2001 Kia Sportage Problems, Recalls & Reliability
354 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2001 Kia Sportage, alongside 2 recall campaigns and 2 defect investigations. It scores 59/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Fuel system leads the reports, typically around 70,000 miles.
Avoid this year if you can. The 2001 Kia Sportage sits at the top of this model's complaint rankings. Quieter picks in the same family: 1995, 2005, 2019, 2021–2022.
Avoid
Where 2001 sits among all Sportage years
What owners report
“Bought this vehicle with only 11k miles from an elderly couple that hardly drove it. Now at 21k miles, there is a gas smell coming inside the vehicle and also outside of the vehicle. Has a rough idle and gas spews out of tank while i'm pumping gas. The front passenger tire sounds like it's about to…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2001 Sportage
“Vehicle continues to emit sulphur deoxide from exhaust which fells passenger compartment.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2001 Sportage
“The car keeps stalling just quits when i slow down. I had two mechanics check it out. Filled the tank with new gas, and nothing showed up on the electrical check. It is a mystery why this keeps happening. I am worried that this might happen on a major highway. And i don't want to sell the car and…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2001 Sportage
“Brake system/rotors. The vehicle is a year old and was purchased new, twice the rotors have been changed due to warping.the incident date is the first time it was in the shop, the second time was on 1/13/03”— owner report to NHTSA, 2001 Sportage
“The steering wheel is peeling, i have had it replaced but the new one is doing the same thing. The window strips are all twisted up and make a roaring sound when i drive. I have had them replaced but they still roar. The dash rattles, but they didn't fix it. The rear windows do not roll down. The…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2001 Sportage
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 190 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 49,345 miles. Half of those reports fall between 20,000 and 82,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (2)
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…
Fix: 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.
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…
Fix: 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.
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 04V305000.
Technical service bulletins
13 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and engine — are on file for the 2001 Kia Sportage. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2001 Sportage TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2001 Kia Sportage reliable?
The 2001 Kia Sportage drew 354 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 59/100, scored against the model's worst year (2017).
What are the most common 2001 Kia Sportage problems?
The top reported problems for the 2001 Kia Sportage are fuel system (62 complaints), engine (56), and electrical (33).
At what mileage do 2001 Kia Sportage problems show up?
Owners most often report 2001 Kia Sportage problems around 49,345 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 20,000 and 82,000 miles.
Does the 2001 Kia Sportage have recalls?
2 recall campaigns apply to the 2001 Kia Sportage. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.