One problem related to manual transmission floor shifter has been reported for the 1998 Kia Motor Sportage. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Sunday, 11-02-2003, while driving on main st in mesa, arizona, our 1998 kia Sportage's gearshift lever snapped off in my hand. I was shifting from second to third gear at the time. The break was about 1 1/2 inches from floor level, down inside the consol. I was lucky to be able to coast onto the median without crashing. My pregnant wife and three-year-old son were with me in the vehicle. I contacted kia and the short of it is that the vehicle is out of warranty and they claim that they don't have to do anything about this. I feel that this is a life-threatening defect. Kia should be very interested in finding out how or why a vehicle with no history of accidents could have this critical part break off unexpectedly! not giving the brush-off! I have digital photos that I am willing to email.