I bought a car last week from a private seller, and it has a gas leak coming from the gas tank area. I have not taken it in yet to a mechanic to have it checked out. The seller had replaced the filler hose, and had said the previous owner had replaced the gas tank, so he said there shouldn't have been any issues. I have two grandchildren that need to be able to ride safely in this car, and I refuse to drive it with this leak on there. From the other reports that I am reading, this is a major issue, along with the rusted frame on the car. Kia should not be allowed to continue to sell cars without fixing these other major issues.
2002 Kia Sportage: fuel leak
14 of the 234 complaints about the 2002 Kia Sportage describe fuel leak.
- owner complaints
- 14
- of this car's complaints
- 6%
- typical mileage
- 73,000
- recalls
- 0
Fuel leak by model year
What owners say
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 kia sportage. The contact stated that fuel fumes were present in and around the vehicle. The dealer stated that there was a fuel leak coming from the fuel tank. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in any recalls. The approximate failure mileage was 162,180.
I purchased the 2002 kia sportage used on october 1, 2013, with 120,000 miles on it. When the temperatures became cool, I started noticing gas fumes in the passenger compartment, and strong smell of gas in the engine compartment in the vicinity of the intake manifold. I started noticing gas dripping from the engine when the car was stopped and idling. After three trips to my local mechanic, and one to the kia dealer, during which the fuel injectors, fuel injector o rings, rubber fuel lines, and fuel filter were replaced, the leak continues. Because of the strength of the fumes, the car is undriveable unless the windows are open, and I fear an explosion and fire.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 kia sportage. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 MPH, fuel fumes were emitted into the vehicle. The failure occurred when driving at any speed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who detected no signs of a fuel leak. The technician also informed the fuel tank must be removed in order to locate the problem. The vehicle was not repaired. There was a technical service bulletin under the federal safety agency item number 10015753 (fuel system, other:delivery:fuel pump). The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 73,000.
My 2002 kia sportage especially in cold weather leaks gas vapors thru the vents, enough to give my wife migraines and nausea, it might even be a hazards if you smoke in the car. They should definitely do a recall to fix this problem before someone shows up with a cancer or a car explodes. We are about to buy another car cause we are concern about our newborn and fuel vapors not a good mix.
Like other complaints that I am seeing, we have a 2002 kia sportage with 69000 miles and are having severe problems with raw fuel vapors in the passenger compartment upon start up and sitting still. I am a mechanic and have searched for an active fuel leak, but can not find one.. The vapors are extremely strong and I am sure present a fire or explosion hazard (especially if someone is smoking).. I highly encourage the federal safety agency to investigate this problem and make kia issue a safety recall and repair...
My 2002 kia sportage began leaking gasoline from above the gas tank by the fuel pump the mileage on the car is about 106,000. I had a mechanic look at it and he told me that the gas wasn't even getting up into the fuel pump it was spraying out at the top of one of t he parts he named, this was keeping my vehicle from even starting, and I now know that this was a common occurrence in kia sportages starting with the 2001 model.
My daughter owns a 2002 kia sportage that recently broke down due to a fuel leak on top of the gastank. Car was towed to the nearest repair facility. Turns out a plastic nozzle had cracked off the high pressure fuel supply line coming out of the gastank itself resulting in pumping fuel everywhere! Luckily,vehicle didn't catch on fire! Part was finally replaced 4th time back to repair facility, but was replaced with the same plastic nozzle instead of a metal nozzle?this is my safety concern with this vehicle, afraid the samething will eventually happen again. Had the vehicle caught on fire, my 17yr old daughter would probably not had enough time to exit the vehicle, due to the amount of fuel underneath it? Not sure if this is a common problem with this vehicle, but I feel this situation should be addressed as a safety concern.
I recently filed a complaint on a 2002 kia sportage, for a fuel leak condition from gastank area,(plastic fitting), my daughter has recently advised me she has been having trouble filling the gastank and smelling an odor of fuel on occasions and bad fuel mileage. Apparently, when pumping fuel, the fuel will blow back out on her, if not pumped slowly! Seems to be another issue with this certain vehicle?????? Vehicle also has an intermittent chk engine light coming on?? Code # po13a?? Another safety concern! ????????
My sister-in-law has a 2002 kia sportage that has begun leaking fuel out of a cracked fuel tank. Apparently this is so common that a kia recall (recall sc059) was issued. However, a dealership in scottsdale arizona told us that her VIN was not a part of the recall. Yet, the very reason for bringing it in was for the exact focus of the recall. The recall specifications do not exclude/include specific vins. How can we get kia to honor their recall?
I own a 2002 kia sportage that has a strong odor of gasoline. I see that 2005 kia's had a recall on fuel leaks from the o-ring into the internal vapor chamber in the fuel tank, I believe the 2002 kia's also have this problem.
Gas leak. Needed to replace sending unit, gas tank, etc. Cost over $900. Could have resulted in fire,injury, etc.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2002 Kia Sportage fuel leak
Is fuel leak a common problem on the 2002 Kia Sportage?
14 of 234 owner complaints about the 2002 Kia Sportage (6%) mention fuel leak. The model year with the most reports is 2000.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2002 Kia Sportage?
There is no recall or service bulletin for this area of the car on record.
Other symptoms on the 2002 Kia Sportage
Fuel smell 30Check engine light 16No deployment 10Stalling 9Fire or smoke 7Jerking 6Grinding brakes 5Fuel pump 5Overheating 5
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