One problem related to carrier/rack has been reported for the 1996 Kia Motor Sportage. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Note: this information was reported to the consumer product safety commission (cpsc), who indicated that it was not in their jurisdiction, and directed me to report it to this (NHTSA) group. There appears to be no form or email notification method on this site for non-vehicle notifications, please contact me to direct me to an alternate way to report this failure: the karrite duosport cartop carrier is a molded plastic "shell" type carrier, similar to the yakima and thule lines. On July 4, 2000, while traveling at freeway speeds, this closed and locked carrier, opened, and allowed equipment to fly out onto the roadway of oncoming traffic. This resulted in a serious accident, involving several cars. You may contact me for further information.