Faults:

I bought the car new and what a mistake. It seems like it is always in the shop.

Right side door has major air leak the dealer could never fix although they tried several different "fix's".

I have had the heater motor replaced twice.

I have had the oil pan removed and replaced twice due to excessive leaks.

I have had the timing belt replaced twice, 1st as recommended, then again 5000 miles later because the new belt slipped.

I have had the drive belts replaced twice.

Then the dealer did a whole bunch of warranty work (about 3K late 2004 early 2005)

General Comments:

The car felt cheap in its construction within 5000 miles of new.

The car had lots of cabin noise and wind blowing.

The passenger heater did not seem to work (my husband was always cold, while I was burning up).

Each trip to the shop cost about $800 out of pocket and then they always piled on warranty work on top of that.

The value dropped so quickly that I could not trade out of it without having to pay thousands of dollars.

I finally traded it in this week at a substantial loss, but was so tired of the trips to the shop, loss of transportation and repair bills I feel I will come out ahead.

Faults:

Many smallish things have gone wrong with the vehicle:

The heat shield is shot and loud.

The spare tire rack will not stay open anymore.

The back hatch rattles.

The cup holder sticks.

Two of the speakers went bad, sound system sucks.

AC stopped being cold.

Alarm constantly went off when unlocking, no longer use, car has been broken into three times.

O2 sensor has been replaced three times.

"Something" is wrong with the electrical, supposedly in the wire harness.

General Comments:

We've had OK luck with this car compared to what I've read other people go through. For the most part it's run for us and the 4 wheel drive has not had many problems, though we've used the 4x4 perhaps 6 times in the 5 years we've had the car. But I can relate too many of the common problems like the heat shield and electrical issues.

My biggest complaint is with the service. The techs at the dealership are rude and completely uninterested in fixing the problem. At 75k miles and a so/so experience, now that we've run into an expensive electrical issue, we're selling this thing for anything we can get for it.

Faults:

This is a great little truck, I have had no problems with my KIA Sportage convertible.

General Comments:

KIA Sportage Convertible 2000.

I researched the 2000 Sportage, which is the truck I have. I could not find any complaints at the time. Mine is a convertible. I felt blessed to have found this little truck.

I purchased my KIA second hand for $3,000.00. The previous owner never had any problems. He told me it would need some new tires. I replaced the tires at 68,000 miles.

I am ready to replace the brake pads, at 90,000, for the first time.

While it is true that “get up and zoom” is not one of its assets, it is dependable, has plenty of room for my two large dogs (150lb each) and has never failed to start and run well.

I read the complaints about the cup holders. While they are not in the standard location, which takes the brain a little time to adjust, I think it is a great idea. They are centralized, you can reach over for your drink and not take your eyes off the road (a great safety feature).

I have never had any problems with the electrical system, windshield wipers, radio, spare tire assembly, rust, battery, etc.

I wonder about the dealerships where the lemons were purchased and which factory built those particular Kias.

This is a great little truck. I get great comments on it all the time and have had several offers for purchase.