KIA Complaints

I am unsure as for what is wrong with my car the dealership keeps saying its running rich and there is a recall on several 2022 Kia Carnivals that say it could be a faulty fuel rail tube. They have also said my map sensor is failing. My check engine light appeared a few days ago and has since been cleared and hasn't came back on, however it is just a matter of time. My children ride in this car as it is my daily driver and I have extremely head headaches. The dealership inspected the car and stated it did not smell like fuel however it definitely does.

Driver heated seat shorted out and caused burn to leg. System has not been repaired, will wait to hear from Kia Customer Affairs prior to decision to repair. I was injured by this and have concerns about the safety of the vehicle, will this happen again if a new grid is installed. Kia dealership confirmed that the grid showed high resistivity but also claimed since nothing is melted I couldn't have been burned. The vehicle has only been inspected by the dealership currently. there were and are no indicators, warning lights or messages about the failure available. Kia dealerships claims there no way to tell with the electrical systems.

I turned the car off, it had difficulty turning back on and the brake pedal got really hard. I had to wait about 30-45 minutes and then I was able to get the car started and brake pedal back to normal and no lights. Recently, I left the car on to run into a shop real quick and come back out. When I got back to the car, the power steering light, battery, and warning light?(amber triangle with ! In the center of it) were all on. I rev the engine and the issue went away for a quick second but then came back on. To avoid turning my car off and being stuck, I just shift to reverse and tried to leave. I’m backing out of the spot and now the backup camera is going in and out lights flashing on the dash and I’m trying to brake but the brake pedal isn’t registering and next thing you know, I’ve backed into a guard rail. On the way to drop my kids off at the babysitter, I was coming to a stop sign, and my car wouldn’t brake, i went through oncoming trafic and had to run off the road. KIA did a multi point inspection a few months apart from one another. One the car tested fine, then the second time they are saying a brake booster and no engine oil in the vehicle and that the car is basically trash. The oil light goes on and off and I can smell burning oil. I still owe 7 grand on this car and I just bought it last year and it was seamingly fine.

My Kia OptimaLX had no check engine light not running any different no warning or light indicators turned on but car caught on fire while parked after only driving less than 5mins less than 1 mile from home. Entire front dash burned all the way to the gear shift. Every recall notice recieved was taken care of as soon as I was notified that there was a recall and they had the part to change it out. The engine was part of the recall and was replaced and a fuse module box was replaced 1 month or less from the time of the fire. Car is considered a total loss from insurance company.

The hybrid system completely failed and ev battery completely discharged. That issue is a major safety concern and I no longer feel confident driving myself and my child in that vehicle. I was on a hilly 55mph County Road, with few turn offs, when the hybrid system failed, resulting in a loss of acceleration, power steering, power brakes and heat. Check engine light, Oil Light and battery light illuminated while entire dash display started flashing red with critical fault message. The vehicle then went into limp mode. Dash showed that hybrid battery was completely discharged and warning message displayed saying vehicle would shut off in 5 minutes. Able to restart after a few minutes, but warning light said vehicle had to be left in park and vehicle started shuddering hard. It was a frightening few minutes trying to get to a safe place to turn off and park with the dashboard flashing red. The vehicle had to be towed to the dealership. The vehicle would not go into neutral and the tow company had to drag the vehicle with wheels locked onto the flatbed. The Kia dealership service department states both the wiring harness and wiring fuse box need to be replaced as a result of the hybrid system failure. I have reached out to Kia Customer Care and currently have a case opened with Kia that has been escalated. Prior to the hybrid system failure, after vehicle was at dealership for routine maintenance, a code P052400 appeared and vehicle had to return to service dept to address code. That code was NOT present when vehicle went in for its routine oil change and tire rotation. I still do not have my vehicle back. It has been at the dealership in service since December 1, 2025. According to the service department, the parts needed are on backorder with no ETA.

Could not charge car. It kept saying Charging Interrupted. The failure was the ICCU

I was sold an unsafe vehicle at J and J Auto house 6446 Wilshire Bl LA,CA 90022. Dealer withheld condition of car . Had car three months and was stranded on highway. Car was towed to Kia dealer and diagnosed with complete engine failure. Dealer will not honor limited warranty, shady sales practices withheld recall info during sale, won’t allow his mechanic to look at car, dodged calls, denied request to return car for refund

My 2013 Kia Optima SXL experienced engine knock and shutdown after completion of recall SC147 (KSDS software update). The recall did not repair the known Theta II rod bearing defect and now the engine is failing as detected by the software. Kia corporate and Kia of Merced (Merced, CA) are refusing repair, citing auction purchase and PI1803, despite the engine being covered under the Theta II engine warranty extension. The vehicle is unsafe to operate and shuts down unexpectedly.

While driving at highway speed and the adaptive cruise control engaged, the vehicle applied the brakes without driver input. The vehicle slowed gradually over several seconds even though there was no vehicle, pedestrian, or obstacle present in front of the vehicle. Road and environmental conditions were clear and normal, including clear weather, dry roadway, and unobstructed lane of travel. Traffic was flowing normally, and there was no lead vehicle. The driver was attentive and did not press the brake pedal. The braking occurred without any warning, alert, or collision indication and resulted in an unexpected reduction in speed, creating a risk of a rear-end collision from following traffic and on one occasion road rage (which has occurred due to this condition) as the driver thought I "brake checked" him. The vehicle has been inspected by the local Kia dealership (Spitzer Kia of Mansfield) and they could not replicate the condition. Kia has also been notified and a case number assigned (25773402) but with no resolution. This issue has occurred multiple times under similar highway driving conditions, indicating repeatable uncommanded braking behavior. Additionally, KIA issued a “Voluntary Service Campaign” for 2024 Kia Telluride’s on July 31, 2025 for the same vehicle behavior. Unexpected braking at highway speeds creates sudden speed differentials and increases the risk of rear-end collisions, even when deceleration is gradual. The driver has limited ability to anticipate or prevent the event. No warning lights, audible alerts, or collision warnings were displayed. CONCLUSION The vehicle exhibits repeatable false or uncommanded activation of the automatic braking system during highway driving, consistent with a potential defect in the AEB/FCA system. This condition poses a safety risk to vehicle occupants and surrounding traffic and should be reviewed by NHTSA

When I was driving, a propulsion system warning went off. Then a malfunction in the vehicle’s powertrain/propulsion system lit up on the GPS screen. Shortly afterward, the engine began smoking, and a loud popping sound occurred simultaneously. The vehicle then experienced a sudden loss of propulsion, requiring me to pull over immediately to avoid a hazardous situation. An authorized Kia dealer subsequently diagnosed a blown head gasket with internal coolant intrusion, confirming an internal powertrain failure consistent with propulsion system malfunction, and the vehicle became inoperable. The vehicle was inspected in October and the loss-of-propulsion failure occurred in December.