KIA Complaints

The contact owns a 2014 Kia Sportage. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the vehicle, after which the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle was able to restart. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V907000 (Fuel System, Gasoline, Engine); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 103,000.

When vehicle is placed in ‘reverse’ gear, screen goes to green screen that reads “ No Camera Signal Received.Please try again later.” Unable to view rear of vehicle except through mirrors while backing up. Audio warning will still sound for proximity alarm, but no visibility from rear camera. Intermittently camera will function and show live feed of rear of vehicle. Taken to dealership and camera replaced, dealer reports that it worked for approx. 30 minutes but now is malfunctioning again and they are continuing diagnostics.

I was driving when my Kia stalled and shut off but was still playing music and driving. So I pulled over and then my Kia caught on fire and went up in flames.

Purchased a 2024 Kia Carnival on Monday, June 2 from a dealership. On Friday, June 6, the battery was dead and I had to have it jumped. I took it to the dealership the next week to have it looked at and they said the battery was fine. A week and a half later, after sitting for two days, the car wouldn't start again. Had it jumped again and took it back to the dealership. They seem to be confused with the issue and said they will need to have the car until the battery dies again so they can see it in "real time". A quick Google search indicates that this is by far not an isolated event. Something is very wrong with the electrical draw.

We purchased a 2016 Kia Soul with the GDI engine in October 2024 from Jim Shorkey Kia in Uniontown with 60K miles on it. We just had to have a whole new Catalytic Converter installed that cost us $1500 because the one on this car was completely messed up. It caused the car to stall, have no power and when my daughter was pulling into her parking space, this caused the brakes to stop working because the car was getting NO power. The converter was completely clogged and the whole thing had to be replaced (AT OUR EXPENSE)! This was a recall for the same year Kia Souls, but somehow this one is NOT on the recall list for the exact thing that these were being recalled. How does that work? We were left without a vehicle for days and we had to pay to have the car towed to a garage and repaired. Kia would do nothing, so we had to have it repaired at a reputable garage in our area! Only having the car of less than 8 months after buying it used from a KIA dealership, this is disheartening. How could they sell a car that obviously had issues with the catalytic converter, or they did just NOT check the vehicle out before they sold it to someone. I get that it was a used car but are we seriously going to sell a car to someone that obviously has an issue! So why exactly was this 2016 KIA Soul with the GDI engine, NOT recalled?? We should be reimbursed for this. This is crazy. My daughter could have been in a horrible accident. THANKFULLY she was only leaving her apartment and in the parking lot of her home! What do we do about getting this? This car clearly has issues and should have been recalled with the others!

he component that failed was the engine. Specifically, the engine block burst while the vehicle was traveling on the highway at over 50 miles per hour. The explosion of the engine block during driving posed a serious risk to my safety and that of other drivers. The sudden failure could have caused a loss of vehicle control, a collision, or even a fire. Fortunately, I was able to stop in the emergency lane in time without causing an accident. The issue was confirmed by an independent mechanic, who verified the structural damage to the engine block and its complete loss of functionality. At no time before the incident did any warning lights—oil or engine—come on. There were no messages on the dashboard indicating a potential imminent failure. The engine is available for inspection if necessary.

My vehicle is experiencing engine issues consistent with the known Theta II GDI engine defects — including rod bearing failure piston rings engine stalling, I understand that Kia has offered extended warranty coverage through the engine defect settlement, provided the Knock Sensor Detection System (KSDS) update was installed before failure. I am unsure whether this update has been applied and would like to confirm my eligibility. I respectfully request: 1.Confirmation of KSDS update installation on my VIN 2.A review of my eligibility for engine inspection and coverage under the extended warranty 3.Assistance with coordinating service and coverage at my local dealership (LeBlanc Kia, New Iberia, LA) I am the second owner of this vehicle and want to ensure I am treated fairly under the known warranty extension guidelines. Thank you for your support. I look forward to your prompt response.

I purchased my 2015 Kia Forte5 in May 2024 with just over 50,000 miles. In 2025, I began smelling burning through the air vents while accelerating. I took it to a Kia dealership, paid a $173 diagnostic fee, and was told they completed the KSDS (Knock Sensor Detection System) recall update, but I did not need an engine replacement because “everything looked fine.” They gave me no clear explanation for the burning smell. When I called back and told them the smell hadn’t stopped, they said, “That’s just your oil burning — that’s normal!” and then hung up on me. I contacted 1-800-KIA, and my case was assigned to a woman named Tina. I explained that the dealership didn’t perform a thorough inspection and dismissed a very real concern. Tina sided with the dealership immediately and showed zero care for the danger I described. What Kia called “fine” has now made my car unsafe to drive. The smell has persisted, worsening, and is clearly a fire hazard. This model is under Recall SC200 for engine compartment fire risk, and yet they marked the recall “complete” — just by running a software update. No mechanical inspection or repair was done. After researching NHTSA complaints, I found multiple reports from other Forte5 owners who described this exact burning smell shortly before experiencing complete engine failure or fires. After the KSDS update, Kia advertised a 10-year/150,000-mile warranty for engines. But my vehicle doesn’t hit 10 years until January 2026, and it feels like they’re intentionally dragging this out to avoid honoring the warranty. I reported the issue months in advance, and I believe they’re delaying on purpose so I’ll age out of eligibility while the danger keeps growing. Kia is putting people in danger by closing out recalls without resolving the actual mechanical issues. This really needs urgent investigation and fast. I do not feel safe in this vehicle at all and and it’s stressing me out so much.

Pearl White Paint has suddenly begun flaking off from roof of my 2019 SorentoSXL. It is running above the length of the driver side door. Paint should not be doing that. Looks like a factory defect. Noticed many other complaints for the exact same issue. Kia defers to the warranty but Kia should fix this regardless of warranty timeline since this is not as a result of external forces or owner error.

The engine is failing. I took my Kia Forte into the dealership in March of 2025 for a blinking engine light and loss of power. It is under a warranty for engine replacement but Kia has done everything in their power not to help their own customer out. This engine issue can cause life threatening issues such as engine fires or stalling on busy roads which could lead to accidents. I will be getting further help from an attorney if the issue is not resolved.