Kia K4 Complaints

60 consumer complaints on file.

#11741355June 1, 2026
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
The contact owns a 2026 Kia K4. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds with the smart cruise control activated, the brake was applied inadvertently and the steering wheel steered to the right, overcorrecting his steering efforts. The contact state that the inadvertent braking and steering nearly caused the vehicle to crash and almost resulted in the vehicle being rear-ended by another vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the vehicle operating normally and there was no failure replicated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and multiple complaints were filed. The failure mileage was unknown.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11739871May 25, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My car was brand new with only 1442 miles. I was hit in the rear passenger side at a four way stop, this was not much force, however I was injured and my car was deemed a total loss. I fear this car ranks low in safety. Thankfully my daughter was not with me at the time.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11739853May 25, 2026
SUSPENSION, WHEELS, LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
The warnings on the car all failed and I was lead off the road while going on a roundabout. This has trigged my car to completely lose all control and even though I was attentive to my steering wheel I still didn’t stop the car from leading me to that curb and off road onto grass etc.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11738950May 20, 2026
AIR BAGS, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
Vehicle's forward collision warnings did not sound. Airbags did not deploy. Vehicle in front end collision at 40mph
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11738505May 18, 2026
LANE DEPARTURE: LANE KEEP: AUTOMATIC STEERING, TIRES:PRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS
The contact owns a 2026 Kia K4. The contact stated while her daughter was driving at approximately 25 MPH, the lane assist feature was diabled however, the contact attempted to avoid a dog and the vehicle independently jerked the vehicle and caused the front driver side of the vehicle to crash into a fence. No warning lights were illuminated. The air bags were not deployed. The vehicle was taken back to the residence. A police report was filed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 465.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11737989May 15, 2026
POWER TRAIN, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
To whom this may concern, I was using my cruise control on my way to work. I usually set it to 80 because police are okay with that speed on I-75. I braked before my automatic brakes hit after I got cut off. I pressed resume in the cruise control and it accelerated pretty quick. I’ve experienced that quite a bit, but there’s been a few times that the car exceeded the set cruising speed while trying to resume. I forget it happens because it’s happened about 4 times since purchasing the vehicle. I noticed an officer on the shoulder leaving the shoulder as I got closer, and he got right behind me and cut his lights on, I look down and the cruise control shows 80 above the speedometer (photo attached taken while pulled over), BUT the arm was past the tick for 90. The officer clocked me at 92 apparently. This is the only time this issue has occurred, and I informed the officer that this happens. I have a court date set for July 9th now. I Googled to see if other owners have this problem. There are others who expressed experiencing this in their K4s and K5s. The AI tool explained the following • "Resume" Behavior: When you press the resume button, the car attempts to get back to 80 mph as quickly as possible. This aggressive acceleration can cause it to temporarily overshoot the target speed before settling down. • Settings Sensitivity: The acceleration strength and reaction speed can be set to "Fast" in your infotainment system, causing more aggressive throttle input.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11733814April 25, 2026
AIR BAGS
I was hit on the driver side of the car infront of the driver door side of the hood and it took out my wheel and the car is totaled with how hard the hit was made my car bounce but the air bags never deployed and the fireman and the police officer said with as hard as I was hit it should have deployed
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
2
Deaths:
0
#11733624April 24, 2026
STEERING, LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST, LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING
Sometimes when I’m driving the steering wheel just jerks to the left sometimes causing me to swerve into incoming traffic. It’s very scary. Luckily I’m holding tight to the steering wheel to keep myself from hitting someone.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11729402April 6, 2026
STEERING
While driving my 2025 Kia K4, the steering system failed and became unresponsive. I was unable to steer the vehicle as intended. The exact cause of the steering failure is UNKNOWN at this time. The vehicle and steering components are available for inspection upon request. The loss of steering control put my safety and passengers riding at serious risk because I could not properly control the direction of the vehicle. Steering is essential for avoiding hazards, staying in the lane, and maintaining control. The failure resulted in a single‑vehicle accident and could have caused serious injury or involved other motorists if traffic conditions had been different. The problem has not yet been confirmed by a Kia dealership or an independent service center. At the time of this report, the vehicle has not been inspected by Kia or another repair facility. Police and/or insurance involvement may have occurred due to the accident, but no mechanical inspection of the steering system has been completed yet. There were no warning lights, messages, or alerts prior to the steering failure. The problem occurred suddenly and without warning while the vehicle was being driven. I did not notice any clear symptoms before losing steering control. The exact cause of the steering failure is UNKNOWN. Based on my personal experience, the failure was sudden and unexpected and occurred during normal driving conditions. I had no prior indication that there was a problem with the steering system before the accident occurred.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11729395April 6, 2026
POWER TRAIN, ENGINE
As I entered onto i4 reaching the speed of 60 miles an hour my vehicle began to make a high pitched whining noise that got louder as I pressed on the gas pedal, noise dissipated when I let off the gas pedal. Vehicle began to slow down on its own , even when applying pressure to the gas pedal, I had no choice but to pull over on i4, error message displayed “RED CAUTION EMBLEM” error message “Transmission Control Unit” Kia k4 app displayed Diagnostic Alert AT PO72200
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11721339March 2, 2026
AIR BAGS
After having my information panel replaced apx. a month later the airbag for passenger seat illuminated and has not gone off.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11720323February 25, 2026
STEERING, LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Steering Instability: The steering wheel would periodically veer to the right and left on its own without my input. This created an unsafe driving condition and required constant correction to maintain control of the vehicle. Blind Spot / Reverse Detection Malfunction: When shifting the vehicle into reverse, the dashboard display indicated that no vehicle was present. However, when visually checking my driver-side mirror, there was clearly a vehicle immediately adjacent to my car. The system failed to detect or warn of the nearby vehicle, creating a significant near missed accident and safety risk.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11719127February 19, 2026
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
Engine Failure, Engine cooling and lost power
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11718955February 18, 2026
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
transmission stopped working when the vehicle was used under 200 miles.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11718311February 16, 2026
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS, SERVICE BRAKES
When parked and cutting the car on check driver assistance system come on, check and, and esc comes on. The parking brake does not go off and malfunction. When trying to move the car sometimes it still drives and sometimes the parking brake will not allow you to move until the system resets its self. There are 6 codes that appear. Started in December 2025 have taken car to the dealership 3 times and they report back because the codes are no longer present they can not fix it.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11717827February 13, 2026
BACK OVER PREVENTION: AUTOMATIC SYSTEM BRAKING
The insurance claim agent called on behalf of their insured driver, who rented a 2025 Kia K4. The contact stated that while their insured driver was attempting to reverse, the reverse sensor became inoperable with no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the reverse sensor failed to function properly. The contact stated that due to the failure, the rear of the vehicle crashed into a barrier. The driver did not suffer any injuries, and no medical attention was required. A police report was not filed. The contact stated that the air bags did not deploy during the incident. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The rental company was made aware of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was not available.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11716251February 6, 2026
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, BACK OVER PREVENTION: REARVIEW SYSTEM BRAKING, BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS
The 2025 Kia K4 sensors failed to go off resulting in the rear bumper to hit a barrell. The operator of the Kia K4 was reversing at 1mph
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11715310February 3, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The digital instrument panel (including infotainment screen) has occasionally turned off and back on. An article showed Kia and Hyundai were going to have a recall at the end of March for this problem, but noted only 2025 K4 vehicles built after Aug 4, 2025 were involved, while the door frame shows my vehicle built 7/2025. Please include my vehicle VIN in the planned software update for the problem to correct the instrument panel screen occasionally turning off and back on. (vehicle recently bought Jan. 2026)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11714428January 30, 2026
POWER TRAIN, STEERING, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
When I drive over 65 mph, I feel the car lose stability, and sometimes I feel those movements in the steering wheel. Also, it doesn't show the actual tire tread depth. In addition. And there is a burning smell.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11711366January 16, 2026
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, UNKNOWN OR OTHER, LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
There are times my vehicle keeps accelerating even though I’m hitting the brakes. Once stopped, it then doesn’t want to accelerate. I’ve reported to the dealership and they try to tell me it’s the type of transmission it has and that it’s normal. Continuing to accelerate while braking is extremely unsafe. My engine is also making a ticking noise that it never used to make. I bought my car brand new in October of 2025. I left the dealership with 9 miles on it, I now have 25k miles on it and I don’t feel safe driving it. The lane assist and emergency braking system is also extremely inaccurate and over corrects when it shouldn’t especially in bad weather. Emergency braking is detecting stuff in front of me that isn’t actually there, same with in reverse it sees things extremely far away and prevents you from moving, although it’s safe to do so.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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