Your vehicle report
2005 Kia Sportage
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 68
- Received Apr 2005 to Nov 2023
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Fuel tank or line leaks gasoline7 complaints · 10% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Airbag warning light stays on6 complaints · 8.8% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Frame rusts and corrodes through6 complaints · 8.8% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #05V318000On certain sport utility vehicles, the parking brake lever ratchet pawl was not properly manufactured and my damage the teeth of the parking brake lever ratchet. Damaged parking brake lever ratchet teeth may prevent the parking brake from engaging or may allow the parking brake to release after it has been engaged.
- Recall #05V212000On certain sport utility vehicles, fuel may leak from the o-ring into the internal vapor chamber located in the fuel tank at full tank conditions.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 6 crashes, 2 fires, 5 people injured, 0 deaths.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 7 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
- Fuel tank or line leaks gasoline
- Engine stalls and loses power while driving
- Engine suddenly shuts off while driving
1 more problem
Brakes
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Electrical & lights
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Body, doors & glass
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2005 | 7 |
| 2006 | 6 |
| 2007 | 4 |
| 2008 | 3 |
| 2009 | 3 |
| 2010 | 5 |
| 2011 | 5 |
| 2012 | 5 |
| 2013 | 6 |
| 2014 | 0 |
| 2015 | 4 |
| 2016 | 5 |
| 2017 | 4 |
| 2018 | 5 |
| 2019 | 2 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 2 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 0 |
| Total | 68 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel tank or line leaks gasoline | 7 | 10% | – | NHTSA recall #05V212000 |
| Airbag warning light stays on | 6 | 8.8% | – | |
| Frame rusts and corrodes through | 6 | 8.8% | – | |
| Engine stalls and loses power while driving | 5 | 7.3% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 4 | 5.9% | – | |
| Engine suddenly shuts off while driving | 4 | 5.9% | – | |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 3 | 4.4% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #05V318000July 8, 20053,672 vehicles affected
parking brake
On certain sport utility vehicles, the parking brake lever ratchet pawl was not properly manufactured and my damage the teeth of the parking brake lever ratchet. Damaged parking brake lever ratchet teeth may prevent the parking brake from engaging or may allow the parking brake to release after it has been engaged.
The inability to engage, or the inadvertent release of, the parking brake lever may allow your vehicle to roll while it is parked and may result in a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the parking brake lever assembly. The recall began on august 1, 2005. Owners may contact Kia at 1-800-333-4542.
NHTSA recall #05V212000May 3, 200510,360 vehicles affected
fuel system, gasoline: storage
On certain sport utility vehicles, fuel may leak from the o-ring into the internal vapor chamber located in the fuel tank at full tank conditions.
The engine may stall when coming to a stop. It will be hard to fill the gas tank and external fuel may leak from the evaporative air filter inlet. Fuel leakage, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the fuel tank and replace the charcoal canister free of charge. The recall began on may 31, 2005. Owners may contact Kia at 1-800-333-4542.
NHTSA recall #05V120000March 29, 20057,619 vehicles affected
electronic stability control: automatic (asc)
On certain sport utility vehicles equipped with electronic stability program (esp), the yaw rate sensor may become too sensitive and may recalibrate inaccurately. While driving the esp program may cause the engine to reduce power and may cause a brake at one of the wheels to be inappropriately.
Brake application caused by inadvertent esp activation may result in loss of control and a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will reprogram the esp hydraulic electronic control unit free of charge. The recall began on april 13, 2005. Owners may contact Kia at 1-800-333-4542.
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 2005 Kia Sportage.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN