KIA Complaints

Driving through intersection making a left turn and a driver blew the light at 45-50 (speed limit is 45 on road) t-boned the vehicle. Air bags did not go off even hitting the zone on the car front passenger door. I have pictures and police report if needed. I contacted Kia and haven’t heard back. This was a rental car through Dollar Rental at Orlando Intl Airport. It was not drivable.

My windshield on the 2027 Telluride cracked with a small rock that almost sounded like a bug instead of a rock. My other cars have gotten hit with rocks that sound 10 time loader and the windshield does not crack. I think KIA is still putting windshield that are not safe on their new cars. I am certain that anything hits this windshield will cause it to crack again. I am hoping that it was just a one of, but time will tell.

Hybrid Control Unit failure was the fault that came up on the screen. 3rd time within 3 months now. The HCU was just replaced a week ago at the KIA dealership and the vehicle is only 1 year old. This left my wife stranded on the side of a busy highway in 100 degree temps over the 4th of July holiday.

I purchased this vehicle new from the dealer last year. The second time I went to them for an oil change the tires were worn out oddly and needed to be replaced. They said the car needed an alignment that I had to pay for. I purchased replacement tires from another shop and had the alignment paid for at another shop. The dealer refused any responsibility. This vehicle has not been in any accidents and miles driven are highway miles

System/Component Malfunction & Availability: The vehicle's electronic safety and engine control systems malfunctioned while driving at speed. This issue has occurred twice under identical thermal conditions, with the first instance occurring on 5/19/26. The vehicle is fully intact and available for inspection upon request. Safety Risk: During the first incident, a false dashboard warning triggered, but the physical engine remained running. However, during the most recent incident on 7/2/26, the defect escalated and the engine physically stalled while driving on the road in high 90-degree ambient temperatures. The stall caused an immediate loss of power and a complete loss of power steering assist, making the vehicle incredibly difficult to control and creating an imminent risk of a crash for my family and surrounding drivers. Dealer Confirmation & Inspection: Following the first incident, the vehicle was brought to a certified Kia dealership and left in their custody for 10 days for diagnostic troubleshooting. The service center stated they could not pull a hard diagnostic trouble code (DTC) and could not replicate the failure on a standard test drive. No other entities (police, insurance) have inspected the vehicle yet. Corporate Kia was notified (Case #26160914) but refused to authorize a specialized repair plan because the dealer could not replicate the issue. Warning Symptoms & Messages: There were no mechanical or performance warning symptoms prior to either failure. Both times, the issue began instantly with an audible cabin alarm and a prominent dashboard display message stating: "Engine Off! Shift to P or N, then start engine." During the first incident, the physical engine remained running despite the message, allowing us to safely pull over and reset the vehicle by cycling the ignition. During the second incident, under the same extreme outside heat (high 90s), the engine completely cut out mechanically, creating a severe stalling hazard.

My 2015 Kia Sorento is experiencing a catastrophic structural failure of the exhaust system where the front manifold catalytic converter has internally collapsed This is a severe safety hazard because the physical blockage of the exhaust flow creates massive engine backpressure stalling when trying to drive even a small hill on highway, risking sudden engine stalling, unprompted deceleration, and power loss at highway speeds, which increases the risk of a crash. Furthermore, the blocked exhaust gases generate extreme temperatures under the hoods if it's running hot presenting a distinct vehicle fire hazard. I have maintained this vehicle and had all previous safety campaigns addressed, including a complete engine replacement and the required engine control software updates. Despite these recalls being fully completed, the vehicle has still suffered this severe exhaust system failure. The Check Engine light was on, and diagnostic scanning shows fault code P2096.I thought it was my transmission but a professional dealer assessment confirmed a manifold catalytic converter," "contamination of honeycomb on front of rear catalytic converter," and severe "contamination on the O2 sensor."He could not fixed An oxygen sensor replaced had to be fixed by someone else Abrasive ceramic dust from the melting manifold structure is actively being drawn back into the engine cylinders, threatening to destroy the newly replaced engine that Kia replaced but . this failure mirrors the exact physical mechanics and safety risks outlined in Kia's previous safety campaign SC176 (NHTSA Campaign 19V-120). Despite experiencing the identical defect and safety threat on a fully updated vehicle, my VIN was excluded from the recall I am filing this complaint because this known safety defect poses an active threat to my safety.my husband was a 100% disable vet who passed in April 2025,I can'a afford to have this same item repaired that Kia suppose to have repaired,Please help me

My 2015 white Kia Optima is having terrible paint peeling problems. It is peeling and chipping on the hood, along the sides of the windshield, above the wind shield, on my back bumper, above my back tires, and just about every place in between. PLEASE HELP!

The trunk/ back hatch and it will not open i have tried to use the key fob and nothing it just failed randomly. I went to open it and nothing happens. I have tried locking and unlocking and nothing. This is extremely dangerous because one if I need access to my spare I can't get to it. Also if there was a crash and someone had to pull me or my child out through the back we can not get out. Especially with children in the back seats.

The oil pan is consistently out of oil. It burns up. Causing the engine to stall, shake or grind at times. We have been having this problem for 2 years now. Taken it to 2 different dealerships. They confirmed it needs a new engine however Kia will not replace it for us. It is a known problem with these vehicles and there is a lawsuit currently going on. We have receipts from dealerships, we have been stranded on the side of the road many times and can not drive it due to risk of fire or engine seizing. We used to keep oil in the car at all times and check it frequently. Now we are afraid to drive it and damage it any more. We have done all the recalls and because the one recall was a piston ring system update, we aren't covered under the recall then. The system must be faulty. We do get a check engine light or oil light on when the car stalls, otherwise we just have to keep watching the oil that keeps disappearing. Kia has denied us the new engine after asking for an Out-of-Warranty Goodwill Breakdown for the car. The first owner went 10,000 miles without seeing a dealership and we did as well when we first bought it. The problems started at 57,700 miles. The car is junk and they wanted to give us a deal on the new engine $7,750 out the door. WOW, it's not our fault the engine or the piston rings burn the oil and are burning the engine up. Kia is at fault, their cars are crappy.

The knock censor went out, once it was replaced and the oil changed it’s still knocking and unable to drive. Mechanic from out of state looked at it and now said he thinks there’s a problem with in the engine. The car is sitting in a driveway, 4 hours from a Kia dealership.