One problem related to starter has been reported for the 1997 Kia Motor Sportage. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
I have been having stalling problems for about 2weeks now, at first I thought it might be the battery; but I checked it out at autozone for free and the machine that detects how much power in the battery suggested that the battery was fine. The stalling problems started two weeks ago and I had to push-start the car about four times and then it decided to not start at all, I know its not the battery because it has been checked and it still has power.