KIA Complaints

Intake manifold. A previously repaired recall that is still causing issue. Rough idle and check engine light.

Catastrophic rear differential failure at highway speed following recent warranty repair. Vehicle previously brought to Kia dealership for rear differential knocking noise. Warranty repair performed and vehicle returned. Within one week, original noise returned with additional whirling/ grinding sound.While traveling approximately 70 mph on the highway, vehicle experienced a sudden loud bang and immediate abrupt stop in traffic. At the time of failure, wife and two children were in the vehicle. Incident posed a severe and life-threatening safety risk.Visual inspection indicates complete rear differential mechanical failure, with fluid and component debris present underneath vehicle. Vehicle is currently unsafe to operate.Failure occurred immediately following manufacturer-authorized warranty repair.

Driving on busy highway with one passenger. Vehicle began losing power and acceleration, but no warning lights came on. Kept driving for 20 miles and oil warning light came on, but temp vuage registered fine. I parked, checked fluid amounts, and oil was extremely low (even though it had been checked the week prior and was full). Put 2 quarts in, started vehicle and warning lights went off. Proceeded back on to highway, drove 5 miles and engine lost acceleration and started knocking loudly, and all the warning gauges lit up. I pulled into parking lot, turned off the vehicle. Checked oil level and it was fine. Got towed home. Fairly certain it's the rod bearing. Engine has about 103,000 miles on it and has been well maintained. I see so many of this exact complaint, but our year model seemed to be ignored with a recall. Have loved our Kia's until now. Watchable got Hyundai?

I was driving with my son when my 2015 Kia Sorento stopped in traffic. I remember warning lights coming on my dash including the engine light, oil light and battery light. However, I was more concerned about getting my hazards on so we would not be hit by another car. Traffic was heavy, it was raining and getting dark. I needed to push my car off the road with the help of another driver. A Hyannis ambulance was a few cars behind me and the EMT's also assisted with the traffic and moving my vehicle out of the road. I called AAA and had my car towed. I was told in writing by the Kia dealership that the engine needed to be replaced. I was told verbally by Kia that it was a rod knock issue. When I asked how it was diagnosed with rod knock she said the mechanic put something down in the engine and said its rod knock. I requested through Kia corporate that the car be inspected for the WTY039 extended warranty and corporate said they would reach out to the dealer and ask that it be checked. I have not received any further communication from the dealership or Kia corporate. Yes the vehicle is available for inspection. Safety was an issue because the car stopped so suddenly in heavy traffic. I was not able to slowly decelerate or steer to the side of the road. I felt like a sitting duck. We were extremely lucky that we were not hit from behind at 35 mph resulting in injury to us and to the drivers behind us. Prior to this event there were no warning lights that had come on and no strange noises from the car. They first appeared when it stopped in traffic.

I bought the car with 9 miles on it, and when I tried to use the windshield washer, it didn't work! I took it to the dealer, and they refused to fix it! They said the car was infested with mice and that it was my problem!!! The car is made with defective materials! All hoses and foam in the car are made from soy beans!! That is rat and mouse food!!!

The ICCU failed which was part of the recall. Kia is unwilling to honor repairs beyond the 100,000 mile warranty which is unacceptable because there is still no resolution and it is subject to potential future failure. I need an extended warranty.

Component: Electrical System / Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist / Speedometer Incident Summary: ?I am reporting a catastrophic and uncorrected safety defect in my 2021 Kia Sorento (VIN: [XXX] ). ?Pre-Accident Attempts: Before April 2024, I repeatedly sought diagnosis for instrument cluster 'glitches.' The Kia dealer misdiagnosed this as a battery failure, charging me out-of-pocket for a replacement that did not resolve the issue. ?Collision (April 22, 2024): While driving, the instrument cluster suffered a total system crash into 'Factory Mode,' losing all telemetry. Simultaneously, the vehicle's Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA) failed to engage. Despite the vehicle being equipped with automatic emergency braking designed to detect and mitigate collisions, the system provided no warning and no autonomous braking prior to striking a deer. ?Post-Accident Failures: Following the crash, Geico Insurance funded a wiring harness replacement at a Kia facility (backed by a Geico Lifetime Warranty). However, the glitches and 'Factory Mode' errors have returned, proving the vehicle's core safety systems remain compromised. ?Safety Risk: This vehicle is non-compliant with FMVSS 101 and 127. The failure of both the speedometer and the autonomous emergency braking creates an extreme risk of further injury or death. Kia Corporate has failed to address this documented accident history. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

I currently have a complaint 11709255 regarding the electric thermostat. I just had that part replaced in November of 2025 for the 3rd time. Last week, again I had a warning of engine problem. The next day there was cold air blowing when the heat was on. The dash thermostat immediately began to move to hot. I was thankfully close to home. I turned car off and fan continues to run under the hood. I cannot afford to keep having this part replaced. Please look into this. This is not right.

1. Panoramic sunroof 2. Sunroof exploded while parked sounding like a gun shot. 3. Dealer/Kia Customer Care has informed me this is a known issue. 4. Dealer said they looked at my car but never looked at it. I confirmed this with the service manager at University Kia in Waco Tx. He admitted to falsifying the paperwork, I had him redo the paperwork showing nothing was inspected. Now Kia won't look at it again. 5. No warnings, just spontaneous exploding glass.

Vehicle: 2013 Kia Optima SXL VIN: [XXX] While driving on a highway at approximately 55–58 mph, the rear driver-side electronic parking brake (EPB) motor housing failed with a loud bang. Immediately after, there was heavy smoke and a strong burning smell. The vehicle became very difficult to drive, and the wheel began screeching and dragging as if the brake had locked. The failure appears to have caused the rear brake caliper to seize while the vehicle was in motion. This created a dangerous driving situation at highway speed and could have caused a crash. The brake system component that failed appears to be the electronic parking brake actuator/motor assembly attached to the rear caliper. This was a sudden mechanical failure, not normal brake wear, and it occurred while driving at speed. Kia care case number: XXX INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)