KIA Complaints

The contact owns a 2025 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that on two occasions while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle lost automotive power and the message "Hybrid System Failure" was displayed. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road, turned off, and restarted, but the failure persisted, and the vehicle failed to accelerate above 20 MPH. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the fuel pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred a week later. The vehicle was taken to another dealer where the failure could not be duplicated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

CLEAR COAT PEELING OFF IN SHEETS ON A 2023 KIA TELLURIDE. IT'S A KNOWN PROBLEM AMOUNG KIA OWNERS HOWEVER KIA IS NOT ACCEPTING RESPONSIBLITY FOR A MANUFACTURER DEFECT.

Paint De lamination on Snow White Pearl due to manufacturing defect Date listed was the date it started to peel. Started peeling around the window first. Then it continued on the front hood.

I am writing to formally express my serious concern and disappointment regarding my Kia Carnival Hybrid. Shortly after purchasing the vehicle, with only approximately 6,000 miles on the odometer, the vehicle suddenly stopped operating while I was driving on the freeway. This created a dangerous situation for my family and other motorists. The vehicle had to be towed to an authorized Kia dealership for diagnosis and repair. No warning or message had appeared before the issue. The dealership retained the vehicle for approximately one week and informed us that a PCB (Printed Circuit Board) component had failed and needed to be replaced. After the repair was completed, we were assured that the issue had been resolved and that the vehicle was safe to drive. Unfortunately, after driving only about 50 additional miles, the exact same issue occurred again. The vehicle once again became inoperable, leaving us stranded and raising significant concerns about the reliability, safety, and quality of this vehicle. We towed the vehicle on 6/22/26 and Kia dealership had it till today 8/7/26 and corporate keep saying they working on it but unresponsive.

On XXX my son picked up his 2018 Kia Stinger (VIN [XXX]) from Ken Garff Honda Riverdale, UT after a routine oil change, filter change, and tire rotation (RO# 5026743). About 3 hours later, while driving on [XXX] near [XXX], he noticed a burning smell, then saw smoke coming from the front of the vehicle, followed by flames from the engine compartment. He pulled over and exited safely before the vehicle was fully engulfed. No other people or vehicles were struck, but the fire occurred on a public highway shoulder next to dry grass, creating a wildfire risk in addition to the risk to him and other traffic. On XXX, this same vehicle received recall SC300 (NHTSA Campaign 24V169000) at Jerry Seiner Kia in [XXX], which replaced the left turbocharger oil feed pipe and hose assembly. This addressed the exact component Kia's recall identifies as a fire risk from oil leaking near the exhaust manifold. This system, and/or the oil change performed hours before the fire, may be connected to the failure, but this has not yet been confirmed by a professional inspection. The problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent shop. No inspection by police/insurance/manufacturer has occurred yet. No dashboard warning lights or messages appeared before the fire; the only symptom noticed was a burning smell shortly before smoke and flames appeared. The vehicle is located at [XXX] with an address [XXX] Lot [XXX] and remains available for inspection upon request. I have a pending insurance claim with Bear River Mutual. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Fuel Leak: I can smell heavy gas fumes inside the vehicle cabin. Fire Hazard: The vehicle is unsafe to drive due to an imminent risk of a fuel fire. Corporate Refusal: Kia Corporate refused to generate a case number and my local dealership refused to service the vehicle leaving a dangerous safety defect unrepaired on public roads. Mechanical Symptoms: The car is experiencing slow cranking, engine sputtering, and multiple dashboard warning lights.

My 2009 Kia Sedona is under Safety Recall SC133 (NHSTA 16V-387) for front lower control arms that can corrode and break. The dealership has had the vehicle at ANDY MOHR KIA in [XXX] for two weeks and states the frame is too heavily rusted to safely mount the new control arms. They will not perfom the recall repair. The vehicle is currently undriveable due to the structural condition related to the salt-belt corrosion issue covered by the recall. I have an open Kia Consumer Affairs case (XXX) but have not received a resolution. The dealership escalated this, but there has been no timely response or resolution. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Detailed information is in the attached pdf file, but in a nutshell, Kia is covering a safety defect in their vehicles by claiming the process is “proprietary”. On several occasions we have lost propulsion, which means we had no control over our vehicle, and Kia’s explanation is simply, “the vehicle is performing as intended “! These incidents always happened at low speeds, just accelerating from a stop, but left us in a precarious situation as we were left in the middle of a busy intersection with no control over our vehicle! Propulsion would eventually return. After surviving several of these failures, I learned the proper thing was to let both pedals return to their idle position and then the vehicle would recover. This is a most difficult thing to accomplish when surrounded by angry drivers! The failures were identified by Google AI as a Brake Override System, also known as Brake Throttle Override. However, Kia already has a very functional Brake Over Accelerator process, so why would they have two similar functions? Kia knows the answer but is refusing to divulge any information regarding the intention or purpose of this mysterious process which makes our vehicle unsafe!

The paint is peeling in sheets, especially above the windshield, leaving the vehicle unprotected and vulnerable to rust. There were no chips or damage in this area prior to the paint beginning to peel away and once it started it's been progressing very quickly. Other owners have reported similar issues with this paint color (I believe it's pearl white) in Kia other forums online

Vin number or license plate is not showing vehicle in open recall to NHSTA OR KIA AMERICA. Kia has not followed up on their follow up dates regarding resolution(s) for unrepairable recall malfunction.