Most common 2000 Kia Sportage problems
Share of the 304 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Kia Sportage complaints by model year
Best Sportage years: 2019, 2014. Years to avoid: 2023, 2025, 2017, 2024, 2012. Compare all years →
2000 Kia Sportage recalls (2)
Seat belts › Front › Buckle assembly
On certain passenger and sport utility vehicles, the front safety belt buckles May emit a "click" sound during the buckling process that is similar to the sound emitted when a buckle is being latched, when it is not.
Remedy: Dealers will replace both front seat belt buckles. The recall began August 16, 2004. Owners should contact Kia at 1-800-333-4542.
Electrical system
Vehicle description: sport utility vehicle. These vehicles were distributed with owners manuals with an incorrect jump start diagram. The written instructions for jump starting are accurate. However, the diagram depicts the jumper cables attached to the wrong polarity terminals.
Remedy: Owners will be provided with an adhesive label with the correct illustration to permanently affix to their respective owners manuals.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 6 possible defects involving the 2000 Kia Sportage:
Seat belt buckle false latch/malfunction
Information received and analyzed during this rq disclosed that my 1999 and 2000 Kia sephia and sportage vehicles were equipped with modified versions of the same safety belt latch assembly as those recalled in campaign no. 02v-216.these latch assemblies were identified as type a97.
Fuel tank leakage
On January 4, 2006, the office of defects investigation (odi) opened a preliminary evaluation to investigate alleged fuel leakage from the steel fuel storage tank in certain model year 1999-2000 Kia sportage vehicles.odi sent a letter to the manufacturer on January 25, 2006 requesting information about these and other Kia sportage vehicles.odi is aware of 40 non-duplicative complaints that allege fuel storage tank…
Incorrect battery jump-start
Allege battety May explode if owner's attempt to jump-state the vehicle by following the owner's manual diagram
Fuel tank leakage
A safety-related defect trend has not been identified at this time.review of the warranty data revealed elevated tank leakage experience in vehicles produced from June 1999 to October 2000.analysis of complaints and warranty claims identified multiple causes and origins of fuel tank assembly leakage.the majority of complaints involve non-specific allegations of fuel leakage where more than one fuel system component…
Seat belt buckle false latch/malfunction
The manufacturer has initiated a safety related campaign to recall the subject vehicles for correction of the seat belt buckle defect.the corrective action is to replace the seat belts/buckles.this safety recall program has been assigned NHTSA campaign no. 04V305.
Vehicle rollover
There is no summary currently available
What 2000 Kia Sportage owners say
Fuel & propulsion system all 90 →
The car had not been driven in 2 days. My daughter started the car, drove it about 1/4 - 1/2 mile when she noticed smoke coming from the console on the passenger side. She parked the vehicle, got out and ran to the passenger side to see if she could tell where the smoke was coming from and could see fire through the crack in the console where the cover over the console was joined together. Within seconds, the entire inside of the vehicle was engulfed in flames, which leads me to believe that there May have been a gasoline leak. She was in a residential neighborhood with very little traffic. Had she been on the highway or in traffic, this would have been a very different scenario. She and others would have been hurt or worse. Her pocketbook had fallen on the floor and she reached over to pick it up and that is when she saw the smoke. She had time to get out before the car imploded. …
Noticed a strong gas smell, looked under car and noticed gas dripping from under car. Upon further looking I noticed the gas tank protective plate is rotting out which makes me believe the gas tank is too.
Brakes all 54 →
(1) noticed that the fuel tank shield is severely rotted out and is barely connected. (2) smell fuel vapors periodically while in the vehicle. (3) fuel tank appears to be rusting, afraid to mess with tank in fear of disturbing the rust and rupturing a hole in tank. (4) brake lines were so severely rusted in one area that it blew a hole in the line and prevented the vehicle from stopping and required the prompt action for repair. Other brake lines look like they May fail in near future. (5) steel portion of power steering line rusted out and blew fluid everywhere preventing the ability to turn the wheel while driving. (6) the frame has heavy rust scale and appears to be rotting in several place. (7) paint is starting to bubble which is indicating body is rusting under paint job. This is a 12 year old vehicle with very bad rotting of metal from salt corrosion. …
I took my 2000 Kia Sportage in to my mechanic to have the brakes redone. As he was out testing to make sure the brakes worked he noticed that the rear end was moving around quite a bit. He takes it back to the shop to look up underneath and noticed that the chassis was rusted away so bad that there was s fist sized hole in it. He told me this needed to be fixed asap! This is a serious concern not only for me but for everyone else who owns the vehicle. Its a scary thought to know that at any given time my chassis can literally fall apart on me. We need this to be recalled due to the amount of complaints that it already as and the extremely poor design of this chassis.
Engine & cooling all 47 →
The car had not been driven in 2 days. My daughter started the car, drove it about 1/4 - 1/2 mile when she noticed smoke coming from the console on the passenger side. She parked the vehicle, got out and ran to the passenger side to see if she could tell where the smoke was coming from and could see fire through the crack in the console where the cover over the console was joined together. Within seconds, the entire inside of the vehicle was engulfed in flames, which leads me to believe that there May have been a gasoline leak. She was in a residential neighborhood with very little traffic. Had she been on the highway or in traffic, this would have been a very different scenario. She and others would have been hurt or worse. Her pocketbook had fallen on the floor and she reached over to pick it up and that is when she saw the smoke. She had time to get out before the car imploded. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 Kia Sportage. While driving 35 MPH, there was a loud noise under the hood. The contact parked the vehicle and noticed water leaking from the radiator. The fan blade detached and went through the radiator. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 128,477.
2000 Kia Sportage engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.0L 4-cyl | 5-speed manual | RWD | 18 / 21 / 19 |
| 2.0L 4-cyl | 5-speed manual | 4WD/AWD | 18 / 21 / 19 |
| 2.0L 4-cyl | 4-speed automatic | RWD | 16 / 20 / 18 |
| 2.0L 4-cyl | 4-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 17 / 20 / 18 |
EPA ratings. Class: SUV.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2000 Kia Sportage a good car?
Based on 304 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2000 Sportage rates use caution: 2.0× as many complaints as a typical year of the Sportage at the same age. It is one of the Sportage years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2000 Kia Sportage?
The fuel & propulsion system — 90 complaints, 30% of all complaints for this model year, most often about storage › tank assembly. Next are the brakes (54) and engine & cooling (47).
How many recalls does the 2000 Kia Sportage have?
There are 2 recalls for the 2000 Kia Sportage, the most recent from June 24, 2004 (buckle assembly). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Kia Sportage?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2019 and 2014. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2023, 2025, 2017, 2024 and 2012. See the full Kia Sportage years comparison.
At what mileage do 2000 Kia Sportage problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 71,000 miles; 31% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.