2025 Kia K4 Driver assistance Problems

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)

NHTSA ID

11753551

Incident

Jul 5, 2026

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.

NHTSA ID

11743732

Incident

Jun 10, 2026

Mileage

58,000 mi

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.

NHTSA ID

11739853

Incident

May 15, 2026

Vehicle's forward collision warnings did not sound. Airbags did not deploy. Vehicle in front end collision at 40mph

NHTSA ID

11738950

Incident

May 20, 2026

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.

NHTSA ID

11737989

Incident

May 11, 2026

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.

NHTSA ID

11718311

Incident

Feb 16, 2026

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.

NHTSA ID

11717827

Incident

Feb 13, 2026

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

NHTSA ID

11716251

Incident

Oct 24, 2025

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.

NHTSA ID

11711366

Incident

Nov 1, 2025

I am reporting ongoing safety issues with my Kia K4 LXS involving driver assistance systems and steering control. While driving in heavy rain with reduced visibility, the vehicle disabled multiple sensors and displayed a “camera obscured” message along with inattentive driving warnings, despite both of my hands being on the steering wheel and my full attention on the road. The loss of driver assistance features during hazardous weather conditions created a distracting and dangerous situation. This issue occurs frequently. I regularly receive false inattentive driving and hands-on-wheel warnings even when I am driving properly. These alerts are distracting and interfere with safe vehicle operation. I am also experiencing lane control and steering interference. The steering wheel will sometimes pull the vehicle in a direction that does not match the road, even when lane assist is turned off. This is especially dangerous in construction zones with temporary lanes marked by reflectors, including when driving next to large trucks. I have experienced multiple near-miss incidents and have had to physically override the steering wheel to remain in my lane. These problems now occur almost every time I drive and have caused me to feel unsafe operating the vehicle. I believe this represents a serious safety defect.

NHTSA ID

11707033

Incident

Dec 1, 2025

Blind spot and front collision features inactive. Seat belt didn't unlock after crash. Airbags deployed no passenger didn't work on driver airbag b1652 dtc codes on recall for another vehicle

NHTSA ID

11699024

Incident

Sep 7, 2025

While driving on the freeway in the left lane on a two-lane highway, the lane departure and steer ahead feature incorrectly adjusted steering and pulled vehicle into the right lane. Is incorrect adjustment due to lane departure has happened numerous times. Each time this occurred I was not using copilot features. The lane departure cannot be turned off.

NHTSA ID

11689961

Incident

Sep 26, 2025

THIS SAME INCIDENT HAD HAPPENED 6 TIMES PRIOR TO MY BEING ABLE TO TAKE A PICTURE OF MY DASHBOARD. THE CRUISE CONTROL CHANGES ON ITS OWN TO 90 OR 110 MPH AND THE ACCELERATION BEGINS ON ITS OWN VERY AGGRESIVELY. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE SPEED LIMIT AS YOU WILL SEE ON THE PICTURE, THE SPEED LIMIT IS 65 AND I HAD ALREADY STEPPED ON MY BRAKE TO WHERE MY SPEED WAS THEN 59. I HAVE TAKEN IT FOR SERVICE AT ED MORSE KIA IN SIERRA VISTA, AZ AND THE PROBLEM COULDN'T BE DUPLICATED OR FIXED. I HAVE TOLD THE SALES MGR. AND SERVICE MGR. ABOUT THIS AND LEFT MESSAGES FOR CALL BACK AND HAVE NOT BEEN ACCOMODATED. I AM NOT SAFE IN THIS SITUATION. THEY ARE AWARE THIS IS A PROBLEM FOR OTHER KIA VEHICLES AND THERE IS A GOOGLE SEARCH THAT SHOWS THE SAME CONCERNS (WHICH I HAVE A PICTURE OF AS WELL). AN ADDITIONAL PROBLEM (NOT ASSOCIATED WITH THE INITIAL SAFETY ISSUE, THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL TIMES WHERE THE SPEED LIMIT ON MY DASHBOARD HAS CHANGED TO 90 WHEN THE ACTUAL LIMIT IS 45 ETC. MY MAIN CONCERN OF COURSE IS THE SELF ACCELERATION.

NHTSA ID

11688136

Incident

Aug 24, 2025

The airbags failed to go off. I think the vehicle is still available it was towed to Carroll's in Winslow Maine. By the airbags not going off it made the risk of injury much greater. Also lost control of the steering all together. Tried to swerve to miss an animal and the steering assist took over. Yes we have a police report stating that the airbags didn't go off. I am sure budget had their people go look at the car. No warning lights present.

NHTSA ID

11684275

Incident

Jul 1, 2025

Transmission failure 4 times since purchasing it new in December 2024 I was almost killed multiple times on the highway because car won’t accelerate. Car is jumping when driving and choking Air conditioning shuts off while driving Car gets stuck in park and nothing will work

NHTSA ID

11683919

Incident

Jul 24, 2025

The contact owned a 2025 Kia K4. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was pulling to the left unintendedly. The contact stated that upon disengaging the Lane Keep Assist, the failure recurred while driving. The vehicle was taken to Discount Tire, where the tire pressure was adjusted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where an alignment was performed; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated while exiting the expressway and driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle veered to the left unintendedly, causing the contact to lose control of the vehicle. The vehicle veered off the road and crashed into a ditch, and the vehicle faced oncoming traffic. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated after the crash. The air bags did not deploy. The contact hit the middle of her forehead against the steering wheel and sustained a bruise. The contact did not seek medical assistance. The contact was able to exit the vehicle. No police report was filed. There was no property damage. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. The vehicle was then towed to a second dealer autobody repair shop, Glassman Collision Center (22250 Telegraph Rd, Southfield, MI 48033), where the contact was informed that the driver's side of the vehicle and the transmission were damaged. The vehicle was totaled. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure. The manufacturer informed the contact that a complaint had been sent to the dealer, and that she would be contacted by the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 1,300.

NHTSA ID

11645914

Incident

Dec 16, 2024

Mileage

1,300 mi