1997 Kia Sportage Fuel System

A FEW YEARS BACK I STARTED SMELLING GAS. SO MY FATHER IN LAW AND UNCLE TOOK A LOOK AT IT AND IT YEP YOU GOT A GAS LEAK. SO THEY TRIED TO PATCH IT SEVERAL TIMES AND NOTHING HAS SEEMED TO WORK. SO BACK IN FEBRUARY I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM KIA STATING A REPAIR BENEFIT NOTIFICATION ABOUT MY GAS TANK LEAKING. SO A FEW WEEKS AGO I CALLED A KIA DEALER AND MADE AN APPOINTMENT FOR THEM TO LOOK AT MY TANK. AFTER A HOUR DRIVE AND A FORTY MINUTE WAIT THEY TELL ME THAT MY KIA DOES NOT MEET THE REQUIREMENTS FOR KIA TO FIX MY TANK. SO I COME HOME AND THE NEXT I CHECK MY TANK AND IT IS OBVIOUS TO ANYONE THAT MY KIA IS LEAKING GAS. I CALLED KIA MOTORS AND THEY WENT TO TELL ME THAT SINCE MY 10 YEAR WARRANTY EXPIRED IN 2007 THAT THEY COULD DO NOTHING FOR ME. BUT WHAT MAKES NO SENSE IS THAT THEY DIDN'T SEND OUT MY LETTER UNTIL 2008. I HAVE A 7 MONTH OLD THAT IS IN MY KIA DAILY, SO I ASKED THE CUSTOMER SERVICE REP. FROM KIA MOTORS, WHAT IF MY KIA SOMEHOW CATCHES ON FIRE AND I AM NOT ABLE TO GET TO MY CHILD QUICK ENOUGH, AND SOMETHING BAD HAPPENS. HE TOLD ME THAT ALL REPAIRS MADE TO THE TANK WOULD BE MY RESPONSIBILITY NO MATTER WHAT, AND THAT KIA WOULD NOT FIX OR REPLACE MY TANK. *TR

THE DESIGN OF THE PROTECTIVE SHIELD FOR THE FUEL TANK ALLOWED SAND AND PEBBLES TO ACCUMULATE TO THE EXTENT THAT I STARTED NOTICING FUEL VAPORS. THE VEHICLE IS HOUSED IN A GARAGE, SO I RAISED A WINDOW TO HELP DISSIPATE THE VAPORS. IN A FEW DAYS, FUEL WAS DRIPPING FROM THE LEAKS IN THE TANK. I APPLIED A PUTTY PRODUCT IN JUNE, 2006, WHICH HELPED FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. THEN IT STARTED AGAIN. I RE-APPLIED PUTTY IN AUGUST, 2007. THEN AGAIN IN JULY, 2008, WITH TWO DIFFERENT (PERMANENT?) PRODUCTS THAT HAVE NOT WORKED, YET. THE TANK STILL LEAKS. *TR

1997 KIA SPORTAGE HAVE A DEFECTIVE FUEL TANK. CONSUMER STATES THAT SHE RECEIVED A NOTICE AFTER THE REPAIR TO THE FUEL TANK WAS DONE AND WOULD LIKE TO BE REIMBURSED FOR THE REPAIR WORK. *NJ THE CONSUMER STATED PRIOR TO THE REPAIR, SHE SMELLED GAS AND THERE WAS GAS ON THE GARAGE FLOOR. IT WAS DETERMINED THE GAS TANK WAS LEAKING *JB

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE STALLED. CHECKED BY DEALER, WHO DISCOVERED WATER IN FUEL TANK. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION DETERMINED A BURNED WIRE INSIDE OF FUEL TANK COULD HAVE CAUSED AN EXPLOSION.*AK

FUEL LEAK BELOW BATTERY RIGHT SIDE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. *AK

RUST INSIDE FUEL TANK, CAUSING ENGINE TO RUN ROUGHLY AND/OR STALL. DEALER WOULD NOT CORRECT UNDER WARRANTY BECAUSE VEHICLE MILEAGE WAS 1,200 OVER BASIC WARRANTY COVERAGE OF 36,000. *AK

GAS LEAK FROM MID RIGHT SIDE OF CAR. HAPPENS WHEN CAR FIRST STARTS. SEVERAL CONTINUOUS DROPS IN GARAGE AND DOWN DRIVEWAY. 1 DROP PER SECOND. DOES NOT HAPPEN EACH TIME CAR STARTS. DEALER SAID THERE WAS NO LEAK. PRESSURIZED LINES AND INSPECTED 3 TIMES IN 2 DAYS. SAID NO SIGN OF LEAK AND IF HAPPENS AGAIN COME IN. IT IS GOING BACK TOMORROW. LEAK HAS HAPPENED AGAIN. THIS WILL MAKE THE 5TH TIME I HAVE WITNESSED THE LEAK. SCARED TO DRIVE!! WILL NOT DRIVE!! PLEASE ADVISE!!

AT 16,000 MILES GAS TANK HAS PREMATURELY RUSTED WHICH COULD BE DANGEROUS IF A COLLISION OCCURRED. DEALER CLAIMS THAT IT WAS DUE TO BAD FUEL. *AK *ML

I TOOK CAR BACK TO DEALER TODAY AND THEY INFORMED ME THAT SINCE THE CAR DOES NOT LEAK EACH TIME CAR IS STARTED THAT IF THEY CANNOT CAUSE IT TO LEAK WHILE AT DEALER, THAT I AM OUT OF LUCK. THE REPRESENTATIVE WAS VERY RUDE AND SUSPICIOUS THAT I WAS NOT TELLING THE TRUTH ABOUT THE LEAK. HE STATED THAT HE WOULD START EVERY TWO HOURS AND IF IT DOES NOT LEAK TOO BAD!! I ALSO NOTED THE BAD PAINT FOR THE 3RD TIME AND HE LAUGHED AT ME AND SAID "I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO TELL YOU"! PLEASE ADVISE!! *AK

CONSUMER HAD A HOLE IN HER FUEL TANK.