2024 Kia K5 Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2024 Kia K5, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Engine924.3%
- Body & structure718.9%
- Electrical616.2%
- Driver assistance513.5%
- Fuel system410.8%
- Powertrain (other)38.1%
- Brakes25.4%
- Interior & seats12.7%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
I bought this vehicle less than 60 days ago and there is transmission hesitation, hard engagement in lower gears, Rough jerking shifting along with acceleration lag. Erracric shifting and phantom braking. I have taken it into the dealership I bought it at at they are not seeing anything. It currently is at another Kia dealership for the past two days. This vehicle is going to cause an accident that puts my safety and others at risk. There is no warning lights that come on. I have done my research and there has been other complaints from other consumers having the same issues. I do have video of in town driving but have not been on the highway
The fuel tank expanded, the car was spitting out gas from where you are supposed to insert gas nozzle. my fuel tank expanded so bad from pressure my vehicle sensors malfunctioned my car did not tell me something was wrong, I heard a pop and my car was telling me I had no gas when I did. the insert area for gas to be pumped was swollen and couldn't shut my gas cap cover. I went to gas station and since my car said it was empty I attempted to add gas and it spit it back out immediately it could not take gas, so I called kia locations since I was in [XXX] with kids in my vehicle for halloween trick or treating. the recall papers I have in order says safety hazard was a FIRE. my car fuel tank could had made my car explode at any moment. my engine light did not come on all my car showed me was mile change and inaccurate amount of gas reading. the dealer has had my car since November 2025. I heard popping sounds when I would return home from work in the driveway but no warning. one Time in July of 2025 my engine light came on I went to autozone they gave me a code for something with fuel issue, light didn't stay on no longer than a few hours. kia has cost me so much mishap and unfair financial responsibility. it has been a nightmare. the person working my case I can only talk to in email, it has taken forever now I have a repurchase offer that I had to fight for. they are trying to make me return my rental before completion of repurchase offer which offer stated could take longer than 30 days. this is so unfair. it seems illegal. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Body & structure
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.
From owner reports, verbatim
chrome pillars came off on highway. the recall was sent in mail but upon visitation to kia for a different recall, I mentioned pillars and they did not have part to repair and there was a wait for part on their end is what they said. car was literally built with many defects I don't know how it passed inspection.
Water intrusion from A/C system Mold growth inside cabin Health effects Vehicle returned unrepaired / unsafe
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
Beginning only about 6 months after I purchased the vehicle, the audio system intermittently screams at me, blasting at over 800 decibels road, engine noise and audio interference noises so that I cannot hear the radio, the telephone, turn it off or down, even when the audio infotainment system is not running. The only way to keep the vehicle from doing this when it occurs is to turn off the car. The noise is so loud that I cannot hear oncoming vehicles, including emergency vehicles, nor can I use the bluetooth phone system - if necessary I would have to break the state law about holding my phone to scream into it- even if someone could hear me on the other end. If I had the windows open, the audio system would break local noise ordinances. It is almost impossible to drive the vehicle when this occurs even though the dealership has said several times that I must bring it in when it is occuring; on one occasion to fulfill this requirement, I put in my earbuds and played music to drive to them for 1 hr to drown out the sound still surpassing my ability to safely focus on the road. Having documented PTSD, ADHD and anxiety disorder, having to drive the vehicle not knowing when and if this sound issue is going to return, makes it incredibly hard to feel safe when driving my own car, originally purchased new from Carriage Kia of Woodstock in December of 2023 after they diagnosed my last vehicle as needing an engine replacement. Having to drive from [XXX] to [XXX] everyday from work, I need reliable and safe transportation to do so, of which this car has not provided given the many issues we have had, including this ongoing problem which puts me at risk every time it occurs and on edge while driving each time it could. Attached is the list of service issues related to this vehicle including the documented ongoing electrical issue tied to the infotainment system, which Kia now acknowledges but suggests is out of warranty despite its existence for over 2 years. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORM
My 2024 Kia K5's infotainment screen went completely pitch black, disabling the backup camera now creating an active safety hazard.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
I bought this vehicle less than 60 days ago and there is transmission hesitation, hard engagement in lower gears, Rough jerking shifting along with acceleration lag. Erracric shifting and phantom braking. I have taken it into the dealership I bought it at at they are not seeing anything. It currently is at another Kia dealership for the past two days. This vehicle is going to cause an accident that puts my safety and others at risk. There is no warning lights that come on. I have done my research and there has been other complaints from other consumers having the same issues. I do have video of in town driving but have not been on the highway
The contact owns a 2024 Kia K5. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle was able to be restarted. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired, and the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, who then diagnosed a failure with the throttle body. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was then taken back to the dealer, who diagnosed an additional failure with the main wiring harness array. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but did not assist. The failure mileage was 3,000.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Fuel system
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.
From owner reports, verbatim
The fuel tank expanded, the car was spitting out gas from where you are supposed to insert gas nozzle. my fuel tank expanded so bad from pressure my vehicle sensors malfunctioned my car did not tell me something was wrong, I heard a pop and my car was telling me I had no gas when I did. the insert area for gas to be pumped was swollen and couldn't shut my gas cap cover. I went to gas station and since my car said it was empty I attempted to add gas and it spit it back out immediately it could not take gas, so I called kia locations since I was in [XXX] with kids in my vehicle for halloween trick or treating. the recall papers I have in order says safety hazard was a FIRE. my car fuel tank could had made my car explode at any moment. my engine light did not come on all my car showed me was mile change and inaccurate amount of gas reading. the dealer has had my car since November 2025. I heard popping sounds when I would return home from work in the driveway but no warning. one Time in July of 2025 my engine light came on I went to autozone they gave me a code for something with fuel issue, light didn't stay on no longer than a few hours. kia has cost me so much mishap and unfair financial responsibility. it has been a nightmare. the person working my case I can only talk to in email, it has taken forever now I have a repurchase offer that I had to fight for. they are trying to make me return my rental before completion of repurchase offer which offer stated could take longer than 30 days. this is so unfair. it seems illegal. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
On 10/20/25 as a rideshare driver one of my riders told me that the right side back seat was lifting. I could not believe what the rider was telling me until one of my family members told me the same thing. I immediately for safety reasons parked the car and started searching about any problems with the gas tank, for my surprise there was a serious safety problem in the car where the gas tank was expanding. The car could have got on fire and exploited putting my family, riders and myself at the risk of death. This was reported to Kia Customer Care on 10/20/2025, case # XXX, and later was complemented with the Kia Customer Care case # XXX. On 11/11/25 Kia America recognized that the car was unrepairable and offered a buyback process which was accepted by me on 11/12/25. It has passed 105 days since the car was parked and not used for ridesharing, my main source of income. During this 105 days Kia Finance America has been demanding payments from me, they have not stopped the billing despite my several request. Kia offered me rent a car through Enterprise which does not allow to do ridesharing with their cars, and also car rental reimbursement which I cannot afford. As of today, my lost income has achieved the amount of $ 33,036.77; this was warned to Kia America since the beginning of the process. Kia America has been very a bureaucratic company, and the buyback process has not been finished due to the lack of check from Kia America to the company Morley. All I want is to finish the buyback process because it is giving me a very bad psychological and economic hardship times. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Powertrain (other)
Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.
From owner reports, verbatim
On [XXX], while driving to campus during rush-hour traffic at approximately 15-20 MPH, the car suddenly felt as if the brakes had been slammed, giving me a serious scare and nearly causing an accident. The car stopped in the middle of the road, and I was stuck there, forced to manually push the car to the side to avoid further risk to myself and other drivers. I immediately had the vehicle towed to Ourisman Chantilly Kia for service. Upon arrival at the dealership, I requested a loaner vehicle. However, it took an entire week for one to be provided, leaving me without transportation for a significant period of time. I was informed that the dealership needed my approval to take apart the transmission, which I gave immediately. Despite this, for the next two weeks, I called daily for updates, only to be told that no new information was available and that the dealership was still waiting for guidance from Kia's technical team. After two weeks of no progress, I asked my service advisor, Sean, what had actually been done to my car. He informed me that the only action taken was draining the transmission fluid. I was baffled that it had taken two weeks just to drain the fluid while waiting for Kia's tech team to respond. Out of frustration, I contacted Kia directly, and within minutes, I was informed that Kia had approved a new transmission a week earlier—something the dealership had failed to communicate to me. When I informed the dealership of this, Sean confirmed that the new transmission had arrived, and I was told the car would be ready by the end of the week. However, this deadline passed with no progress. Over the course of several more weeks, I was repeatedly told the car would be done by the end of the week, only for that promise to be broken each time. Sean then explained to me that there is only one mechanic certified to work on my car, which was causing a delay. If this is indeed true, it could explain why Kia's service department is so backlog INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION
After driving the car for approximately 30 minutes at freeway speeds I exited the freeway at my off-ramp and being driving on Surface streets. Suddenly several alerts started appearing on the screen of my car. That was followed by the engine revving up and down on its own without me touching the accelerator. When I arrived at a stoplight the engine was idling but revving slightly up and down. When the light changed I pressed accelerator and the engine never exceeded idle speed so I basically idled my way across the intersection and pulled over and stopped. The car is at the dealership now and they haven't duplicated the problem. I purchased the car brand new about one month ago. It has only 800 miles on the odometer. If this had happened a few minutes earlier I would have been on the freeway with no power to the drive train. This could have put me in a very dangerous position.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
I am reporting a documented and unresolved brake system safety issue on my 2024 Kia K5 involving repeated premature brake pad wear and rotor damage. The vehicle has required three full brake pad and rotor replacements by approximately 40,000 miles, with each set lasting less than 15,000 miles. Service records consistently document uneven wear on the front brakes, particularly the outer pads, with up to a 4 mm difference between sides. This has resulted in one side reaching metal-to-metal contact while the opposing side retained usable material. This pattern has repeated across multiple brake replacements. This condition creates a braking imbalance that affects vehicle control. The vehicle exhibits pulling under braking and changes in steering alignment, indicating uneven braking force across the front axle. Braking performance can degrade rapidly, transitioning from normal operation to reduced stopping effectiveness without sufficient warning. Despite these documented conditions, the dealership and manufacturer, including escalation through Kia customer care and technical support, have been unable to identify a root cause. The condition has been classified as “within normal range,” and warranty coverage has been denied. The vehicle has been returned to service multiple times without corrective action. It has been acknowledged that the wear pattern is not typical, yet no defect has been identified. This creates a contradiction and uncertainty regarding the vehicle’s ability to safely perform under normal operating conditions. Due to rapid wear progression and lack of warning before significant degradation, there is limited opportunity to service the vehicle before braking performance is affected. This results in continued operation with a recurring braking imbalance. I request this be reviewed as a safety defect due to repeated loss of braking consistency, impact on vehicle control, and increased risk of reduced stopping performance or crash.
Break caliper and brake rotors
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Interior & seats
Reports naming seats, latches, locks, linkages and interior fittings.
From owner reports, verbatim
On 10/20/25 as a rideshare driver one of my riders told me that the right side back seat was lifting. I could not believe what the rider was telling me until one of my family members told me the same thing. I immediately for safety reasons parked the car and started searching about any problems with the gas tank, for my surprise there was a serious safety problem in the car where the gas tank was expanding. The car could have got on fire and exploited putting my family, riders and myself at the risk of death. This was reported to Kia Customer Care on 10/20/2025, case # XXX, and later was complemented with the Kia Customer Care case # XXX. On 11/11/25 Kia America recognized that the car was unrepairable and offered a buyback process which was accepted by me on 11/12/25. It has passed 105 days since the car was parked and not used for ridesharing, my main source of income. During this 105 days Kia Finance America has been demanding payments from me, they have not stopped the billing despite my several request. Kia offered me rent a car through Enterprise which does not allow to do ridesharing with their cars, and also car rental reimbursement which I cannot afford. As of today, my lost income has achieved the amount of $ 33,036.77; this was warned to Kia America since the beginning of the process. Kia America has been very a bureaucratic company, and the buyback process has not been finished due to the lack of check from Kia America to the company Morley. All I want is to finish the buyback process because it is giving me a very bad psychological and economic hardship times. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .