Friday, August 7, 2026
RecallGazette

Vehicle problems, recalls & safety intelligence

2025 Kia K5 problems & reliability

47 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2025 Kia K5, alongside 2 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.

Owner complaints
47
Recall campaigns
2
Fire reports
0 (0%)
Crash reports
4 (9%)

Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.

NCAP overall rating
Not rated
NHTSA 5-star program
EPA fuel economy
27–30 MPG combined
City 25 · highway 36 (typical trim)
Service bulletins (TSBs)
27
Manufacturer communications on file
Defect investigations
0
NHTSA ODI probes naming this model year

4 complaints report injuries (6 injured).

Most reported problems

ComponentComplaints
Electrical System11
Tires10
Power Train6
Unknown OR Other6
Exterior Lighting5
Structure5
Wheels5
Visibility/wiper4
Air Bags3
Engine3

Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.

Complaints by incident year

24
25
26

What owners report

  • The first time the collision warning lights and sounds came on when I was parked but had my engine on in the morning of 7/21/2026. The second time was when I was merging on a busy highway with cars going 65+mph... There were no cars around me, but the collision warning said crash, the sounds came on, and my brakes…

    Electrical System · filed Jul 23, 2026

  • While my 2025 Kia K5 was parked in the driveway, the front driver-side original-equipment Pirelli P Zero All Season tire suddenly blew out. I had just parked and walked inside when we heard a loud pop. There was no impact, no curb strike, and no driving event - the vehicle was stationary when the tire failed. The…

    Wheels · filed Jun 29, 2026

  • At approximately 22,000 miles, all four original-equipment Pirelli P Zero All Season tires on my 2025 Kia K5 are showing rapid and uneven tread wear that is far beyond normal for the mileage. Last week I discovered that the front driver-side tire has also developed a visible bulge/bubble in the sidewall, which…

    Suspension · filed Jun 29, 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?

About this data. Complaint figures come from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation consumer complaint database and count unique complaints (one per NHTSA case number). Complaints are submitted by vehicle owners and are not independently verified; complaint volume also reflects how many of these vehicles are on the road. Recall data comes from the official NHTSA recall database. This page is not affiliated with Kia or NHTSA.