2002 Kia Sportage: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign for the 2002 Kia Sportage. The campaign is 07V161000. NHTSA received the report on 16 Apr 2007. The NHTSA record gives the component Engine and Engine Cooling / Cooling System / Fan. NHTSA has 168 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 this campaign.

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

Remedy of campaign 07V161000, in the NHTSA record

Dealers will replace the engine cooling fan with a fan made of improved material. The recall began on june 11, 2007. Owners may 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 29 Mar 2018. 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

1 campaign. 35,090 units in total.

07V161000Received 16 Apr 2007. 35,090 units.
Engine and Engine Cooling / Cooling System / Fan
Defect, in the NHTSA record
On certain vehicles, the heat generated by the engine causes repeated bending deformation of the polypropylene cooling fan including its retaining ring, which stresses the polypropylene thereby initiating cracking of the blades. The centrifugal forces generated by the rotation of the blades can cause the cracks to propagate until complete separation occurs.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Separation of the fan blade(s) can create a risk of personal injury.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace the engine cooling fan with a fan made of improved material. The recall began on june 11, 2007. Owners may contact kia at 1-800-333-4542.
Report filed by KIA MOTORS AMERICA, INC.. Manufacturer campaign number SC070. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 11 Jun 2007.

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

168 complaints, 235 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.

2002 Kia Sportage
All 2002 vehicles

2002 Kia Sportage: complaints by component, per 1,000 component mentions
Component	2002 Sportage	All 2002 vehicles	Sportage, all years	Mentions
Engine and Engine Cooling	293.6	130.3	176.9	69
Fuel System, Gasoline	110.6	35.9	85.3	26
Service Brakes, Hydraulic	89.4	96.7	108.3	21
Power Train	85.1	135.9	106.3	20
Electrical System	63.8	88.7	90	15
Visibility	63.8	50.4	61.6	15
Air Bags	59.6	55.1	58.4	14
Steering	34	37.1	23.8	8
Suspension	34	85.6	42.1	8
Structure	29.8	52.7	47.9	7

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

Complaints that report a crash: 11
Complaints that report a fire: 5
Injuries in the complaints: 8
Deaths in the complaints: 0
Date of the newest complaint: 14 Oct 2010

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 2002 Kia Sportage, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 2002, with 29 complaints.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 2002 Kia Sportage
Number	Type	Subject	Component	Opened	Closed	Campaign
EA07001	Engineering analysis	FAN BLADE CRACKING/SEPARATION	Engine and Engine Cooling / Cooling System / Fan	22 Jan 2007	16 Apr 2007	07V161000
PE06042	Preliminary evaluation	FAN BLADE CRACKING/SEPARATION	Engine and Engine Cooling / Cooling System / Fan	21 Sep 2006	22 Jan 2007
EA06007	Engineering analysis	FUEL TANK LEAKAGE	Fuel System, Gasoline	9 May 2006	30 Nov 2007
RQ03007	Recall query	SEAT BELT BUCKLE FALSE LATCH/MALFUNCTION	Seat Belts / Front / Buckle Assembly	14 Oct 2003	27 Feb 2004	04V305000

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.

Follow by RSS:Kia recallsVehicle recalls

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 2002 Kia SportageThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.

Cite this page

Recall Register. 2002 Kia Sportage: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/kia/sportage/2002/. 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: 29 Mar 2018
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 2002 Kia Sportage?: 35,090 units in 1 campaign. 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. 1 of them names the 2002 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 2002 Kia Sportage name most often?: Engine and Engine Cooling: 69 of 235 component mentions, or 293.6 per 1,000. For all 2002 vehicles the figure is 130.3 per 1,000.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 2002 Kia Sportage open?: No. Each of the 4 investigations that name this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.