KIA problems by model
Owners have filed 56,635 complaints with NHTSA about the 23 KIA models with enough data to profile here, covering 145 model years from 1995 through 2025. The Sorento draws the most at 13,977, 24.7% of the make's total.
Complaint volume tracks how many cars a make sold as much as how they held up, and NHTSA complaints are unverified owner reports rather than confirmed defects. Nothing on this page compares KIA against another manufacturer. Use it to find the model, then the model year, then read what owners of that year actually filed.
Every KIA model
| Model | Model years | Complaints | Most-reported year | Top system that year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sorento | 20 2003–2025 | 13,977 | 2011 2,080 | Engine (13.7%) |
| Optima | 19 2001–2020 | 10,337 | 2013 1,896 | Engine (32.3%) |
| Soul | 13 2010–2022 | 7,481 | 2014 1,237 | Engine (44.7%) |
| Sportage | 22 1997–2024 | 6,274 | 2017 567 | Engine (38.8%) |
| Forte | 12 2010–2023 | 3,457 | 2014 651 | Engine (33.2%) |
| Sephia | 7 1995–2001 | 3,044 | 1998 994 | Service brakes, hydraulic (30.9%) |
| Sedona | 11 2002–2017 | 3,001 | 2006 579 | Suspension (14.7%) |
| Telluride | 6 2020–2025 | 2,696 | 2020 964 | Exterior lighting (19.2%) |
| Spectra | 7 2002–2009 | 1,033 | 2007 206 | Air bags (28.2%) |
| RIO | 5 2001–2016 | 957 | 2001 355 | Engine and engine cooling (15.5%) |
| EV6 | 3 2022–2024 | 784 | 2022 431 | Electrical system (49.2%) |
| K5 | 3 2021–2023 | 646 | 2021 265 | Electrical system (17.4%) |
| Seltos | 2 2021–2022 | 630 | 2021 528 | Engine (43.8%) |
| Carnival | 3 2022–2025 | 460 | 2022 184 | Structure (18.5%) |
| Rondo | 3 2007–2009 | 423 | 2007 179 | Engine (13.4%) |
| EV9 | 1 2024–2024 | 345 | 2024 345 | Electrical system (30.1%) |
| Amanti | 2 2004–2005 | 231 | 2005 119 | Vehicle speed control (24.4%) |
| Sportage Hybrid | 1 2023–2023 | 172 | 2023 172 | Electrical system (21.5%) |
| Optima Hybrid | 1 2012–2012 | 155 | 2012 155 | Engine (46.5%) |
| Cadenza | 1 2014–2014 | 149 | 2014 149 | Engine (18.8%) |
| Borrego | 1 2009–2009 | 137 | 2009 137 | Power train (11.7%) |
| Niro | 1 2017–2017 | 124 | 2017 124 | Engine (23.4%) |
| Carnival Hybrid | 1 2025–2025 | 122 | 2025 122 | Vehicle speed control (22.1%) |
Model years shown are those with at least 100 complaints on file, the gate every page on this site has to clear.
Reading the numbers
Across every KIA model year on the site, engine is the system named most often: 14,014 complaints, 33.6% of those filed under a named system. Individual model years diverge from that sharply, which is the reason to read the year rather than the badge.
The three most-reported KIA models (Sorento, Optima and Soul) account for 56.1% of the make's complaint volume. The rest is spread across the other 20 models. Bear in mind that a nameplate selling in the millions will out-file a niche one whatever its record.
Of the 56,635 complaints, 3,173 describe a crash, 2,785 describe a fire and 136 report a death.
Most-reported KIA model years
The single heaviest model year of each KIA nameplate, 1995–2025. Heaviest is not worst. Read it alongside the model page.