1998 Kia Sportage Transmission and drivetrain Problems

“First time I brought the car back was because the engine light went on and I had a oil leakage in the engine. Car started to shake even after it was hot and made a weird noise in the engine. The motor rr window was not working and the brakes were making some weird noise. Brought to the dealer to fix and he sent it to Kia for repair, the Kia crew found the front caliper frozen, but the customer denied to fix it. So I brought it to a specialist to check double check the car. …”

“Sunday, 11-02-2003, while driving on main st in mesa, arizona, our 1998 Kia Sportage's gearshift lever snapped off in my hand. I was shifting from second to third gear at the time. The break was about 1 1/2 inches from floor level, down inside the consol. I was lucky to be able to coast onto the median without crashing. My pregnant wife and three-year-old son were with me in the vehicle.I contacted Kia and the short of it is that the vehicle is out of warranty and they claim that they don't have to do anything about this. I feel that this is a life-threatening defect. …”

“After getting stuck in snow found that 4 wheel drive wasn't engaging - mechanic said due to someone over packing components with grease and a part put in backwards there was no way the 4 wheel drive was engaging. So essentially we haven't had 4 wheel drive since we purchased our vehicle in 2000. After the part was installed properly 4wd was engaging. May 16th brought in vehicle due to grinding noise in front wheel hub. Mechanic found 4wd hub rust filled and bad, bearings all rusted out, vacuum hoses to the back of the spindle broken both sides. Both front wheels had same problem. …”

“Driving uphill in one inch of snow the axel hubs on the front of vehicle did not engage causing the loss of control of the steering, sliding sideways and backwards to a stop. The parts replaced were as follows: axel hub seals, axel bearings, upper ball joint, vacuum line and realignment of front end.”

“The vehicles 4-wheel drive engaged sometimes then popped out causing a loud noise. The consumer found out about a hub seal recall and inquired about it at the dealer . The dealer indicated that the recall was performed by the manufacturer. The consumer looked under the hood for a red mark on the vacuum canister bracket but didn't see one. The consumer therefore believes that the recall has not been completed.”