KIA Complaints
View complaints related to KIA. The complaints found here are submitted by actual consumers with first hand experience. You can submit your own complaint to the NHTSA or call the Hotline, Monday-Friday 8am to 8pm at (888) 327-4236, TTY: (800) 424-9153.
-
2017 KIA SPORTAGE- Charlotte, NC
The car has had issues starting even with a brand new battery and will randomly not start. The driver side window does not go down, and the driver side door gets stuck and will not open from the outside. It’s been an ongoing issue for three years. The car will replace the batteries is dead, even though the battery we tested and fine and we randomly say a brake light is out even though the brake light will be fully operational.
Source: NHTSA WEB SITE -
2026 KIA SPORTAGE- Minneapolis, MN
The contact owns a 2026 Kia Sportage HEV. The contact stated that while approaching a traffic signal light at nighttime while it was raining, the brake pedal was depressed, and when the vehicle hit a pothole, the brakes failed to respond. To avoid colliding into the vehicle in front, the contact veered the steering wheel and pumped the brakes. After a few minutes the brakes functioned as intended. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. However, no cause for the failure was found. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a claim was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 600.
Source: HOTLINE VEHICLE OWNERS QUESTIONNAIRE -
2022 KIA EV6- Tempe, AZ
Car lost power and stopped Diagnosed iccu failure Now reporting coolant issue following repair
Source: NHTSA WEB SITE -
2013 KIA OPTIMA- Salisbury, NC
We were told by the mechanic that the engine was locked up after the car refused to drive faster than approximately 23 mph. We had to have the car towed from Boone, NC which was about 200 miles. The car is at our house and is available for inspection upon request. I have made repeated calls to different Kia dealers asking for a call back to assist me with direction but there will never be a returned phone call. As far as I know, there has been no inspection of the engine or vehicle.
Source: NHTSA WEB SITE -
2012 KIA SORENTO- Bronx, NY
The contact owned a 2012 Kia Sorento. The contact’s spouse stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle suddenly lost motive power with no warning lights illuminated. The contact's spouse noticed smoke coming from the front of the vehicle, prompting the contact’s spouse to pull over to the side of the roadway. Moments later, the front of the vehicle caught fire. The local fire department responded to the scene and extinguished the fire; however, the cause of the fire had not yet been determined. The vehicle was completely consumed by the fire and deemed destroyed. No police report was filed, The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact’s spouse stated that the incident was extremely traumatic and believed the vehicle posed a serious safety hazard. The failure mileage was not available.
Source: HOTLINE VEHICLE OWNERS QUESTIONNAIRE -
-
2023 KIA SPORTAGE HYBRID- Owls Head, ME
I would welcome making my vehicle available for inspection on this issue. Year/Make/Model: 2023 Kia Sportage EX HEV AWD 4-Door SUV Color: Black Powertrain: Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) Number of occupants: 2 (driver and passenger) Injuries: None, but fatalities could have occurred. Vehicle turned off completely – no power, no hazard lights, and although driver miraculously made it to the shoulder, most of it was blocked by a snowbank and sat in a dead car with no hazard lights. Passenger (recovering from leg surgery in full leg brace) was forced to exit onto a snow bank and enter a tow truck cab, risking re-injury. Crash: No — vehicle was somehow brought to shoulder and aid protected by two state trooper vehicles until a tow arrived. Our car suddenly emitted a loud alarm at highway speed on I-84 -the instrument panel displayed an "stop vehicle immediately" warning. There was no prior warning, unusual noise, or dashboard indication of any problem. The car shut completely down while still on the highway. Car was towed to the nearest KIA dealer - Columbia Ford/Kia [XXX] ). After diagnosis, the authorized Kia dealer documented the following on Repair Order Invoice W7403: • Concern: "TOW IN. DIED WHILE DRIVING. SEPARATED" • Diagnostic fault code: BMS P1BB20 • Failed/replaced parts: ? DECOUPLER-BASFILTR, Part No. SPO 25290 2MHD0 ? BOLT-CRANKSHAFT, Part No. KIA 23127 2MHA0 ? BATTERY MODULE ASSY, Part No. SPO 37507 L5000 • Parts total: $835.54 • Vehicle in dealer possession: March 5, 2026 – March 20, 2026 (15 days) complete loss of motive power at highway speed. Based on my subsequent research, this failure mode appears consistent with a documented similar issue in the United Kingdom and European markets - which did result in a recall. -hybrid belt/tensioner system. Kia issued revised parts and ECU updates in those markets. No equivalent safety recall or consumer notification has been issued in the US. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.
Source: NHTSA WEB SITE -
2022 KIA K5- Henryville, IN
I was driving on the highway and my check engine light came on. I pulled over and it told it was from engine control system. I had a computer connected to it and it came back the idle control system rpm higher than expected.
Source: NHTSA WEB SITE -
2012 KIA OPTIMA- Shalimar, FL
The horn stops working, steering heat stop working, control functions and air bag warning. I changed the clock spring and it fixed all those issues the first time but within 6 months all those issues happened again. Is there something more wrong?
Source: NHTSA WEB SITE -
2019 KIA OPTIMA- Riverview, FL
The low beam headlight assembly failed on my 2019 Kia Optima LX with no prior warning, while the high beams and LED daytime running lights continue to function normally, indicating an isolated component failure within the assembly. Notably, the headlight assembly shows no physical damage whatsoever, and both independent licensed repair facilities that inspected the vehicle were unable to identify or repair any specific failed component — both independently concluded that a full assembly replacement is necessary. The fact that no specific component could be identified as the cause, combined with the absence of any physical damage, suggests this may be an internal failure not consistent with typical wear and tear. Prior to complete failure, the low beam would intermittently illuminate and then cut off unexpectedly during normal operation, which was the only symptom present before the headlight stopped functioning entirely. This creates a genuine safety concern as low beams are the primary source of nighttime illumination and cannot be substituted with high beams in normal traffic conditions. The failure occurred suddenly during normal nighttime driving and could not be fixed with bulb or pigtail replacement as both were in good condition. The vehicle and component remain available for inspection upon request.
Source: NHTSA WEB SITE -
2025 KIA EV6- Highland Village, TX
2025 KIA EV6 ICCU (part#36401 1XFD5) failed at 2,658 miles. Failure occurred when power was applied after reversing out of a parking space, switching to drive and applying power. No safety issues as vehicle remained controllable. Vehicle went into "limp" mode. Build date of vehicle is 6/20/2025. KIA Dealer has replaced failed ICCU with updated unit (part#36400 1XFD6). No indication of failure occured prior to the failure (an audible "POP" heard from the rear cabin when the unit failed).
Source: NHTSA WEB SITE