RecallRadar

Home → Kia → Sportage → 1996

1996 Kia Sportage Recalls & Complaints

3

open safety recalls on record

Serious

98 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 1.62 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Serious02V216000

Seat Belts:Front:Buckle Assembly

IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE SEAT OCCUPANT MAY NOT BE PROPERLY RESTRAINED, raises the risk of PERSONAL INJURY.

Remedy & full details

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.

ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE SAFETY BELT BUCKLE MAY "FALSE LATCH" AND EXPOSE THE DRIVER TO UNRESTRAINED MOVEMENT DURING A CRASH.

Moderate96V131000

Vehicle Speed Control:Accelerator Pedal

THIS CONDITION CAN CAUSE THE ACCELERATOR TO HOLD THE THROTTLE PARTIALLY OPEN, RESULTING IN LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL raises the risk of A VEHICLE ACCIDENT.

Remedy & full details

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL ASSEMBLY.

THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL ASSEMBLY COULD BIND OR STICK DURING OPERATION.

Moderate97V234000

Latches/Locks/Linkages:Hatchback/Liftgate:Lock

SHOULD THIS OCCUR, SECURITY FROM UNWANTED INTRUSION INTO THE VEHICLE IS LOST.

Remedy & full details

DEALERS WILL MODIFY THE REAR HATCH DOOR UNLOCK CIRCUIT.

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. A MICROSWITCH ON THE REAR HATCH LOCK CYLINDER CAN MALFUNCTION CAUSING THE POWER DOOR LOCKS TO UNLOCK INADVERTENTLY.

Complaint volume

98 this model-year 8 median, same year

Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.

What owners reported happened

13Crashes
3Fires
31Injuries
0Deaths

Across 98 complaints. Severity Index 1.62.

Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.

What owners report most

Service Brakes, Hydraulic…10 · 10%Air Bags · Frontal9 · 9%Engine And Engine Cooling…8 · 8%Power Train · Automatic T…4 · 4%Power Train · Manual Tran…3 · 3%Seat Belts · Front · Anch…3 · 3%Service Brakes, Hydraulic…3 · 3%Unknown Or Other3 · 3%
  1. Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip — 10 reports
  2. Air Bags:Frontal — 9 reports
  3. Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline — 8 reports
  4. Power Train:Automatic Transmission — 4 reports
  5. Power Train:Manual Transmission — 3 reports
  6. Seat Belts:Front:Anchorage — 3 reports
  7. Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components:Master Cylinder — 3 reports
  8. Unknown Or Other — 3 reports
  9. Seat Belts:Front:Buckle Assembly — 3 reports
  10. Power Train — 2 reports

What to do

  1. Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
  2. Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
  3. Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.

Other model years

1995 (2) · 1996 · 1997 (3) · 1998 (5) · 1999 (5) · 2000 (4) · 2001 (2) · 2002 (3) · 2003 · 2005 (3) · 2006 (1) · 2007 (2) · 2008 (3) · 2009 (3) · 2010 (2) · 2011 (6) · 2012 (5) · 2013 (3) · 2014 (3) · 2015 (2) · 2016 (2) · 2017 (4) · 2018 (3) · 2019 (2) · 2020 (2) · 2021 (2) · 2022 (1) · 2023 (6) · 2024 (3) · 2025 (1) · 2026 (1)

Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.

Questions

Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?

Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.

Do I pay for recall repairs?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.

Why are there complaints but no recalls?

Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.

From the same data desk

Independent sites, same maintainer, same open-data standards.

TireFit
Is that tyre actually right for your car?
2,808 fitment guides
FuelFacts
What that trip really costs in fuel
Live consumption data
CostCompare
What things cost, city by city
2,123 comparisons