KIA Complaints

Update to NHTSA (ODI #11679186) Subject: Update to ODI Complaint #11679186 – Kia America Written Response Body: Dear NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, I am writing to provide an update to my ODI Complaint #11679186 regarding my 2011 Kia Sportage SX (VIN: [XXX] ), which caught fire while I was driving on [XXX]. On August 27, 2025, Kia America issued me a written response (attached). In this letter, Kia explicitly acknowledged: “Preliminary evaluation results show… the fire originated within the engine compartment area.” “The cause was unknown engine oil leaks allowing motor oil to contact hot exhaust surfaces of the engine that led to ignition.” Despite admitting the fire’s cause, Kia refused restitution, stating that the vehicle was “9 years and 163,000 miles outside of warranty.” I request that this letter be added to ODI Complaint #11679186 and considered in your analysis of Kia vehicle fire trends. I believe this documentation is significant in establishing that Kia recognizes the fire hazard but denies responsibility due to warranty expiration, which does not address the broader safety risk. Thank you for your review and for your ongoing work to protect vehicle safety. Respectfully, Daniel McAdams INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Oil plug came out while driving causing an engine failure. We have seen several report already made for this issue.

Valves are knocking and rattling. Engine sometimes stalls out. The knocking and rattling will not go away. It is getting worse everyday to the point that I am scared to drive it because it will stall out on me somewhere and leave me stuck on the side of the road. Been doing this for a couple of months now.

Kia dealership has confirmed that the components of the vehicle's multi-fuse (located under the hood) for the AC/HVAC system have started to burn and are melting part of the fuse panel due to excessive current draw and excessive heat. Due to this, the vehicle's HVAC (both heat and a/c) does not function. A vehicle's HVAC functions help to: 1) Defrost/defog vehicle's windows during rainy and humid days, 2) maintains a vehicle's air quality, 3) cools the vehicle's interior on hot and humid days, 4) assists in preventing mold and bacteria growth via dehumidification, 5) assists in keeping the cabin cool and dry to prevent driver fatigue and promote driver focus. Other than the inoperability of the HVAC system, no other signs or symptoms were present prior to the issue. I initially though this issue would be covered under Kia's HVAC Blower technical bulletin/warranty (WTY037) however the dealership has advised that the WTY037 only applies if the fuse is blown, not melted. This slight difference in melting vs. blowing should be an issue as the effect of the issue is the same, but components melting seems to be slightly more serious, but is not covered. Also, melting components, to me, could lead to fire hazards.

Summary: Unintended full brake engagement at highway speeds caused by electronic parking brake/Auto Hold button defect. Extreme risk of collision. Details: On [XXX], my wife was driving our 2023 Kia Forte GT Line when the Auto Hold and electronic parking brake system malfunctioned. The system fully engaged the brakes without warning while traveling at highway speed, scraping the brake rotors and creating an immediate risk of being rear-ended. This occurred multiple times. The following day ([XXX], the brake pedal would not depress at all, rendering the vehicle undrivable. The dealership (McFarland Kia, North Hampton, NH) diagnosed “a sticky substance” inside the electronic parking brake button, located next to the cupholder. There have never been any liquid spills in this vehicle. The more likely cause is a combination of factory lubrication and normal dust/debris accumulation over time. If such a small amount of dust or residue can trigger unintended full braking while driving, it is a dangerous design flaw that poses a life-threatening hazard to drivers and passengers. The vehicle was repaired after I paid $284.99 out-of-pocket, but I am pursuing reimbursement through my Zurich Vehicle Service Contract. I have also requested an independent third-party brake and rotor inspection, as this defect may have caused further damage. Why this is a safety issue: Sudden, uncommanded braking at highway speeds can cause high-speed rear-end collisions. The defect can occur without visible warning and without any driver action. The defect can be triggered by minimal non-liquid debris, which is unavoidable over the life of a vehicle. I am requesting NHTSA investigate whether this is an isolated case or part of a larger design defect in the Kia Forte’s electronic parking brake/Auto Hold system. This condition should not be possible in a vehicle that meets federal safety standards. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 22V096000 (AIR BAGS), 15V123000 (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL), 17V608000 (STEERING), and 19V120000 (ENGINE, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. In addition, the vehicle jerked and vibrated abnormally. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle idled down to 5 MPH. The contact continued to drive; however, the contact had to pull over several times. The contact drove to the mother's residence. The vehicle was towed to the local mechanic, who diagnosed that the catalytic converter was clogged or had melted and damaged the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was informed of the failure and the contact was informed that the vehicle was missing several updates, and the dealer refused to perform the recall repairs. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but denied assistance with the recall repairs. The failure mileage was approximately 67,000.

The hybrid car intermittently switches into EV mode after coming to a complete stop (e.g., at a traffic signal or after briefly stopping to pick up my child). When this happens, the vehicle does not accelerate properly once back on the road and feels stuck in EV mode, unable to accelerate beyond ~45 mph. This creates a safety concern when merging or crossing intersections.

I had some work done on the drive train of my car by a local mechanic. When I picked up the car, the Brake light and the Low Tire light were on. I asked the mechanic to see about getting them turned off. He came to me a bit later, said they tried to replace a fuse connected to these sensors, and the fuse blew out a small flame when they tried to start the car. He looked it up and discovered there was a recall on this very fuse from Kia (I never received a notice), and he had the car towed to the local dealership. They are refusing to correct the issue because they said he messed it up, and therefore they are not liable. They are wanting to charge me several thousand dollars to fix the problem. This seems completely insane because were it not for their faulty equipment, none of this would have happened. They are also refusing to perform a recall on the ABS system, claiming that someone has previously worked on it. Unless they did it before I bought the car in 2017, no one has worked on the ABS system. Again, they are trying to charge me $2000+ to fix this issue on top of the other.

While attempting to raise the passenger side window slightly, the automatic window mechanism malfunctioned. Instead of stopping when lightly engaged, the window rolled all the way up and trapped my right wrist between the glass and the frame. When I pressed the window down button, the window continued to roll upward, increasing the pressure on my wrist. I was unable to release my hand on my own and had to call for assistance to pry my wrist free. This put my safety at risk by causing a crush injury to my wrist. The vehicle’s anti-pinch safety feature did not activate. The issue has not yet been reproduced or inspected by a dealer or manufacturer. No warning lights, messages, or other indicators were displayed prior to the incident. The component is available for inspection upon request.

The contact owns a 2018 Kia Stinger. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal ticking sound coming from the engine compartment. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V169000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the left turbocharger oil feed pipe and hose assembly had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact was also informed that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle received the turbocharger oil feed pipe and hose assembly repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 83,270.