1999 KIA Sportage Engine and Engine Cooling Problems
Owners have filed 79 complaints with NHTSA about engine and engine cooling problems on the 1999 KIA Sportage, 28% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 50,280 miles. The words owners use most often: “engine stalling” (9% of reports).
- 79engine and engine cooling complaints
- 50,280median miles at failure
- 6mention a crash
- 2mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- 44%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Engine stalling: mentioned in 7 of 79 complaints (9%)
- Consumer states: mentioned in 5 of 79 complaints (6%)
At what mileage do engine and engine cooling problems happen?
Based on 13 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 79 complaints, 6 mention a crash, 2 an injury.
KIA Sportage engine and engine cooling complaints by model year
| Model year | Engine and Engine Cooling complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Sportage | 1 | 2% | 262,000 |
| 2023 Sportage | 1 | 1% | 120,100 |
| 2022 Sportage | 1 | 2% | 97,000 |
| 2021 Sportage | 7 | 13% | 85,000 |
| 2020 Sportage | 9 | 6% | 73,000 |
| 2019 Sportage | 2 | 3% | 92,500 |
| 2018 Sportage | 5 | 3% | 100,000 |
| 2017 Sportage | 8 | 2% | 80,000 |
| 2016 Sportage | 3 | 2% | 120,000 |
| 2015 Sportage | 1 | 1% | 70,000 |
| 2014 Sportage | 2 | 2% | 134,500 |
| 2013 Sportage | 14 | 4% | 112,000 |
| 2012 Sportage | 2 | 1% | 195,500 |
| 2011 Sportage | 7 | 4% | 22,416 |
| 2008 Sportage | 5 | 5% | 13,811 |
| 2007 Sportage | 2 | 3% | 54,675 |
| 2006 Sportage | 8 | 7% | 33,000 |
| 2005 Sportage | 4 | 6% | 38,500 |
| 2003 Sportage | 1 | 25% | — |
| 2002 Sportage | 69 | 29% | 61,450 |
| 2001 Sportage | 45 | 20% | 40,056 |
| 2000 Sportage | 45 | 15% | 59,250 |
| 1999 Sportage | 79 | 28% | 50,280 |
| 1998 Sportage | 79 | 26% | 58,000 |
| 1997 Sportage | 56 | 31% | 104,000 |
| 1996 Sportage | 10 | 18% | — |
| 1995 Sportage | 14 | 25% | 111,500 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists engine and engine cooling for the 1999 KIA Sportage. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Keyway on crankshaft where timing gear attaches wears out prematurely and can result in having to replace engine! I have replace throttle position sensor, fuel filter, and knock sensor also the mass airflow sensor and timing belt were replaced as there appeared to be a timing issue could not find…
Tl*the contact owns a 1999 kia sportage. The contact stated that the vehicle is gradually leaking brake fluid and he is constantly having to add more fluid. Also, the vehicle stalls intermittently while driving between 30-50 mph and merging into traffic. His vin was not included in nhtsa campaign…
Tl*the contact owns a 1999 kia sportage. The seat belt retractor on the drivers side has failed. The air conditioner is also leaking into the passenger side of the vehicle. The vehicle has not yet been diagnosed. The purchase date was unknown. The current mileage is 80,000 and failure mileage was…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 1999 KIA Sportages have engine and engine cooling problems?
No. NHTSA has 79 owner complaints about engine and engine cooling for the 1999 KIA Sportage (28% of the 284 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 1999 KIA Sportage engine and engine cooling?
No recall currently lists engine and engine cooling for this vehicle.
At what mileage do engine and engine cooling problems start?
The median reported mileage is 50,280 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about engine and engine cooling problems on the 1999 KIA Sportage?
The most frequent phrase is “engine stalling”, in 7 of 79 complaints, followed by “consumer states” (5).
Other 1999 KIA Sportage problems
- Power Train problems (57)
See all 1999 KIA Sportage problems or engine and engine cooling problems across all Sportage years.