It is the worst car you can buy
I needed tires the first 6 months I had it. Then the rear went. Timing belt went. Now I have no heat. The heater core went. I still owe 14,000 and can't get rid of it.
The inside of the car door locks are broke. Cup holders are broke. Even the ashtrays are broke.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 9th November, 2004
Great gas mileage in a great 4x4 truck
4x4 not engaging all the time.
Cup holder broke 2 weeks after purchase.
Hatch panel cover falling off when shutting hatch door, clips broken.
As I have not had my "sporty" for very long, I am inclined to push the sale of these.
On the cup holder problem, this to me was just a cosmetic design problem, and not to be a sole reason for not purchasing one.
Hatch covering is a simple problem solved, as I just went to local auto store and bought new clips and replaced them myself. Saving time lost and not to mention money spent for gas to travel 50 miles to dealer to fix.
As for the 4x4, and I hope this is what a lot of other people are saying pertaining to the 4x4 "breaking", the vacuum operated hubs were, in my opinion not very reliable. Much like the AMC eagles, huh. But to solve this problem from becoming more of a headache, I have purched Warn manual replacement hubs. This might seem like much, but for the reliability and peace of mind, I prefer lock in/out hubs.
Another bit of "performance tip" I would give is to replace stock air intake with K/N or as I did a generic knockoff of a cold air intake. This has added about 10-15 more horsepower to this rugged, over-revved, 2.0.
2001 KIA Sportage, Warn manual lock in/out hubs, custom air intake, 1.75" body lift, Wintermark 215 x 75R x 15.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 24th October, 2004
They quit making it for a reason
Drivers side window rubber trim coming off. Dealer fixed under warranty.
Timing belt slipped at 20000 miles. Repaired under warranty.
Heat shield rusted off at 24000. In shop currently.
Fuel pump went out at the same time. As previously stated, it is in shop.
Jell in gas tank. Unexplainable.
Would not purchase another KIA.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 22nd September, 2004
Don't buy this piece of plastic junk!!!
What isn't wrong with this car?!?!?!?!
Belts went out one week after buying it.
Check engine light came on two weeks after buying it.
Thermostat went out two weeks after buying it.
Thermostat went out again three months later. I had to have it replaced four times to get the check engine light to go off.
Check engine light constantly on.
Three sensors have gone out in just three months of owning this car.
Battery went dead after four months of owning car.
Driver's side window fell down when it was rolled up and shattered. The switch for the driver's side window will not work anymore.
The belts are starting to go out again.
I hate this car!!! Please do not make the mistake I made! I bought this car because a friend of mine had one and loved it. I do not see how anyone could love this car.
My car has been in the shop eight times over the past five months. I am terrified to drive it anywhere. I constantly miss work and graduate school because it is in the shop for repairs. I feel like I am going crazy because the check engine light is always on, and that gets so irritating after a while! I would love to get another car, but I have used all my money buying this piece of crap!
The dealership finally just gave my car back to me last week and told me they do not know why my check engine light is on. How messed up is that? It is their job to fix your car, and they just give it back because they do not know what is wrong with it?
When I got to work this morning, I made sure all of my windows were rolled up. When I left this afternoon, my driver's side window was completely gone! At first I thought someone had vandalized my car, but when I looked, there was no glass on the ground or anywhere inside the car. A nice passerby helped me take off the window molding, and we saw that the window is stuck lop-sided in the door. When I pushed the window button, the motor runs, but then I hear glass crunching! I called Kia, and they said it will be covered under warranty, BUT if they can prove it was vandalism they are not paying for a thing, and it will have to come out of my own pocket! I told them it was not vandalism because there is no shattered glass anywhere in the car or on the ground, but they refused to listen and are insisting they can prove it was. Some warranty!
They had my car the entire month of July because the check engine light was on and they could not make it go off. They finally just gave it back to me and said they did not know what was wrong, and said an unsympathetic, "sorry!"
There are no words to describe how much I hate this car! The sad thing is that I am a college student, and used all of my savings to buy this car. I am stuck with it because I cannot afford a new car. I wish someone had stopped me before I paid all of my money for a piece of plastic that should not be out on the roads. There should be a federal recall of these cars because someone is going to die one of these days. They are so unsafe to drive! Don't make the same mistake I did. Save your money!!!
The dealership is awful! They get mad at me for constantly bringing my car in because it is breaking down. Like I can help that?!?! They never fix my car and are so tacky and rude. Unfortunantly, it is the only Kia dealership in my area. I have called around to repair shops, and no one will work on a Kia. (I wonder why...!!) I am terrified of next year because my warranty will be out, and I will have to start paying for all these repairs myself, which is money I don't have. Please don't do what I did. Don't buy a Kia!!!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 9th September, 2004
I had a car once that was nothing, but problems from the day I bought it and the dealer could not figure out what was wrong. There is a law called the "Lemon Law" for this problem. I'm not sure what all is involved, but it might be worth checking out. Of course, I am in Texas and I'm not sure it applies to every state, but you should check on it. Thanks for your review, it was very eye opening.
20th Mar 2008, 14:35
They still make the Sportage.