Page 7 of 7 · complaints 301–303 of 303

1998 Kia Sportage complaints

Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 1998 record →

Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine
Filed Jun 11, 1998FL

WHEN CONSUMER IS AT A STOP SIGN AND THEN ACCELERATES, THE VEHICLE DOES NOT MOVE AT ALL LIKE THERE IS NO GAS IN THE VEHICLE WHILE THE ENGINE IS STILL RUNNING. DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE CONTACTED. *AK VEHICLE IDLED LOW, WHEN FIRST STARTED IN THE AM VEHICLE HAD NO POWER AND STUMBLED UNTIL IT WARMED UP, DEALER STATED THE IAC WOULD NOT OPEN, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED DUE TO THE TPS SENSOR BEING OUT OF SPECIFICATIONS. TAIL LIGHT LENS CRACKED AND THE DASH LIGHT DIMMER SWITCH FELL IN THE DASH. VEHICLE STALLED DUE TO IGNITION COIL AND SPARK PLUGS, VEHICLE BACKFIRED AND HESITATED, DEALER REROUTED THE WIRING HARNESS AND REPAIRED THE PIN CONNECTORS. VEHICLE OVERHEATED DUE TO A CRACK IN THE CYLINDER HEAD. PASSENGER SIDE FRONT DOOR RATTLED WHEN CLOSING AND THE WINDOW WAS DOWN, DEALER STATED THIS WAS NORMAL. CARPET ON THE PASSENGER SIDE FLOOR WOULD NOT LIE FLAT. REAR HATCH WOULD NOT POP AFTER BEING UNLOCKED, THERE WAS AN INTERNAL LEAK FROM THE SEAL. ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS, THE A/C LEAKED ON THE PASSENGER FLOORBOARD, DEALER REPLACED THE EVAPORATOR. *SLC

Air Bags › FrontalCrash
Filed Jun 10, 1998GA

WHEN TRAVELING 50 TO 55 MPH CONSUMER WAS INVOLVED IN A HEAD-ON COLLISION, HITTING A GAURDRAIL. VEHICLE FLIPPED OVER, AND THERE WAS NO DEPLOYMENT OF BOTH DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S SIDE AIR BAGS. ALSO, STATES THE VEHICLE WAS A TOTAL LOSS. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

Electrical System › Ignition › Switch
Filed Apr 16, 1998TX

THE ENGINE CHECK LIGHT COMES ON AND WON'T GO OFF. WHEN THE CAR IS TURNED OFF CAN SMELL SOMETHING BURNING. DEALER CAN'T FIND PROBLEM. *AK

Reading these

NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Full record for the 1998 Kia Sportage → · Every Sportage year → · How the figures are calculated →