Kia Instrument Panel Display May Fail high
A software error on certain Kia vehicles, including the K4 and Sorento, may cause the instrument panel display to fail.
Kia K5 recalls
9 recalls covering model years 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026. To check whether your vehicle is affected, look up your 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls — a recall may apply only to some vehicles of a given year.
- 9 recalls
- 7 rated high or critical
- 501 owner complaints
- Jan 27, 2026 newest recall
Kia K5 Fuel Tank Damage Risk of Fire critical
Kia says a damaged check valve in some K5 vehicles can let air get into the fuel tank. That extra air can make the tank expand, and the expanded tank can touch hot parts of the exhaust system. Contact with the hot exhaust can melt the fuel tank, so Kia is having dealers check and fix the part before that happens.
Kia K5 rear window trim may loosen and detach medium
Kia is recalling certain K5 sedans. The trim pieces along the left and right rear windows may work loose and come off the car. Dealers will inspect the trim on the rear roof pillars and replace it if needed, at no charge. Kia mailed owner notification letters on November 19, 2025. Owners who have questions can contact Kia customer service and refer to the company's number for this recall, SC346.
Kia K5 Parking Lights May Flicker From Software Error low
A software error in the K5's Power-net Domain Controller (PDC) may cause the parking lights to flicker instead of staying lit properly. Parking lights that don't illuminate the way they should can make the vehicle harder for other drivers to see.
Kia K5 Side Curtain Airbags May Not Deploy Properly high
On some Kia K5 cars, the side curtain airbags may not have been installed correctly. These are the airbags that come down over the side windows. Because of how they were put in, they may not open the way they are supposed to in a crash. Dealers will inspect the side curtain airbags and reinstall them if needed, at no charge to the owner.
Kia K5 and Sorento May Lose Power high
On certain Kia K5 and Sorento vehicles, a transmission oil pump malfunction can trigger the vehicle's fail-safe, limited-mobility drive mode, but that fail-safe mode may itself be impaired. This can result in a complete loss of drive power.
Kia K5 And Sorento Fuel Line Leak critical
On certain 2021 Sorento and 2021-2022 K5 vehicles with the 2.5L turbocharged engine, fuel can leak from the connection between the high-pressure fuel pump and the fuel rail.
Kia K5 Power Steering Effort Can Suddenly Increase high
On certain Kia K5 vehicles with a specific engine, the power steering system may not be able to detect a loss of communication within itself. If this happens while driving around a curve with the lane-following feature turned on, the amount of help the steering gives may not adjust the way it should, causing the steering wheel to suddenly feel much harder to turn.
Kia Telluride, K5, Forte Airbag Sensor May Fail high
Kia is recalling certain Telluride, K5, and Forte vehicles because a sensor in the front passenger seat, called the occupant detection system, may fail to detect when a child restraint seat has been installed there. This detection system is used to help determine whether the front passenger air bag should deploy in a crash. Dealers will replace the detection unit so it can properly sense a child seat in that seating position, at no cost to the owner.
Kia problem guides that cover the K5
- Kia Electrical System Recalls Involve Fires, Power Loss, and Displays · 19 recalls
- Kia Air Bag Recalls Cover Deployment and Child Detection Problems · 8 recalls
- Kia Power Train Recalls Cover Power Loss, Rollaway and Fire · 8 recalls
- Kia Fuel System Recalls Cover Leaks and Lost Drive Power · 7 recalls
- Kia structure recalls involving sliding doors, loose trim and headliners · 6 recalls
- Kia Headlight and Parking Light Recalls: What Owners Should Know · 3 recalls
K5 model years compared
Recalls and NHTSA owner complaints for each model year, side by side. Complaints are unverified owner reports, and better-selling or older years naturally collect more — read this as a record, not a ranking.
| Model year | Recalls | High / critical | Do-not-drive / park-outside | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 164 | 8 | 2 | 7 |
| 2022 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 125 | 14 | 4 | 18 |
| 2023 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 112 | 6 | 0 | 17 |
| 2024 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2025 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 54 | 4 | 0 | 6 |
| 2026 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
Kia K5 recall questions
How many recalls does the Kia K5 have?
NHTSA lists 9 safety recalls covering the 2021–2026 Kia K5. 7 of them are rated high or critical on this site. The most recent is "Kia Instrument Panel Display May Fail" (NHTSA campaign 26V046000), reported Jan 27, 2026.
Which Kia K5 model year has the most recalls?
The 2021 Kia K5 has the most, with 6 recalls. The 2026 model year has the fewest of the years we cover, with 1. Newer model years have had less time to collect recalls, so a low count on a recent year is not a guarantee.
Is there a do-not-drive or park-outside recall on the Kia K5?
No. None of the 9 Kia K5 recalls on file carries a do-not-drive or park-outside advisory from NHTSA.
How do I check whether my Kia K5 has an open recall?
Enter your 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. A recall often applies to only some vehicles of a model year, and the VIN lookup shows the ones still unrepaired on your car. Recall repairs are free at any franchised Kia dealer, including for second owners.
Buying a used K5?
Recalls and complaint record for one model year at a time: