KIA Complaints

The ICCU went out in my car. Fortunately I was at home charging and not on the road.

For some time, I was noticing that my 2020 Kia Telluride was consuming excessive amounts of motor oil - at least one quart per 1000 miles. I have had my car serviced regularly by a certified reputable mechanic and scheduled oil changes and other required service every 5000 miles. At around 69,100 miles the check engine light appeared and I immediately took the car in for service. I was advised that the spark plugs and valves were heavily carbon fouled. The spark plugs needed changing and the valves needed cleaning. It was also necessary to replace the coils. Total repair bill was $2008.84. I was advised by my mechanic that excessive oil consumption is a problem with KIA automobiles and after researching the issue myself, found this to be the case. Some engine design issues, most likely with oil leaking past the pistons into the combustion chambers, causing fouling. I have learned that ultimately, the pistons and valves will become fouled again, the engine warning light will reappear and possibly, the engine will break down - hopefully, not in a distant place without knowledgable service. The new car warranty for my KIA was 100,000 miles but since I bought it used (I am the second owner) the warranty was reduced to 60,000 miles. I filed a complaint with KIA Motors and asked that they simply extend my warranty to 100,000 miles but since there is no pending recalls for this problem, my request was denied.

The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the driver's side and passenger's side doors' exterior trims separated from the vehicle. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the repair was not covered because the VIN was not included in an unknown related recall. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH, the low engine oil pressure warning light illuminated while depressing the brake pedal. A dealer was contacted and informed to add oil as needed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed, and it was determined that the engine valves needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and informed the contact that the vehicle was operating as needed. The approximate failure mileage was 76,471.

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)

Was driving around 45mph when I heard a pop noise, like an over pressurized soda bottle popped open. Moments later car abruptly dropped to under 35mph and reported errors and to check battery system. Brought it into dealer and they confirmed my ICCU failed and had to be replaced.

I was driving and when I lost all power steering the lights on the dash came on for power steering and traction I could not steer at all it was so hard to drive . I reported it right away and had my car check out there is a recall on the power steering but they are saying my car was made in April and the recall starts for cars made in June . Well now they are saying I need a new steering column when u turn the wheel u hear a load clunk noise my dash light go on and off when you turn the wheel and you lose power to the vehicle I also burn threw light bulbs monthly I think it’s also a electrical issue within this vehicle I have already had to get a new engine this vehicle in junk and has costed me a fortune and the keep denying to cover there at fault for any of it and it’s there fault it’s not just my car they are all like this.

Heating system fails to generate sufficient heat to defrost windshield or prevent ice buildup in the winter, also impacts the temperature of the cabin. No error codes are generated but it appears the PTC heater is not functioning as expected.

The contact owns a 2024 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the sunroof exploded. The contact stated that there was no evidence of an impact on the sunroof glass. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact was advised to take the vehicle to a Collision Center for assistance. The vehicle was taken to the Collision Center, and the contact was informed that the failure was a known failure with similar vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline and the manufacturer to report the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 28,525.

I bought a Kia Soul at 130k miles and by 140k or so it was dead. the engine started knocking and will no longer turn over. I did regular oil changes and usual maintenance. Within 2 days after knocking the engine refused to turn over. I was driving when it stopped working so at any time someone could have rear ended me and caused a traffic jam. The car was toed to a mechanic who said it was done for and if they needed the specifics they would have to tear down the engine. not going to pay 600 to find out my engine is gone when i already know the engine is gone. no warnings light or messages prior to failure. My vehicle experienced catastrophic engine failure consistent with well-documented defects in Kia GDI engines. Kia has acknowledged these defects through recalls, settlements, and extended warranties covering later model years. However, Kia has refused repair or good-faith assistance for my vehicle solely because my VIN is excluded, despite the engine design being materially identical to covered models. I contacted Kia Corporate directly, provided my VIN, and was assigned a case number. Kia informed me that: - My VIN is not eligible for recall or settlement relief - No good-faith repair would be offered - Denial was based on model year/VIN classification, not engine design or failure mode - I am not the original owner, which Kia cited as an additional reason for denial Why This Is Concerning: - The 2013 Kia Soul was equipped with the same GDI engine architecture later acknowledged as defective - Consumers are being denied relief based on administrative cutoffs rather than engineering reality - Kia continues to avoid responsibility for early-year vehicles that suffer identical failures - The cost of engine replacement far exceeds the vehicle’s value, leaving consumers with unrecoverable losses I am requesting - Review Kia’s handling of known GDI engine defects - Assess whether Kia’s exclusion of certain VINs constitutes an unfair