1997 Kia Sportage Tires Problems
- Complaints
- 4about this part
- Share
- 2%of 181 total for the year
- Median mileage
- —not reported
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 4 complaints about the tires of the 1997 Kia Sportage, 2% of the 181 complaints for this model year.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“I was driving on the freeway when my right front tire had a violent blow out. The tread separated from the tire. The tire blew ou in two places. It has severe cuts in both the sidewall and the bottom tread area. The cut looks as though someone took an axe to it and cut across the width of the tire. The blowout was so severe that it blew out an entire turn signal housing. A few days later we met someone in the parking lot of a store and they said the same thing had happened to them but not as bad as ours. Luckily I was able to keep control of the car to prevent any accidents. …”
NHTSA complaint #733681, filed 2000-10“The sidewalls of the factory tires were cracking. Went to a general tire dealer and they installed 5 new tires under warranty. The manufacturer had sold the rights to the general name to a korean tire co. The factory tires are not made in the us tires. They were aware of this problem and gave us the new tires quickly. ( DOT number: )”
NHTSA complaint #721172, filed 2000-04Tires: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | 4% |
| 2022 | 1 | 2% |
| 2020 | 1 | 1% |
| 2019 | 1 | 1% |
| 2017 | 1 | 0% |
| 2014 | 1 | 1% |
| 2013 | 1 | 0% |
| 2011 | 1 | 1% |
| 2008 | 4 | 4% |
| 2007 | 2 | 3% |
| 2006 | 2 | 2% |
| 2005 | 1 | 1% |
| 2002 | 1 | 0% |
| 2001 | 7 | 3% |
| 2000 | 6 | 2% |
| 1999 | 9 | 3% |
| 1998 | 7 | 2% |
| 1997 | 4 | 2% |
| 1996 | 1 | 2% |
| 1995 | 2 | 4% |
Other parts of the 1997 Kia Sportage
56 complaintsAir bags
39 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
25 complaintsVehicle speed control
22 complaintsElectrical system
21 complaintsBrakes
19 complaintsFuel system
18 complaintsOther or unknown
16 complaintsBody and structure
10 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
9 complaintsLatches, locks and linkages
7 complaintsSuspension
7 complaints
← All problems reported for the 1997 Kia Sportage
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology