"How reliable is the 1999 Kia Sportage?"

"Based on 493 NHTSA complaints, the 1999 Kia Sportage has a median complaint mileage of 71200 miles. The most common issue is Gasoline."

"What are common problems with the 1999 Kia Sportage?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1999 Kia Sportage is Gasoline, accounting for a significant portion of the 493 total complaints filed."

1999 Kia Sportage: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 493 complaints

493

Total Complaints

71,200mi

Median Mileage

Gasoline

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

55,750 25th Percentile

71,200 Median Mileage

103,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Gasoline

Exhaust System

Automatic Transmission

Fuel System, Gasoline

Unknown Or Other

Electrical System

Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip

Wiring

Frontal

Windshield Wiper/Washer

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"WHEN DRIVING AT HIGH SPEEDS THE STEERING WHEEL SHAKES AND VIBRATES, MAKING IT HARD TO CONTROL THE STEERING. DEALER SAYS THERE IS NO PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE. *AK"

"CONSUMER HAS BEEN EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS WITH FRONT END SUSPENSION. WHILE DRIVING STEERING WHEEL STARTED STEERING BACK AND FORTH FROM LEFT TO RIGHT ON ITS OWN. THE CONSUMER WAS THROWN OUT OF VEHICLE AND SERIOUSLY INJURED. THE MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK *ML"

"WHEN DRIVING THE 4-WHEEL DRIVE COMES ON AND OFF WHICH COULD CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO FLY OFF THE ROAD. DEALER SAYS IT NEEDS A SEAL FOR THE HUB. *AK"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Exhaust System 19 complaints

25th: 28,000 mi Median: 36,000 mi 75th: 43,000 mi

Fuel System, Gasoline 16 complaints

25th: 91,799 mi Median: 108,653 mi 75th: 123,728 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

NY: 56 PA: 55 FL: 48 CA: 37 IL: 25 MD: 23 MA: 22 OH: 21 TX: 20 NC: 18

Who Files Complaints?

50.5%

Original Owners

49.5%

Second+ Owners

Kia Sportage — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1995	88	-	Buckle Assembly	2
1996	98	79,000	Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip	13
1997	299	97,000	Gasoline	50
1998	558	70,000	Gasoline	31
2000	462	69,000	Fuel System, Gasoline	27
2001	354	48,595	Fuel System, Gasoline	31
2002	321	58,400	Fuel System, Gasoline	19
2005	93	89,000	Air Bags	13
2006	169	79,500	Air Bags	12
2007	113	69,000	Electrical System	13
2008	138	88,000	Electrical System	2
2009	117	75,000	Electrical System	4
2010	28	89,500	Air Bags	4
2011	260	70,505	Engine	10
2012	448	97,000	Engine	10
2013	447	94,000	Engine	6
2014	149	79,500	Engine	2
2015	190	70,000	Engine	9
2016	182	60,000	Engine	13
2017	523	54,000	Engine	25
2018	209	18,200	Engine	11
2019	98	25,000	Engine	5
2020	187	11,300	Engine	16
2021	45	47,000	Unknown Or Other	3
2022	58	33,000	Engine	10
2023	285	15,250	Unknown Or Other	41
2024	85	22,500	Unknown Or Other	14
2025	69	3,500	Unknown Or Other	6

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28