1996 Kia Sportage: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for the 1996 Kia Sportage. The newest campaign is 02V216000. NHTSA received the report on 16 Aug 2002. The NHTSA record gives the component Seat Belts / Front / Buckle Assembly. NHTSA has 57 complaints on file for this model year. 2 NHTSA investigations name this model year.

The NHTSA recall file shows no do-not-drive advisory and no park-outside advisory on these campaigns.

This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.

Remedy of the newest campaign, 02V216000, in the NHTSA record

Owner notification began december 20, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact kia at 1-800-333-4542.

NHTSA VIN lookup

Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.
NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on 1 Oct 2026. Complaint file through 30 Sep 2026. Recall file through 30 Sep 2026.

Since the last update

No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks

All updates to the register

Recall campaigns

3 campaigns, newest first. 213,892 units in total.

02V216000Received 16 Aug 2002. 189,706 units.
Seat Belts / Front / Buckle Assembly
Defect, in the NHTSA record
On certain passenger vehicles, the safety belt buckle may "false latch" and expose the driver to unrestrained movement during a crash.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
In the event of a crash, the seat occupant may not be properly restrained, increasing the risk of personal injury.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Owner notification began december 20, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact kia at 1-800-333-4542.
Report filed by KIA MOTORS AMERICA, INC.. Manufacturer campaign number SC027. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 20 Dec 2002.
97V234000Received 17 Dec 1997. 23,493 units.
Latches/Locks/Linkages / Hatchback/Liftgate / Lock
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. A microswitch on the rear hatch lock cylinder can malfunction causing the power door locks to unlock inadvertently.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Should this occur, security from unwanted intrusion into the vehicle is lost.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will modify the rear hatch door unlock circuit.
Report filed by KIA MOTORS AMERICA, INC..
96V131000Received 15 Jul 1996. 693 units.
Vehicle Speed Control / Accelerator Pedal
Defect, in the NHTSA record
The accelerator pedal assembly could bind or stick during operation.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
This condition can cause the accelerator to hold the throttle partially open, resulting in loss of vehicle control increasing the risk of a vehicle accident.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace the accelerator pedal assembly.
Report filed by KIA MOTORS AMERICA, INC..

The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.

Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.

Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.

Complaints by component

57 complaints, 98 component mentions.

A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. The figure per 1,000 component mentions shows how many of each 1,000 mentions name the component.

1996 Kia Sportage
All 1996 vehicles

1996 Kia Sportage: complaints by component, per 1,000 component mentions
Component	1996 Sportage	All 1996 vehicles	Sportage, all years	Mentions
Service Brakes, Hydraulic	224.5	120.9	67.2	22
Power Train	122.4	97.9	71.2	12
Engine and Engine Cooling	112.2	140.9	77.5	11
Air Bags	91.8	66.9	43.6	9
Seat Belts	81.6	23.1	15.6	8
Electrical System	81.6	84	96	8
Vehicle Speed Control	51	42	28.5	5
Structure	30.6	39.5	42.2	3
Equipment	30.6	21.9	11.7	3
Suspension	30.6	55	22.9	3

The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 19.

Complaints that report a crash: 12
Complaints that report a fire: 3
Injuries in the complaints: 27
Deaths in the complaints: 0
Date of the newest complaint: 23 Dec 2004

These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.

Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.

Complaints about the 1996 Kia Sportage, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 1997, with 14 complaints.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 1996 Kia Sportage
Number	Type	Subject	Component	Opened	Closed	Campaign
EA06007	Engineering analysis	FUEL TANK LEAKAGE	Fuel System, Gasoline	9 May 2006	30 Nov 2007
PE02051	Preliminary evaluation	SAFETY BELT BUCKLE MALFUNCTION	Seat Belts / Front / Buckle Assembly	17 Jun 2002	20 Sep 2002	02V216000

Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.

Other model years

The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.

A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.

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Official channels

NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.
NHTSA page of the 1996 Kia SportageThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.

Cite this page

Recall Register. 1996 Kia Sportage: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/kia/sportage/1996/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through 30 Sep 2026.

Sources

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence: US government work, public domain
Recall file through: 30 Sep 2026
Complaint file through: 30 Sep 2026
First complaint in the file: 1 Jan 1995
Manufacturer in the recall file: KIA MOTORS AMERICA, INC.

The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.

Questions

How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 1996 Kia Sportage?: 213,892 units in 3 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
How many recall campaigns does the Kia Sportage have for all model years?: NHTSA lists 36 recall campaigns for the Kia Sportage, model years 1995 to 2026. 3 of them name the 1996 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 1996 Kia Sportage name most often?: Service Brakes, Hydraulic: 22 of 98 component mentions, or 224.5 per 1,000. For all 1996 vehicles the figure is 120.9 per 1,000.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 1996 Kia Sportage open?: No. Each of the 2 investigations that name this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.