RoadVitals

1998 Kia Sportage Airbags Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the airbag system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Airbags reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
11
Latest Apr 19, 2005
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
4%
of 303 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
8
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
4

What this page shows

Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1998 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.

Owner reports naming airbag

Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed

Airbags
Filed Apr 19, 2005

AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED. DIAGNOSTICS REVEALED AIRBAG CONTROL MODULE FAILURE.*AK

NHTSA ID
10118115
Incident
Apr 18, 2005
Mileage
70,000 mi
AirbagsElectricalTransmission
Filed Dec 12, 2003

VEHICLE HAD FOUR RECALLS AND AIRBAG LIGHT KEPT FLASHING. RECALLS WERE ON BRAKE HOSES, FRONT BUCKLE ASSEMBLY, ELECTRICAL WIRING AND MISSING LABEL. *LA WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE AIR BAG LIGHT BEGAN TO FLASH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THE TECHNICIAN INDICATED THAT THE AIR BAG MODULE HAD FAILED. WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE'S CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TOT HE DEALER WHO INDICATED THAT THE COILS WERE CRACKED. TRANSMISSION LINE WAS LEAKING. *NM

NHTSA ID
10051718
Incident
Nov 20, 2003
Airbags
Filed May 31, 2003
Crash reported1 injury reported

HEAD ON COLLISION WITH A DEER, HAD DAMAGE TO FRONT GRILL, THE HOOD SHIFTED WITH BIG DENTS FROM THE DEER, THE DEER HIT THE WINDSHIELD (60%) WAS GONE AND THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS WERE RIPPED OFF. I WAS GOING ABOUT 30-35 MILES AND NO AIR BAGS WENT OFF. *TT

NHTSA ID
10020797
Incident
May 24, 2003
AirbagsSeat belts
Filed Mar 21, 2002
Crash reported1 injury reported

WHILE TRAVELING AND WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING A DEER APPEARED IN THE STREET. TO AVOID HIM, CONSUMER SWERVED AND HIT AN ENBANKMENT. UPON IMPACT, AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. *AK CONSUMERS SEAT BELT POPPED CAUSING CONSUMER TO LURCH FORWARD AND AND HIT HER HEAD. CONSUMER SUSTAINED MULTIPLE INJURIES. *JG

NHTSA ID
8006184
Incident
Mar 21, 2002
Airbags
Filed Mar 6, 2002
Crash reported1 injury reported

VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONTAL COLLISION AT 40 MPH WITH A LIGHT POLE AND NEITHER AIR BAG DEPLOYED. DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT NOTIFIED AT THIS TIME. *AK MANUFACTURER HAD NOTIFIED AT THIS TIME. *YH

NHTSA ID
8005133
Incident
Mar 2, 2002
Airbags
Filed May 16, 2001
Crash reported

CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 40MPH ON HIGHWAY AND WAS GOING SOUTH BOUND. SHE SAW A TRUCK THAT WAS IN THE PROCESS OF MAKING A LEFT TURN. WENT ONTO THE SHOULDERS WITH DIRT KICKING UP. GRAVEL WENT INTO CONSUMER VEHICLE TIRES, AND GRAVEL PULLED VEHICLE TO THE RIGHT. SHE HIT A FENCE AND A LIGHT POLE. UPON IMPACT, DUAL AIRBAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY. VEHICLE WAS TOTALED.

NHTSA ID
888449
Incident
May 10, 2001
AirbagsBrakesElectrical+4 more
Filed Oct 22, 2000

BRAKE FAILURE. *SLC

NHTSA ID
556790
Incident
Jul 21, 1999
AirbagsBrakes
Filed Nov 21, 1999
Crash reported

WHILE AT A COMPLETE STOP IN DRIVEWAY OF HOME, I WENT TO PUT THE CAR IN PARK AND IT JUST TOOK OFF, I TRIED BRAKING , BUT IT CONTINUED TO GO FORWARD STRAIGHT THROUGH THE GARAGE DOOR AT A VERY HIGH SPEED, FRONT AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. CONTACTED DEALER ABOUT PROBLEM, HAD CAR TOWED TO THEM. THEY STATED THEY HAD NEVER HAD ANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS . CONTACTED THE 1-800-4KIA HELP LINE AND WAS TOLD I WAS THE THIRD COMPLAINT ABOUT THIS. DEALER IS NOW TRYING TO TELL ME THIS WAS A BRAKE PROBLEM, IT IS NOT A BRAKE PROBLEM, FRONT BRAKES HAD JUST BEEN REPLACED BY AN AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR ESTABLISHMENT USING CERTIFIED PARTS FROM THE KIA DEALER. ALSO, WHILE DRIVING THE SOUND OF AIR IS COMING IN MAKING ME THINK A WINDOW IS DOWN , BUT NO WINDOWS ARE DOWN. THE CAR FAILED TO START ONE DAY AND WE CKECKED THE BATTERY, WHICH BY THE WAY THE MANUAL STATES IS MAINTENCE FREE, BUT IS NOT, YOU HAVE TO PUT WATER IN IT. I HAVE NEVER BEEN INFORMED OF ANY RECALLS ON THIS VEHICLE , BUT KNOW THERE ARE SOME. THE KIA DEALER IS TRYING TO PUT THE PROBLEM WITH THE ACCELERATOR ON EVERYTHING FROM THE BRAKES TO MY MISTAKE, I KNOW WHAT THE CAR DID AND THERE IS A PROBLEM SOMEWHERE THAT SOMEONE SHOULD BE MADE AWARE OF. *AK

NHTSA ID
715096
Incident
Sep 30, 1999
Airbags
Filed Apr 6, 1999
Crash reported

WHILE DRIVING AT 45 MPH VEHICLE ROLLED OVER THREE TO FOUR TIMES, AND NONE OF THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. *AK

NHTSA ID
836544
Incident
Apr 4, 1999
Airbags
Filed Aug 25, 1998
Crash reported1 injury reported

AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY DURING A FRONT END COLLISION.

NHTSA ID
540351
Incident
Aug 22, 1998
Airbags
Filed Jun 10, 1998
Crash reported

WHEN TRAVELING 50 TO 55 MPH CONSUMER WAS INVOLVED IN A HEAD-ON COLLISION, HITTING A GAURDRAIL. VEHICLE FLIPPED OVER, AND THERE WAS NO DEPLOYMENT OF BOTH DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S SIDE AIR BAGS. ALSO, STATES THE VEHICLE WAS A TOTAL LOSS. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

NHTSA ID
824122
Incident
May 11, 1998

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.

Other components reported on this vehicle

Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .