Kia K4 Complaints

60 consumer complaints on file.

#11770717October 12, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN
I purchased my 2025 Kia K4 in March 2025. Approximately two months after purchasing the vehicle, around May 2025, I began experiencing serious and recurring safety issues. While driving, the vehicle intermittently loses acceleration and becomes unresponsive when I press the gas pedal. When this occurs, I have to pull over, turn the vehicle off, and restart it before I can continue driving. On other occasions, the vehicle has unexpectedly shut off and restarted on its own while I was driving. The dashboard also goes completely black during these incidents. I have taken the vehicle to an authorized Kia dealership for inspection, but I was informed that the dealership could not duplicate the problem. The issues have continued, leaving me concerned about the safety of the vehicle. I previously requested that Kia repurchase or replace the vehicle, but my request was denied. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate these recurring loss-of-power, stalling, and electrical issues because they create a serious risk of a collision.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11769857October 8, 2026
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2026 Kia K4. While driving 37 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. After restarting the vehicle, the failure persisted, and the message "Press Engine Start/Stop" was displayed with the key warning light illuminated. The following night, the contact started and then turned off the vehicle; however, the vehicle restarted independently without the Engine Start/Stop button being pressed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer but was not yet diagnosed. The manufacturer was notified by phone, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was 25,352.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11768305October 1, 2026
AIR BAGS, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Check Driver Assistance System light came on. It wasn’t until driving at night that I realized the steering wheel had no power. The horn, buttons, and lights all did not work or function. This also caused all driver assistance settings to not work or function. With no power to the steering wheel, their is no way of knowing if the airbag would deploy. The problem was seen by the dealer and after two months of repair attempts, the clock spring was replaced. The light slowly started coming on and then finally stayed on. Later I noticed the horn and lights were not working on the steering wheel.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11767387September 28, 2026
STEERING, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Driving home, the entire screen flickered, then went out, when it came back the drivers assist lane assist kicked in and the car steered itself into oncoming traffic, which forced an oncoming car in front had to lock its brakes to avoid a collision. Then after forcing the steering out of the incoming lane, the lane assist came back on causing collision with the curb in the opposite direction. After resetting the computer with a pin, and watching the screen flicker and blink, it came back on and now the car is parked at home. Hewitt police would not come out because it was in Waco (the car is garaged in Hewitt), and Waco police said it was not in their jurisdiction so no police report was made.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11767571September 28, 2026
STRUCTURE:BODY, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
On August 26, 2026, at approximately 5:30 PM, while driving home from work at about 55 MPH, the factory panoramic sunroof glass of my brand-new 2026 Kia K4 spontaneously shattered and catastrophically exploded without any external impact. The sudden, deafening blast sounded like a gunshot or like another vehicle had crashed into me, though I felt no physical impact. This intense noise created an extreme safety hazard as I swerved due to a panic reaction, and could have lost control of the vehicle, or caused a multi-car collision during rush hour traffic. Fortunately, the interior sunshade fabric was completely closed at the time, which prevented the shattered tempered glass from showering into the cabin and causing immediate cuts or blindness. Immediate photographic documentation taken right after pulling off the freeway clearly shows the remaining glass bowing upward and outward, confirming a structural, manufacturing, or cabin-pressure failure rather than an impact from road debris. There was even glass debris found on my back windshield near my trunk. There were absolutely no warning lamps, error messages, unusual wind noises, rattling, or prior symptoms of any kind leading up to the incident. The vehicle and the failed component were delivered to an authorized Kia dealership service department on August 27, 2026, where the total failure was confirmed and where the vehicle remains available for inspection upon request. The car has now been in the physical possession of the manufacturer's dealership for 32 consecutive days; however, Kia Corporate Customer Care has repeatedly delayed the case, changed case managers, and failed to provide any communication. Furthermore, a close contact of mine recently experienced an identical spontaneous sunroof explosion on a highway while driving a Kia vehicle, indicating a broader, systemic safety hazard with Kia panoramic sunroofs.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11765622September 20, 2026
STEERING
On August 28, 2026, I was driving my 2026 Kia K4 GT-Line with approximately 1,872 miles at low speed in a parking lot. While making a left turn at the end of an aisle, I attempted to straighten/unwind the steering wheel. The steering became unusually unresponsive and I was unable to straighten the vehicle as expected. The vehicle continued left and struck a curb, causing body and front suspension damage. The abnormal steering behavior occurred before the curb impact. I observed no power steering, check-engine, ADAS, or other warning lights or messages before or during the incident. An authorized Kia dealer inspected the vehicle before collision repairs. The dealer documented my report that the steering became very unresponsive before the vehicle contacted the curb. The technician scanned the vehicle and reported finding no active or stored diagnostic trouble codes and no evidence of abnormal loss of power steering at the time of inspection. The dealer also determined that the right-front suspension sustained extensive collision damage and that the vehicle was unsafe to drive. Because of this damage, the vehicle could not be road-tested to attempt to reproduce the steering condition. The cause of the abnormal steering behavior remains UNKNOWN. I am not claiming that a particular steering component has been confirmed defective. I am reporting this because the steering became abnormally unresponsive before the collision, resulting in loss of my ability to follow the intended path of travel and creating a safety risk. The vehicle was made available to the Kia dealer for inspection before collision repairs.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11765205September 18, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The vehicle has repeatedly jerked into other lanes while I am driving, requiring me to quickly jerk the steering wheel back to avoid a collision. This occurs whether the lane-keeping assistance feature is turned on or off. I turned the feature off, but the problem continued. The vehicle does not feel safe to drive and appears likely to cause an accident, especially when there is oncoming traffic.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11762542September 7, 2026
AIR BAGS, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Was in a side impact collision on july 17, 2026, vehicle was totaled but no air bags deployed nor did any collision sensors go off
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11758856August 23, 2026
WHEELS
The tpms system will stop working and display a message saying check tire pressure monitoring system. While this message is displayed i cannot see any tire pressures and presumably will not receive any warnings about tires losing pressure. It starts working again on its own at seemingly random intervals. The dealership has been asked to look at it and found no issues. They asked to bring it back when the message was displayed but it is difficult to get the message to pop up and get to the dealership without it going away again.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11755719August 9, 2026
STEERING, UNKNOWN OR OTHER, LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
The vehicle issues began 3 weeks after purchasing a 2026 Kia K4 with 89 miles on it. *"Key fob not recognized", black screen, car not starting and cascading into many other infotainment problems. ** Revving far higher (1.4 - 4.4) with the slightest acceleration ***Hesitating, them engaging so suddenly that steering is incredibly difficult. On more than one occasion, of someone had been in front of me, I would have hit them. ****All steering assist options OFF yet the car will take control and turn me towards oncoming traffic. I absolutely could have been in/caused a serious accident. •We have had it into the service department 3 times and they were "unable to replicate" in spite of the fact that the second technician was unable to lock/unlock the door while my husband was standing with him. They refused to see the videos that we had of some of the problems.They lied about how far it was driven. 2 of the visits the average speed limit was 23 and 25 mph. Total miles driven: 11 v/s the 39 reported. One visit claims 4 miles but our app shows nothing for the time it was being looked at. •I have asked many times if the computer system had been checked for error codes or glitches and no one will answer the question. •No warning lights, just MANY obvious computer system problems
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11753551July 29, 2026
LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST, STEERING
I am submitting this complaint regarding a suspected safety defect involving a 2025 Kia K4. On XXX, the vehicle was involved in a single-vehicle crash in the Town of [XXX]. According to the driver, the vehicle unexpectedly steered off the roadway when the Lane Keeping Assist/Lane Centering steering system appeared to intervene. The driver attempted to maintain control but was unable to keep the vehicle on the roadway. The vehicle entered a ditch and struck a utility pole, causing significant damage to the passenger side. The front and rear passenger-side airbags deployed. The front passenger window shattered, sending broken glass onto the front and rear passengers. My daughter was seated in the front passenger seat, and my [XXX] granddaughter was properly restrained in a rear child safety seat. Both sustained injuries and required medical evaluation following the crash. After the collision, I began researching similar incidents and found other owners reporting concerns involving the steering assistance and lane-keeping systems. While I cannot determine the exact cause of this crash, I believe the possibility of an unintended Lane Keeping Assist or steering system intervention should be investigated because it may present a safety risk to other motorists. I respectfully request that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration review this incident, along with any similar complaints involving the 2025 Kia K4, to determine whether a defect exists in the vehicle's steering assistance, Lane Keeping Assist, Lane Following Assist, or other Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). Supporting documentation can be provided if requested. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
2
Deaths:
0
#11753002July 27, 2026
AIR BAGS
Air bag did not deploy, yes High Risk Yes Yes No Hit a street sign. Went through radiator, bent frame in front on passenger side, busted windshield, punctured roof. Car is totaled
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11751322July 18, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The primary Dashboard of the vehicle stopped working (while driving the car) and i lost access to all important information such as speed, RPM, current cruise setting, milage, visual alerts for any driver assistance warnings. The entire screen went black and showed “NO SIGNAL” in red text in the middle. It later came back after a few minutes. This issue has occurred 5 times so far and 4 of them being while driving the car within 1 week. The dealer is confirmed this is an issue and recommended an entire dashboard replacement for the vehicle. This is very unsafe because i cannot determine my speed or any other important warnings the vehicle may give me during my drive. There were no warnings or symptoms prior to the first failure.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11750872July 16, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I'm not sure what's going on. It's telling me to start stop the car when it's running and then it will turn off and go into accessory mode even when I'm driving that's dangerous. I took it to Kia a month ago for the same thing but they said they couldn't find anything, but it has to be something if I'm not the only one saying this is happening to their car. my car doesn't even have 8000 miles on my car.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11748745July 7, 2026
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2025 Kia K4. The contact stated while driving at 40 MPH on several occasions, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was able to restart but would immediately stall again, requiring the driver to wait approximately 10 minutes before the vehicle could be successfully restarted and driven. The vehicle was towed on one occasion and taken to the same dealer twice, but the dealer was unable to replicate the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 69,085.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11748312July 4, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE
The car completely cut off while driving on the highway going 65 mph. This isn’t the first time it has turned off while driving. I had to pull over and put the car in park before it would turn back on. The error says Accessory Mode. I have taken the vehicle to Kia Dealership in Winston Salem but they told me they are unable to recreate the issue so they are unable to assist with the problem. The car turning off while driving has happened at least 20 times. I have repeatedly called Kia and they are unwilling to diagnose an issue with the vehicle unless it happens while they have it. I am putting myself and others at danger driving this vehicle. I contacted Hertz Auto sales where I purchased it and they directed me to contact Kia since I have a warranty. I plan on taking the car again but I can only hope the issue happens while they have it because this vehicle is VERY dangerous to be on the road and I have no other option than to be at the dealerships mercy.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11748151July 3, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
This car is a rental to [XXX]. 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
#11746968June 27, 2026
POWER TRAIN
Transmission slippage, rpms rev higher then mph, hesitates at red lights and stop signs
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11745734June 22, 2026
STRUCTURE:BODY, ENGINE, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
“The engine undercover (belly pan) detached and is dragging/scraping on the ground on a 2025 Kia K4 with approximately one year of normal use. The radiator support is also affected. Dealer (Selma Kia, Selma CA) denied warranty coverage and stated damage was caused by driver hitting a speed bump. These are factory-installed components on a one-year-old vehicle and should not detach under normal driving conditions. This appears to be a fitment or installation defect.”
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11743732June 12, 2026
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, BACK OVER PREVENTION
The contact owns a 2025 Kia K4. The contact stated that while driving at 75 MPH, the vehicle downshifted upon depression of the accelerator pedal, with heavy white smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe. The contact stated that the low oil pressure warning light was illuminated prior to the failure. The contact pulled off the highway and drove into a store parking lot as the engine made an abnormal knocking sound. The contact requested assistance from a bystander, who advised the contact that the head gasket appeared to have blown. The contact checked and noticed that the coolant and oil levels were low. The contact added both oil and water to the vehicle and drove to the residence. The contact made a diagnosis appointment with a local dealer. Upon starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the contact decided to tow the vehicle to the dealer. The dealer determined that the engine needed to be replaced due to sludge. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle had experienced various electrical failures, as the trunk, power door, and power windows buttons were inoperable. The contact also stated that the rearview camera image remained displayed while in drive(D) for an extended period. The contact was provided an estimate for the repair, and the vehicle remained in the dealer's possession. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided a case number. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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