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.

  • 2015 KIA SOUL
    - Woodbridge, VA

    I was driving about 50mph when my car suddenly stopped accelerating. I rolled down the hill a little before I hit the brake and put the car in park right in the middle of the street in traffic

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2017 KIA SPORTAGE
    - Strongsville, OH

    excessive engine oil consumption, 2 quarts every 1,000 miles. which prompts me to change spark plugs every 10,000 miles because they get so fouled up. this has been going on since 55,000 miles and now have 80,000 miles, it started with .5 quart and now it is up to 2 quarts.

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2023 KIA TELLURIDE
    - Springfield, VA

    The contact owns a 2023 Kia Telluride. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, she was flagged down by another driver who informed her that there was a fire near the rear exterior of the vehicle. The contact merged to the shoulder of the road and discovered that the fire had extinguished on its own. No warning lights were illuminated. A fire and police report was not filed. No injuries were reported. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where the inspection was being performed. The was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000. The VIN was not available.

    Source: HOTLINE VEHICLE OWNERS QUESTIONNAIRE
  • 2023 KIA SORENTO PHEV
    - Upper St Clair, PA

    1. First incident occurred on 10/29/24. My wife pulled into driveway and placed car into Park. When she shifted to reverse, the transmission didn't respond and the car revved to a very high RPM when she took foot off of brake, no foot on gas. Unable to shift it to go forward or backward. She then turned car off, back on, and was able to reverse it. This situation occurred numerous times. 2. Sometimes, after this happened, she'd place it into drive, and the vehicle would only crawl (<5 mph) forward and not accelerate, though gas pedal was touching the floor of car. She'd place it back into Park (in traffic!), shut it off, then restart it. 3. Sometimes she would place it into Reverse, the dashboard would show it in R, and the vehicle would be silent and non-reactive (no back-up beep). 4. She would place it into drive, the engine would do nothing for a few seconds, and suddenly drop into gear with a loud thud. 11/11/24 took car to KIA, they said nothing was wrong. 5. On 11/29/24, she placed the car into Park, loaded passengers, and tried to place the car into reverse and NOTHING happened. The vehicle would not move forward or backward. The dashboard indicated that it was in D, the gear shift dial indicated it was in D, but nothing happened. Car was then turned off in Drive. Drive indicator ("D") was lit up on dash, gear shift dial had "D" still illuminated too. Tried to restart, dash said to put car into Park to start. Car would not go into Park. When flatbed tow truck arrived (6 hours later) the battery was fully discharged The tow truck driver was able to charge the battery with a portable charger sufficiently to start the car (if it would have been in Park), but was still unable to get the transmission to respond. The dealership claims that they can find nothing wrong and KIA won't acknowledge any issue. We have multiple videos of the issues and witnesses. There are numerous reports on Reddit of similar issues with Kia 2023 Sorento PHEVs.

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2016 KIA SPORTAGE
    - CAPE CORAL, FL

    Vehicle went from operating fine to a flashing yellow engine light. Within minutes, the vehicle could not be safely driven. There was a knocking and vibration from the engine.

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2024 KIA SOUL
    - Bradenton, FL

    Headlights are not bright enough. In areas with no street lights it’s like driving with candles. The light is yellow and dim. This is a new car

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2020 KIA TELLURIDE
    - Wharton, TX

    The contact owns a 2020 Kia Telluride. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V148000 (Exterior Lighting); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated when the vehicle was taken to the dealer, the contact was informed that the parts to perform the recall repair were on back order. The contact stated that the parts had not been made available even after waiting for a month. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

    Source: HOTLINE VEHICLE OWNERS QUESTIONNAIRE
  • 2011 KIA SOUL
    - Kaneohe, HI

    The contact owns a 2011 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

    Source: HOTLINE VEHICLE OWNERS QUESTIONNAIRE
  • 2014 KIA CADENZA
    - Palatka, FL

    The contact owns a 2014 Kia Cadenza V6. The contact stated that water leaks into the windshield whenever it rains. The contact stated that when driving at various speeds the vehicle would hesitate before accelerating and when attempting to turn left or right the vehicle would briefly stop and then jump/surge forward. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who refused to remedy the defective windshield. The vehicle was inspected by SafeLight who diagnosed that the windshield seal had failed due to a lack of adhesive. The seal was replaced. The failure persisted after the repair. The dashboard had become inflated. The vehicle was returned to the dealer who did not diagnose the vehicle. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure persisted and the vehicle would announce a warning stating, " You Must Comply" The contact was unsure what the warning was referring to. The vehicle was returned to the dealer who confirmed the VIN was included in recalls with NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 22V158000 (visibility) and 23V652000 (service brakes, hydraulic). The windshield had been replaced due to the defogger sensor and certain portions not being properly repaired. The recall NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V158000 (visibility) remedy was completed and the leak. The contact learned that the leak had caused severe rusting resulting in a hole in the sunroof. The contact also noticed that the steering gear had rust on it as well. The rust had not been addressed. The contact stated they were told that the remedy for NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (service brakes, hydraulic) had just been repaired but still showed attached. The vehicle no longer leaked water but still displayed hesitation. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened regarding the failure. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to file a safety complaint. The failure mileage was 41,000.

    Source: HOTLINE VEHICLE OWNERS QUESTIONNAIRE
  • 2020 KIA SPORTAGE
    - Wichita, KS

    The contact owns a 2020 Kia Sportage. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the contact heard a loud popping sound, and the sunroof glass shattered. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 54,000.

    Source: HOTLINE VEHICLE OWNERS QUESTIONNAIRE