2019 Kia Cadenza problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Tires:pressure Monitoring And Regulating Systems (1) · Steering (1) · Service Brakes, Hydraulic (1)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Kia Cadenza model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (1)
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip:control Unit/Module 2021-03-04 · campaign 21V137000 · 379,931 vehicles ⚠ PARK OUTSIDE
Defect: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2017-2021 Sportage and Cadenza vehicles. The electrical circuit in the Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) may short-circuit, which can cause a fire in the engine compartment.
Risk: An engine compartment fire can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures as a precaution until the recall repair is complete. Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace certain fuses in the electrical junction box. Vehicles equipped with an electronic parking brake (EPB) will also receive a HECU software update. Repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on April 30, 2021. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC206.
Service bulletins (41)
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.
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
Power Train 2025-04-17 · TSB_TRA046_R5 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: transmission fluid application guide - 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 relating to the correct transmission fluid ty
Fuel/Propulsion System 2025-03-27 · WTY034_TSB_R2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: warranty extension campaign: high-pressure fuel pump replacement (wty034) - 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 associat
Fuel/Propulsion System 2024-09-21 · WTY034_TSB_R1 · Warranty Program/Extension
technical service bulletin: warranty extension campaign: high-pressure fuel pump replacement (wty034) - 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 associat
Engine 2024-05-25 · WTY034_REIMB · Warranty Program/Extension
warranty extension campaign: reimbursement form (wty034) - this document is a reimbursement request form that was mailed with the customer letter advising them to submit the form if they had paid for repairs for this same matter prior to the warranty extension program launch.
Fuel/Propulsion System 2024-05-25 · WTY034_OWNR_YG · Warranty Program/Extension
warranty extension campaign: owner notification (wty034) - this document is the owner notification advising that kia is extending the new vehicle limited warranty coverage, to all owners, for the high-pressure fuel pump in 2017-2020 my cadenza vehicles from 5 years / 60,000 miles to 15 years / 180,0
Showing the 6 most recent of 41 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-08-06 · Engine“while operating the vehicle, the engine suffered a catastrophic internal mechanical failure, resulting in an immediate and dangerous loss of motive power on the road. a subsequent physical diagnostic scan at an authorized kia dealership revealed manufacturer trouble code p008800 (fuel rail system pressure-too high) along with universal engine misfi…”
2026-06-17 · Unknown Or Other“i picked up my cadenza from the repair shop. they were repairing the sunroof controls because the sunroof was not operating properly. i was 24 miles away from the shop headed home from temple, tx to waxahachie, tx on [xxx]. it sounded like a shotgun was fired right above my head and scared me. i am surprised i didn't crash. i pulled over and the su…”
2026-06-08 · Tires:pressure Monitoring And Regulating Systems · 74,000 mi“the contact owns a 2019 kia cadenza. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, several unknown warning lights illuminated. additionally, upon starting the vehicle later, the contact noticed that there was an abnormal ticking sound coming from under the hood. the vehicle was taken to autozone, where the contact was informed that…”
2022-08-26 · Steering“hello, i wasn't notified of the recall on my vehicle. the steering wheel is extremely hard to turn and all of the system lights are on. …”
2021-05-11 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic“tl* the contact owns a 2019 kia cadenza. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 21v137000 (service brakes, hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. airport kia naples (3325 westview dr, nap…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.