RecallRadar

HomeKiaSportage → 2002

2002 Kia Sportage Recalls & Complaints

3

open safety recalls on record

Serious

321 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.32 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Serious07V161000

Engine And Engine Cooling:Cooling System:Fan

SEPARATION OF THE FAN BLADE(S) CAN CREATE A RISK OF PERSONAL INJURY.

Remedy & full details

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.

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.

Serious09E025000

Exterior Lighting:Headlights

DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.

Remedy & full details

DOPE, INC. WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 28, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DOPE, INC. AT 1-626-272-1798.

DOPE, INC. IS RECALLING 42,540 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT." THESE LAMPS DO NOT CONTAIN THE REQUIRED AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS.

Serious09E012000

Exterior Lighting

DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.

Remedy & full details

SABERSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 11, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABERSPORT AT 1-909-598-7589.

SABERSPORT IS RECALLING 16,270 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT." THESE LAMPS DO NOT CONTAIN THE REQUIRED AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS.

Complaint volume

321 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

19Crashes
7Fires
11Injuries
0Deaths

Across 321 complaints. Severity Index 0.32.

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

Fuel System, Gasoline35 · 11%Engine And Engine Cooling…22 · 7%Fuel/Propulsion System20 · 6%Engine And Engine Cooling…12 · 4%Electrical System12 · 4%Engine And Engine Cooling12 · 4%Engine And Engine Cooling…11 · 3%Air Bags9 · 3%
  1. Fuel System, Gasoline — 35 reports
  2. Engine And Engine Cooling:Cooling System:Fan — 22 reports
  3. Fuel/Propulsion System — 20 reports
  4. Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine — 12 reports
  5. Electrical System — 12 reports
  6. Engine And Engine Cooling — 12 reports
  7. Engine And Engine Cooling:Cooling System — 11 reports
  8. Air Bags — 9 reports
  9. Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components:Disc:Rotor — 9 reports
  10. Air Bags:Frontal — 8 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 (3) · 1997 (3) · 1998 (5) · 1999 (5) · 2000 (4) · 2001 (2) · 2002 · 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.