1997 Kia Sportage: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for the 1997 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 181 complaints on file for this model year. 4 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. 290,185 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.
99V325000Received 19 Nov 1999. 76,986 units.
Electrical System / Wiring
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Vehicle description: sport utility vehicles. The wires connected to the c123 and c124 connectors can be put under tension by movement of the engine, thus pulling the wires and connectors, loosening them and resulting in a loss of circuit continuity.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
This condition can cause engine stalling, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will install spring clips to lock the connectors together. In addition, the dealers will be instructed to solder a splice in the wire harness.
Report filed by KIA MOTORS AMERICA, INC.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 25 Jan 2000.
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..

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

181 complaints, 299 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.

1997 Kia Sportage
All 1997 vehicles

1997 Kia Sportage: complaints by component, per 1,000 component mentions
Component	1997 Sportage	All 1997 vehicles	Sportage, all years	Mentions
Engine and Engine Cooling	210.7	128.6	77.5	63
Air Bags	130.4	60.9	43.6	39
Power Train	93.6	87.5	71.2	28
Vehicle Speed Control	83.6	43.7	28.5	25
Electrical System	73.6	81.7	96	22
Service Brakes, Hydraulic	66.9	100.8	67.2	20
Fuel System, Gasoline	56.9	49.4	41.2	17
Unknown or Other	53.5	21.4	70.3	16
Visibility	36.8	55.8	30.1	11
Structure	36.8	40.1	42.2	11

The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 22.

Complaints that report a crash: 32
Complaints that report a fire: 5
Injuries in the complaints: 24
Deaths in the complaints: 1
Date of the newest complaint: 18 Jan 2019

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 1997 Kia Sportage, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 2000, with 46 complaints.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 1997 Kia Sportage
Number	Type	Subject	Component	Opened	Closed	Campaign
EA06007	Engineering analysis	FUEL TANK LEAKAGE	Fuel System, Gasoline	9 May 2006	30 Nov 2007
RQ02013	Recall query	ENGINE STALLING POST-RECALL	Electrical System / Wiring / Front Underhood	18 Oct 2002	2 Sep 2003	99V325000
PE02051	Preliminary evaluation	SAFETY BELT BUCKLE MALFUNCTION	Seat Belts / Front / Buckle Assembly	17 Jun 2002	20 Sep 2002	02V216000
SQ99021	Safety query	CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STAYS ON	Electrical System	30 Jun 1999	2 Feb 2000	99V325000

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 1997 Kia SportageThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.

Cite this page

Recall Register. 1997 Kia Sportage: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/kia/sportage/1997/. 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 1997 Kia Sportage?: 290,185 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 1997 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 1997 Kia Sportage name most often?: Engine and Engine Cooling: 63 of 299 component mentions, or 210.7 per 1,000. For all 1997 vehicles the figure is 128.6 per 1,000.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 1997 Kia Sportage open?: No. Each of the 4 investigations that name this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.