Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (fuel pump, injectors, fuel tank, hybrid and EV propulsion).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2000 Kia Sportage owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
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.
2000 Kia Sportage notice gas fumes, gas leaking and under seat the top plate is letting out raw gas fumes to make you sick. I did research an seen a recall sc059 my care is doing the same thing called Kia customer service she gave me a case number gave me the phone number to the Kia dealer she said couldn't drive car have it towed, have jake sweeny to diagnose if this is doing the same problems the old recall did for them to call her and she would ask her dist mgr to let this car be fix. My brother is handicapped and he called the dealer and he ask for the VIN number and said there was no recall. We know there is not one at this moment but for him to look at this car because of it causing a life threatening problem. I have case number from Kia just need to get the dealer to look at the car the fumes are making him sick and now the chance of the care blowing up. Please help asap. …
(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. …
Dt: a 2000 Kia Sportage station wagon. The bottom of the vehicle rusted. The fuel tank had a hole in it. While the consumer was driving on the highway the fuel had slowly leaked out. The consumer was unaware of this until she drove vehicle home and noticed that there was fuel under it. Consumer took vehicle to a local fuel station; they told consume rbecause there was no one to work on it to bring it back the next day. She had the vehicle towed to them the next day. They replaced the fuel pump, tank, lines, and everything on the bottom of the vehicle. The fuel had leaked all over the bottom of the vehicle and made it hard to fix the vehicle. The mechanic told her that they had the same problem with other kiaes concerning this. The consumer is very concerned with the safety of this. …
While driving my 2000 Kia Sportage I started smelling gas I pulled over and looked under the vehicle and found gas leaking I had a mechanic look at it and he informed me gas was coming out of the top of my gas tank by where the fuel pump and gas gauge wiring goes in. I then went on the internet to see if there was any reported problems with this and found there was a recall from Kia for the same reason. I the contacted a Kia dealer in my area to get it fixed and he told me that the recall doesn't pertain to my vehicle and he but me in touch with Kia consumer affairs and the next day (today) they told me that my Sportage is not covered by the recall and I'm going to have to pay out of pocket for the repair. Is there anything you people can do or I'm I or someone else going to have to die in this vehicle to make them honor their screw up. Thank you in advance for your help. …
Tl* - the contact purchased a 2000 Kia Sportage. The contact was the original owner of the vehicle. On 1/1/2007, after driving 1.5 miles the contact's smelled gas. The vehicle was parked ,and when the contact checked the vehicle, there was fuel leaking. The contact found a significant fuel leak ,and drove the vehicle to the dealer to diagnose the leak. The contact stated that gas was leaking on the exhaust system. The dealer indicated that the screws that held the fuel pump in the gas task rusted , and was advised that the pump which fitted into the fuel tank had to be replaced. The contact called Kia, and was told there was nothing they could do since the car was no longer under warranty. The vehicle was stalling ,and was told by the dealer that a wire was lo0se and it was repaired. Prior to that the vehicle was overheated due to an oxygen sensor failure.
On 11/14/07 I checked my Sportage into the dealer to have the tires replaced. I was informed that the car was unsafe to drive, because of a leak in the fuel tank. I had not noticed the leak, but the dealer said there was a very strong probability of a fire because of all the gas. I replaced the gas tank. In January of 2008 I received notice that Kia would cover the repairs NHTSA # 10024232. I sent in my receipts in February. On sept 10th Kia have 9 months of waiting decided they did not need to cover the cost of the repairs because my paperwork did not note where exactly the tank was leaking from. However, they brought me out to the car before they repaired it and the rear shield of the tank was completely rusted and the tank was leaking in the rear. The tank was not secure on the vehicle. This should certainly be a full scale recall!
2000 Kia Sportage 4 wheel drive- bought car, contacted Kia regarding recalls told there was one on fuel tank. Took car to Kia, was told too many miles on car- but leaky fuel tank still exists. Today went to get fill up car, first time, the fire department had to come to service station because car was pouring out fuel from tank. Fireman told me to contact Kia, told him already did but Kia refused to do anything about this. Car needed towed, shut down service station for about an hour or more until fuel could be cleaned up. This is Kia's fault, knew of defect, refused to do anything about it, look at internet how many complaints there are for these cars. Tank made from poor material with Kia's knowledge so they should have a recall which there is one, but they don't want to honor it.
Tl contact owns a 2000 Kia Sportage. While driving 25 MPH, the contact smelled gas coming from the vehicle; however, the odor intensified when the vehicle was parked. A private mechanic examined the vehicle and found that the fuel tank was corroded, causing gas to leak from two holes. The mechanic stated that the shield was placed on the vehicle before the fuel tank was dried, which caused water to sit on the tank and corrode. The dealer stated that the fuel tank needed to be replaced at the cost of $472.13. The dealer and manufacturer confirmed that the VIN was not included in recall number sc059 and would not be able to provide assistance. The dealer information was unavailable. The current mileage was 127,000 and failure mileage was 126,000.
NHTSA investigations
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…
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…
Fuel System complaints in other Sportage years
Frequently asked questions
How common are fuel system problems on the 2000 Kia Sportage?
NHTSA has 90 complaints about the fuel & propulsion system of the 2000 Kia Sportage, 30% of the model year's 304 complaints. The component named most often is storage › tank assembly (24 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2000 Kia Sportage fuel system problems?
No. NHTSA lists no fuel & propulsion system recall for the 2000 Kia Sportage, though it has 2 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2000 Kia Sportage fuel system problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 82,000 miles, and 5% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 1 fire and 0 injuries to fuel & propulsion system problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.