HYDRAULIC MODULE ASSEMBLY NEEDED REPLACED-ABS,ESC,BRAKE LIGHTS ALL CAME ON. TOOK TO DEALER WHO STATED "BRAINS" OF THE ABS SYSTEM NEEDED REPLACED.VEHICLE ONLY HAS 32,200 MILES.
2008 Kia Sportage
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2008 Kia Sportage do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 122.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Sportage years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
64 reports with mileage · 34 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Electrical System. Review the 27 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 17 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes. Review the 15 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
What owners actually said
98 reportsI PURCHASED MY 2008 KIA SPORTAGE BRAND NEW, I TAKE VERY GOOD CARE OF IT. CURRENTLY I HAVE 55,000 MILES ON IT, LAST WEEK THE ABS, PARKING BRAKE AND ESC LIGHTS CAME ON. I IMMEDIATELY TOOK IT TO THE DEALER THEY RAN A DIAGNOSTIC TEST $90.00. I WAS TOLD THE HYDRAULIC ASSEMBLY NEEDS TO BE REPLACED, EST COST OF $2,311.25 AND THAT MY…
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I PURCHASED MY 2008 KIA SPORTAGE BRAND NEW, I TAKE VERY GOOD CARE OF IT. CURRENTLY I HAVE 55,000 MILES ON IT, LAST WEEK THE ABS, PARKING BRAKE AND ESC LIGHTS CAME ON. I IMMEDIATELY TOOK IT TO THE DEALER THEY RAN A DIAGNOSTIC TEST $90.00. I WAS TOLD THE HYDRAULIC ASSEMBLY NEEDS TO BE REPLACED, EST COST OF $2,311.25 AND THAT MY CAR IS NOW UNSAFE TO DRIVE. WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY AND INFORMED ME THAT THIS WAS UNUSUAL. THEREFORE MY CONCERN IS SHOULD THIS BE A RECALL ITEM? *TR
MY SISTER IN LAW'S 08 KIA SPORTAGE EX HAD ALL THE DASH WARNING LIGHTS COME ON, THE CODE SHOWED P0501 WHEEL SPEED SENSOR MALFUNCTION. I REPLACED RT FRT SENSOR AND STILL SAME CODE. TOOK IT TO LOCAL SHOP AND THEY SAID SOMETHING IS SHORTED BECAUSE THEY CAN'T READ ALL THE LIGHTS ON. I CHECKED SOME FUSES BUT FOUND NONE BLOWN. IT SEEME…
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MY SISTER IN LAW'S 08 KIA SPORTAGE EX HAD ALL THE DASH WARNING LIGHTS COME ON, THE CODE SHOWED P0501 WHEEL SPEED SENSOR MALFUNCTION. I REPLACED RT FRT SENSOR AND STILL SAME CODE. TOOK IT TO LOCAL SHOP AND THEY SAID SOMETHING IS SHORTED BECAUSE THEY CAN'T READ ALL THE LIGHTS ON. I CHECKED SOME FUSES BUT FOUND NONE BLOWN. IT SEEMED LIKE THE BRAKES WERE A LITTLE WEAK AND I DROVE IT FOR A TEST AND NOTICED IT WAS PULLING HARD TO THE RIGHT, THEN IT STARTED TO PULSE AS IF THE ABS WAS STUCK ON. I TURNED FOR HOME AND PARKED IT. NEXT DAY WENT TO TRY IT AGAIN AND IT WAS DEAD, I CHARGED BATTERY, THE DOOR LOCKS WERE CLICKING ON/OFF AND HORN BLOWING. I UNHOOKED BATTERY TERMINALS TO CHARGE BATTERY AND WHEN IT WAS FULLY CHARGED I HOOKED IT UP AND THE ABS MODULE ON FRONT PASSENGER SIDE OF CAR WAS RUNNING AND GETTING HOT. LIKE SOME ONE ELSE ON THIS SITE, I'M SURE IT WOULD HAVE CAUGHT FIRE BUT I PULLED THE BATTERY CABLES. AFTER LOOKING INTO PURCHASING THE MODULE I REALIZE WHY KIA HAS NOT RECALLED THIS PART, PRICE IS AROUND $1000 TO $1800 FOR THIS ABS MODULE. THIS IS A DANGEROUS PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR SINCE YOU ARE DEALING WITH BRAKES AND ALSO AUTO FIRES. KIA NEEDS TO STEP IT UP AND RECALL THIS ISSUE. I HOPE OTHERS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM ALSO PUT IN A COMPLAINT. *TR
ANOTHER VEHICLE TURNED IN FRONT OF ME AND MY CAR IMPACTED THE OTHER VEHICLES PASSENGER SIDE. THERE WAS NO AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT. MY KIA SPORTAGE WAS DECLARED TOTALED. *TR
I AM AN OWNER OF A KIA 2008 SPORTAGE WITH APPROXIMATELY 12,000 MILES. ABOUT 9 MONTHS AGO, THE ENGINE AND BRAKE LIGHTS WENT ON. IT WAS EVIDENT THAT CAR HAD A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM, YOU CAN HEAR THE ENGINE KNOCKING WHEN YOU WOULD GO PARK TO DRIVE OR REVERSE TO DRIVE ETC... THE DEALERSHIP SAID I NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION AND ALL NEW…
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I AM AN OWNER OF A KIA 2008 SPORTAGE WITH APPROXIMATELY 12,000 MILES. ABOUT 9 MONTHS AGO, THE ENGINE AND BRAKE LIGHTS WENT ON. IT WAS EVIDENT THAT CAR HAD A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM, YOU CAN HEAR THE ENGINE KNOCKING WHEN YOU WOULD GO PARK TO DRIVE OR REVERSE TO DRIVE ETC... THE DEALERSHIP SAID I NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION AND ALL NEW BRAKES. THEY COULDN'T EXPLAIN WHY THE TRANSMISSION WAS FAULTY ON A CAR THAT HAD AT THE TIME LESS THAN 11,000 MILES. THE CAR WAS AT THE DEALER FOR A MONTH BECAUSE THEY LEARNED THAT THE COMPUTER SYSTEM NEEDED REPAIRING AS WELL WHICH WASN'T COVERED UNDER MY PLAN THEY NEEDED CORPORATE TO PROVIDE AN APPROVAL TO REPAIR. IT EVENTUALLY GOT REPAIRED. 3 WEEKS AGO AT 12K MILES, MY DRIVERS PANEL TURNED INTO A CHRISTMAS TREE. THE ESC ON/OFF, ABS, BRAKES, ENGINE AND TPMS LIGHTS ARE ALL ON. I ALSO FEEL THE ENGINE BEGINNING TO KNOCK AGAIN. THE DEALER SAID I NEED A NEW ABS PUMP AND MODULE AND THAT IT WOULD COST ME $2700 TO FIX. I DECIDED NOT TO REPAIR BECAUSE I BELIEVE THEIR SOME TYPE OF ELECTRICAL DESIGN FLAW CAUSING THESE ISSUE. I HAVE READ THAT ABS AND TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS ARE VERY COMMON FOR KAI SPORTAGE OWNERS - I HAVE READ THAT ENGINE FIRES HAVE BEEN REPORTED IN THESE CARS. I FEEL UNSAFE FOR MYSELF AND MY FAMILY AND I AM LOOKING FOR ADVICE ON HOW BEST TO HANDLE THIS PROBLEM. KIA REFUSES TO TAKE OWNERSHIP OF THESE PROBLEMS. *TR
I PARKED MY CAR AT 6AM WENT IN TO WORK AT ABOUT NOON MY COWORKERS WERE TELLING ME MY CAR WAS SMOKING WENT OUTSIDE AND SMOKE WAS COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD SO WE POPPED THE HOOD AND MY ELECTRICAL BOX WAS SMOKING PRETTY BAD A GUY USED A EXTINGUISHER ON IT TO FIND IT WAS STILL SMOKING SO HE DISCONNECTED.THE BATTERY ALL THE WIRES IN…
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I PARKED MY CAR AT 6AM WENT IN TO WORK AT ABOUT NOON MY COWORKERS WERE TELLING ME MY CAR WAS SMOKING WENT OUTSIDE AND SMOKE WAS COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD SO WE POPPED THE HOOD AND MY ELECTRICAL BOX WAS SMOKING PRETTY BAD A GUY USED A EXTINGUISHER ON IT TO FIND IT WAS STILL SMOKING SO HE DISCONNECTED.THE BATTERY ALL THE WIRES IN BOX ARE BURNED I ONLY HAD A LITTLE OVER 100000 MILES ON IT SO NATURALLY ITS EXPIRED. *TR
I WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE WHEN IT STALLED, RESTARTED THAN STALLED AGAIN. HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALER WHO REPLACED THE MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR. ON 6/25/14 THE SAME HAPPENED AGAIN (INTERMIT, RUNS ROUGH THEN STALLS OUT. *TR THIS TIME THE DEALER FOUND A PIN ON MASS AIR FLOW CONNECTOR WAS BAD AND THE REPLACED CLIP ASSEMBLY. TODAY, 06…
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I WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE WHEN IT STALLED, RESTARTED THAN STALLED AGAIN. HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALER WHO REPLACED THE MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR. ON 6/25/14 THE SAME HAPPENED AGAIN (INTERMIT, RUNS ROUGH THEN STALLS OUT. *TR THIS TIME THE DEALER FOUND A PIN ON MASS AIR FLOW CONNECTOR WAS BAD AND THE REPLACED CLIP ASSEMBLY. TODAY, 06/28/2014 THE VEHICLE STALLED OUT AND I HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALER WHO LOANED ME ONE OF THEIR VEHICLES BECAUSE I HAD TO LEAVE MY VEHICLE. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 KIA SPORTAGE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKE LIGHTS ILLUMINATED WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS NOT BEING PRESSED. THE CONTACT ALSO MENTIONED THAT THE ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE DEALER ADVISED THAT NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER 13V114000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING, SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC) WAS …
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 KIA SPORTAGE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKE LIGHTS ILLUMINATED WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS NOT BEING PRESSED. THE CONTACT ALSO MENTIONED THAT THE ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE DEALER ADVISED THAT NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER 13V114000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING, SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC) WAS PERFORMED BUT THE FAILURE WAS NOT CORRECTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 48,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 51,000.
THE KIA SPORTAGE 2008, HAS THE MODULES MISFIRE AND THE KIA SPORTAGE COMPLETELY TURNS ITSELF OFF WHILE IN DRIVE AT 45 MILES PER HOUR. THIS HAPPENED TO ME ON FIVE DIFFERENT OCCASIONS RANDOMLY, AND THE KIA DEPOT IN SANTA ANA, SAID THAT THEY COULD NOT FIND THE PROBLEM ON THE VEHICLE, AND DECIDED NOT TO KEEP THE VEHICLE LONGER TO FI…
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THE KIA SPORTAGE 2008, HAS THE MODULES MISFIRE AND THE KIA SPORTAGE COMPLETELY TURNS ITSELF OFF WHILE IN DRIVE AT 45 MILES PER HOUR. THIS HAPPENED TO ME ON FIVE DIFFERENT OCCASIONS RANDOMLY, AND THE KIA DEPOT IN SANTA ANA, SAID THAT THEY COULD NOT FIND THE PROBLEM ON THE VEHICLE, AND DECIDED NOT TO KEEP THE VEHICLE LONGER TO FIND OUT WHAT WAS CAUSING THIS PROBLEM THAT COULD BE A FATAL HAZARD FOR ANYONE THAT WOULD BE DRIVING THIS VEHICLE. I WAS ALMOST HIT BY OTHER CARS WHILE DRIVING THIS VEHICLE. KIA DEPOT HAS SO FAR NOT DONE ANYTHING AT ALL TO ASSIST ME FOR MY CAR AND TOLD ME I HAD TWO DAYS TO GET THIS CAR OFF THERE LOT THERE AT KIA DEPOT SANTA ANA, OR THEY WOULD START CHARGING ME FOR KEEPING MY CAR THERE. *TR
I HAVE HAD AN ONGOING SQUEAL/GRIND IN THE REAR LEFT. THEY DEALERSHIP SAID IT WAS BRAKES AND I PAID A LOT OF MONEY FOR BRAKES WHICH I CHALLENGED GIVEN ONLY 45000 MILES. I STILL HAVE THE ISSUE AND OF COURSE CANT FIND A THING. I BELIEVE ITS THE CV JOINT OR AXLE. WARRANTY WILL NOT COVER ACCORDING TO DEALERSHIP. THIS CAR CANT BE T…
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I HAVE HAD AN ONGOING SQUEAL/GRIND IN THE REAR LEFT. THEY DEALERSHIP SAID IT WAS BRAKES AND I PAID A LOT OF MONEY FOR BRAKES WHICH I CHALLENGED GIVEN ONLY 45000 MILES. I STILL HAVE THE ISSUE AND OF COURSE CANT FIND A THING. I BELIEVE ITS THE CV JOINT OR AXLE. WARRANTY WILL NOT COVER ACCORDING TO DEALERSHIP. THIS CAR CANT BE THE ONLY ONE HAVING THIS ISSUE. THANKS FOR ALLOWING ME TO POST THIS. *TR
Official recalls
322V800000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip:control Unit/module
Oct 24, 2022
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2008-2009 Sportage vehicles previously recalled under recall 16V-815. An engine compartment fire originating from around the Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) may occur while parked or driving.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A fire increases the risk of injury.
Remedy: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures and other vehicles until the recall repair has been performed. Dealers will inspect and replace the HECU, its wiring harness, and its fuses, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 22, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC253.
16V815000 · Electrical System:wiring
Nov 10, 2016
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2008-2009 Kia Sportage vehicles manufactured August 9, 2007, to May 13, 2009. The wire harness cover on the Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) may be improperly sealed allowing water to get onto the HECU circuit board. If the water is contaminated with salt, such as could occur from melted snow, the wire harness connector pins may corrode and the circuit board may short circuit.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the HECU short circuits, there is an increased risk of an engine compartment fire.
Remedy: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the connector pins for corrosion, if no corrosion is found, the connector cover will be replaced. If corrosion is present, the dealer will replace the HECU assembly and the connector cover, free of charge. The recall began on November 28, 2016. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC138.
13V114000 · Exterior Lighting:brake Lights:switch
Apr 1, 2013
Kia Motors Corporation (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2007-2010 Rondo, model year 2007-2011 Sedona, Sorento and Sportage, model year 2010-2011 Soul, model year 2008-2011 Optima, model year 2010 Forte, model year 2007-2009 Amanti, and model year 2009 Borrego vehicles. Originally, in April 2013, Kia recalled 623,658 model year 2007-2010 Rondo and Sportage, model year 2007-2011 Sorento, model year 2007 Sedona, model year 2010-2011 Soul, and model year 2011 Optima vehicles. In September 2013, Kia informed the agency that it was adding an additional 356,719 vehicles to this campaign. The total number of vehicles being recalled is now 980,377. In the affected vehicles, the stop lamp switch may malfunction. A malfunctioning stop lamp switch may cause the brake lights to not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed or may cause an inability to deactivate the cruise control by depressing the brake pedal. Additionally, a malfunctioning stop lamp switch may also result in intermittent operation of the push-button start feature, affect the operation of the brake-transmission shift interlock feature preventing the shifter from being moved out of the PARK position and cause the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) malfunction light to illuminate.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Failure to illuminate the stop lamps during braking or inability to disengage the cruise control could increase the risk of a crash. Additionally, when the ignition is in the 'ON' position, the transmission shifter may be able to be moved out of PARK without first applying the brake. This may lead to unintentional movement of the car which may increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Kia will send an interim notification to owners in May 2013. When parts are available, owners will receive a second notification and dealers will replace the stop lamp switch, free of charge. Owners may contact Kia at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's recall campaign number is SC098.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1AQ23002 · Hyundai And Kia Abs Module Fires
Opened Nov 17, 2023 · No close date supplied
Status: open (inferred from source dates) · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip:control Unit/module
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received eight Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) and eight Kia America, Inc. (Kia) Part 573 Recall Reports between 2016 and 2023. The combined 16 safety recalls all involve the antilock braking system (ABS) modules or Hydraulic Electronic Control Units (HECU) manufactured by the equipment supplier Mando. The Part 573 Recall Reports contain varying defect descriptions and differing remedy descriptions for the same or similar equipment supplied by Mando. Safety recalls included in this Audit Query (AQ) review include: Hyundai recalls 20V-520, 20V-543, 21V-161, 21V-160, 21V-303, 22V-056, 22V-810, and 23V-651. Kia recalls 16V-815, 20V-518, 20V-519, 21V-137, 21V-331, 22V-051, 22V-800, and 23V-652 The purpose of this AQ is to evaluate the timeliness and scoping of Hyundai and Kia’s defect decision making and adherence with reporting requirements; and understand the varying defect descriptions and remedies between these recalls.
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