This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
(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.
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.
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 problems with this car:( I didn't list all of them. From little things to major. I feel so unsafe driving it. I only wish that people truly cared & tried to picture how they would feel if this had happened to them or their family/friends. I am currently laid off and searching for work. I have been laid off 2X within the past 2 yrs, first time was right after I purchased my condo. I'm trying to tell myself to just breathe and keep the faith. It is going to be a much more difficult road to face now without a car:'( I tried to explain my situation, safety/concern issues and hardship to Kia customer care, but they will not help with anything nor will the dealership. Toyota stepped up, what will it take for Kia to?"
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.
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).
- Dayton, NY, USA
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Rotors were bad upon purchase, dealer replaced them for free only because the service rep. Knew my deceased husband. I was driving on the freeway at a speed of about 65 mph, when the truck died at 87,000 miles. I was almost hit several times. The timing belt broke-something that was replaced a couple months prior by the dealer. My water pump and pulleys and belt were replaced for about 700 dollars less then dealer originally charged me. The dealer since has repaid for their incorrect belt size--belt was incorrect for my truck. Dealer installed struts broke after about 25 miles of usage--dealer claimed that I drove my truck over speed bumps rough--hahaha. Than, I guess is such a bad ca smog law, the check engine light for 2 years plus still will not go off. I passed all emissions for my smog check, but the check engine light keeps failing me. I had the heat plate removed and the exhaust manifold was cracked and it froze my upper O2 sensor--repair done by personal mechanic with parts that I purchased online for about 1/3 the price of the dealer parts and work done. Ok, I thought the light would come off..it didn't. I have to change the other O2 sensor. Also my brake sensor for ABS brakes--that I don't have--went out and now I have to override the system with an ice-pick. You would think that would be a problem but it isn't. the failure of the brake sensor causes not only for the gear box to lock, it is also responsible for the turn signals--they are on the same fuse system. My truck has about 135K miles and for the most part runs great, just minor issues that my personal mechanic has fixed and repaired for free because my truck is a test truck for the other Kia's that come in for work and the dealer can or will not trouble shoot. Oh and get this, I take the truck in for the seat-belt replacement during the recall, dealer told me that I have to pay for the work and the parts are free. That was not part of the paperwork I got in the mail.
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.
The vehicle experienced problems with the radio. There were also problems with the power steering and on another occasion the consumer heard a clunk noise and found that there were no brakes as the consumer pulled out of a parking lot. The consumer feels that the vehicle should be replaced.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Townsend, DE, USA