KIA Complaints

While driving a brand new Kia Carnival Hybrid (purchased yesterday), I experienced a severe, life-threatening powertrain acceleration lag from a rolling start. My children were in the car and this was very scary. When attempting to accelerate into oncoming traffic on a wet road surface, the vehicle completely hesitated and dropped power for approximately 1.5 to 2 seconds, leaving the vehicle stranded in the path of oncoming traffic. When the power finally engaged, it delivered a violent surge of torque that caused the front tires to break traction and squeal aggressively. This software-driven hesitation and power-distribution lag represents a severe safety hazard.

This is a statement from my daughter: I was driving and noticed a vehicle stopped in front of me. When I attempted to brake, I could feel my brakes sink all the way to the floor. I also didn't receive an alert from the Front Collision Avoidance system or any assistance from the Automatic Emergency Braking system. The vehicle was a CPO that had always been serviced at the dealership. Because of various surgeries I have had, depending on the severity of the crash, I could have been paralyzed for life.

The clock spring keeps failing which is causing the air bag light to remain on; the horn to not work; various functions of the dashboard; and steering wheel heat.

In XXX 2026, I brought my 2022 Kia K5 GT-Line (VIN: [XXX] ) to Jim Click Kia in Tucson, AZ for routine maintenance. Fuel system testing revealed my vehicle failed inspection due to an active federal recall affecting the fuel tank/fuel valve system. Kia America confirmed the recall defect caused cascading damage to additional components, rendering the vehicle completely unrepairable and unsafe to drive. My safety was put at risk because the vehicle cannot be operated and Kia has confirmed no repair is possible. I have been without my vehicle for over two months. Kia America has proposed a buyback at $10,550 (KBB value), which does not reimburse me for the approximately $35,000+ I paid into this vehicle. I have formally requested full reimbursement under 49 U.S.C. § 30120 and the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, which Kia has declined. I am currently in a rental vehicle paid by Kia, which they have threatened to terminate on June 9, 2026 if I do not accept their offer. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

In October 2025, my drivers seat began to move forward and fold on its own. I was sitting in the seat and crushed. I was able to free myself. I might have photos. I did call Kia. For a second time maybe a month ago, I was undoing my son's car seat from the latch and the seat began to fold up and pinned my neck and arm. I thought I was going to die. This was a rear passenger seat.

We were driving in the middle lane, going straight approximately 25 MPH. The car lurched and almost flipped. We were able to pull over, the wheel was no longer spinning with the car and the tie rod snapped at a weld point. We could have been killed had we been going faster. My son was thankfully not in the car. I am desperately trying to get the car inspected but the dealership will not unless we pay. There were no warnings, but a whining sound began yesterday and we were on the way to the dealership this morning. Now there are warnings. There have been so many safety issues with this car. I will be filing 2 other reports for the seats.

The third row seatbelt is folding which causes it to jam and be unusable. It has happened twice in 3 months without a solution from Kia.

I was driving home, on my way while driving I approached a curve on my way around the curve my vehicle continued to accelerate to the right as I was going around the curve. I tried to redirect the vehicle back to the left by trying to turn the steering wheel towards the left but I could not control the direction of the way the vehicle continued on. Still trying to turn the steering wheel back towards the left it kept to the right and ran off the road into a tree. Also once impact occurred i don’t remember if the airbags deployed because my head was laying flat on the steering wheel. Once the emergency services arrived I was accessed and removed from the vehicle and transported to the hospital emergency. There were no warning lights or messages what so ever ahead of the accident. A claim with the insurance was filed and also a complaint with the Kia manufacturer was filed. At this time no one has accessed the damages of the vehicle, State Farm has the vehicle at this time.

The car seat styrofoam has detached from car seat and was previously held down by GLUE. The styrofoam has detached from shell that was previously attached by glue. Car seat was used previously for 6 months from October 2024 to April 2025 then stored in proper areas to prevent damage.

The contact owns a 2025 Kia Seltos. The contact stated that while driving in snowy, inclement weather; the entire rear end of the vehicle would become covered in snow. The contact stated snow would become to heavy for the rear windshield wiper which would obstruct his vision while driving in the snow. In addition, the contact stated that the rear tail lights would also become covered in snow which made it difficult for fellow motorist to see his tail lights. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and suggested that the contact purchase an aftermarket spoiler. The contact was also given a case number. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 8,000.