KIA Complaints
View complaints related to KIA. The complaints found here are submitted by actual consumers with first hand experience. You can submit your own complaint to the NHTSA or call the Hotline, Monday-Friday 8am to 8pm at (888) 327-4236, TTY: (800) 424-9153.
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2013 KIA SOUL- Sebring, FL
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from under the hood before the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was previously taken to a local independent mechanic, and it was determined that the catalytic converter needed to be replaced. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the fuel injector needed to be replaced due to a misfire in cylinder #2. The vehicle was repaired out of pocket. The vehicle was also taken to a local AutoZone, where it was determined that the catalytic converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.
Source: HOTLINE VEHICLE OWNERS QUESTIONNAIRE -
2010 KIA FORTE- Raleigh, NC
Car won't not shift out ot drive when driving to Any other gears. Will not go into reverse or park.. shifting cable broke. Needs replacement
Source: NHTSA WEB SITE -
2023 KIA SPORTAGE HYBRID- West Seneca, NY
After driving for roughly 7 hours upon activating my cruise control, after using the entire drive with no issues, it went up to 110 mph as soon as I hit the button and would not allow me to adjust the speed down. It would turn off upon pressing pause, cruise control, or brakes but would rise to 110 mph everytime. I searched for recalls for this and could find none. But I did find posts of other people with the same issue. The only thing I could find was an emissions campaign that seems like it may be related. This appears to me to be much more of a safety issue especially if the driver is not paying attention. Or for example let's say you're driving behind someone and turn cruise control on you could very easily rearend someone at a high rate of speed. I will be trying to get my car into the dealership to try and resolve the issue, but my main point for filing a report is to see if this rises to the level of a safety recall versus a tsb or emissions campaign. My vehicle is available for inspection if needed. No warning lights came on or anything of the sort. I do have a video of this but does not appear I can upload it. Any assistance is greatly appreciated thank you and have a great day
Source: NHTSA WEB SITE -
2021 KIA TELLURIDE- Liberty Hill, TX
The sunroof button is defective. It allows both the “vent” and “slide open” functions to activate at the same time, which should not be mechanically possible. This causes the sunroof to jam and break the track system. It’s a design flaw that leads to physical damage and could easily become a safety issue if the sunroof fails while driving or during a storm. This needs to be addressed before more owners end up with broken hardware from a faulty control system.
Source: NHTSA WEB SITE -
2025 KIA CARNIVAL- Mount airy, GA
The passenger sliding door pinch sensor did activate; but not before child’s hand was pinched in door and it almost drew blood. Door closes forcefully I have noticed compared to other minivan experiences I have with automatic doors. Quite a bit of force is needed to activate the sensor and cause the door to open back up. It needs to be more sensitive to avoid injury.
Source: NHTSA WEB SITE -
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2017 KIA OPTIMA- Hot Springs Village , AR
I previously submitted a report regarding engine failure in my Kia 2017, Optima. I’d like to update the complaint with new details. Upon mechanical inspection, it was confirmed that the engine bears Hyundai branding and has sustained internal damage including broken pistons and valve failure. These issues appear consistent with the known oil ring defect affecting Hyundai-manufactured engines used in Kia vehicles. Symptoms included: Engine knocking and rough idling Sudden loss of oil and reduced performance Full engine failure requiring replacement I believe my vehicle may have been missed in the recall or settlement programs and request this update be added to my case. I’m willing to provide repair estimates, diagnostic reports, and photos upon request. Thank you for investigating this issue further
Source: NHTSA WEB SITE -
2025 KIA CARNIVAL- Centreville, VA
The floor behind the passenger side gets very hot and you cannot touch where the tracks for the seat are with your hand for risk of pain. This occurs for the middle passenger behind the front passenger and also the third row floor on the passenger side. Also the temperature in the cabin is substantially warmer due to this heat
Source: NHTSA WEB SITE -
2023 KIA SPORTAGE HYBRID- Henderson, NV
While driving on the highway at 80 mph, the accelerator suddenly stopped working and was completely unresponsive. The dashboard displayed the message "Check Hybrid system. Stop safely" and a warning ding sounded. The gas engine was still operating and showing RPMs on the dashboard, but all acceleration and/or engagement with the engine was lost. I was able to coast and safely pull over to the side of the road. After pulling over, I turned off the engine and pushed the 12v battery reset button. The car restarted, and I was able to continue driving. The issue repeated about 20 miles later and again on a different drive four days later. Each time, there is no early warning or noticeable issue with the vehicle before the sudden warning and loss of power.
Source: NHTSA WEB SITE -
2022 KIA CARNIVAL- Kingwood, TX
While driving my 2022 Kia Carnival Prestige, the engine started knocking and the vehicle started sounding like it was going to turn off. There was no alert or light on until we got to the service center where the check engine light came on. I took to the nearest dealer with service center for Kia for inspection and repair which the dealer's service center indicated it was an engine failure at 62,203 miles. This failure was hundreds of miles away from my home. I had to return to my state on a rental vehicle. The vehicle remained at the service center for 2 months for engine replacement. Prior to this event, I had serviced the vehicle at my home dealer's service center since I bought it. I performed all maintenance and my home dealer never alerted to an engine trouble before this event. Once I retrieved my vehicle, the vehicle was fine for few weeks and at 66,427 miles the vehicle started having issues with a check engine light on again. I took to my home dealer's service center and after inspection they indicated it was a bad fuel injector. The vehicle became unreliable and unsafe for my regular commute. Once I received the vehicle with the new engine the performance and sound was very different than my old engine had been since I bought the car. I believe the original engine has been faulty since I bought the vehicle.
Source: NHTSA WEB SITE -
2021 KIA K5- Conyers, GA
Air/hearing works intermittently. I’ve had fuses replaced and this seems to be a known and ongoing issue that Kia refuses to acknowledge. Many have reported that the wires are melting inside of the fuse box and I fear that this may result in a fire.
Source: NHTSA WEB SITE