2005 KIA Sportage Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Sportage years
- Fewer complaints than other years 23rd of 31 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 3 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 68 complaints with NHTSA about the 2005 KIA Sportage. That ranks 23rd out of 31 Sportage model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is air bags (12 complaints, 18%), typically at around 89,000 miles. Complaints mention 6 crashes, 2 fires, 5 injuries. There are 3 safety recalls covering this model year.
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- 68owner complaints
- 3safety recalls
- 0NHTSA investigations
- 6complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2005 KIA Sportage problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 12 | 18% | 89,000 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 8 | 12% | 26,000 | — | — |
| Structure | 8 | 12% | 118,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 7 | 10% | 21,000 | — | — |
| Suspension | 7 | 10% | 126,000 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 7 | 10% | 134,500 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 6 | 9% | 142,500 | — | — |
| Steering | 5 | 7% | 89,000 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 4 | 6% | 38,500 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 3 | 4% | 89,000 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 3 | 4% | 107,900 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 3 | 4% | 97,717 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 3 | 4% | 85,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 3 | 4% | 51,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 3 | 4% | 5,976 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control | 1 | 1% | 33,000 | — | — |
| Engine | 1 | 1% | 111,195 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 1 | 1% | 2,000 | — | — |
| Power Train | 1 | 1% | 65,311 | — | — |
| Tires | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Wheels | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2005 KIA Sportage recalls (3)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Parking brake
Problem: On certain sport utility vehicles, the parking brake lever ratchet pawl was not properly manufactured and my damage the teeth of the parking brake lever ratchet. Damaged parking brake lever ratchet teeth may prevent the parking brake from engaging or may allow the parking brake to release after it has been engaged.
Risk: The inability to engage, or the inadvertent release of, the parking brake lever may allow your vehicle to roll while it is parked and may result in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the parking brake lever assembly. The recall began on august 1, 2005. Owners may contact kia at 1-800-333-4542.
Fuel system, gasoline:storage
Problem: On certain sport utility vehicles, fuel may leak from the o-ring into the internal vapor chamber located in the fuel tank at full tank conditions.
Risk: The engine may stall when coming to a stop. It will be hard to fill the gas tank and external fuel may leak from the evaporative air filter inlet. Fuel leakage, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the fuel tank and replace the charcoal canister free of charge. The recall began on may 31, 2005. Owners may contact kia at 1-800-333-4542.
Electronic stability control:automatic (asc)
Problem: On certain sport utility vehicles equipped with electronic stability program (esp), the yaw rate sensor may become too sensitive and may recalibrate inaccurately. While driving the esp program may cause the engine to reduce power and may cause a brake at one of the wheels to be inappropriately.
Risk: Brake application caused by inadvertent esp activation may result in loss of control and a crash.
Fix: Dealers will reprogram the esp hydraulic electronic control unit free of charge. The recall began on april 13, 2005. Owners may contact kia at 1-800-333-4542.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
My ESP button stays on and including the air bag light and I've tried everything trying to turn it off as well as my engine light and my hard parking brake which keeps turning on and won't turn off while driving and it feels harder to press the gas and I lost complete control on the freeway some…
My 2005 Kia Sportage dropped on the rear drivers side. The rear drivers side rear constant velocity axle fell out when the rear sub-frame separated from the suspension and split apart. This caused the tire and wheel to angle to 45 degrees out from bottom to top. The rust and corrosion caused a…
Throttle body spring broke caused car to keep accelerating. Car would not stop.
My kia sportage.... Stalled in mid traffic like it losses power right after i. Put gasoline in the car, almost making me loose control and get in a wreck. It is not getting fuel .after i continued to try and refuel it. I noticed a recall online about my vehicle nut dealer is only sayinh the recall…
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 kia sportage. After the fuel tank was filled, the contact had difficulty restarting the vehicle. On one occasion, the vehicle shut off without warning. The contact associated the failure with nhtsa campaign number: 05v212000(fuel system, gasoline), but the vin was not…
Other KIA Sportage years
← 2003 Sportage · 2006 Sportage →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Sportage | 27 | 1 |
| 2025 Sportage | 54 | 1 |
| 2024 Sportage | 73 | 3 |
| 2023 Sportage | 192 | 6 |
| 2022 Sportage | 46 | 1 |
| 2021 Sportage | 54 | 2 |
| 2020 Sportage | 162 | 2 |
| 2019 Sportage | 70 | 2 |
| 2018 Sportage | 164 | 3 |
| 2017 Sportage | 401 | 4 |
| 2016 Sportage | 134 | 2 |
| 2015 Sportage | 146 | 2 |
| 2014 Sportage | 124 | 3 |
| 2013 Sportage | 381 | 3 |
| 2012 Sportage | 392 | 5 |
| 2011 Sportage | 181 | 6 |
| 2010 Sportage | 20 | 2 |
| 2009 Sportage | 80 | 3 |
| 2008 Sportage | 98 | 3 |
| 2007 Sportage | 77 | 2 |
| 2006 Sportage | 111 | 1 |
| 2005 | 68 | 3 |
| 2003 Sportage | 4 | 0 |
| 2002 Sportage | 234 | 1 |
| 2001 Sportage | 228 | 0 |
| 2000 Sportage | 304 | 2 |
| 1999 Sportage | 284 | 3 |
| 1998 Sportage | 303 | 3 |
| 1997 Sportage | 181 | 3 |
| 1996 Sportage | 57 | 3 |
| 1995 Sportage | 56 | 2 |
See all KIA Sportage problems by year, every KIA model, or the KIA VIN decoder.
Similar KIA models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2005 KIA Sportage?
Owners most often report air bags, electrical system, structure problems. The top one, air bags, accounts for 12 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2005 KIA Sportage?
Yes, 3 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2005 KIA Sportage a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Sportage model years, the 2005 has fewer complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.