Vehicle gas tank was leaking fuel, probably for quite some time before it became visually apparent. I could see gasoline dripping on the pavement in my parking spot at work. The Kia dealer told me the gas tank had rusted through on the bottom, and would have to be replaced. The bottom of the gas tank holder has holes in it for ventilation. These holes allow road debris to lodge between the holder and the tank, eventually causing the corrosion. Dealer also told me the fuel pump and sensor would have to be replaced, before they even dropped the tank. Dealer told me the although there had been some complaints about this issue, there was no recall and I would be responsible for all charges.

- Franklin Park, IL, USA

- the contact has a 2000 Kia Sportage and complaind about tjhe fuel pump and gas tank which were replaced on 1/10/07 because the gas tank was rusted and the fuel pump was leaking gas. The contact purchased the parts from the dealer and they were installed by the contact's husband. The failure milages was143500 and the current mileage is 144000.

- Wooster, OH, USA

- the contact purchased a 2000 Kia Sportage. The contact was the original owner of the vehicle. On 1/1/2007, after driving 1.5 miles the contact's smelled gas. The vehicle was parked, and when the contact checked the vehicle, there was fuel leaking. The contact found a significant fuel leak, and drove the vehicle to the dealer to diagnose the leak. The contact stated that gas was leaking on the exhaust system. The dealer indicated that the screws that held the fuel pump in the gas task rusted, and was advised that the pump which fitted into the fuel tank had to be replaced. The contact called Kia, and was told there was nothing they could do since the car was no longer under warranty. The vehicle was stalling, and was told by the dealer that a wire was lo0se and it was repaired. Prior to that the vehicle was overheated due to an oxygen sensor failure.

- Rockford , IL, USA

A 2000 Kia Sportage station wagon. The bottom of the vehicle rusted. The fuel tank had a hole in it. While the consumer was driving on the highway the fuel had slowly leaked out. The consumer was unaware of this until she drove vehicle home and noticed that there was fuel under it. Consumer took vehicle to a local fuel station; they told consume rbecause there was no one to work on it to bring it back the next day. She had the vehicle towed to them the next day. They replaced the fuel pump, tank, lines, and everything on the bottom of the vehicle. The fuel had leaked all over the bottom of the vehicle and made it hard to fix the vehicle. The mechanic told her that they had the same problem with other kiaes concerning this. The consumer is very concerned with the safety of this. The mechanic said he had no trouble getting the tank, he figured that it might be a common problem with them. Previously they replaced the 4 wheel drive unit.

- Macomb Township, MI, USA