Owner-reported complaints naming the tire or wheel system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system. 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. 15 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
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AT 65 MPH. THE PASSENGER REAR TIRE BLEW OUT. THE TIRE DEALERSHIP DETERMINED THE TIRE FAILED DUE TO TREAD SEPARATION. THE TIRE MANUFACTURER IS KUMHO. THE SIZE OF THE TIRE IS: 20575R15. *AK UPDATED 05/03/06
THE 4WD SYSTEM ON THE 98 KIA SPORTAGE IS UNRELIABLE. THE VACUUM SYSTEM, WHICH ACTUATES THE FRONT HUBS DOES NOT WORK. I HAVE HAD THE VEHICLE IN FOR THIS PROBLEM EVERY WINTER SINCE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE IN 1998. THE DEALERS REPAIR LASTS A WEEK OR SO AND THEN FAILS. UNEXPECTED LACK OF 4WD IS A SAFETY ISSUE. *JB
AFTER GETTING STUCK IN SNOW FOUND THAT 4 WHEEL DRIVE WASN'T ENGAGING - MECHANIC SAID DUE TO SOMEONE OVER PACKING COMPONENTS WITH GREASE AND A PART PUT IN BACKWARDS THERE WAS NO WAY THE 4 WHEEL DRIVE WAS ENGAGING. SO ESSENTIALLY WE HAVEN'T HAD 4 WHEEL DRIVE SINCE WE PURCHASED OUR VEHICLE IN 2000. AFTER THE PART WAS INSTALLED PROPERLY 4WD WAS ENGAGING. MAY 16TH BROUGHT IN VEHICLE DUE TO GRINDING NOISE IN FRONT WHEEL HUB. MECHANIC FOUND 4WD HUB RUST FILLED AND BAD, BEARINGS ALL RUSTED OUT, VACUUM HOSES TO THE BACK OF THE SPINDLE BROKEN BOTH SIDES. BOTH FRONT WHEELS HAD SAME PROBLEM. IN CHECKING YOUR COMPLAINTS ON FILE THERE ARE MANY FOR THE SAME PROBLEM, SAME YEAR AND VEHICLE. *JB
THE 4 WHEEL DRIVE DID WORK AND REAR THE BRAKES WERE NOT IN LINE. *JB
THE 4-WHEEL DRIVE DID NOT HOLD WHILE DRIVING UP A HILL, WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO SPIN. *JB
THE 4 WHEEL DRIVE DOES NO ENGAGE WHEN PUT IN GEAR. TOOK TO DEALER WHO INSTALLED SOME TYPE OF CHILD SAFETY DEVICE UNDER THE CLUTCH. PROBLEM IS STILL OCCURRING. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. *NLM *DT
TIRE HAD LESS THAN 40% WEAR AND ARE BLOWING OUT AT 70 MPH. 3 OUT OF 4 HAVE BLOWN OUT. DT
RECALL 99V325000 CONCERNING STALLING. VEHICLE WAS EXPERIENCING AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM THAT INTERFERED WITH PERFORMANCE. VEHICLE WAS RECALLED AND REPAIRS DONE, BUT SYMPTOMS RETURNED. MANUFACTURER CLAIMED NO RESPONSIBILITY BECAUSE CONSUMER WAS NOT THE ORIGINAL OWNER. *AK CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON. THE VEHICLE VIBRATED, SMOKED AND WAS OVERHEATING. THE LEFT FRONT TIRE BLEW OUT. IGNITION COILS CRACKED AND WERE REPLACED. VEHICLE HAD A BLOWN HEAD GASKET. FRONT LEFT TURN SIGNAL CLIPS BROKE. OXYGEN SENSOR FAILED. RIGHT FRONT DOOR LOCK FELL OFF. VEHICLE HAD SEVERAL PARTS ON RECALL BEFORE THE CONSUMER PURCHASED IT AND THE CONSUMER BELIEVED THOSE RECALLED PARTS WERE THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM. *YH
THE VEHICLE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS CONSTANTLY ON, VEHICLE HAS BEEN TO DEALER SEVERAL OCCASIONS, TO HAVE VARIOUS PARTS REPAIRED AND REPLACED, VEHICLE BEGAN SMOKING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT, DEALER HAS TRIED ALL TYPES OF REMEDIES BUT PROBLEM STILL EXISTS.*JB
ALL FOUR WINDOWS GET STUCK, DOORS LOCK AND UNLOCK BY THEMSELVES, VEHICLE IS TRYING TO SHIFT INTO 4X4 WHILE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION, AIR CONDITIONER WORKS 1 OUT OF 4 TIMES, LATCH OPENS ON BACK OF VEHICLE WHILE IN MOTION. BLACK TARRY DUST ON FRONT TIRES.
TIRES ARE WEARING LOW- WAS TOLD TO REPLACE AT 22,000 MILES WILL NEED TO REPLACE- WARRANTY WILL NOT COVER THEN FOR THEY ARE NOT WORN DOWN ENOUGH. *AK (DOT NUMBER: 5MUL TIRESIZE: P205/75R15)
THE TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN SLIPPING AND THE DEALER FAILED TO FIX IT BEFORE THE WARRANTY EXPIRATION. YH
THE 4-WHEEL DRIVE SYSTEM FAILED TO ENGAGE DUE TO A BAD SEAL, THE SEAL CAUSES THE VACUUM NOT TO ENGAGE PROPERLY. *SLC
WHILE THE VEHCLE WAS DRIVEN BY A SERVICE PERSON FROM THE DEALERSHIP, FRONT RIGHT WHEEL FROZE UP. THE WHEEL HUB WAS REPLACED BY THE DEALERSHIP WITH ONE FROM A PREVIOUS MODEL. THE OWNER BROUGHT THIS TO THE ATTENTION OF THE DEALERSHIP BECAUSE OF A NOISE THAT WAS HEARD WHILE DRIVING. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY OTHER INFORMATION. *AK
FOUR WHEEL DRIVE LOCKS UP WHEELS CAUSING POOR CONTROL.
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 .