KIA Complaints

In february 2025 I had taken to the garage the first moment the check engine light came on and had to have the catalytic convertor replaced, costing me over 4300.00 It could have caught on fire the garage said. I have all documention and reciepts for all work since I have had the vehicle I am the 2nd owner and still making payments on this. I have kept up to date on every oil change and have the proof of that also. The car has been burning oil excessively and now the garage has determined it needs a engine replacement or rebuild costing over 5000.00 and the car only has 93,000 miles on it. I know KIA is known for issues with their engines burning excessive oil , but i found no recalls of it for my VIN.

Driving on [XXX] to Eureka, Ca. Just outside of Laytonville, CA. the vehicle in front of me swerved into oncoming traffic lane (no vehicle in his way) to go around rock, then rock was there, I swerved to the right, but hit the rock, went up on embankment, flipped over and slid to a stop. There is an upcoming California Highway Patrol report from Mendocino County, with support witness (PG&E employee) statement given to California Highway Patrol. No airbags deployed throughout the car. Pictures attached of inside and outside vehicle. No deployment of airbags was written into the report from auto wreak retriever. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Engine seized up while driving. I had just visited the dealership and had 5 RECALLS done.

I am reporting a recurring safety issue with my Kia vehicle that began around Labor Day 2025. The vehicle has abruptly shut down multiple times while I was driving on public roads in Hillsborough County, Florida. These shutdowns occurred without any dashboard warning lights, including while stopped at red lights and while in motion, creating dangerous traffic situations. Despite having a scheduled service appointment on September 5, 2025, I took the vehicle to the dealership a day earlier—on September 4—due to the increasing frequency and severity of the issue. Upon reviewing my service history (dating back to 2022), I found no documentation that the battery had ever been tested, despite regular multi-point inspections performed at the dealership. A battery test performed during the September 4, 2025, visit revealed that the battery was failing. I was required to replace it at a cost of nearly $400. The service team confirmed that the battery was draining and likely the cause of the vehicle shutting down. This issue could have resulted in a serious accident. I believe the failure to identify the battery problem earlier represents a potential safety oversight.

I had the car inspected by an independent service center because of extreme shaking from the steering wheel and steering wheel being unstable when going over bumps and making clanking noises all while driving. The steering wheel began to feel very loose and dangerous to drive so I took it in and they had to replace the steering coupling Assembly.

On several occasions, when traveling over 55mph, once the battery hits a certain threshold (35% or 55% so far) the “power is limited” warning will appear on the dash and the vehicle will lose power. This has not occurred at lower speeds but only at higher speeds, and not every time. This vehicle was purchased so my husband could do his freeway commute, but it is on a remote highway where there is often no shoulder, so it especially dangerous to suddenly lose power with limited ability to safely pull over. On one such occasion, he drove the vehicle straight to Kia for inspection. They said the soonest available appointment was in 2 weeks and because they had no technicians available, they could not run the diagnostic that would allow us to get a rental car in the meantime. They suggested going to a different Kia dealership. We called ahead and they said they could try to see it that day or the next, but when we arrived (with, again, the power failing on the drive to the next dealership), they said we were misinformed and they would have to hold the vehicle for at least a week with no rental option. We have since been unable to use the vehicle for commuting due to its unreliability and incredibly dangerous power failure.

According to Ray Skillman Southside Kia, located in Greenwood, Indiana on [XXX], the “exhaust engine lock pin” broke inside the engine causing metal to shear inside the engine causing engine failure and needing engine replacement. Prior to this diagnosis the car was stalling during running in the middle of traffic potentially causing an accident or collision with other vehicles. This is a known defect in the manufacturers engines, yet there is no recall. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving approximately 70-75 MPH, the contact accelerated to 80 MPH to pass another vehicle; however, after releasing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The battery and the low oil pressure warning lights and two other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine had seized and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 123,000.

THE VEHICLE IS BURNING THROUGH OIL AND NOW THE GARAGE I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR TO IS SAYING IT WILL NEED A NEW ENGINE SOON. ALSO I HAVE NEVER BEEN NOTIFIED OF THE RECALLS.

While driving my 2022 Kia sorento on the interstate a sudden check engine light illuminated and the car totally stalled out with a severe decrease in power causing me to almost be rear ended by interstate traffic before I could get off the road safely. After taking the vehicle to the dealership for diagnostics I was informed there was a P1C2D03 trouble code which is associated with the 8 speed dual clutch transmission indicating an internal fault in the electric oil pump of the TCU. Upon further investigation we find out this code was associated with a safety recall that went out for this particular Kia model and transmission. The original owner took this car in to have the recall repaired back in 2023 without the fault code showing or any issue presenting from the vehicle. They were simply taking it in to clear the recall they were sent. While it was at the dealership they flashed the system like they were supposed to do according to the campaign instruction and sent them on their way. Fast forward to now and I am getting this same fault that the recall was sent out for but I have the code which according to the campaign instructions Kia was supposed to replace the transmission due to a mfg defect. Kia is refusing to replace the transmission now saying the recall can not be reopened and since I am the second owner and my warranty is expired I will have to pay over $5,000 for a replacement.