KIA Complaints

This malfunction started in August of 2025 within 12 months of buying this new vehicle. A airbag sensor was replaced, then a national bbb case found the same malfunction only this time it includes the whole safty system failure. I gave the manufacturer a year and they have not corrected the malfunction. I am forced to drive a unsafe car *if I get hit my airbags will NOT DEPLOY*

Purchased this car used in July of 2025 with 77,000 miles. When we went in for the first complimentary oil change at ~5,000 miles, there was no noticeable oil on the dipstick. The dealership continued with the oil change and advised us to come back every 500miles for an oil consumption test. We did this three separate times and each time we were at least a full quart low each time. It was determined that the engine needed to be replaced. Luckily for us, it was covered under warranty. Our engine was replaced with a remanufactured engine from Kia. When we asked if this problem was going to happen again, we were told yes, but with no timeline. We now have no idea what to expect with this “new, but used” engine and why we were never alerted to the car being low on oil before the first complimentary oil change. Concerns for the purpose of this report are the reliability of these engines and the oil level/pressure sensing system.

The Telluride was parked in my driveway on a hill. When the car was started by pushing the ignition all of the lights on the dash panel started flashing. The car was shifted into reverse to back down the driveway however the brakes didn’t work. We captured this on video via CCTV footage. You can see the vehicle reversing and the brake lights are on as the pedal was pushed but not responding. As the vehicle went on to a lesser slope it slowed some but was about to crash into my neighbors home when the parking brake button was pushed and the vehicle came to a stop. The evening prior when starting the car on a flat surface the lights all flashed upon starting but the vehicle had operated normally.

I attempted to open the moonroof on our 2020 Kia Telluride. When it opened, it was cockeyed and off track. I pushed the button to close it, and I heard a plastic piece break and the moonroof remained stuck open. I took this car to Kia of Olympia, Kia of St. Cloud and Horne Kia, all confirmed that the plastic parts that broke are related to to their issued TCB#BOD319. This is well known and frequent issue on 2020-2022 Kia Tellurides, where the plastic for the wind guard snaps off and gets lodged in the sunroof track. Even though this is a known issue with the Kia Telluride, they have declined to cover the repair cost, and we now must pay over $7,000 for an entirely new sunroof assembly.

The contact owns a 2015 Kia Soul. The contact stated that upon taking the vehicle to the dealer to be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (ENGINE, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); the dealer informed the contact that the vehicle had passed the inspection and no repairs were needed. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds on a slightly inclined road, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended upon depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with an oxygen sensor, catalytic converter, and other unknown engine failures. The vehicle was repaired out-of-pocket. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 147,000.

The front lower air dam and felt underguard detached while driving at highway speed on an interstate. The panel dropped and dragged on the pavement. I secured it with duct tape and zip ties at the roadside in order to drive home. There was no collision and no impact with road debris. The bumper fascia directly above the panel is undamaged, with no deformation and no paint transfer, which is not consistent with an impact and is consistent with failure of the panel's mounting fasteners. The panel shows longitudinal drag scoring on the underside and outward flex-fracture of the mounting clips. The right side detached first and the left side remained held by a single screw. The component is available for inspection on request. There were no warning lamps or messages before the failure. I brought the vehicle to a Kia dealer in [XXX] on XXX, at approximately 40,000 miles and within the 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty. The dealer's technician identified multiple fractured mounting clips, of which only two remain intact. The dealer declined to submit a warranty claim, citing evidence of impact, and reattached the panel using added screws. The fractured clips were not replaced. The dealer's paperwork records the vehicle as repaired, but the technician verbally advised me to drive carefully because the underlying fastener failure was not corrected and the panel is not held by its designed fasteners. I opened a case with the manufacturer's consumer assistance center on June 9, 2026 (case number XXX) and submitted photographs as requested. I have received no substantive response in six weeks. A body panel that detaches at highway speed and drags on the roadway is a hazard to the vehicle behind it and to my control of the vehicle. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2022 Kia Seltos. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated and stalled while driving at various speeds with the check engine warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and the contact was provided information associated with NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V099000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact was advised to take the vehicle to a dealer for service. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, and the contact was informed that a software update needed to be performed; however, no additional repairs were performed on the vehicle. The contact was also informed by the dealer that the engine was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The contact linked the oil consumption failure with the recall. The mechanic at the dealer failed to perform any further testing or repairs on the vehicle. The failure persisted once the vehicle was returned to the contact. The vehicle was taken back to the independent mechanic who replaced the PCV valve which showed excessive oil inside the valve. The mechanic also discovered blowby in the engine caused by leaking of combustion gases and air-fuel mixtures past the piston rings and down into the crankcase of the engine. The mechanic stated that it was proof that the piston oil ring was inoperable and that the recall was not performed properly. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and the contact was provided a case number. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and an OBD II scan was performed but showed no failures with the vehicle. The vehicle remained with the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 36,000.

I want to make a complaint about my 2020 Kia Soul. It is a great car, but the white paint will not stay on the car no matter what I do. It keeps flaking off all over the car. Just recently, it was my right passenger side door. It looks horrible. The car is under a car loan and is loosing paint as I pay off. I want to make Kia aware of this issue. Thank you, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2020 Kia Telluride. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V430000 (Seats); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The contact needed to add a quart of oil per week. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic who diagnosed that the piston in the engine was damaged from oil consumption, ultimately causing the engine failure. The engine was replaced. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and denied covering the cost of the repair. The manufacturer was not contacted about the recall. The failure mileage was 60,000.

The contact owns a 2022 Kia K5. The contact stated that while driving 50-65 MPH, the vehicle was jerking and came to a sudden stop. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and it was determined that there was an issue with the water pressure cooling system. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer confirmed that there was no warranty coverage for the repair on the vehicle. The contact called the warranty company and informed the contact that the warranty mileage was 100,000. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that the dealers were independently owned. No assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 76,000.