FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
Defect Description
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2021-2024 K5 vehicles. A damaged check valve can allow air to enter the fuel tank, causing it to expand and contact hot exhaust components, melting the tank.
Consequence
A melted fuel tank can leak, increasing the risk of a fire.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the check valve. The fuel tank will be inspected for damage and replaced as necessary. All repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 16, 2026. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is
... SC356. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning December 1, 2025.Read more250,547 vehicles affected
Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
Defect Description
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2021-2024 K5 vehicles. A damaged check valve can allow air to enter the fuel tank, causing it to expand and contact hot exhaust components, melting the tank.
Consequence
A melted fuel tank can leak, increasing the risk of a fire.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the check valve. The fuel tank will be inspected for damage and replaced as necessary. All repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 16, 2026. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is
... SC356. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning December 1, 2025.Read more250,547 vehicles affected
Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
STRUCTURE:EXTERIOR TRIM
Defect Description
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023-2025 K5 vehicles. The left and right rear window trim pieces may loosen and detach.
Consequence
Detached trim pieces can create a road hazard for other vehicles, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the C-pillar trim assemblies, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 19, 2025. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC346.
100,063 vehicles affected
Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
STRUCTURE:EXTERIOR TRIM
Defect Description
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023-2025 K5 vehicles. The left and right rear window trim pieces may loosen and detach.
Consequence
Detached trim pieces can create a road hazard for other vehicles, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the C-pillar trim assemblies, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 19, 2025. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC346.
100,063 vehicles affected
Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS
Defect Description
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023-2025 K5 vehicles. The left and right rear window trim pieces may loosen and detach.
Consequence
Detached trim pieces can create a road hazard for other vehicles, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the C-pillar trim assemblies, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 19, 2025. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC346.
100,063 vehicles affected
Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS
Defect Description
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023-2025 K5 vehicles. The left and right rear window trim pieces may loosen and detach.
Consequence
Detached trim pieces can create a road hazard for other vehicles, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the C-pillar trim assemblies, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 19, 2025. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC346.
100,063 vehicles affected
Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Complaint Statistics
29 total complaints
1 crashes 1 injuries
Top Reported Components
| Component | Complaints |
|---|
| ENGINE | 6 |
| STRUCTURE:BODY | 5 |
| POWER TRAIN | 3 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 3 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 2 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 2 |
| FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 |
| FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 1 |
| FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING | 1 |
Incident date: Oct 10, 2025
On 10/20/25 as a rideshare driver one of my riders told me that the right side back seat was lifting. I could not believe what the rider was telling me until one of my family members told me the same thing. I immediately for safety reasons parked the car and started searching about any problems with
... the gas tank, for my surprise there was a serious safety problem in the car where the gas tank was expanding. The car could have got on fire and exploited putting my family, riders and myself at the risk of death. This was reported to Kia Customer Care on 10/20/2025, case # XXX, and later was complemented with the Kia Customer Care case # XXX. On 11/11/25 Kia America recognized that the car was unrepairable and offered a buyback process which was accepted by me on 11/12/25. It has passed 105 days since the car was parked and not used for ridesharing, my main source of income. During this 105 days Kia Finance America has been demanding payments from me, they have not stopped the billing despite my several request. Kia offered me rent a car through Enterprise which does not allow to do ridesharing with their cars, and also car rental reimbursement which I cannot afford. As of today, my lost income has achieved the amount of $ 33,036.77; this was warned to Kia America since the beginning of the process. Kia America has been very a bureaucratic company, and the buyback process has not been finished due to the lack of check from Kia America to the company Morley. All I want is to finish the buyback process because it is giving me a very bad psychological and economic hardship times. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)Read more
Incident date: Oct 10, 2025
On 10/20/25 as a rideshare driver one of my riders told me that the right side back seat was lifting. I could not believe what the rider was telling me until one of my family members told me the same thing. I immediately for safety reasons parked the car and started searching about any problems with
... the gas tank, for my surprise there was a serious safety problem in the car where the gas tank was expanding. The car could have got on fire and exploited putting my family, riders and myself at the risk of death. This was reported to Kia Customer Care on 10/20/2025, case # XXX, and later was complemented with the Kia Customer Care case # XXX. On 11/11/25 Kia America recognized that the car was unrepairable and offered a buyback process which was accepted by me on 11/12/25. It has passed 105 days since the car was parked and not used for ridesharing, my main source of income. During this 105 days Kia Finance America has been demanding payments from me, they have not stopped the billing despite my several request. Kia offered me rent a car through Enterprise which does not allow to do ridesharing with their cars, and also car rental reimbursement which I cannot afford. As of today, my lost income has achieved the amount of $ 33,036.77; this was warned to Kia America since the beginning of the process. Kia America has been very a bureaucratic company, and the buyback process has not been finished due to the lack of check from Kia America to the company Morley. All I want is to finish the buyback process because it is giving me a very bad psychological and economic hardship times. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2026
Water intrusion from A/C system Mold growth inside cabin Health effects Vehicle returned unrepaired / unsafe
Incident date: Jan 2, 2026
Water intrusion from A/C system Mold growth inside cabin Health effects Vehicle returned unrepaired / unsafe
Incident date: Dec 30, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 Kia K5. The contact received the recall notice of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V794000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The contact was concerned that the vehicle might catch fire while driving. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the parts to do the recall repair were not
... available. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The contact had not experienced a failure.Read more
Incident date: Dec 3, 2025
On three occasions, my car cutoff on me. Once on the highway at 60+ mph. The dash would go out, then all indicator icons popped on. I've been to the dealer twice & now a third time. They found nothing. AAA diagnosed low alternator once.
Incident date: Dec 5, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 Kia K5. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V794000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of
... time for the recall repair, and the contact was unable to ship the vehicle as planned. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.Read more
Incident date: Oct 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 Kia K5. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V493000 (STRUCTURE). The contact stated that while the vehicle was at the dealer for an oil change, the contact was informed by one of the service employees that the rear window trim on the passenger’s si
... de was loose. In addition, there was an abnormal wind sound coming from the rear window. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, the contact became aware that the chrome on the rear window was loose. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired after the most recent failure. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 44,000.Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
At 2500 miles when checking my oil I discovered flakes of metal on the dipstick. I immediately changed the oil and in doing so found a massive amounts of metal in the filter housing. I took it to the dealer along with pictures and told them on startup the engine was noisy and sounded like it was low
... on oil, noisy on acceleration and would exabit an engine knock at times when hot. They didn't investigate it at all. Being an auto tech all my life, I know that metal flakes are a sigh of a damaged bearing and by the sound, a conrod bearing. I'm afraid to take it anywhere other than local commutes. This sounds like the same thing as the K4 Tuscan issue in my professional opinion.Read more
Incident date: Jun 5, 2025
The C-Pillar garnish fell off both sides of my rear view a while ago.
Incident date: Aug 20, 2024
My vehicle was manufactured with bad rotors, which make it difficult to slow down when driving at high speeds on the highway. The vehicle’s steering wheel and the vehicle itself shakes violently when trying to slow down. My vehicle started having these issues with low mileage also.
Incident date: Sep 23, 2024
On [XXX], while driving to campus during rush-hour traffic at approximately 15-20 MPH, the car suddenly felt as if the brakes had been slammed, giving me a serious scare and nearly causing an accident. The car stopped in the middle of the road, and I was stuck there, forced to manually push the car
... to the side to avoid further risk to myself and other drivers. I immediately had the vehicle towed to Ourisman Chantilly Kia for service. Upon arrival at the dealership, I requested a loaner vehicle. However, it took an entire week for one to be provided, leaving me without transportation for a significant period of time. I was informed that the dealership needed my approval to take apart the transmission, which I gave immediately. Despite this, for the next two weeks, I called daily for updates, only to be told that no new information was available and that the dealership was still waiting for guidance from Kia's technical team. After two weeks of no progress, I asked my service advisor, Sean, what had actually been done to my car. He informed me that the only action taken was draining the transmission fluid. I was baffled that it had taken two weeks just to drain the fluid while waiting for Kia's tech team to respond. Out of frustration, I contacted Kia directly, and within minutes, I was informed that Kia had approved a new transmission a week earlier—something the dealership had failed to communicate to me. When I informed the dealership of this, Sean confirmed that the new transmission had arrived, and I was told the car would be ready by the end of the week. However, this deadline passed with no progress. Over the course of several more weeks, I was repeatedly told the car would be done by the end of the week, only for that promise to be broken each time. Sean then explained to me that there is only one mechanic certified to work on my car, which was causing a delay. If this is indeed true, it could explain why Kia's service department is so backlog INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATIONRead more
Incident date: Sep 23, 2024
On [XXX], while driving to campus during rush-hour traffic at approximately 15-20 MPH, the car suddenly felt as if the brakes had been slammed, giving me a serious scare and nearly causing an accident. The car stopped in the middle of the road, and I was stuck there, forced to manually push the car
... to the side to avoid further risk to myself and other drivers. I immediately had the vehicle towed to Ourisman Chantilly Kia for service. Upon arrival at the dealership, I requested a loaner vehicle. However, it took an entire week for one to be provided, leaving me without transportation for a significant period of time. I was informed that the dealership needed my approval to take apart the transmission, which I gave immediately. Despite this, for the next two weeks, I called daily for updates, only to be told that no new information was available and that the dealership was still waiting for guidance from Kia's technical team. After two weeks of no progress, I asked my service advisor, Sean, what had actually been done to my car. He informed me that the only action taken was draining the transmission fluid. I was baffled that it had taken two weeks just to drain the fluid while waiting for Kia's tech team to respond. Out of frustration, I contacted Kia directly, and within minutes, I was informed that Kia had approved a new transmission a week earlier—something the dealership had failed to communicate to me. When I informed the dealership of this, Sean confirmed that the new transmission had arrived, and I was told the car would be ready by the end of the week. However, this deadline passed with no progress. Over the course of several more weeks, I was repeatedly told the car would be done by the end of the week, only for that promise to be broken each time. Sean then explained to me that there is only one mechanic certified to work on my car, which was causing a delay. If this is indeed true, it could explain why Kia's service department is so backlog INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATIONRead more
Incident date: Sep 23, 2024
On [XXX], while driving to campus during rush-hour traffic at approximately 15-20 MPH, the car suddenly felt as if the brakes had been slammed, giving me a serious scare and nearly causing an accident. The car stopped in the middle of the road, and I was stuck there, forced to manually push the car
... to the side to avoid further risk to myself and other drivers. I immediately had the vehicle towed to Ourisman Chantilly Kia for service. Upon arrival at the dealership, I requested a loaner vehicle. However, it took an entire week for one to be provided, leaving me without transportation for a significant period of time. I was informed that the dealership needed my approval to take apart the transmission, which I gave immediately. Despite this, for the next two weeks, I called daily for updates, only to be told that no new information was available and that the dealership was still waiting for guidance from Kia's technical team. After two weeks of no progress, I asked my service advisor, Sean, what had actually been done to my car. He informed me that the only action taken was draining the transmission fluid. I was baffled that it had taken two weeks just to drain the fluid while waiting for Kia's tech team to respond. Out of frustration, I contacted Kia directly, and within minutes, I was informed that Kia had approved a new transmission a week earlier—something the dealership had failed to communicate to me. When I informed the dealership of this, Sean confirmed that the new transmission had arrived, and I was told the car would be ready by the end of the week. However, this deadline passed with no progress. Over the course of several more weeks, I was repeatedly told the car would be done by the end of the week, only for that promise to be broken each time. Sean then explained to me that there is only one mechanic certified to work on my car, which was causing a delay. If this is indeed true, it could explain why Kia's service department is so backlog INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATIONRead more
Incident date: May 16, 2024
Exterior trim of car is coming off and warping.
Incident date: May 24, 2024
I was driving on the expressway and the engine made a noise and I lost power. I was in the left lane of the expressway. I did not have any warning lights or signs or symptoms prior to this incident. No oil ever leaked prior to this incident. When it occurred, oil was pouring out of the engine all ov
... er the ground. The engine was smoking. And a warning message came across the entertainment screen that said, “A possible condition with your engine control system has been detected, recommend service soon” I never received any notification of any oil pressure loss, oil loss, warning lights, nothing. My car has been at the dealership for over 60 days, and KIA is refusing to cover the engine under warranty, blaming an oil change place that did an oil change over a month prior to this incident, and I drive 100 to 200 miles per day for work, so this would have occurred sooner. Terrible vehicle, terrible dealersip, Napleton Northlake Kia palm beach gardens FloridaRead more
Incident date: Jul 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 Kia K5. The contact stated while driving 80 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was restarted; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed. The ve
... hicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 12,780.Read more
Incident date: May 3, 2024
While driving in a utility work area on 5/3/24, there was a worker placing cones to redirect traffic. Since he was very close to the travel lane, I proceeded very slowly While placing a cone, the worker got to within a few inches of the passenger side of my vehicle. This set off a warning in my c
... ar that something (or someone) was very close. After exiting the work area, I tried to accelerate, but I was unable to. I estimate the car was going no more than 5 mph. Fortunately, there was no car behind me or coming toward me, and I was able to turn left into a shopping center parking lot. It was then that I noticed a warning on the touch screen display that read: "Engine Management System - Details". When I went to look at details, it gave me some warnings but I don't recall what they were. Unfortunately, I did not get a screenshot of the messages. I tried turning off the engine several times, but there was no change. I called the dealer where I purchased the car in December 2023, but he was unable to provide any help without physically looking at the car. Since the dealer was about 40 miles away, that wasn't an option. He did however, provide me with a number to call for emergency roadside assistance from KIA. After about ten minutes, the car restarted without any issues. If this would have occurred while driving at higher speeds, it would have been extremely dangerous, most liking causing an accident.Read more
Incident date: Feb 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 Kia K5. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle was able to be restarted. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The
... vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired, and the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, who then diagnosed a failure with the throttle body. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was then taken back to the dealer, who diagnosed an additional failure with the main wiring harness array. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but did not assist. The failure mileage was 3,000.Read more
Incident date: Feb 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 Kia K5. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle was able to be restarted. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The
... vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired, and the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, who then diagnosed a failure with the throttle body. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was then taken back to the dealer, who diagnosed an additional failure with the main wiring harness array. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but did not assist. The failure mileage was 3,000.Read more
Incident date: Feb 6, 2024
Per SA552 for earlier models, the rear trunk lid trim has become detached due to insufficient lamination. Please extend to later models.
Incident date: Jan 11, 2024
Break caliper and brake rotors
Incident date: Jan 11, 2024
Break caliper and brake rotors
Incident date: Jan 16, 2024
After driving the car for approximately 30 minutes at freeway speeds I exited the freeway at my off-ramp and being driving on Surface streets. Suddenly several alerts started appearing on the screen of my car. That was followed by the engine revving up and down on its own without me touching the acc
... elerator. When I arrived at a stoplight the engine was idling but revving slightly up and down. When the light changed I pressed accelerator and the engine never exceeded idle speed so I basically idled my way across the intersection and pulled over and stopped. The car is at the dealership now and they haven't duplicated the problem. I purchased the car brand new about one month ago. It has only 800 miles on the odometer. If this had happened a few minutes earlier I would have been on the freeway with no power to the drive train. This could have put me in a very dangerous position.Read more
Incident date: Jan 16, 2024
After driving the car for approximately 30 minutes at freeway speeds I exited the freeway at my off-ramp and being driving on Surface streets. Suddenly several alerts started appearing on the screen of my car. That was followed by the engine revving up and down on its own without me touching the acc
... elerator. When I arrived at a stoplight the engine was idling but revving slightly up and down. When the light changed I pressed accelerator and the engine never exceeded idle speed so I basically idled my way across the intersection and pulled over and stopped. The car is at the dealership now and they haven't duplicated the problem. I purchased the car brand new about one month ago. It has only 800 miles on the odometer. If this had happened a few minutes earlier I would have been on the freeway with no power to the drive train. This could have put me in a very dangerous position.Read more
Incident date: Sep 19, 2023
I purchased a brand new 2024 kia k5 gt on September 2 2023; from kia of Cerritos "18201 Studebaker Rd, Cerritos, CA 90703" . My car has noticeable defects that affect the driving experience and can be dangerous. When coming to a stop the engine turns off as if it was deactivating one or more of my c
... ylinders. While that happens it stalls the car. My adaptive cruise control doesn't work as intended since it came damaged from the manufacturer, while driving with the adaptive cruise control on the vehicle requires more input to maneuver. The vehicle did a sudden jerked and almost ran me into a freeway barricade. I also noticed some of my trim pieces and my steering wheel aren't properly put on and are falling off and the body trim is under recall. The dealer handlingthe recall is kia of downtown los angeles "1945 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90007". I was able to fix the trim pieces by another dealer. I let the dealer I purchased the vehicle from know of the experiences I had with the vehicle and nothing was done.Read more
Incident date: Sep 19, 2023
I purchased a brand new 2024 kia k5 gt on September 2 2023; from kia of Cerritos "18201 Studebaker Rd, Cerritos, CA 90703" . My car has noticeable defects that affect the driving experience and can be dangerous. When coming to a stop the engine turns off as if it was deactivating one or more of my c
... ylinders. While that happens it stalls the car. My adaptive cruise control doesn't work as intended since it came damaged from the manufacturer, while driving with the adaptive cruise control on the vehicle requires more input to maneuver. The vehicle did a sudden jerked and almost ran me into a freeway barricade. I also noticed some of my trim pieces and my steering wheel aren't properly put on and are falling off and the body trim is under recall. The dealer handlingthe recall is kia of downtown los angeles "1945 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90007". I was able to fix the trim pieces by another dealer. I let the dealer I purchased the vehicle from know of the experiences I had with the vehicle and nothing was done.Read more
Incident date: Sep 19, 2023
I purchased a brand new 2024 kia k5 gt on September 2 2023; from kia of Cerritos "18201 Studebaker Rd, Cerritos, CA 90703" . My car has noticeable defects that affect the driving experience and can be dangerous. When coming to a stop the engine turns off as if it was deactivating one or more of my c
... ylinders. While that happens it stalls the car. My adaptive cruise control doesn't work as intended since it came damaged from the manufacturer, while driving with the adaptive cruise control on the vehicle requires more input to maneuver. The vehicle did a sudden jerked and almost ran me into a freeway barricade. I also noticed some of my trim pieces and my steering wheel aren't properly put on and are falling off and the body trim is under recall. The dealer handlingthe recall is kia of downtown los angeles "1945 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90007". I was able to fix the trim pieces by another dealer. I let the dealer I purchased the vehicle from know of the experiences I had with the vehicle and nothing was done.Read more
Incident date: Nov 22, 2023
The contact owned a 2024 Kia K5. The contact stated that while his son was driving at an undisclosed speed, another vehicle abruptly crossed into his lane. As a result, the contact's son collided with the rear of the other vehicle. Although equipped, the forward warning collision and automatic emerg
... ency braking systems failed to activate, which could have possibly prevented and/or lessened the severity of the collision. The air bags did deploy. No warning lights were illuminated. A police report was filed, and injuries were reported. The contact's son was transported to an area hospital by EMT and treated for a broken wrist. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and deemed a total loss. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 1,400.Read more
Crash
1 injured