2000 Kia Sportage power train problems

“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”

“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”

“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.…”

“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”

“THE 4-WHEEL DRIVE ON MY KIA SPORTAGE 2000 HAS STOPPED WORKING. MY MECHANIC IDENTIFIED THE PROBLEM WITH THE KNUCKLE/HUB ASSY W/O ABS (PART # QK081-33-020-DQ). IT'S A SYSTEM THAT WORKS BY AIR PRESSURE TO ENGAGE THE 4X4. THE DEFECT WITH THIS PART IS THAT AIR LEAKS OUT OF IT AND CAUSES THE 4X4 TO STOP WORKING. KIA HAS MADE A NEW VERSION OF THIS PART (PART # QK082-33-020-EQ) THAT CORRECTS THE ISSUE BY DOUBLE SEALING THE AIR PRESSURE LEAK. THEY ARE NOT HOWEVER WILLING TO MAKE THE REPAIRS FREE OF CHARGE, WHICH I THINK THEY SHOULD. THE REASON WHY THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE IS BECAUSE THIS CAR HAS REAR WHEEL DRIVE AND WE LIVE IN UTAH WHERE IT SNOWS EVERY WINTER. REAR WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLES IN SNOW-COVERED ROADS ARE USELESS AND CANNOT BE CONTROLLED. WE PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE FOR THE 4X4 FACTOR THAT MADE A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN SNOWY WEATHER. WE ARE VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH THE FACT THAT THE COMPANY IS NOT TAKING RESPONSIBILITY TO CORRECT THE ISSUE FREE OF CHARGE, ESPECIALLY SINCE THIS IS A MANUFACTURERS DEFECT AND A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE IN THIS KIND OF WEATHER. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO NOTE THAT THIS DEFECT WAS ALSO IN THE 98, 99, 00 AND 01 MODELS OF THIS CAR. UNFORTUNATELY FOR ME I…”

“TIRES BECAME BALD THREE MONTHS AFTER I BOUGHT THE CAR, BRAKE PADS AND ROTOR NEEDED REPLACING. THE GAS LEVER HAS BEEN AND IS BROKE AGAIN. HUBS WERE REPLACED THE FIRST TIME, SEALS WERE REPLACED SECOND TIME. THE HEAT SHIELD NEEDS TO BE REPLACED RIGHT NOW. PASSENGER SIDE WINDOW MOVES VERY SLOW. TIMING BELT REPLACED EARLY. BRAKE LIGHT COMES ON WHENEVER I APPLIED THE BRAKES. I WENT TO AN AUTO DEALER AND HAD THEM CHECK OUT THE BRAKES. THEY TOLD ME THAT THE MASTER BRAKE CYLINDER WAS LEAKING BADLY. *NM”