2000 Kia Sportage

THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 KIA SPORTAGE. HI, I'M REALLY NOT SURE WHAT CATEGORY MY SITUATION FALLS INTO BUT I'M REALLY UPSET. MY WIFE AND I SMELLED GAS COMING FROM THE REAR OF OUR KIA. I THOUGHT IT WAS FROM A FAULTY GAS CAP WHICH I REPLACED. THE PROBLEM PERSISTED AND WHEN I BROUGHT THE CAR IN FOR IT'S NEXT OIL CHANGE I HAD IT CHECKED OUT. THE MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT THE GAS TANK AND THE SHIELD WERE CORRODING. HE EXPLAINED TO ME THAT KIA HAS HAD THIS ON GOING PROBLEM FOR SOMETIME AND THAT THE TANK WITH IT'S PARTS WERE DEFECTIVE. THAT THERE WAS A RECALL AND TO CONTACT KIA. FIRST I WENT ONLINE TO RESEARCH TO SEE IF THERE WAS A RECALL AND THERE IS. I THEN CONTACTED KIA HEADQUARTERS AND WAS TOLD TO TAKE IT TO A KIA DEALERSHIP TO HAVE IT CHECKED OUT.THAT THERE WAS A RECALL. I DID JUST THAT.. I BROUGHT IT TO LOMAN FORD KIA IN WOODBRIDGE NJ. HERE'S WHERE IT GETS CONFUSING. I LEFT MY KIA THERE AND LATER ON THAT DAY THEY CALLED ME. THEY TOLD ME THAT THE TANK AND SHIELD NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, BUT THAT IT WASN'T COVERED. BEING VERY CONFUSED I SAID THAT I SPOKE TO KIA AND I WAS TOLD OF THE RECALL PROBLEM. HE TOLD ME THAT I WAS NOT COVERED BY THE RECALL BECAUSE MY WARRANTY EXPIRED WHICH WAS 100,000 MILES OR TEN YEARS. I HAVE 173,000 MILES. HE SAID THAT THE RECALL IS ONLY ACKNOWLEDGED IF THE CAR IS IN WARRANTY. I TOLD HIM THATS A BUNCH OF CRAP. I SAID IT'S BEEN RECALLED BY THE DEALER AND THE DEALER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REPLACEMENT FREE OF CHARGE REGARDLESS OF WARRANTY THATS THE PURPOSE OF A RECALL. HE AGAIN SAID IT'S NOT COVERED. HOPE YOU CAN HELP ME. VERY TRULY YOUR'S.. [XXX] FROM NHTSA WEB SITE. CLOSE WINDOW PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).*CC

I OWN A 2000 KIA SPORTAGE EX [4X4] AND ADD I DONE MORE RESEARCH ON THIS I NEVER WOULD'VE PURCHASED IT. LIKE ALL SPORTAGES APPARENTLY THE 4WD DOESN'T WORK. I LIVE IN CLEVELAND OHIO AND WE NORMALLY GET 6MONTHS OF SNOW. THERE IS NO WAY I CAN DRIVE A VEHICLE WITH ONLY REAR WHEEL DRIVE. IT'S INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS AND A SAFETY HAZARD BECAUSE THE BACK WHEELS ALWAYS SPIN OUT DURING BAD WEATHER CONDITIONS. KIA HAS BEEN AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM FOR YEARS AND HASN'T RECALLED THIS UNSAFE VEHICLE FOR SOME STRANGE REASON. I WON'T COMPLAIN ABOUT SOME OF OTHER MINOR DEFECTS OF THIS SUV, BUT SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE ABOUT THE FAULTY 4WD!!!! RECENTLY I GOT STUCK IN 2INCHES MUD IN MY BACKYARD AND IT TOOK 4 HOURS OF ROCKING, LIFTING THE SUV WITH A JACK AND 2X4'S, AND CLEVER IDEA'S TO GET UNSTUCK. KEEP IN MIND I RECENTLY PURCHASED 4 BRAND NEW TIRES AND HAD THE SUV IN 4WD THE ENTIRE TIME. THIS IS A MAJOR FAULT OF KIA THAT SHOULDN'T BE IGNORED!!! *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 KIA SPORTAGE. SHE SMELLED AN ODOR OF GASOLINE COMING FROM HER VEHICLE. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION SHE NOTICED A PUDDLE OF FUEL OUTSIDE OF THE FUEL TANK. SHE SPECULATED THAT FUEL WAS LEAKING FROM THE FUEL PUMP SENDING UNIT. SHE CONTACTED THE DEALER, BUT BECAUSE THEY WILL CHARGE A DIAGNOSTIC FEE ,THE VEHICLE WILL NOT BE INSPECTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 95,000.

2000 KIA SPORTAGE 4 WHEEL DRIVE- BOUGHT CAR, CONTACTED KIA REGARDING RECALLS TOLD THERE WAS ONE ON FUEL TANK. TOOK CAR TO KIA, WAS TOLD TOO MANY MILES ON CAR- BUT LEAKY FUEL TANK STILL EXISTS. TODAY WENT TO GET FILL UP CAR, FIRST TIME, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT HAD TO COME TO SERVICE STATION BECAUSE CAR WAS POURING OUT FUEL FROM TANK. FIREMAN TOLD ME TO CONTACT KIA, TOLD HIM ALREADY DID BUT KIA REFUSED TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT THIS. CAR NEEDED TOWED, SHUT DOWN SERVICE STATION FOR ABOUT AN HOUR OR MORE UNTIL FUEL COULD BE CLEANED UP. THIS IS KIA'S FAULT, KNEW OF DEFECT, REFUSED TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT, LOOK AT INTERNET HOW MANY COMPLAINTS THERE ARE FOR THESE CARS. TANK MADE FROM POOR MATERIAL WITH KIA'S KNOWLEDGE SO THEY SHOULD HAVE A RECALL WHICH THERE IS ONE, BUT THEY DON'T WANT TO HONOR IT. *TR

ABOUT THE BEGINNING OF NOVEMBER I BEGIN SMELLING A SLIGHT GAS ODOR WHEN I GET OUT THE CAR. ABOUT THE 9TH OF NOVEMBER THE SMELL WAS EXTREMELY LOUD, I TRANSPORT MY GRANDCHILD AND I'M AFRAID -- I HAD THE CAR CHECKED OUT AND WAS TOLD THAT THE TANK WAS RUSTED OUT AND THE GAS WAS LEAKING OUT. THE MECHANIC INFORMED ME THAT I NEED TO REPLACE THE TANK AND THE ASSEMBLY - AND THIS IS NOT AN INEXPENSIVE JOB. WHERE IS THE RECALL - I SEE THIS IS A REAL PROBLEM WITH KIA SPORTAGES. *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