Worst 2008 Kia Sportage Problems
Top 3 most-reported issues with average mileage at failure.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
ENGINE
SERVICE BRAKES
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All Problems by Category
Every NHTSA complaint category for the 2008 Kia Sportage.
| Component | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Avg Mileage | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 26 | — | 14 | 87,418 mi | |
| ENGINE | 17 | — | 7 | 86,408 mi | |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 15 | — | 3 | 82,100 mi | |
| STRUCTURE:BODY | 11 | — | 7 | 109,440 mi | |
| ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) | 9 | — | — | 67,840 mi | |
| POWER TRAIN | 9 | — | 1 | 61,043 mi | |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 6 | — | 2 | 50,840 mi | |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | 6 | — | — | 72,750 mi | |
| AIR BAGS | 5 | 1 | — | 93,750 mi | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 3 | — | 1 | 27,600 mi | |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 3 | — | — | 15,420 mi | |
| TIRES:PRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS | 3 | — | — | 29,500 mi | |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 3 | 1 | — | 122,077 mi | |
| VISIBILITY | 2 | — | — | 34,500 mi | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY | 1 | — | — | — | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:FAN | 1 | — | 1 | — | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM | 1 | — | — | 22 mi | |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH | 1 | — | — | 48,000 mi | |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY | 1 | — | — | — | |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | — | — | — | |
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | 1 | — | — | — | |
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:HOOD:LATCH | 1 | — | — | 64,000 mi | |
| SEAT BELTS | 1 | — | — | — | |
| SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:ANTILOCK:ABS WARNING LIGHT | 1 | — | 1 | 112,000 mi | |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE | 1 | — | — | 140,000 mi | |
| STEERING | 1 | — | — | 900 mi | |
| STRUCTURE | 1 | — | — | — | |
| STRUCTURE:BODY:HOOD:HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS:SUPPORT DEVICE/STRUT | 1 | — | — | 167,000 mi | |
| SUSPENSION | 1 | — | — | — | |
| SUSPENSION:FRONT | 1 | — | — | 900 mi |
Recalls for 2008 Kia Sportage
4 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting ~1,195,489 vehicles.
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2008-2009 Sportage vehicles previously recalled under recall 16V-815. An engine compartment fire originating from around the Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) may occur while parked or driving.
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2008-2009 Sportage vehicles previously recalled under recall 16V-815. An engine compartment fire originating from around the Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) may occur while parked or driving.
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2008-2009 Kia Sportage vehicles manufactured August 9, 2007, to May 13, 2009. The wire harness cover on the Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) may be improperly sealed allowing water to get onto the HECU circuit board. If the water is contaminated with salt, such as could occur from melted snow, the wire harness connector pins may corrode and the circuit board may short circuit.
Kia Motors Corporation (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2007-2010 Rondo, model year 2007-2011 Sedona, Sorento and Sportage, model year 2010-2011 Soul, model year 2008-2011 Optima, model year 2010 Forte, model year 2007-2009 Amanti, and model year 2009 Borrego vehicles. Originally, in April 2013, Kia recalled 623,658 model year 2007-2010 Rondo and Sportage, model year 2007-2011 Sorento, model year 2007 Sedona, model year 2010-2011 Soul, and model year 2011 Optima vehicles. In September 2013, Kia informed the agency that it was adding an additional 356,719 vehicles to this campaign. The total number of vehicles being recalled is now 980,377. In the affected vehicles, the stop lamp switch may malfunction. A malfunctioning stop lamp switch may cause the brake lights to not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed or may cause an inability to deactivate the cruise control by depressing the brake pedal. Additionally, a malfunctioning stop lamp switch may also result in intermittent operation of the push-button start feature, affect the operation of the brake-transmission shift interlock feature preventing the shifter from being moved out of the PARK position and cause the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) malfunction light to illuminate.
Other Kia Sportage Years
Wider context: See the full Kia Sportage reliability report with year-by-year comparison and generation analysis.
Check Your Specific 2008 Kia Sportage
Real owner complaints tell you about the model. The VIN tells you about your specific car — accidents, title issues, odometer fraud.
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