Owner-reported complaints naming the interior system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming seats, latches, locks, linkages and interior fittings. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1997 Kia Sportage submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 11 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH HOOD LATCH SNAPPED AND THE HOOD FLEW OPEN. CONSUMER PULLED OVER THE LATCH THE HOOD DOWN. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK BROKEN WINDSHIELD REPAIRED, BUT DAMAGED HOOD NOT REPAIRED TO DATE. *BF *NM
KIA SPORTAGE 4 DOOR. REAR DRIVER SIDE PASSENGER DOOR WOULD NOT OPEN FROM OUTSIDE. DOOR OPENED FROM INSIDE. DOOR WAS THEN SHUT AND DID NOT LATCH, UPON SECOND CLOSING DOOR LATCHED. DROVE AROUND TWO MILES AND WENT AROUND CURVE AT ABOUT 10 MPH DOOR LATCH RELEASED AND DOOR FLEW OPEN. 16 MONTH OLD CHILD WAS IN CAR SEAT BESIDE THE DOOR. DOOR HAD TO BE STRAPPED TO OTHER DOOR TO KEEP SHUT. CAR TAKEN TO DEALER WHO SAID LATCH WAS RUSTED OUT. ORDERED REPLACEMENT LATCH, OTHER BACK DOOR HAS SHOWN SAME SYMPTOMS OF NOT CLOSING AND THEN CLOSING AND LATCHING, ALSO NOT OPENING FROM OUTSIDE. THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN A SERIOUS INCIDENT IF CHILD HAD NOT BEEN IN SAFETY SEAT, PROBABLY RESULTING IN A DEATH.*AK
LIGHTS ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WILL ALL COME ON AND STAY ON FOR A LITTLE WHILE. CONTACTED DEALER, AND THE DEALER COULD NOT FIND CAUSE OF PROBLEM. SOON AFTER LIGHTS CAME ON AGAIN, CONSUMER HAD AN ACCIDENT, AND SUFFERED SOME MAJOR INJURIES.*AKJG
WHILE DRIVING SMOKE FOLLOWED BY FLAMES CAME FROM DASHBOARD AND FLOOR BOARD AREA OF VEHICLE, TOTALLY DESTROYING VEHICLE, CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.*AK
DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES INTERMITTENTLY. ALSO, HORN DOESN'T WORK, AND THERE IS A RATTLING NOISE UNDERNEATH THE HOOD. DOOR WILL BE REPAIRED, DEALER COULD NOT FIND PROBLEM WITH HORN OR UNDER THE HOOD. *AK *ML
LOCKS ARE NOT OPERABLE. DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR LOCK IS SUPPOSE TO LOCK ALL OF THE DOORS ON VEHICLE. *AK
CLAMP THAT HOLDS HOSE TO THERMOSTAT HOUSING WAS BAD CAUSING COOLANT LEAK SMELL IN THE ENGINE AREA. NLM
AFTER PURCHASING THIS VEHICLE NEW WE ARE VERY UPSET AT THE LACK OF CONCERN AND ASSISSTANCE FROM THE NUMEROUS GOVERNMENT AGENCIES I HAVE CONTACTED, COMPLETED FORMS AND MAILED THEM, I HAVE YET TO BE CONTACTED. BOTH MY 4 YEAR OLD SON & I ALMOST LOST OUR LIVES WHEN MY ENGINE STALLED ON AN INTERSTATE SPEED LIMIT 70 CARS TURNING EVERYWAY TO AVOID US, I REALLY FELT THERE WAS NO HOPE WHEN I SAW AN 18 WHEELER APPROACHING, I TURNED TO MOVE MY SON FROM THE REAR SEAT TO THE FRONT SO I COULD AT LEAST HOLD HIM, THE DRIVER SAW ME AND WHEN HE MANAGED TO STOP HIS RIG WAS JACKKNIFED AND 1 SIDE HIT THE BLOCK BARRIER. I HAVE DOCUMENTS TO PROVE THE ENGINE PROBLEMS IN 97 KIA'S CAN'T BE REPAIRED.WILL LIVES BE LOST BEFORE KIA IS HELD RESPONSIBLE? PLEASE HELP
BRAKE LIGHT STAYS ON. WHENEVER TURNING ON INTERIOR LIGHTS, BRAKE LIGHT ILLUMINATES AND STAYS ON. DEALER SAIS VEHICLE IS NOT UNDER WARRANTY. *AK
WHEN DRIVING DOORS WILL UNLOCK. ALSO, WHEN CONSUMER PARKS AND GETS OUT THE DOORS WON'T LOCK. VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN REPAIR SHOP FOUR TIMES FOR REPAIR SERVICE. CONSUMER JUST GOT THE VEHICLE OUT TODAY FOR REPAIR SERVICE. *AK
CONSUMER EXPERIENCING PROBLEM WITH REAR HATCH DOOR NOT LOCKING PROPERLY. RECALL LETTER WAS RECEIVED AND TAKEN TO DEALER. WORK WAS DONE, BUT NOT COMPLETED; CONDITION STILL OCCURS. *AK
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .