What breaks most · 2021 to 2026 model years
Kia K5 problems by year
Owners have filed 484 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Kia K5 across model years 2021 to 2026. Three years stand out: 2021 for electrical system complaints, 2022 for fuel system complaints and 2023 for fuel system complaints. The quietest years are 2024.
- Years to check closely: 2021, 2022, 2023
- Fewest complaints: 2024
- Complaints on file
- 4842021 to 2026, all trims
- Worst year
- 2021164 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 335 fires · 50 injuries · 3 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 39kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 20Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 164 | 8 | 6 | Electrical system (45) | |
| 124 | 14 | 5 | Fuel system (34) | |
| 106 | 6 | 4 | Fuel system (39) | |
| 29 | 1 | 2 | Engine (9) | |
| 50 | 4 | 2 | Tires (13) | |
| 11 | 0 | 1 | Engine (4) |
What fails on the 2021 Kia K5
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 27% |
45 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2021 Kia K5 |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 25% |
41 | 0 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2021 Kia K5 |
| Unknown or other | 20% |
32 | 2 | — |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 17% |
28 | 0 | Shop engine parts for the 2021 Kia K5 |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 10% |
17 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 8% |
13 | 0 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2021 Kia K5 |
| Air bags | 6% |
10 | 5 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Forward collision systemRadar and camera sensors | 5% |
9 | 0 | Shop forward collision system parts for the 2021 Kia K5 |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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Air/hearing works intermittently. I’ve had fuses replaced and this seems to be a known and ongoing issue that Kia refuses to acknowledge. Many have reported that the wires are melting inside of the fuse box and I fear that this may result in a fire.
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When engine is Idling the cabin immediately starts to smell completely like gasoline. This happens whether the A/C system is on or not. It’s so strong sometimes that I have to put my window down to release the fumes.
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I started the purchase process of a Kia in 2022 of July. The car was built with a faulty fuel tank and no recalls were made on the vehicle. June 27,2025 I was driving on the freeway when my car started to not accelerate my fuel tank ejected into my backseat and I was forced to jump out of my car on the freeway.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Kia K5 years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2021, 2022, 2023 carry the most filings on the Kia K5. The 2021 alone has 164 complaints, led by electrical system.
What is the most common Kia K5 problem?
On the 2021 model year, the most-reported component is electrical system with 45 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Kia K5 problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Kia K5 complaints that include mileage is about 39,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.