Problems · NHTSA complaints
2000 Kia Sportage problems
Owners filed 304 complaints about the 2000 Kia Sportage with NHTSA between Nov 1999 and Apr 2020. The most-cited component is fuel system, gasoline (74).
Complaints
304
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
23
Reported by owners
Fires
7
Reported by owners
Injuries
17
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Fuel system, gasoline74
- Service brakes, hydraulic46
- Engine and engine cooling42
- Power train39
- Electrical system30
- Structure29
- Suspension22
- Visibility22
- Air bags18
- Fuel/propulsion system12
- Steering8
- Equipment8
- Seat belts7
- Fuel system, other7
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Oct 28, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
1
28
35
37
44
17
19
24
26
11
10
16
8
11
5
5
1
3
2
0
0
1
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 1999 | 1 |
| 2000 | 28 |
| 2001 | 35 |
| 2002 | 37 |
| 2003 | 44 |
| 2004 | 17 |
| 2005 | 19 |
| 2006 | 24 |
| 2007 | 26 |
| 2008 | 11 |
| 2009 | 10 |
| 2010 | 16 |
| 2011 | 8 |
| 2012 | 11 |
| 2013 | 5 |
| 2014 | 5 |
| 2015 | 1 |
| 2016 | 3 |
| 2017 | 2 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 1 |
Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.
Top problems in owners’ words
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
Fuel system, gasoline
74 reports
“SOME OF THE MAJOR PROBLEMS INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING;FUEL TANK LEAK, HEAVY RUST, FRAME RUSTED OUT. TOOK IT TO A KIA DEALERSHIP & WAS TOLD I NEEDED TO HAVE THE FUEL PUMP, TANK&SENSOR REPLACED. PER THE ADVISOR AT THE KIA DEALERSHIP, MY CAR DID PASS INSPECTION IN REGARDS TO THE"EXTENDED WARRANTY"ON THE FUEL TANK.I WAS CHARGED APPROX.$800 FOR THE REPAIRS DUE TO IT BEING ONLY 1 YR PAST THE TIME FOR KIA TO COVER THE REPAIR.I AM UNDER THE MILEAGE.THE KIA DEALERSHIP GAVE ME A LIST OF ADDITIONAL REPAIRS NEEDED. ONE OF THEM BEING"FRAME RUSTED OUT IN REAR REQUIRES IMMEDIATE ATTENTION"THEY DID NO EXPLAIN ANY OF THIS TO ME! MY CAR STARTED TO JERK&SHAKE WHILE SLOWLY STEPPING ON THE BRAKES AS I PREPARED TO STOP AT A RED LIGHT,IT WAS DIFFICULT TO BRING THE CAR TO A COMPLETE STOP:'( IT MADE A LOUD NOISE AS IF SOMETHING HAD FALLEN OF MY CAR. PER THE MECHANIC THAT I HAD TO GET MY CAR TOWED TO, I NEED TO FIND A GOOD WELDER TO REPAIR ALL OF THIS RUST ASAP. HE STATED THAT THIS IS VERY UNSAFE AND THIS CAUSES ME TO HAVE NO CONTROL OF MY CAR. THE KIA DEALERSHIP SOLD ME $800 WORTH OF WORK WHILE KNOWING/NOT TELLING ME THAT MY CAR WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE:( WHO DOES THAT?! I HAVE HAD SO MANY…”
Service brakes, hydraulic
46 reports2 crashes
“(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”
Engine and engine cooling
42 reports2 fires
“BRAKES NOT WORKING PROPERLY.,WHEN YOU STEP ON BRAKE YOU CAN FEEL THE BRAKE OR TIRE SPENDING AND YOUR CAR IS STILL ROLLING WHEN YOUR ARE STEPPING ON THE BRAKE. ENGINE, TURNING THE CAR ENGINE ON AND OFF. WHEN YOU START THE ENGINE THE ENGINES CLICKS BUT DOES NOT START. ITS NOT THE TRANSMISSION. I HAVE REPLACED THE BATTERY SEVERAL TIMES BUT STILL THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR”
Power train
39 reports1 crash
“2000 KIA SPORTAGE. CONSUMER STATES SEVERAL PROBLEMS WITH VEHICLE *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED HE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE 4-WHEEL DRIVE NOT OPERATING PROPERLY. WHEN THE 4-WHEEL DRIVE WOULD ENGAGE, IT WOULD CAUSE TREMENDOUS FRICTION WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO SLOW DOWN DRASTICALLY. ALSO, WHEN IT WAS ENGAGED IN A TURNING MODE, THE FRONT GEAR WOULD SLIP. THE GAS TANK SHIELD WAS THREE QUARTERS OF THE WAY ROTTED DUE TO RUST AND THERE SEEMED TO BE MINOR GAS SEEPAGE UNDER WHAT WAS LEFT OF THE TANK SHIELD. THE CHASSIS FRAME RAILS, BOTH REAR SIDES WERE APPROXIMATELY 85% ROTTED OUT BY RUST. THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED BY SEVERAL REPAIR SHOPS THAT THE RAILS COULD NOT BE REPAIRED DUE TO THE FACT THAT THERE WAS VERY LITTLE GOOD METAL TO REPAIR AND STRENGTHEN THE VEHICLE FRAME. *JB”
Electrical system
30 reports1 crash3 fires1 related recall
“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.…”
Structure
29 reports1 crash
“2000 KIA SPORTAGE HEADLIGHTS GO OUT, RIGHT FRAME HAS A HUGE HOLE, MY CHILD IS AT RISK CAR NEEDS TO BE RECALLED ALSO LOCKS DON'T WORK, BATTERY DIES, SEATBELTS SUCK, RADIO GOES OFF ...”
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Oct 28, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.