2000 Kia Sportage service brakes, hydraulic problems

“(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”

“I TOOK MY 2000 KIA SPORTAGE IN TO MY MECHANIC TO HAVE THE BRAKES REDONE. AS HE WAS OUT TESTING TO MAKE SURE THE BRAKES WORKED HE NOTICED THAT THE REAR END WAS MOVING AROUND QUITE A BIT. HE TAKES IT BACK TO THE SHOP TO LOOK UP UNDERNEATH AND NOTICED THAT THE CHASSIS WAS RUSTED AWAY SO BAD THAT THERE WAS S FIST SIZED HOLE IN IT. HE TOLD ME THIS NEEDED TO BE FIXED ASAP! THIS IS A SERIOUS CONCERN NOT ONLY FOR ME BUT FOR EVERYONE ELSE WHO OWNS THE VEHICLE. ITS A SCARY THOUGHT TO KNOW THAT AT ANY GIVEN TIME MY CHASSIS CAN LITERALLY FALL APART ON ME. WE NEED THIS TO BE RECALLED DUE TO THE AMOUNT OF COMPLAINTS THAT IT ALREADY AS AND THE EXTREMELY POOR DESIGN OF THIS CHASSIS. *TR”

“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…”

“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”

“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…”

“TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 KIA SPORTAGE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE BRAKE ICON ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE MASTER CYLINDER FAILED. APPROXIMATELY 7 YEARS LATER, THE FAILURE HAS RECURRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,000. UPDATED 05/21/08 *BF UPDATED 05/20/08”