21st Jul 2010, 16:01

Wow! I'm glad I read all this... we were considering buying a used one for our daughter. No way now! Thanks!

15th Oct 2011, 13:51

As a fellow owner of the 2000 Sportage, I have to say yours was the most entertaining review I've ever read. I've had a few similar problems, but not until over 100,000 miles. I'm probably one of the few lucky owners. While it has had some issues; by and large it's been a reliable vehicle for me, considering how inexpensive it was. I've owned it for 7 years, and have definitely gotten my moneys worth out of it. Sorry for your misfortunes, but thanks for giving me some great laughs... You should consider standup comedy!!

25th Feb 2012, 20:54

I have a 2000 KIA Sportage. I had problems with the 4 wheel drive, super linkage & switch, timing belt, valve gasket cover, oil leaking into the gas, and a bunch of other problems, all with less than 100,000 miles on it. Luckily my best friend is a mechanic, and it barely cost me anything to fix it.

But now the frame is so rusted that the trailing arm broke off of the frame. This is going to take some expert welding, if it can even be repaired. I am very upset, I love this car!!

29th Aug 2012, 14:17

Did you get the welding done? I have the same problem with a 99 Kia Sportage; the frame completely rotted out, and I can't find anyone to fix it. Is it even worth it?

9th Sep 2012, 14:16

I've had the same problem as many others on this site with my 2000 KIA Sportage. I had to have the auto hubs changed to manual. But the worst problem is the rusted out frame.

The frame where the rear stabilizer arm connects has completely rusted allowing the arm to fall away. The only thing supporting the arm now appears to be the fuel line, which is attached to it. The rest of the frame is rusted out as well. There is not enough metal left to weld or repair. Had the arm broken the fuel line and sparked when it dragged on the road, this problem could have turned deadly. This is a very serious problem for a vehicle with only twelve years and 84k miles on the road.

I filed this complaint with NHTSA. https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/

17th Jul 2015, 14:59

I too have a 2000 Kia Sportage, and the right rear frame rotted out and was cracked by the rear stabilizer arm. The car started swaying all over the road. This is a safety hazard. As a mechanic for 45 years, I have never seen this on any of the vehicles that I've owned. I pulled the vehicle off the road and junked it. I would never sell it to anyone. I had it for 15 years, my wife loved it, and I kept up the maintenance on it. To sell it would be unfair to the buyer unless they were going to use it for parts only. That's all it's good for. Or you could use it for a flower pot.

21st Jul 2015, 23:52

Unbelievable! My 2002 Kia Sportage was also purchased brand new. And yes... just brought it to a tire place thinking it needed shocks... was told of similar rear frame rust rotting thru. Tire place says to junk it. Others have said to get an ESTIMATE on welding. Any advice on price... and what questions I should be asking to any shop that says YES... that it's worth a welding repair?

We got 170K miles out of this one. And it might seem GREEDY to ask for one more year from this Kia Sportage. But except for this recent shocking rusted thru frame... the car works GREAT!

What are the factors to weigh in considering possible frame weld repair OR TRADE IN to a Kia dealer?