2000 Kia Sportage

(1) NOTICED THAT THE FUEL TANK SHIELD IS SEVERELY ROTTED OUT AND IS BARELY CONNECTED. (2) SMELL FUEL VAPORS PERIODICALLY WHILE IN THE VEHICLE. (3) FUEL TANK APPEARS TO BE RUSTING, AFRAID TO MESS WITH TANK IN FEAR OF DISTURBING THE RUST AND RUPTURING A HOLE IN TANK. (4) BRAKE LINES WERE SO SEVERELY RUSTED IN ONE AREA THAT IT BLEW A HOLE IN THE LINE AND PREVENTED THE VEHICLE FROM STOPPING AND REQUIRED THE PROMPT ACTION FOR REPAIR. OTHER BRAKE LINES LOOK LIKE THEY MAY FAIL IN NEAR FUTURE. (5) STEEL PORTION OF POWER STEERING LINE RUSTED OUT AND BLEW FLUID EVERYWHERE PREVENTING THE ABILITY TO TURN THE WHEEL WHILE DRIVING. (6) THE FRAME HAS HEAVY RUST SCALE AND APPEARS TO BE ROTTING IN SEVERAL PLACE. (7) PAINT IS STARTING TO BUBBLE WHICH IS INDICATING BODY IS RUSTING UNDER PAINT JOB. THIS IS A 12 YEAR OLD VEHICLE WITH VERY BAD ROTTING OF METAL FROM SALT CORROSION. HAVE NEVER SEEN THIS MUCH RUST ON 20+ OLD VEHICLES THAT ARE IN THE SAME NORTHERN REGIONS OF THE US. *TR

THE FRAME WHERE THE REAR STABILIZER ARM CONNECTS HAS COMPLETELY RUSTED ALLOWING THE ARM TO FALL AWAY. THE ONLY THING SUPPORTING THE ARM NOW APPEARS TO BE THE FUEL LINE WHICH IS ATTACHED TO IT. THE REST OF THE FRAME IS RUSTED OUT AS WELL. THERE IS NOT ENOUGH METAL LEFT TO WELD OR REPAIR. HAD THE ARM BROKEN THE FUEL LINE AND SPARKED WHEN IT DRAGGED ON THE ROAD, THIS PROBLEM COULD HAVE TURNED DEADLY. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM FOR A VEHICLE WITH ONLY TWELVE YEARS AND 84K MILES ON THE ROAD. *TR

MY KIA BEGAN HAVING ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS ABOUT 3 YEARS AGO. LONG STORY MADE SHORT: THE DEALER WANTED ME TO PAY $3000 PLUS FOR IT HAD ALL ITS ELECTRICAL SYSTEM MELTED DOWN. I FOUND A RECALL AND AFTER A BATTLE WITH THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER I GOT IT FIXED WHEN I FOUND OUT THERE WAS A RECALL. NEXT NIGHTMARE: JULY 2008 NO ONE DIED LUCKILY. I LEND MY CAR TO A FRIEND AND HE IS DRIVING HIS 2 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER AND THE CAR FALLS TO THE GROUND. AXLE BROKE DOWN, WHEELS SPUN INWARDS AND KIA IS NOT WORKING AGAIN. LUCKILY THESE FRIENDS WERE GOING AT 20 MILES AN HOUR OTHERWISE THEY WOULD NOT HAVE TOLD THE STORY. GOT IT FIXED COST ME $$ APPARENTLY IT WAS A DEFECTIVE KIA PART CENTER LINK REPLACED. HAVE THE PART STILL IN MY CAR AS A NICE MEMORY. FINAL NIGHTMARE: APRIL 2009 I WAS THE MAIN CHARACTER: AGAIN THE AXLE FEELS WEIRD AND CLICKS WHEN I TURN. PROBLEM: TIE ROD IS BROKEN. DIFFERENT THAN THE PREVIOUS TIME BUT RELATED TO THE PREVIOUS PROBLEM. LUCKILY WAS NOT ON THE FREEWAY AT HIGH SPEED OTHERWISE WOULD NOT BE TELLING THIS STORY. IN SHORT: THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD! KIA NEEDS TO RECALL THIS DEFECT URGENTLY. MY FRIEND AND KID AND I COULD HAVE GOT KILLED IN AN ACCIDENT LITERALLY. FORTUNATELY WE BOTH WERE DRIVING AT VERY LOW SPEEDS AND COULD MANAGE THIS PROBLEM WITH NO ONE GETTING INJURED? KIA NEEDS TO MAKE THESE CARS SAFER AND PREVENT FUTURE ACCIDENTS PLEASE!! BE RESPONSIBLE NOT ONLY WITH YOUR NEW CARS, TAKE PRIDE ON YOUR BRAND AND FIX THE OLD JUNK YOU CREATED!! *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 KIA SPORTAGE. SINCE PURCHASING THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT HAS PAID FOR NUMEROUS REPAIRS. BEFORE DRIVING THE VEHICLE OFF THE LOT, SHE NOTICED A LARGE PUDDLE OF OIL UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER REPAIRED THE FAILURE. THE FOLLOWING WEEK, WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SHAKE SEVERELY. THE DEALER ROTATED THE TIRES, BUT THE SHAKING PERSISTED. THIRDLY, A TIRE BLEW OUT AND HAD TO BE CHANGED. IN ADDITION, THE VEHICLE BEGAN LEAKING TRANSMISSION FLUID AND A NEW TRANSMISSION LINE WAS INSTALLED. LASTLY, THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR STOPPED WORKING AND THE ENTIRE DRIVER'S SIDE GLASS CAVED IN ON THE CONTACT, BUT DID NOT BREAK. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. CURRENTLY, THE GLASS WILL NOT ROLL UP OR DOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 86,000. UPDATED 1/5/09 *CN THE GAS TANK WAS FALLING APART. A SHIELD WAS NEEDED TO RECTIFY THE PROBLEM. THE DRIVERS WINDOW WAS INOPERATIVE. THE RADIATOR WAS LEAKING. THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF ALIGNMENT. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. THE CONSUMER DISCOVERED THE CABLE HAD MELTED. UPDATED 01/09/09*JB

WAS GOING OFF TO WORK ON 3 DIFFERENT SNOW DAYS ENGAGED VEHICLE 4X4 (AT LEAST ACCORDING TO THE IDIOT LIGHT I WAS ) PROCEEDED TO WORK SO I SLID ALL OVER THE ROAD AND GOT STUCK IN 2 INCHES OF SNOW. AFTER 3RD ATTEMPT CONTACTED DEALER TO ASK IF IT WAS A KNOWN CAUSE AND THEY TOLD ME YES THAT THERE WAS A TSB FOR A NEW HUB ASSEMBLY. CAUSE THE INNER SEALS ARE FAILING DUE TO THE MANUFACTURES DESIGN OF THE 4X4 VACUUM /SEAL SYSTEM , I ASKED THAT IF THIS IS A FAILURE IN THE DESIGN SHOULD THE KIA MANUFACTURES HAVE MADE A RECALL FOR THIS DEFECT IN THEIR WORKMANSHIP, AND WAS TOLD "NO" THERE IS A FIX FOR IT BUT MY 4X4 IS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE IT WAS A CONVENIENCE ISSUE AND IT WOULD COST ME $1000 DOLLARS TO FIX , WHEN I ASK WHY WASN'T IT FIXED IN 2001 WHEN I HAD IT IN FOR A 4X4 CONCERN THEY TOLD ME THAT THE TSB WASN'T ISSUED THEN BUT HAVE FOUND ON DIFFERENT WEB SIGHTS THAT IT WAS ..SO TO SOLVE MY OWN PROBLEM I ASK THE HEAD TECHNICIAN AT WHAT USE TO BE LYNNFIELD KIA "WHAT CAUSED THE FAILURE AND IS THERE A BETTER SOLUTION" HIS RESPONSE WAS WE DON'T REPAIR WE JUST REPLACE ...I FEEL IF ITS A MANUFACTURER DEFECT IN DESIGN IT SHOULD BE A RECALL. *JB

DT: THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 KIA SPORTAGE. THE CONTACT STATES THAT SHE HAS HAD TO REPLACE THE ROTORS, PADS, AND BEARINGS TWICE ON THE VEHICLE. SHE DID REGULAR MAINTENANCE ON HER VEHICLE. THE MECHANIC TOLD HER THAT IT WAS A PROBLEM WITH KIA BECAUSE OF THE BRAKES FAILING. THE FIRST TIME SHE HAD TO REPLACE THE PARTS WAS ON AUGUST 20 2002. SHE HAS HAD TO REPLACE THEM AGAIN ON MAY 16, 2005.*AK

I PURCHASED THIS KIA SPORTAGE IN NOVEMBER OF 2004 WITH 36000 MILES. NOTICED TRANMISSION SLIPPING DURING COLD START UP. BROUGHT BACK TO DEALER AND WAS TOLD THIS IS NORMAL. JANUARY 2005 CARS IDLE AND HANDLING IS BECOMING A HAZARD. CAR FISHTALES REGARDLESS OF DEGREE OF TURN OR AMOUNT OF DAMPNESS ON THE ROAD. CAR IS ALSO SHUDDERING WHEN PUT INTO FOUR WHEEL DRIVE. MARCH OF 2005 WAS DRIVING AT ABOUT 50 WHEN I HEARD A GRINDING NOISE FROM THE LEFT FRONT WHEEL WHICH GOT LOUDER AS I DROVE TO GET TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. AS I PULLED OVER THE WHEELS LOCKED AND I HEARD A SNAPPING SOUND AS I SKIDDED TO A STOP. I COULD NOT MOVE THE CAR, TRIED A FEW TIMES AND FINALLY DID GET THE CAR HOME. BROUGHT TO ATLANTIC KIA AND WAS TOLD I NEEDED A WHOLE HUB ASSEMBLY. THE INNER SEALS WERE ROTTED AND THIS ALLOWED WATER AND DUST TO ENTER THE ASSEMBLY AND CAUSE IT TO FAIL. THIS IS A PROBLEM KNOWN TO KIA AS I CALLED AND HAD WORDS WITH THEM ABOUT THERE KNOWLEGE OF THIS PROBLEM AND WAS TOLD THAT AS LONG AS IT IS NOT A RECALL THERE IS NOTHING THEY WILL DO TO FIX THIS PROBLEM OF DEFECTIVE SEALS. I ALSO ASKED IF SOMEONE HAD TO DIE BEFORE THEY MADE THIS A RECALL. HE DIDNT HAVE AN ANSWER.*AK