2014 Kia Cadenza problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Service Brakes, Hydraulic (13) · Engine (12) · Steering (11)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Kia Cadenza model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
54 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (3)
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip:control Unit/Module 2023-09-25 · campaign 23V652000 · 1,730,192 vehicles ⚠ PARK OUTSIDE
Defect: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2010-2019 Borrego, 2014-2016 Cadenza, 2010-2013 Forte, Forte Koup, Sportage, 2015-2018 K900, 2011-2015 Optima, 2011-2013 Optima Hybrid, Soul, 2012-2017 Rio, 2011-2014 Sorento, and 2010-2011 Rondo vehicles. The Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) may experience an electrical short, which can result in an engine compartment fire while parked or driving.
Risk: An engine compartment fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will replace the HECU fuse, free of charge. Interim notification letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed November 14, 2023. Owner notification letters were mailed March 29, 2024 through June 18, 2024. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC284.
Visibility:windshield 2022-03-15 · campaign 22V158000 · 30,362 vehicles
Defect: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling all 2014-2016 Cadenza vehicles. During manufacturing, the front windshield may not have been properly bonded to the vehicle, allowing it to detach.
Risk: A front windshield that detaches from a vehicle can increase the risk of a crash or injury.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the front windshield glass. If necessary, the windshield will be removed and reinstalled. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 13, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC232.
Wheels 2014-05-30 · campaign 14V289000 · 3,107 vehicles
Defect: Kia Motors Corporation (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2014 Cadenza vehicles manufactured February 1, 2013, through August 27, 2013, and equipped with 19" non-chrome aluminum wheels. The wheels on the affected vehicles may fracture from impacts such as large, deep potholes.
Risk: A wheel fracture could cause the circular rim to separate, resulting in a loss of tire pressure, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the wheels with new wheels, free of charge. The recall began in June 2014. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC107.
Service bulletins (117)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Engine 2026-03-18 · WTY026_TSB_R2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: warranty extension campaign: oil pressure switch (ops) replacement (wty026 revision 2) - this bulletin has been revised to include additional information. new/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. this bulletin provides informa
Engine 2025-12-18 · WTY039_TSB_R7 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: engine sub assembly inspection/replacement (wty039 - revision 7) - this bulletin has been revised to include additional information. new/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. this bulletin provides information associated with t
Back Over Prevention: Warnings 2025-12-09 · PS797 · Other
pitstop: technical operations: external damage to ultrasonic sensor: this pitstop provides information related to parking distance warning (pdw) alerts and repairs involving ultrasonic sensors. the pdw system alerts the driver while parking, by calculating distance based on the difference in signal
Engine 2025-12-01 · WTY039_TSB_R6 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: engine sub assembly inspection/replacement (wty039 revision 6) - this bulletin has been revised to include additional information. new/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. this bulletin provides information associated with the
Engine 2025-11-04 · WTY039_TSB_R5 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: warranty extension campaign (wty039) - this bulletin has been revised to include additional information. new/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. this bulletin provides information associated with the ‘warranty extension progr
Engine 2025-10-08 · WTY039_TSB_R4 · Warranty Program/Extension
technical service bulletin: engine sub assembly: inspection/replacement (wty039) - this bulletin has been revised to include additional information. new/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. this bulletin provides information associated with the ‘warranty
Showing the 6 most recent of 117 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-10 · Unknown Or Other“i brought the car used and i checked for recalls. the dealer said that the recall for the windshield had been taken care of. i tried to get the dealership to address the issue to no avail. the windshield is still partial unattached and the car has leaks everytime it rains and when i touched the glass it was moving.…”
2026-07-03 · Unknown Or Other · 🔥 fire“my car caught on fire while driving, i was never notified of the recall…”
2025-10-15 · Visibility:windshield · 129,000 mi“the contact owns a 2014 kia cadenza. the contact stated that while driving through a car wash, there was water entering the vehicle through the front windshield. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the windshield bonding agent. the vehicle was not repaired. after investigating the failure, the contact related the failu…”
2025-10-01 · Unknown Or Other“i was driving down the highway at 65 mph when suddenly the sunroof exploded in an outward fashion causing me to pull over. i believe there is a defect in the sunroofs of 2011 to 2014 models. i've contacted kia. they refused to cover it. nothing hit the windshield. it just spontaneously exploded.…”
2025-05-21 · Engine And Engine Cooling · 177,000 mi“the contact owns a 2014 kia cadenza. the contact stated while driving 70 mph, the vehicle independently went into limp mode and failed to accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. the contact stated that several unknown warning lights flashed on the instrument panel. the contact was able to coast the vehicle over to the shoulder of the roa…”
2025-04-17 · Unknown Or Other“interior door handle chrome has delaminated. both my wife and my hand have been sliced open on it. …”
2025-04-16 · Engine“the engine started smoking and knocking really bad. took it to the kia dealership and was told a piston o ring and gasket went bad because of heavy oil consumption that caused antifreeze to leak inside the motor while sitting still and this was causing the burning smell because the cylinder had gone bad because of this. the dealership states this w…”
2025-04-02 · Visibility · 111,000 mi“the contact owns a 2014 kia cadenza. the contact stated that the windshield was inspected under nhtsa campaign number: 22v158000 (visibility), and it was determined that the windshield had not detached so the windshield was not replaced. the contact stated that after the windshield was inspected, the contact noticed that the windshield was detachin…”
2025-04-02 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic“the contact owns a 2014 kia cadenza. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 23v652000 (service brakes, hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. the local dealer was contacted. the dealer informed the contact that parts were on backorder. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a…”
2024-12-19 · Visibility · 41,000 mi“the contact owns a 2014 kia cadenza. the contact stated that the vehicle was included in a recall 23v652000 (service brakes, hydraulic) and was taken to the dealer for the recall repair. after the repair was completed, while attempting to accelerate, the vehicle hesitated before accelerating. the contact stated that on several occasions the vehicle…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.