KIA Complaints

The contact owns a 2012 Kia Forte. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the vehicle made an abnormal knocking sound, and there was a burning oil odor coming from the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V750000 (ENGINE); however, the contact was unable to schedule an appointment because the dealer was unreachable. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 142,000.

The fuel pipe in my 2024 Kia Carnival has been identified by Kia as part of Safety Recall SC368 due to a fire risk. The component is available for inspection at the dealership where the vehicle is currently located. My safety and the safety of my family — including young children in car seats — was put at risk because the vehicle carries a known fire hazard related to the fuel pipe, yet no remedy is available until June 2026 at the earliest, according to Kia Customer Care. Kia confirmed the recall and the fire risk but has not provided adequate alternative transportation, leaving a family with young children without a safe vehicle for an extended period. The problem has been confirmed by Kia Customer Care, who verified that my vehicle is included in recall SC368. The dealership also confirmed the recall exists but stated the remedy is not yet available. However, when I contacted NHTSA by phone to file a complaint, the representative stated they could not find my vehicle in their recall database, directly contradicting Kia's confirmation. This discrepancy between Kia's internal records and NHTSA's database is concerning and may prevent other affected owners from being aware of the safety risk. The vehicle has been surrendered to the dealership via tow due to the fire risk. It has not yet been inspected or diagnosed by the dealership service department. I have requested written confirmation that the vehicle is safe to drive before accepting it back. I was notified via a CARFAX alert and the risk was identified/confirmed by the manufacturer.

The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal became inoperable. The contact stated that while attempting to depress the brake pedal, the brake pedal failed to operate properly. However, while light pressure was applied to the brake pedal, the brakes responded and engaged properly. The contact stated that the failure had started after the vehicle was repaired under a recall related to the HECU fuse replacement. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.

The electrical wiring harness connecting to the hybrid system electric fuel pump(s) was found to have significant corrosion and a missing factory-installed protective covering. This is a manufacturing defect. The protective covering was never installed at the factory, leaving the wiring exposed to moisture and corrosion from the time the vehicle was built. COMPONENT THAT FAILED: Electrical wiring harness to hybrid electric fuel pump(s). Missing factory protective covering caused corrosion. The failed component is available for inspection upon request. SAFETY RISK: Corroded wiring in a hybrid vehicle electrical system poses serious risks including electrical shorts, potential fire hazard, and sudden loss of hybrid propulsion while driving. The vehicle is currently inoperable and unsafe to operate. CONFIRMED BY DEALER: Yes. The vehicle was taken to an authorized Kia dealership where it remained for approximately 8 months. The dealership and manufacturer inspected the vehicle and confirmed the wiring issue but denied warranty coverage. THIRD-PARTY CONFIRMATION: A third-party warranty representative independently reviewed photographic evidence and confirmed the missing protective covering is a manufacturing defect, not wear-and-tear or owner-caused damage. MANUFACTURER RESPONSE: The manufacturer denied warranty repair, falsely claiming the hybrid component warranty does not transfer to subsequent owners. Federal warranty law requires transfer unless explicitly excluded in the warranty terms. WARNING SIGNS: No warning lamps, messages, or symptoms appeared prior to the failure. The defect was hidden beneath the vehicle and not visible during normal operation or routine maintenance.

Consuming fuel to the amount of roughly 1/2 quart per 150 miles. Vehicle has been inspected by mechanic and the oil pan, oil filter, and PCV valve has been replaced and engine oil UV dye added and cycled with no leaks found. The risk is that if not rigorously checked often, the engine will malfunction because the car runs out of oil. I have had my mechanic checking this car since I purchased it in January 2026. We have had to replace the oil pan and do two full oil changes with three separate quarts of oil being added in between all of that to keep it topped up. My mechanic agrees that the engine is consuming oil at an extremely high rate. My mechanic and a mechanic at the dealership where I purchased it are the only one who has inspected the car for this issue so far. The mechanic at the dealership is who recommended we replace the oil pan to see if that fixed the leak, which my personal mechanic did. Yes the critical engine failure lamp illuminates on the dashboard when the oil ran out the first time while I was driving it. This was how I discovered that there was an oil leak. This specific incident occurred three weeks after I purchased the car which I bought in mid-January of 2026.

The contact owns a 2018 Kia Sedona. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the message "Check Auto Emergency System" was displayed and the brake warning light illuminated. Additionally, an unknown fluid was leaking near the front passenger’s side wheel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and an oil change was performed but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was about 63,000.

Bought my 2021 kia telluride sx with a cpo warranty with a little over 69,000 miles. at about 73,000 my car began to smoke and the dealership that I bought the vehicle from kept it for the day and sent me on my way with no diagnosis just simply stating they couldnt duplicate the issue and confirming they did NO testing on the vehicle. They stated that they topped the coolant and checked the oil in which my oil was in good level. 2 days later I checked the oil trying to figure out why my car was smoking and my dipstick had NO reading and no signs of oil. I topped the oil and immediately took the car to a different dealership where we began doing 1,000 mile testing on oil consumption and losing 1.5 quarts -- CPO warranty will NOT cover the issue because they stated it is A KIA WIDE ISSUE AND RECALL and even though I dont have specific recall they still refuse to cover. My car has been deemed as needing a motor replacement at 78,000 miles. Kia america DOES NOT stand behind their issues and refuse to help and they have denied the claims that have been made even after being escalated, they also refused to give a denial letter in writting or a reason why it was denied!

As I was driving to work this morning, I heard a loud bang. The sun roof blew up. Based on how the glass is raised, it looks like it blew from the inside out.

For a second time, the window goes off the runner and will not operate. This happened to the drivers side window and the rear drivers side window. The only option is to return to the dealership and have the part replaced to allow the window to move up and down, This is a safety hazard and fails state inspection if the windows will not move up and down. This is a safety recall.

Same defect on NHTSA (Investigation PE23-019) my vehicle is 1 month outside of the manufacturing date listed, having the same issues, but they will not cover it-even though the same engine is in it. KIA bulletin WTY039 Vehicle is overheating, coolant is bubbling