2002 Kia Sportage Electrical Problems

Your front seat belts are frayed and won't stay properly secured, which means they may not restrain your upper body effectively during hard braking. Your rear driver's side window motor runs but won't lower the window, and your fuel door keeps spitting gasoline back out after just a couple dollars of filling. You're also noticing a burning electrical smell under the hood, with wires scorched near the cooling fan, and your engine is running hot because the fan isn't working properly.

Your vehicle has multiple electrical issues: the airbags failed to deploy when the car was hit while parked, the turn signals don't work, and fuses blow repeatedly whenever replaced—especially when you use the hazard lights. You're also experiencing gas fumes coming into the cabin, and your gear shifter is stuck in Park and won't move without using the bypass key. These problems suggest a serious electrical short or wiring issue that needs professional diagnosis.

Your vehicle has a strong raw gasoline smell inside and outside the cabin, especially when starting or while running. Multiple mechanics and the Kia dealer have replaced the fuel filter and exhaust system without resolving the issue. The problem appears to be a corroded fuel tank due to poor design, which is a known issue in 1999-2002 Sportages. You'll likely need a fuel tank replacement or repair to address the corrosion and seal the leak.

2002 KIA SPORTAGE, IN FEBRUARY '07 WHILE DRIVING THE RADIO WENT OUT, & WITH THE DASH BOARD LIGHTS FAILING. PULLED OVER, TURNED CAR OFF. ATTEMPTED V TO RESTART, THE CAR DID NOT START. HAD CAR TOWED & MANUALLY CHECKED BATTERY THINKING THAT WAS THE PROBLEM. NEXT DAY CAR STARTED UP IMMEDIATELY, AND TAKEN TO DEALERSHIP FOR FURTHER CHECK-UP. THE DEALERSHIP CHARGED ME $248 FOR THE DIAGNOSTIC TEST & THEN PLACEMENT OF A NEW BATTERY, WHICH WAS SAID TO BE THE CAUSE. WEEKS LATER ON MARCH 31 CAR DID THE SAME WITH THE RADIO AND THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS. THE CAR JERKED ABOUT 30 MILES. WHEN I WOULD PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD IT SEEMED TO REGAIN ITS STRENGTH, BUT ONCE I CONTINUED TO DRIVE ,IT STARTED TO JERK AGAIN, WITH THE OIL ODOMETER WENT UP/DOWN! TOOK CAR TO DEALERSHIP, IT JERKED IN THERE. WHEN THE SERVICE WORKERS WENT TO THE CAR, I WAS TOLD, NO PROBLEMS DRIVING THE CAR, & THE DIAGNOSTIC TEST SHOWED NOTHING WAS WRONG. THE CAR STAYED AT THE DEALERSHIP SATURDAY-THURSDAY, WITH NO PROBLEMS. THE SERVICE MANAGER ASKED IF SHE COULD DRIVE IT HOME. SHE SAID THE CAR DROVE FINE AND PUT 40 MILES ON CAR. IT WAS FINE ON THURSDAY WHEN I PICKED IT UP. DROVE SATURDAY AND CAR HAD SAME PROBLEMS. HEADLIGHTS & DASHBOARD LIGHTS WENT OUT. AT 5 AM THIS WAS SCARY & UNSAFE, SOME CARS DIDN'T SEE ME, EVEN WITH THE HAZARDS ON. WITH RADIO OUT & CAR JERKING ALL THE WAY HOME. ON MONDAY, WENT TO LEAVE AND CAR DID NOT START. TOWED TO KIA FOR THE 3RD TIME IN A MONTH. CAR STARTED, BUT SOME 2001 & 2002 SPORTAGE MODELS HAD A MAIN ENGINE WIRING TEAR AND "THE WHOLE HARNESSED HAD TO BE ORDERED . IT WILL TAKE ABOUT 6 HOURS TO INSTALL . IT WOULD BE IN ON WEDNESDAY APRIL 11, 2007. THIS WAS THE 3RD TIME IN A MONTH THE CAR HAD BEEN IN THE SHOP, I PAID FOR A BATTERY & THE PROBLEM PERSISTED. I IT WAS A COP-OUT FOR THE ACTUAL PROBLEM. WAS INCONVENIENCED WITHOUT A CAR & A HARD TIME GETTING A LOANER. DID NOT HAVE A CAR FOR OVER 7 DAYS. I WANT FAIR TREATMENT ON A CAR THAT I' WAS PAYING AMPLE AMOUNT OF MONEY. *AK

I BOUGHT MY KIA SPORTAGE IN 09/19/2006 BY 9/25/2006 I STARTED TO HEAR SQUEALING NOISES IN FRONT OF THE ENGINE AND WHEN I FIRST STARTED IT I WOULD PRESS THE GAS BUT THE CAR WOULD DIE. I BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALERSHIP ABOUT 5 TIMES WHEN THEY FINALLY FIXED IT. THEN I FOUND OUT 3 WEEKS LATER IN THE RAIN THAT WATER WAS COMING IN THE TOP LEFT CORNER OF THE WINDSHIELD. IN 1/04/07 I WAD HEADED TO WORK AND THE CAR JUST SUDDENLY DIE AGAIN SO THE DEALERSHIP TOWED IT BACK. *JB

ON DEC. 15, 2005, I CONTACTED THE DEALER WHERE I PURCHASED MY 2002 KIA SPORTAGE A MONTH AGO FOR WARRANTEE SERVICE (EMPIRE TOYOTA, ONEONTA NY). I WAS TOLD THAT THEY NO LONGER SELL OR SERVICE UNDER THE KIA WARRANTEE. AT THAT TIME IT HAD 58,000 MILES. NEW DEALER: COUNTRY CLUB KIA, ONEONTA, NY. ON JANUARY 12, 2006 I CALLED THEM TO HAVE THE WARRANTEE SERVICE DONE ON MY CAR. THEY ARE STILL SETTING UP THE SERVICE DEPT. AND ARE WAITING FOR "EMPIRE TOYOTA" TO TRANSFER THE RECORDS OF CUSTOMERS FOR WARRANTEE REPAIRS. NOW THE MILEAGE IS AT 61,000 MILES, AND IT STILL HAS NOT BEEN SERVICED UNDER THE WARRANTEE. THE PROBLEMS I AM HAVING: MY LOCKS KEEP GOING UP AND DOWN ALL DAY AND NIGHT WITHOUT ANY KEYS IN THE IGNITION. TODAY MY CHILDREN AND I GOT LOCKED INSIDE THE CAR AND COULD NOT GET OUT AS THE LOCKS WOULD NOT STOP LOCKING, AND THE HORN BEGAN GOING OFF. THIS HAS CONTINUED EVERYDAY...ALL DAY AND ALL NIGHT. WE HAVE BEEN LOCKED OUT OF MY CAR EARLY IN THE MORNING WHILE MY CAR IS WARMING UP TO LEAVE FOR WORK. I REALLY NEED TO GET MY CAR REPAIRED, AND FEEL AS IF I KEEP GETTING THE RUN AROUND. I CALLED THE KIA OFFICE ON MONDAY JANUARY 16, 2006 AND WAS TOLD THAT MY WARRANTEE HAS EXPIRED BY 800 MILES. THIS ISSUE COULD HAVE BEEN TAKE CARE OF BEFORE THE WARRANTEE EXPIRED. WHEN KIA CHANGED DEALERSHIPS CUSTOMERS SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED, SO THAT THEY CAN FAMILIARIZE THEMSELVES WITH THE NEW DEALER IF ANY PROBLEMS SHOULD ARISE. I HAD LOCKS REPARED IN MY 2002 KIA SPORTAGE A YEAR AND A HALF AGO, AND THUS THIS SHOULD STILL BE COVERED UNDER THE WARRANTEE. I CONTACTED KIA CONSUMER ASSISTANCE CENTER VIA E-MAIL ON 1/19/06, AND WAS GIVEN CASE ID IS: K1063733. NO RETURN E-MAIL OR CALL FROM KIA. I CONTACTED KIA CONSUMER ASSISTANCE CENTER VIA E-MAIL ON 1/30/06, AND WAS GIVEN CASE ID IS: K1067545. NO FOLLOW UP CALLS FROM KIA YET. NO RETURN E-MAIL OR CALL FROM KIA.I FEEL THIS PROBLEM CAN BE A POTENTIAL DANGEROUS SITUATION AS IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY MY FAMILY AND I NEED TO BE ABLE TO EXIT THE VEHICLE.

DT: PROBLEM OCCURED WHEN SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE DASH. FLAMES SHOT OUT FROM UNDER DASH. NO WARNING PRIOR. A BURNING SMELL WAS COMING FROM VEHICLE PRIOR TO FLAMES. IT WAS AN ELECTRICAL FIRE. THE DEALER REPORTS IT MAY BE A PROBLEM WITH THE IGNITION SWITCH. THE CAR WAS PULLED, A PERSON HELPED BY TRYING TO PUT OUT FIRE WITH A SMALL FIRE EXTINGUISHER, THEN OWNER WENT INSIDE A BUILDING AND GOT ANTOHER FIRE EXTINGUISHER. THE FIRE WAS OUT BY THE TIME THE FIRE DEPT. ARRIVED. THE BATTERY WAS DISCONNECTED. FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTED THAT IT WAS AN ELECTRICAL FIRE FROM AN UNKOWN SOURCE. DRIVER EXPERIENCED SMOKE INHALATION BUT WOULDNT GO TO HOSPITAL. AND WAS BURNED ON FINGERS TRYING TO PUT IT OUT.

I OWN A 2002 KIA SPORTAGE. THIS VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED NEW. I HAVE HAD NUMEROUS PROBLEMS WITH THIS VEHICLE, TOO NUMEROUS TO LIST. YOU ARE WELCOMED AND ENCOURAGED TO CONTACT WILLIAMSBURG CRYSLER JEEP KIA FOR ALL OF THE VEHICLES INFORMATION. THE PROBLEMS WITH THIS VEHICLE STARTED WITHIN A WEEK OF PURCHASE AND CONTINUE TO TODAY. AT THIS WRITING THIS VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY IN THE SHOP HAVING TO HAVE BEEN TOWED IN ON FRIDAY 05/06/ 05. I JUST GOT THE VEHICLE BACK ON TUEDAY 05/02/05. I HAVE APPROXIMATELY 10 PAGES ON THE DATES AND THE WORK THAT HAS BEEN DONE SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED. I HAVE BEEN IN TOUCH WITH THE COMPLAINT DEPARTMENT WITH KIA AND I WAS TOLD NOTHING COULD BE DONE TO HELP ME BUT TO CONTINUE TO SEND IT TO THE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE IT FIXED. MY WARRANTY EXPIRES ON THIS VEHICLE IN APPROXIMATELY 6000 MORE MILES. WITH THE AMOUNT OF PROBLEMS THAT I AM CURRENTLY HAVING AND THE PROBLEMS IN THE PAST I AM WORRIED WHAT WILL HAPPEN WHEN THE WARRANTY EXPIRES. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME IN THIS MATTER. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT THE DEALERSHIP AND/OR ME.

ST: 8TH OF 2004 THE BATTERY STARTED TO DIE,\. DEALER TOLD CALLER TO SHUT THE ALARM SYSTEM OFF WHEN NOT DRIVING. VEHICLE BATTERY WAS CHECKED BY KIA, AND REPORTED NO PROBLEMS WITH BATTERY. HOWEVER, BATTERY HAD TO BE CHARGED NUMEROUS TIMES IN DRIVEWAY. ON MAY 2005 THE LOCKS BEGAN TO GO ON AND OFF, AND ALL LIGHTS CAME ON THE DASH. TOOK THE CAR TO DEALER, WHO CHECKED THE BATTERY, BUT DEALER REPORTED THE CAR NEEDED A NEW BATTERY. 05/05/05 AS CONTACT WAS DRIVING ON A MAIN ROAD AND ALL SENSOR LIGHTS CAME ON, AND LOCKS CAME ON AND OFF, AND CAR SHUT OFF. AFTER RESTARTING VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DEALER AGAIN FOR REPAIR.*AK

VEHICLE STALLED INTERMITTENTLY WHILE DRIVING. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, AND THEY FOUND THAT THE HARNESS WHICH HELD THE ALTERNATOR WAS MELTED. *AK

INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTS GO OUT INTERMITTENTLY WHILE DRIVING. VEHICLE HAS BEEN TAKEN TO DEALER FOR REPAIRS 3 TIMES.*AK