2025 Kia K5 problems & reliability
51 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2025 Kia K5, alongside 2 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Sep 21, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several components.
4 complaints report injuries (6 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Tires → | 14 | 27% |
| Electrical System → | 11 | 22% |
| Power Train | 6 | 12% |
| Unknown / Other | 6 | 12% |
| Exterior Lighting | 5 | 10% |
| Structure | 5 | 10% |
| Wheels | 5 | 10% |
| Visibility/wiper | 4 | 8% |
| Air Bags | 3 | 6% |
| Engine | 3 | 6% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 18 reported components →Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“I am filing this on behalf of a relative. He was driving his Kia k5 home and he heard a sudden POP. He got it to the side of the road and saw his tread was delaminated and a flap was made on the sidewall. The tires were the factory installed ones with a long life left”
Tires · filed Sep 4, 2026
“At approximately 20,000 miles, an original-equipment Pirelli P Zero All Season 235/45R18 94V tire on my 2025 Kia K5 GT-Line suffered a sudden apparent tread/outer-shoulder separation while traveling at highway speed. The tire had been maintaining normal pressure and remained inflated, but a large portion separated and…”
Tires · filed Sep 3, 2026
“235/45 r18 at 12,000 miles miles. I’ve noticed that the front passenger side had a slight little lump on the side wall as it reached 28,000 that ball that bigger and bigger. Had to replace the tire due to the safety concerns. Noticed that the other three tires are showing other patterns of deformities.”
Tires · filed Aug 8, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
27 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2025 Kia K5. The 10 most recent:
RELEASE NOTES: OVER-THE-AIR: SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR DATA CONNECTIVITY (ELE413 Revision 2) - This Over-the-Air (OTA) software update is designed to update the Data Connectivity Unit (DCU) logic of certain 2025 - 2026MY…
OTA_ELE413_NOTES_R2 · Over The Air · issued Jun 18, 2026
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: BATTERY WIRING HARNESS COVERING INSPECTION / REPLACEMENT (SA645) - This bulletin provides information for inspecting the 12V battery wiring harness on certain 2025-2026 MY K5…
TSB_ELE419 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 2, 2026
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM SOFTWARE UPDATE USING UPDATE.KIA.COM - This bulletin provides information and service procedures for updating the infotainment systems on applicable Kia vehicles using the…
TSB_ELE422 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 28, 2026
RELEASE NOTES: OVER-THE-AIR: SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR DATA CONNECTIVITY (ELE413 Revision 1) - This Over-the-Air (OTA) software update is designed to update the Data Connectivity Unit (DCU) logic of certain 2025 - 2026MY…
OTA_ELE413_NOTES_R1 · Over The Air · issued Apr 24, 2026
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN: OIL LEVEL PLUG (OLP) INSPECTION, AND OLP GASKET AND/OR ATF FILLER BOLT REPLACEMENT OR A/T REPLACEMENT (SC363) - This bulletin provides information to inspect the…
SC363_TSB · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 17, 2026
VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN: OWNER NOTIFICATION (SC363) - This document is the owner notification advising that Kia is conducting a Voluntary Service Campaign on certain 2025-2026 MY K5 vehicles to inspect the oil level…
SC363_OWNR_DL3 · Service Campaign · issued Apr 17, 2026
VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN: DEALER PARTS AND SERVICE MANAGER MEMO (SC363) - This document is the announcement to the dealer Parts and Service managers advising that Kia is conducting a Voluntary Service Campaign to…
SC363_DPSM · Service Campaign · issued Apr 15, 2026
VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN: DEALER PRINCIPAL MEMO (SC363) - This document is the announcement to the dealer principals advising that Kia is conducting a Voluntary Service Campaign to inspect the oil level plug and…
SC363_DP · Service Campaign · issued Apr 15, 2026
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: INFOTAINMENT SOFTWARE UPDATE PROCEDURE - This bulletin provides information on the process for downloading infotainment software updates and preparing USB for installation on applicable Kia…
TSB_ELE417 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 14, 2026
VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN: QUESTION AND ANSWER (SC363) - This document is the Question and Answer Guide containing the most frequently asked questions regarding the Voluntary Service Campaign SC363.
SC363_QA · Service Campaign · issued Apr 14, 2026
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2025 Kia K5 has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2025 Kia K5?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.