it car is now parked and wont be driven again.kia will do nothing about this. i went to the bone yard to see if they had a frame and the 7 kias thatichecked all had the same problem if i were you and i owned a kia i would check this out before i drove another mile | |||
| 07/02/2012 | 84000 | 1 | |
| I have a 2001 kia sportage with approximately 84,000 miles and the frame is completely rotted and i was told it was unsafe to drive on public roads. *tr | |||
| 07/02/2012 | 84000 | ||
| I have a 2001 kia sportage with approximately 84000 miles and the frame is completely rotted and i was told it was unsafe to drive on public roads. | |||
| 02/28/2012 | 150000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2001 kia sportage. the contact stated that while having regular maintenance, the mechanic notified her that the frame was severely corroded. the mechanic stated that the vehicle was not able to be repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 150,000. | |||
| 02/28/2012 | 150000 | ||
| Tl - the contact owns a 2001 kia sportage. the contact stated that while having regular maintenance, the mechanic notified her that the frame was severely corroded. the mechanic stated that the vehicle was not able to be repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 150,000. kmj | |||
| 02/28/2012 | 150000 | ||
| Tl - the contact owns a 2001 kia sportage. the contact stated that while having regular maintenance done on her vehicle, the mechanic notified her that the vehicle frame had corroded through. the mechanic stated that the vehicle was not able to be repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 150,000. pm | |||
| 09/22/2001 | 5000 | 8 | 06/15/2001 |
| Over the span of the last 1 1/2 years i have had the following problems *rear seat belts locked up wouldn't loosen far enough to get my child out of the car. *front seat belts (both) would come open while the vehicle was in motion. *drivers side door wouldn't latch when trying to close it, had to jiggle the inside handle *spare tire arm wouldn't stay in the locked position when open. still won't *four wheel drive wouldn't engage *lifter noise--collapsed lifter *head warped *check engine light had come on a few times *cup holders (front and rear) fell apart *outside trim was fallling off. *jb | |||
| STRUCTURE - BODY - BUMPERS | |||
| 09/03/2003 | 28500 | 1 | |
| While driving at 50 mph front bumper fell off. there was no accident nor did the vehicle hit anything in the road. after bumper fell off vehicle moved at such a rate of speed that the it ran over the bumper . manufacturer and the dealer have been notified. *ak | |||
| 9880 | 1 | ||
| Consumer state vehicle backed into a tree, then instead of bumper catching the impact the spare tire carrier was crushed. bumper was not strong at all. | |||
| STRUCTURE - FRAME AND MEMBERS | |||
| 01/23/2011 | 105280 | ||
| My 2001 kia sportage began to swerve and was all over the road. i brought it to a repair shop that told me the frame was rotted were the stabalizer connected to the chassis. honda has the same problom and recalled the vehical | |||
| 07/25/2010 | 137000 | ||
| 1 2001 kia sportage driving on highway. dry pavement. rear of vehicle sways side to side notice clunking sound intermitant 2. chassis is rotted everytime vehicle driven failure occurs. turning corners, accellarating, or if bags or luggage are loaded in rear of vehicle. vehicle sways or feels like you are driving on very low tires in the rear of vehicle. 3.nothing can be done to correct the failure. the rear of the chassis is completely rotted on both chassis rails, also the cross member that stabilizes the rear of the chassis is so rotted there is a 5 oval hole through the cross member. please look into this problem. the vehicle has been maintained looks great from the top but from underneath you can literally poke holes in the chassis with a screwdriver. mechanic recomendation : unfit/unsafe for travel on public roads. vehicle is presently sitting in yard undrivable. i have pics of the rot to send to nhtsa if this will help get investigation started. | |||
| 06/06/2010 | 137000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2001 kia sportage. while the contact was driving approximately 50 mph, the rear end of the vehicle began to fishtail. the vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road and inspected. the vehicle resumed normally at a reduced speed. the failure occurred intermittent. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for inspection where they detected the main frame exhibited excessive rust corrosion near the fuel tank area. also, the rear brake line was severely corroded. the main frame was ultra thin and damaged beyond repair. the technician replaced the brake line and advised that the vehicle not be driven due to the safety hazard. the failure mileage was approximately 137,000. the vin was unavailable. js | |||
| 03/15/2010 | |||
| The whole underbody of a 2001 kia sportage is rusting out , especially around the gas tank | |||
| 05/01/2009 | 74000 | 1 | |
| The frame, behind the rear wheels, rusted to the point of not passing inspection in 2009. it could have led to a problem in an accident with collapse and crushing the gas tank. *tr | |||
| 02/09/2010 | 73764 | 1 | |
| Purchased a 2001 kia sportage with 55200 miles. went to kia dealer because of fuel leak. technician told me that the frame was so rotted on the vehicle and that if i hit a pot hole that the rear end could let go. the technician told me that from 1995 to 2001 kia used low grade material on the frames of their vehicles and possibly did not coat them. he told me when he put my car on the lift that there was pieces of the frame dropping on the ground. he said he slightly tapped a hammer against the frame and it made holes. he told me that i should junk the vehicle and gave me paperwork stating the vehicle was unsafe to drive. i also had spoken to the owner of a used car dealership in my area prior to this and he told me that he could not sell the 1999 kia sportage that he purchased at auction with approx. 73,000 due to the frame rotting out. i could have been seriously hurt or killed if i was on the highway if i had not had that fuel leak. i cannot understand how kia could produce a vehicle like this. lower quality cosmetics are one thing but a frame on a vehicle is another. *tr | |||