2022 Kia K5 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Fuel/Propulsion System (21) · Power Train (15) · Structure:body (8)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Kia K5 model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
21 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (5)
Fuel System, Gasoline 2025-11-17 · campaign 25V794000 · 250,547 vehicles
Defect: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2021-2024 K5 vehicles. A damaged check valve can allow air to enter the fuel tank, causing it to expand and contact hot exhaust components, melting the tank.
Risk: A melted fuel tank can leak, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will replace the check valve. The fuel tank will be inspected for damage and replaced as necessary. All repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 16, 2026. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC356. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning December 1, 2025.
Air Bags:side/Window:curtain 2023-03-07 · campaign 23V149000 · 188,912 vehicles
Defect: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2021-2023 K5 vehicles. The side curtain air bags may have been installed incorrectly, causing them not to deploy properly in the event of a crash.
Risk: Air bags that do not deploy as intended can increase the risk of injury in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and reinstall the side curtain air bags, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 7, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC263.
Power Train:automatic Transmission 2022-10-11 · campaign 22V760000 · 69,038 vehicles
Defect: Kia Motors, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Sorento and 2021-2023 K5 vehicles. The vehicle's "fail-safe" limited-mobility drive mode may be impaired, when prompted by a transmission oil pump malfunction, which can result in a complete loss of drive power.
Risk: Loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the transmission, as necessary. Dealers will also update the transmission control unit software. All repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 9, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC250.
Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:hoses, Lines/Piping, And Fittings 2021-07-08 · campaign 21V519000 · 21,575 vehicles
Defect: Kia Motor America (Kia) is recalling certain 2021 Sorento and 2021-2022 K5 vehicles equipped with 2.5L turbocharged engines. Fuel may leak at the pipe connection between the high-pressure fuel pump and fuel rail.
Risk: A fuel leak increases the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and tighten, or replace the fuel pipe as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 21, 2021. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC214.
Lane Departure: Lane Keep: Steering Assist 2021-06-14 · campaign 21V447000 · 846 vehicles
Defect: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2021-2022 K5 vehicles equipped with 2.5L T-GDI engines. The Rack-Mounted Motor Driven Power Steering (R-MDPS) system lacks the ability to diagnose communication faults. If a communication fault occurs while driving around a curve with Lane Following Assist (LFA) engaged, the steering assist level may not adjust properly, causing a sudden increase in the steering effort required.
Risk: A sudden increase in steering effort can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will update the R-MDPS software, free of charge. Owner notification letters are were mailed June 24, 2021. Owner may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC213.
Service bulletins (113)
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.
Electrical System 2026-06-18 · SC307_OWNR_301 · Service Campaign
voluntary service campaign & warranty extension campaign: owner renotification (sc307/wty037) - this document is the owner renotification advising that kia is conducting a voluntary service campaign to relocate and install an improved blower motor 40amp fuse, with an increased terminal width, within
Electrical System 2026-06-17 · SC307_REIMB · Service Campaign
voluntary service campaingn: reimbursement form (sc307 flight#301) - 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 voluntary service campaign program launch.
Structure:body 2026-06-08 · CS2312_TSB_R2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: customer satisfaction: theft deterrent ignition cylinder protector and decal installation (cs2312) - 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 prov
Electrical System 2026-05-28 · TSB_ELE422 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
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 kia navigation updater available at update.kia.com. the software update may impr
Electrical System 2026-04-14 · TSB_ELE417 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
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 vehicles. the software downloads and usb preparation process is similar across all
Structure:body 2026-02-19 · TSB_CS2312_R1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: customer satisfaction: theft deterrent ignition cylinder protector and decal installation (cs2312) - 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 prov
Showing the 6 most recent of 113 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-09-30 · Engine“verified by ase certified mechanic premature pcv valve/ oil separator failure. causes codes such as p0507, p0171, p0471. this can trigger limp mode, sudden loss of speed/engine power, thus increasing the event of an accident. …”
2026-09-30 · Fuel System, Gasoline“the contact owns a 2022 kia k5. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 25v794000 (fuel system, gasoline). while driving 70 mph, the contact heard a loud pop coming from the rear driver's side of the vehicle and the check engine warning light intermittently illuminated with an abnormal burning odor briefly inside the vehicle. th…”
2026-09-22 · Power Train · 57,000 mi · 💥 crash“the contact owns a 2022 kia k5. the contact stated that while driving 50-55 mph, the vehicle lost motive power and came to a complete stop in the middle of the roadway. the contact did not attempt to restart the vehicle. the contact activated the hazard lights; however, 20–30 minutes later, another vehicle struck the front passenger side of the veh…”
2026-09-19 · Unknown Or Other“the vehicle is subject to kia safety recall sc356 / nhtsa recall 25v794 involving the fuel tank/check valve. the recall concerns potential fuel-tank swelling that can cause the tank to contact hot exhaust components, potentially melt and leak fuel and create a fire hazard. the component/system involved is the fuel tank and fuel tank check valve. t…”
2026-09-10 · Fuel/Propulsion System · 🔥 fire“- the exact component that failed has not yet been determined. the vehicle experienced a sudden loss of acceleration while driving, followed by a popping noise, smoke, and a fire that severely damaged the vehicle. the vehicle is a 2022 kia k5 gt-line, vin [xxx]. the vehicle has an open safety recall sc356 / nhtsa recall 25v794 involving the purge c…”
2026-09-02 · Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings“all lights on dash appear. forward collision warning, blind spot warning, other warnings. car loses ability to accelerate for a few moments and makes unsafe to drive. rpm needle bounces. …”
2026-07-30 · Unknown Or Other“on xxx, while traveling to [xxx], i experienced serious fuel system problems after filling my vehicle. the fuel gauge fluctuated from full to empty, and a loud pop caused the rear seat, where my two children were sitting, to lift upward. the vehicle would not accept more fuel despite the empty reading. i called aaa, but before the tow arrived, the …”
2026-07-27 · Engine And Engine Cooling · 76,000 mi“the contact owns a 2022 kia k5. the contact stated that while driving 50-65 mph, the vehicle was jerking and came to a sudden stop. the check engine warning light was illuminated. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and it was determined that there was an issue with the water pressure cooling system. the vehicle was taken to the local…”
2026-07-27 · Fuel/Propulsion System“as i was driving down the road, i began to hear a loud, forceful noise. i assumed it was something in my trunk rolling against the rear seats. the noise kept getting louder, and i pulled over, very frightened, as several warning lights came on, including the low fuel light and check engine light, and the fuel gauge needle was past “e.” before the i…”
2026-07-06 · Seats“driving anywhere in general and which ever speed my gas would leak and smell would over take the car and i have a [xxx] and [xxx] babies. this is not the first but the third recall and this is a fire hazard i can’t imagine my car going in flames while we’re already suffering with a leaking gas smell every time we drive the car i can loose my whole …”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.