2002 Kia Sportage Air Bags
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
MARCH 30TH I WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT, A LADY PULLED ACCROSS TRAFFIC AND I HAD NO TIME TO STOP, NEEDLESS TO SAY I SLAMMED INTO HER DRIVERS SIDE DOOR AT ABOUT 30MPH. THE ENTIRE FRONT END OF MY KIA SPRORTAGE WAS DAMAGED WITH ABOUT $6700 IN DAMAGES AND THE AIR BAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY AND MYSELF AND MY PASSENGERS WERE IN OUR SEAT BELTS BUT BADLY BRUISED AND THROWN ABOUT. I WAS INFORMED BY KIA THAT I DIDN'T HIT THE SENSORS ... OK THE WHOLE FRONT END WAS GONE WHERE EXACTLY ARE THE SENSORS? I DON'T FEEL SAFE IN THE CAR AND MY CHILDREN ARE IN IT , PLEASE CAN SOME ONE TELL ME WHAT TO DO? I FEEL THAT I'M STUCK WITH A VEHICHLE THAT ISN'T SAFE AND I DON'T SEEM TO HAVE ANY RECOURSE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.
DT: THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 40 VEHICLE WA SINVOLVED IN A COLLISION AND AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. SOMEONE PULLED OUT IN FRONT OF THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE AND SIT HIT THE OTHER VEHICLE. THERE WERE NOT LIGHTS ON THE DASHBOARD TO INDICATE THE AIR BAGS WOULD NOT DEPLOY. DEALER DID NOT SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THE AIR BAGS TO HER. MANUFACTURER HAS NOT BEEN CONTACTED YET. POLICE CAME AND A REPORT WAS TAKEN. *AK
UPON IMPACT AIR BAGS DEPLOYED WITH SUCH FORCE THAT THE UNDER FRAME OF THE DASHBOARD DETACHED FROM THE BODY OF THE VEHICLE. WHEN THIS OCCURRED, IT BROKE AN OCCUPANT'S ANKLE AND FOOT. DEALER INDICATED IT WAS NOT HIS PROBLEM, AND URGED CONSUMER TO CALL THE MANUFACTURER. *AK
WHILE DRIVING 35-40 MPH VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONTAL COLLISION. UPON IMPACT, AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. *AK
CONSUMER'S VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONTAL COLLISION WHILE TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 65MPH, AND NEITHER FRONT DRIVER'S/ PASSENGER'S OR "KNEE" AIR BAGS DEPLOYED.*AK
WHILE TRAVELING ABOUT 55MPH ON THE HIGHWAY. WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING A DEER RAN IN FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONSUMER HIT THE DEER. THE DUAL AIRBAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY PLEASE PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. TS
WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE AT 30 MPH, CONSUMER HAS AN FRONTAL ACCIDENT AND THE AIR BAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. MR
AIR BAG SENSOR MODULE FAILED.*AK
AIRBAG INDICATOR LIGHT IS ILLUMINATED. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DEALER 3 TIMES BEFORE ISSUE WAS RESOLVED.
CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 15MPH AND COMING OFF THE OFF RAMP ON THE HIGHWAY, ANOTHER VEHICLE WAS COMING TOWARDS THE CONSUMER AND COLLIDED WITH CONSUMER'S VEHICLE. UPON IMPACT, AIRBAGS DID NOT GO OFF. DEALERSHIP WAS AWARE OF PROBLEM. *AK ONE PERSON WAS INJURED IN THE ACCIDENT. *JB
Trend Over Time
Complaints by year
Other Issues
Common problems reported
Quick Summary
The 2002 Kia Sportage has 10 Air Bags complaints on file. 7 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.