KIA Complaints

My 2017 Sportage is Burnish Copper. I've seen at least 2 other cars (same color) with discoloring paint. I've tried reporting this to Kia dealer to no avail. This is a defeat in paint which is now fading in certain areas of my car and I don't think I should have to pay to have it repainted. This should be a recall issue.

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, there was a burning odor inside the vehicle before the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle with engine seizure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The contact was informed of the NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC), but due to the vehicle having a branded title, the recall repair was not performed. The failure mileage was 119,000.

On [XXX], while driving home at highway speeds, I attempted to accelerate and the vehicle bucked and sputtered violently. The check engine light came on, and my OBD scanner showed multiple misfires in Cylinder 1. I have also experienced suspected transmission slipping from a full stop and during highway driving—RPMs will spike (up to ~5,500) with little or no increase in speed, sometimes after releasing the accelerator. These issues have occurred multiple times prior to [XXX]. On [XXX], while traveling 80–85 mph, I released the accelerator and the RPMs again spiked to ~5,500 while the vehicle rapidly lost speed and barely moved. Starting mileage at first occurrence is unknown, but Kia should have this documented from a prior service visit. The condition is ongoing and worsening, creating a serious safety risk by causing loss of acceleration and unpredictable power surges while in traffic. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Sunroof malfunctioned on opening, went off the tracks and is now stuck in an open position. There were no obstructions causing the sunroof to be lifted and dislodged from the tracks. The integrity of the vehicle and its passengers are compromised due to being openly exposed to the elements. Risk of theft, further damage, and injury. Dealership unable to service the vehicle in a timely manner. Problem has been confirmed and inspected by an independent servicer. No warnings or other symptoms.

Car stalls out without warning. The electronics (radio, dash, lights, etc...) all are still functional, the engine light comes on while the car is still "on" with the engine stalled out. I pulled over, put the car in park, turned it off, and then restarted the car without issue. After restarting the car, the check engine light is not longer on. This first occurred once about a year or two after i bought the car while on the freeway (2023). The second time I was on a dirt road outside of town (March 2025). The third time I was accelerating through an intersection while taking a left turn, after being stopped at the green light waiting for a time to turn (August 2025). My car stalled out in the middle of the intersection, but I was lucky enough to have gained enough momentum to roll out of the way of oncoming vehicles. The most recent time this occurred, the car had trouble turning over, but was able to after a few tries. I took it into my kia dealership and they told me to replace the battery as it was testing "low". I bought a battery from autozone and replaced it as instructed. However I have never had any issues otherwise and the battery test autozone performed on my old battery said the old battery was still "good". This was recent and the problem is rare so i have not confirmed if this is a fix, however it is a dangerous fault that does not seem to be resolved.

My son was driving on the hwy and a banging sound started- lights started flashing on dash and it lost speed. Stranded on road. Read that 2016 KIA SORENTO v6 engines have this prob but apparently ours doesn’t??? According to Kia these run quite a while so 160K isn’t many miles! And all maintenance done at same location the life of vehicle. Makes no sense that it states everywhere I’ve read 2016 V6 have this problem, why not ours?? Now we battle with putting a new motor in a vehicle I just bought less than a year ago for the same price that I bought it for! It’s very nice interior and body but that does me no good with no engine! UNFAIR KIA!

My 2020 Kia vehicle experienced a potential engine failure while driving, entering “limp mode.” It was towed to Kia on the Boulevard (Philadelphia, PA) on August 3, 2025, under warranty coverage. The vehicle has remained inoperable since. Kia initially accepted my oil change receipts but later rejected them for alleged “nonconformance to PA invoice regulations.” This change in requirements was never disclosed before submission. The rejection appears intended to delay or deny warranty coverage, leaving me without transportation and creating ongoing safety concerns if the vehicle were to be returned without proper repair. The service manager stated in writing that the warranty is “not denied” yet still invoiced me for diagnostic fees. I have not received the requested warranty denial letter, copy of my warranty, or the specific clause supporting their rejection of my receipts. This raises concerns over Kia’s warranty handling practices, which could leave other consumers at risk if safety-related repairs are delayed or denied on similar grounds.

The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact had received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V099000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). The vehicle was taken to a local dealer and repaired under the recall; however, the failure occurred. The contact stated that soon after the recall repair, the failure occurred while driving at an undisclosed speed and accelerating. The contact stated that the engine sputtered and stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was informed that the recall repair had already been performed on the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 81,073.

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that on several occasions, while checking the engine oil level, after driving 600 miles, the dipstick indicated that the engine oil level was extremely low. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, and the contact was informed to monitor the oil level to determine if the engine was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The contact stated that the engine was flushed twice. The contact stated that the symptoms of oil consumption were mild, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the same dealer where it was diagnosed, and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

I took my car in last Wednesday to have the recall remedy done I was told my engine was fine my car sat up after that until Monday when I turned it on the check engine light came on and I was told after checking that cylinder 2 was misfiring and apparently my car was in fact not okay. My car went in on Monday and has been sitting in “being inspected “ status since yesterday. I have called and texted multiple times and can not receive and answer as to what is going on nor did they give me a loaner so I have been with out a car for 4 days now. The service department does not answer nor return my calls and just keep routing me to scheduling who apparently can’t tell when what’s going on either.