The 2000 Kia Sportage has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 318,076 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 462 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the fuel system, gasoline. Last updated July 5, 2026.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, THE FRONT SAFETY BELT BUCKLES MAY EMIT A "CLICK" SOUND DURING THE BUCKLING PROCESS THAT IS SIMILAR TO THE SOUND EMITTED WHEN A BUCKLE IS BEING LATCHED, WHEN IT IS NOT.
THE LATCH CAN THEN PULL OUT OF THE BUCKLE WHEN TENSION IS APPLIED.
DEALERS WILL REPLACE BOTH FRONT SEAT BELT BUCKLES. THE RECALL BEGAN AUGUST 16, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT KIA AT 1-800-333-4542.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: SPORT UTILITY VEHICLE. THESE VEHICLES WERE DISTRIBUTED WITH OWNERS MANUALS WITH AN INCORRECT JUMP START DIAGRAM. THE WRITTEN INSTRUCTIONS FOR JUMP STARTING ARE ACCURATE. HOWEVER, THE DIAGRAM DEPICTS THE JUMPER CABLES ATTACHED TO THE WRONG POLARITY TERMINALS. IF THE DIAGRAM WERE FOLLOWED…
THIS COULD CAUSE POTENTIAL SERIOUS INJURY TO BYSTANDERS.
OWNERS WILL BE PROVIDED WITH AN ADHESIVE LABEL WITH THE CORRECT ILLUSTRATION TO PERMANENTLY AFFIX TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS MANUALS.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“Fuel tank leaking gas I believe the fuel tank is no good anymore I purchase a vehicle fill up the tank and start to leak gas I thought it was a gasket so gasket was placed and it's still leaking”
“Noticed a strong gas smell, looked under car and noticed gas dripping from under car. Upon further looking I noticed the gas tank protective plate is rotting out which makes me believe the gas tank is too.”
“No airbag in steering wheel, brakes goes down to floor, oxygen sensor bad in bank one, popping in tires. My frame can break from car at any time, dealer knew I had kids, we could get seriously hurt riding in this car.”
“No airbag in steering wheel, brakes goes down to floor, oxygen sensor bad in bank one, popping in tires. My frame can break from car at any time, dealer knew I had kids, we could get seriously hurt riding in this car.”
“No airbag in steering wheel, brakes goes down to floor, oxygen sensor bad in bank one, popping in tires. My frame can break from car at any time, dealer knew I had kids, we could get seriously hurt riding in this car.”
“2000 kia sportage recall - hydraulic electronic control unit”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2000 kia sportage. While driving 35 mph, there was a loud noise under the hood. The contact parked the vehicle and noticed water leaking from the radiator. The fan blade detached and went through the radiator. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was…”
“2000 kia sportage headlights go out, right frame has a huge hole, my child is at risk car needs to be recalled also locks don't work, battery dies, seatbelts suck, radio goes off ...”
There is no summary currently available
THE MANUFACTURER HAS INITIATED A SAFETY RELATED CAMPAIGN TO RECALL THE SUBJECT VEHICLES FOR CORRECTION OF THE SEAT BELT BUCKLE DEFECT.THE CORRECTIVE ACTION IS TO REPLACE THE SEAT BELTS/BUCKLES.THIS SAFETY RECALL PROGRAM HAS BEEN ASSIGNED NHTSA CAMPAIGN NO. 04V305.
A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT TREND HAS NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED AT THIS TIME.REVIEW OF THE WARRANTY DATA REVEALED ELEVATED TANK LEAKAGE EXPERIENCE IN VEHICLES PRODUCED FROM JUNE 1999 TO OCTOBER 2000.ANALYSIS OF COMPLAINTS AND WARRANTY CLAIMS IDENTIFIED MULTIPLE CAUSES AND ORIGINS OF FUEL TANK ASSEMBLY LEAKAGE.THE MAJORITY OF…
A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT TREND HAS NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED AT THIS TIME.REVIEW OF THE WARRANTY DATA REVEALED ELEVATED TANK LEAKAGE EXPERIENCE IN VEHICLES PRODUCED FROM JUNE 1999 TO OCTOBER 2000.ANALYSIS OF COMPLAINTS AND WARRANTY CLAIMS IDENTIFIED MULTIPLE CAUSES AND ORIGINS OF FUEL TANK ASSEMBLY LEAKAGE.THE MAJORITY OF…
A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT TREND HAS NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED AT THIS TIME.REVIEW OF THE WARRANTY DATA REVEALED ELEVATED TANK LEAKAGE EXPERIENCE IN VEHICLES PRODUCED FROM JUNE 1999 TO OCTOBER 2000.ANALYSIS OF COMPLAINTS AND WARRANTY CLAIMS IDENTIFIED MULTIPLE CAUSES AND ORIGINS OF FUEL TANK ASSEMBLY LEAKAGE.THE MAJORITY OF…
ALLEGE BATTETY MAY EXPLODE IF OWNER'S ATTEMPT TO JUMP-STATE THE VEHICLE BY FOLLOWING THE OWNER'S MANUAL DIAGRAM
ON JANUARY 4, 2006, THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (ODI) OPENED A PRELIMINARY EVALUATION TO INVESTIGATE ALLEGED FUEL LEAKAGE FROM THE STEEL FUEL STORAGE TANK IN CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 1999-2000 KIA SPORTAGE VEHICLES.ODI SENT A LETTER TO THE MANUFACTURER ON JANUARY 25, 2006 REQUESTING INFORMATION ABOUT THESE AND…
INFORMATION RECEIVED AND ANALYZED DURING THIS RQ DISCLOSED THAT MY 1999 AND 2000 KIA SEPHIA AND SPORTAGE VEHICLES WERE EQUIPPED WITH MODIFIED VERSIONS OF THE SAME SAFETY BELT LATCH ASSEMBLY AS THOSE RECALLED IN CAMPAIGN NO. 02V-216.THESE LATCH ASSEMBLIES WERE IDENTIFIED AS TYPE A97. ODI ANALYSES INDICATE A CONTINUING…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2000 Kia Sportage as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.