Kia K5 Complaints

508 consumer complaints on file.

#11673808July 15, 2025
STRUCTURE:BODY
Component or System: Front sunroof glass – panoramic sunroof system The sunroof has been removed but I could provide pictures What happened: While my vehicle was parked, the front sunroof glass panel spontaneously exploded outward, sending shattered glass fragments upward and outward. There was no external impact, object, or weather condition that could have caused this. The sunshade was closed, which fortunately prevented the glass from falling into the cabin. Had the shade been open, I or any occupant would have been at serious risk of injury. How safety was compromised: This is a serious vehicle safety defect. Spontaneous sunroof explosion could have caused glass-related injury to occupants, or road hazards to nearby vehicles or pedestrians if this had occurred while driving. The vehicle is currently unsafe to drive, especially in bad weather, due to a gaping opening in the roof. Inspection/confirmation by service center: Yes – the vehicle was inspected by two authorized Kia service centers. Both confirmed the glass was blown outward, not due to any external force. The second service center provided a quote to replace only the glass, not the entire sunroof system, indicating it was a glass failure. Inspection by manufacturer/insurance/police: Kia America has not physically inspected the vehicle and refused to request a statement from the service center, even after I submitted photographic evidence and a recording where the service manager agreed with my explanation. The vehicle was not inspected by police. My insurance was notified, but I am attempting to resolve this under warranty due to the nature of the defect. Warning messages or symptoms before failure: There were no warning lights, sounds, messages, or cracks leading up to the incident. The glass exploded without warning, which is why this poses a critical safety concern. Best assessment of cause: I believe this was a structural defect in the sunroof glass or a manufacturing/design flaw. I’v
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11673235July 14, 2025
ENGINE
Third time that this happened when I step on the gas you're accelerate the transmission wines when I'm trying to merge I have to slow the car down and take my foot off the accelerator and then when I put my foot on the celebrator there's a car really close to me
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11672965July 11, 2025
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
My fuel tank has expanded. It has deformed the body beneath the rear seat.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11672599July 10, 2025
ENGINE, SERVICE BRAKES
Brake pump failure caused the exhaust camshaft to break on the engine rendering the car inoperable. Engine replacement will cost over 8000 quoted by dealership. Car has check engine lights on the dash. We were advised by the mechanic at the dealership, they have had problems with the k5s with this issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11672317July 9, 2025
TIRES
Three of the four tires, rated for 30k miles, have failed. There are 11,400 miles on the tires. Back passenger tire blew out and went immediately and audibly flat. Dealer stated this is a known issue with this brand of tire on the Kia K5. 235/45 R18 94v M+S
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11671380July 5, 2025
AIR BAGS, STRUCTURE:BODY
I am the owner of a 2025 Kia K5 GT-Line that was recently involved in an accident. In the days prior to the crash, I experienced recurring issues including screen reboots while driving and temporary power loss. I do not remember the moment of the accident, and I am currently under medical care for head trauma. I am reporting this because I believe the vehicle may have malfunctioned in a way that contributed to the accident. Please advise if there are known issues with the 2025 K5 GT-Line, and how I can formally report this case for technical investigation.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11671366July 5, 2025
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
While driving the car started to have the sensors for the adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency breaking, blind spot warning, forward collision warning, and rear cross traffic warning all came on. The rpm starting going crazy the car was shaking and struggling to start, the car was shifting weird causing the acceleration to be poor. This all happened while driving if we were on a busy road we would’ve gotten hit the car randomly started breaking and slowing down, this is dangerously and could cause serious injury and damages to the vehicle and others around it. This is a problem a lot of people have been complaining about and need to be fixed it’s not okay or safe to be driving a car with these issues especially when there is no warning it just breaks and shuts down no matter where you are or how fast you may be going.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11671235July 4, 2025
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Driving down highway, gas hand was on half a tank then all of a sudden gas hand drops to empty and light comes on, engine started sputtering. Heard a loud pop in the back seat looked back and back seat has popped up from base. Strong odor of gasoline poured into the car. Went to closest gas station to get off highway. Unable to put fuel into tank. Called Quality KIA of Greenwood they said get out of the car and do not drive it. Called for a tow, vehicle has been towed to Quality KIA of Greenwood.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11671124July 3, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Hit pot holes lower control arm was replaced
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11670383June 30, 2025
POWER TRAIN, STRUCTURE:BODY
A silver piller price of trim flew off on the highway in the rear. A lot of Kia k5 owners have experienced this and it could fly off and hit someone on the highway. Transmission is super jerky and can sometimes lose power I’ve also known a lot of people that have similar issues with the kind of transmission in the k5 GT 2022
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11670173June 30, 2025
EXTERIOR LIGHTING, WHEELS
Tire pressure light did not illuminate. Tire was apparently low, and tire blew out at stop. Inside sidewall of tire had large gash once tire was removed and spare installed. See picture.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11667923June 19, 2025
STRUCTURE:BODY
I have replaced the Engine Splash on my Kia K5 twice and need to get it replaced again. This item is poorly made and it was replaced the two times from Kia at over $500. This seems to be a problem with many of the 2022 Kia K5's. It's almost like it disintegrates when it rains. This is a very expensive repair here are the dates of repairs 02/2023, 04/2024 and the date of the incident that is still needing to be repaired 03/2025.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11667899June 19, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
AC system is interminably stops working for hours or days then starts working again. Have taken to dealer but every time I get it there unit starts working and they say they can’t check it if it’s working. This has been going on for over a month.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11667048June 15, 2025
STRUCTURE:BODY
at 2:30 PM i had noticed that my passenger rear trim, right above my trunk was loose. I made note of it. about three hours later, i was driving down the interstate and i noticed it came off and was flying through the air. Thankfully it didn’t hit another vehicle but this isn’t the first time I have had issues with the trim and a lot of other k5 owners have had issues as well.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11667044June 15, 2025
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
While driving home recently with my young stepson securely seated in his car seat and my fiancé in the passenger seat, we suddenly heard a terrifying loud bang. Immediately following the explosion, my stepson cried out in pain. At the time, the windows were up and the air conditioning was off, yet we all felt an intense gust of wind inside the vehicle. When I turned around, I saw that my stepson’s seat had been lifted unusually high. We later discovered that either the fuel tank or the fuel pump had exploded.I was shocked and terrified. I had no prior knowledge of any fuel system issues or recalls on this vehicle. After contacting my local Kia dealership, a representative informed me, “Yep, your car has the recall, and it sounds like it swelled up.” Even more troubling is that I never received any recall notifications regarding these issues. The only recall notices I’ve ever received by mail were years ago for a completely different vehicle — my previous Kia Soul, which is no longer in use, as well as the recall for the side curtain airbag.I took it upon myself to do a VIN check and learned that this recall was issued on July 9, 2021, yet I purchased the car from Bev Smith Kia of Fort Pierce on December 30, 2022 — long after the recall had been published. I’m struggling to understand how this vehicle was sold without the required recall repairs being completed or disclosed.I am currently trying to work with Kia to resolve the issue, but I felt it was important to share this with your team so others can be made aware of the potential danger. Had this explosion happened at higher speed or on the highway, the consequences could have been catastrophic.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11666991June 15, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I am reporting a safety concern with the KIA K5 Advance Driving Assistance Systems. The concern is the Driver Attention Warning (DAW) being a distraction to the driver due to consistent dinging and flashing light of the "taking a break" that according to manual could go off every 4 minutes, however, in my experience it can go off every 3 minutes (see attached documentation), which is excessive. The frequency that the light goes off has led me to be distracted and nearly hitting the car in front of me because I am looking down at the light. I'm at the point; I am afraid to drive the car because I don't know when this light will go off. According to the manual it can go off 4 minutes into a drive. When reviewing the manual, it fails to tell you what exactly is causes the light to go off and how long you are supposed to be taking a break for. I have taken it to the dealership three times, and they tell me it is working property. I have asked if the light can be shut off, but they tell me it cannot be shut off even though it says in the manual it can be. I have also worked with KIA corporate, and they tell me the newer KIAs it cannot be shut off. The older models also had attention level gauge that could show the driver where their attention level is, but this was removed. In conclusion, this "take a break light" is a major distraction to driver that cannot be shut off that could lead the driver taking their eyes off the road multiple times in a driver that can cause an accident.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11666943June 14, 2025
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Back seat popped up due to fuel tank rising from under seat while driving
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11664959June 4, 2025
VISIBILITY/WIPER
My 2022 Kia K5 panoramic sunroof spontaneously exploded while the car was parked. There was no impact, no debris, and no warning signs — just a loud explosion and shattered glass everywhere. I previously had a cracked windshield but was unable to afford repairs, as I am unemployed. Now the sunroof has blown out completely, and I believe this could be part of a structural or manufacturing defect. Kia will tow the vehicle to the dealership (Fred Anderson Kia of Raleigh) 06/05 between 8am-10am and I am requesting support under goodwill repair. This was a serious safety hazard and could have injured me, my toddler or others. I’ve since found other reports of Kia sunroofs exploding and believe this needs to be investigated further.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11664652June 3, 2025
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN
My 2023 Kia K5 GT (VIN: [XXX]) is experiencing a dangerous complete power loss at highway speeds. I was driving at the speed limit on [XXX] when the vehicle lost propulsion, entered limp-home mode, and illuminated every warning lamp. This has happened six times since purchase. The car is currently parked, and I am not confident enough to drive the car; I nearly missed a crash pulling into the emergency lane from the leftmost lane to the rightmost lane. After losing power in the engine, that was a traumatizing experience. I tried to explain this to people multiple times at different service centers, but they care less: "We can't fix it unless we can reproduce it," but this happens randomly; I cannot make it happen at the service center. This matches the recall SC250 symptoms exactly, though my VIN is excluded. I have tried with Multiple dealers before, but they cannot fix it. They say, "We cannot fix it unless we can reproduce it." INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11663973May 30, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2025 Kia K5. The contact stated that occasionally while driving at various speeds, the front headlights, rear brake lights, and interior cabin lights illuminated very bright. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where unknown repairs were performed; however, the failure persisted. In addition, the contact stated that the transmission was replaced prior to the recurring failure by the same local dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 24,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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