1.8
hardly worth mentioning- Crashes / Fires:
- 0 / 0
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 0 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 92,535 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
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I own a 2007 Kia Sportage LX with 6,0259 miles on it. I purchased this vehicle used with warranty, but of course that has expired. When driving in wet road conditions, through rain and over puddles of water my battery light will come on and the power steering will lock. I strongly believe that this is a defect in the vehicle and not due to regular 'wear and tear.' I have read other reports of owners of this same make/model vehicle that have also had the same issues. I am scared to drive the vehicle during a rain storm, worrying that the car is going to stall and leave me stranded.
- San Angelo, TX, USA
The contact owns a 2007 Kia Sportage. While driving approximately 20 mph, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The mechanic stated that the motor failed and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 165,000.
- Eagle Bridge , NY, USA
When driving through a puddle of standing water in October 2012, a 'splash' of water entered the engine compartment caused the engine in my 2007 Kia Sportage to stall, resulting in the loss of power assist to both steering and brakes. This occurred several times in 2012 and 2013. But, in 2014, it has happened much more often. Enough to force me to take my Sportage into a Kia dealership to see if they could diagnose the problem. They tried to recreate the problem using a hose, since they did not wish to have their employees try to drive it in actual rain. They were not successful in making the car stall. Therefore, I was told that there is no problem with the engine. Recently, I have learned that the ignition coil is what is getting wet and stalling the car. If Kia is willing to replace the ignition coil, it does not solve my problem. The ignition coil will still be in a vulnerable place under my car. I would expect the same to happen in the future even with a new ignition coil. I cannot have my car stall out on a major highway in the rain while going 70 miles an hour. It is an accident waiting to happen. I refuse to endanger myself and my family, as well as others on the road, with a problem that Kia is aware of. Unfortunately, I do not have another vehicle at my disposal. Looking at information on the internet, this is a known problem that Kia has not done anything but recall and replace the ignition coil. My mechanic was able to find several web sites mentioning this defect. The dealership said that they checked their databases and did not find any such problems/recalls about stalling or ignition coils. Loss of braking and steering is a major safety issue. Do I need to wait for injury or death to get a resolution?
- Cary, NC, USA
In March 2013 I had casey Kia install a refurbished engine to replace my bad engine because the mileage had surpassed the warranty. Out of pocket I spent about $3300. I drove this car for another six months to which I had no known issues until on November 19, 2013. It started binding and hard shifting from 2-3 gear. Fluid was also on radiator. Casey also installed radiator at the time the engine was installed. They said in their report they replaced all fluids and replaced filters. Come to find out when I took this vehicle to ammoco transmission on November, 19, 2013 that not only was the transmission bad but radiator was bad..no engine light was on at any time. They did a complete 100 point system check come to find out casey Kia installed engine incorrectly leaving the engine light completely off so that if I had any issues what so ever that I would be forced to pay more out of pocket for intensive repairs to my vehicle. This car became so unsafe to drive that I was forced to have to trade it in to hall Hyundai which of course I got $1800 for a $10,000 vehicle. Not only did I have to give up my favorite vehicle I was forced into having to buy a car I did not like and did not want..because I needed immediate transportation due to being military..I reported this issue to the Kia corporation which they are investigating. I have complete reports from ammoco and the fact that I had to redo the fluids and redo the oil changes after it came out of casey Kia hands.this vehicle has engine severe transmission electrical dashboard issues and is not certified preowned..and if is a lie..thank you for your time and if you need to contact me please do I have all the maintenance history on this vehicle and its not pretty..[xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
- Newport News, VA, USA
When driving through a puddle of standing water, the 'splash' of water that entered the engine compartment caused the 'charging' warning light to illuminate, the engine to stall, resulting in the loss of power assist to both steering and brakes. This had never occurred in all my previous years of ownership, but has recurred multiple times since. I had vehicle serviced this week and was told this was 'normal' and related to the alternator on the vehicle being mounted 'low to the ground'. well, the alternator position has not changed, and I had driven through puddles many times over the previous six years without incident. I don't know if this is a design flaw or a dealership that simply was not able to diagnose the issue, but loss of braking and steering assist compromises safe operation.
- Thibodaux, LA, USA
- Garrett Park, MD, USA