2025 Kia K5 Safety Report

Tires

10 owner complaints mention this component in the current safety profile.

Unknown Or Other

4 owner complaints mention this component in the current safety profile.

Power Train

3 owner complaints mention this component in the current safety profile.

Structure

2 owner complaints mention this component in the current safety profile.

Visibility/Wiper

2 owner complaints mention this component in the current safety profile.

Electrical System

2 owner complaints mention this component in the current safety profile.

10% of vehicles have rear tires with bubbles or blisters.

20% of vehicles experience sudden electrical failures affecting multiple systems.

A software error can cause exterior lighting issues.

Recall due to issues with the rear window trim.

Summary: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023-2025 K5 vehicles. The left and right rear window trim pieces may loosen and detach.

Consequence: Detached trim pieces can create a road hazard for other vehicles, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the C-pillar trim assemblies, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 19, 2025. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC346.

Summary: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2025 K5 vehicles. A software error in the Power-net Domain Controller (PDC) may cause the parking lights to flicker. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."

Consequence: Parking lights that fail to illuminate properly can reduce visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: The PDC software will be updated by a dealer or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 24, 2025. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC341.

I brought my car into Dyer Kia on March 16, 2025 to replace my rear passenger side tire that had a bubble in it.They finally agreed to replace the tire and after being there for 4 1/2 hours they sent me on my way and I was within 5 miles of home and I did hit a small hole in the road and the tire immediately went flat. This tire was the one that they had just replaced in January on the passenger s...

On March 14, 2026 I discovered that my rear passenger tire had a large bubble. Pirelli P Zero All season 235/45/18. I contacted Dyer Kia about replacement and they told me that they could not get me in until Monday, this was Saturday. I was due to be somewhere on Sunday and told them I didn’t want to drive on the doughnut or on the tire with the bubble. They said there’s nothing we can do about it...

On 1/12/26 I brought my 2025 Kia K5 to Dyer Kia in Lake Wales, Florida, for a blow out on my right front tire. The tire had 700 miles on it. I have only had the car since October 2025. Car was new. Tire is a Perelli and tire size is 235/45/18. When I got there the service technician told me that I ran over something. I did not. I was on a smooth road, no debris on the road. I had two other peop...

Shortly after a routine oil change performed at a Kia dealership, I discovered a significant oil leak underneath the vehicle the following day. Within a short period of time, the vehicle began experiencing engine-related issues including a cylinder misfire, noticeable shaking while driving, and loss of power, particularly when accelerating or driving on inclines. The vehicle also displayed a chec...

While driving, the entire control panel shuts down including all interior and exterior lights. It completely resets everything including Bluetooth. It has happened 5 or 6 times since I got the car in October 2024. I’ve reported this to Stones Kia in Idaho Falls, and they were unable to duplicate the issue so they couldn’t do anything. It tends to only happen when I’m driving at night.

The stock OE Pirelli PZero 235/45 R18 tire had a sidewall bubble identified after 7200 miles. The tire was originally the front passenger tire, moved to the rear passenger after tire rotation.

The car material itself is very cheap meaning it poor quality, very flimsy, I hit a curb and the grill and cover just broke so easily even though it was now a serious hit but very small and slight to the point where you can’t feel it. Now it’s just hanging off and shaking badly because of the poor material, it isn’t stuff enough to keep in place.

Within 1 month of purchasing this vehicle (new), the front passenger tire developed a bubble in the sidewall. We had to argue with the dealership to get it replaced. It had less than 200 miles on it. 7 months later there is a bubble in the sidewall of the front driver side tire. There is less than 9,000 miles on these tires. This is a safety issue and a defect that is not being addressed. We kee...

The contact owns a 2025 Kia K5. The contact stated that while driving at speeds over 55 MPH, the hood vibrated abnormally. The contact stated that while being overtaken by a box truck or semi-truck, the vibration of the hood was more pronounced. The driver's side of the hood had a quarter-inch to a half-inch gap. After arriving to the destination, the hood was closed; however, the hood failed to l...

While driving in the dark this morning with my eight year old in the backseat, my headlights shut off, my entire dash including my speedometer, warning lights, radio, heat, heated seat and steering wheel, lost electricity.

While I was driving, the panoramic sunroof suddenly shattered without any impact. I did not hear or see any object hit the glass. It made a very loud noise similar to a gunshot, and then the glass fractured across the middle section, broke upward, and collapsed into small pieces. There is no visible rock chip or impact point. This was extremely loud and frightening and could have caused injury if ...

Component/System Involved: The vehicle experienced a brief electrical failure affecting multiple systems simultaneously: exterior headlights, infotainment system, and dashboard indicators (seatbelt warning). All components recovered automatically within approximately 0.5–1 second. The issue appears electrical in nature (possible power interruption, grounding issue, BCM/TCM-related event). The vehi...

k5 car seat belt locked 2025 gt line fix replacement of the assembly Retraction Issue deployed Stuck

KIA has hasd a recall since July of 2025 and the part to fix the back window trim. The part was supposed to be ready to ne installed by Oct of 2025. It is Nov 5 2025 and the part is still unavailable. KIA is in no hurry or rush to get this recalled.

fix

The contact owns a 2025 Kia K5. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 65 MPH, there was an abnormal banging sound coming from the top of the vehicle. The contact stated that the sunroof had exploded, and the glass had shattered. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact's wife kept driving to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or ...

The K5 - as soon as I began driving it at 0 miles, I noticed it shifted at lower speeds extremely hard. Head-jerking hard during the first drive of each day at speeds below 25mph. Once the vehicle warmed up, the problem would go away and wouldn't appear until the next day - after the vehicle cooled down completely. I thought, maybe there was a break-in period. So I drove it for about 250 total mil...

My 2025 Kia K5 with less than 10k miles on it is experiencing intermittent windshield wiper failure. Starting over two months ago, my windshield wipers would fail in the sense they would not turn on while it is raining and/or would not activate when I use the sprayer function leaving residue and obstructing my view in both scenarios. This is a critical safety issue that has been documented on vide...

Tire size: P 235/45 R 18 While I was driving home from work my steering started feeling a little shaky. My commute is 6.5 miles. I thought it felt a little weird about 2-3 miles in and I called my boyfriend to meet me when I got home because I could tell something was off, but my tire pressure was fine. When I was about .5 miles from our home, the shaking became audible and violent so I got scared...

The contact owns a 2025 Kia K5. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) warning light illuminated. The contact's daughter took the vehicle to a specialty tire shop, and it was determined that the front driver’s side tire had two bubbles. One bubble was located on the top, and one bubble was on the front side. The ti...

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 Carnival, 2025 - 2026MY K5 and 2025 - 2026MY Sorento vehicles. This update is designe...

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...

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 oil level plug and automatic transmission fluid (ATF) for signs of leakage and, if...

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.

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 plug and automatic transmission fluid (ATF) for signs of leakage and, if necessar...

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 inspect the oil level plug and automatic transmission fluid (ATF) for signs of leakag...

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 automatic transmission fluid (ATF) for signs of leakage and, if necessary, replace the...

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER ACTION: ECU LOGIC IMPROVEMENT FOR DTC P2B59F0 (CA2516) - This bulletin provides information to upgrade the Engine Control Unit (ECU) software on certain 2024–2025MY vehicles equipped with 2.5 GDI or 2.5 T-GDI Theta III engines listed in the table below. Affected ...

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: DCU COMMUNICATION LOGIC IMPROVEMENT - This bulletin provides the procedure to upgrade the Data Connectivity Unit (DCU) system software on some 2025–2026MY vehicles listed in the table below. Kia has identified that Connected Car Services (CCS) functionality may intermitte...

RELEASE NOTES: OVER-THE-AIR: SOFWARE UPDATE FOR DATA CONNECTIVITY (ELE413) - This Over-the-Air (OTA) software update is designed to update the Data Connectivity Unit (DCU) logic of certain 2025 K5 and 2025 Sorento vehicles. This update is designed to improve the vehicle’s network communication perfo...

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 ...

RELEASE NOTES: OVER-THE-AIR: SERVICE ACTION: SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR TRANSMISSION CONTROL UNIT (SA630) - This Over-the-Air (OTA) software update is designed to update the Transmission Control Unit of certain 2025 K5 vehicles. This update is designed to improve the performance for smoother gear shifts.

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: 8-SPEED TRANSMISSION GEAR SHIFT LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SA630) - This bulletin provides information to upgrade the automatic transmission software on certain 2025MY K5 (DL3) vehicles equipped with a Theta III 2.5L GDI produced from February 20, 2024 through Apr...

RELEASE NOTES: OVER-THE-AIR: SERVICE ACTION SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR ACU (SA609) - This Over-the-Air (OTA) software update is designed to update the Airbag Control Unit (ACU) logic of certain 2025 K5 vehicles. This update is designed to reduce the unintended display of warning lights.

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: ACU OPERATION LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SA609) - This bulletin provides information to upgrade the Airbag Control Unit ‘ACU’ system software on certain 2025MY K5 (DL3) vehicles produced from February 20, 2024 to October 25, 2024. In rare cases when the driver res...

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...

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: COMBINATION TSB/SERVICE ACTION: CCNC – DEALER MODE, FACTORY & NETWORK RESET (SA613) - This bulletin has been revised as a Combination TSB/SA and includes additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bu...

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: KIA CONNECT ACTIVATION FAILURE (SA600) - 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 to access the ‘Dealer Mode’...

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: KIA CONNECT ACTIVATION FAILURE (SA600) - This bulletin provides information to access the ‘Dealer Mode’ function and perform a ‘Reset Network’ on certain 2025MY Multiple Model vehicles listed on page 7 equipped with a Connected Car Navigation Cockpit (ccNC...

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: SUNROOF OPERATION SOFTWARE LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SA595) - This bulletin provides the procedure to update the Roof Control Module (RCM) software on certain 2025MY K4 (CL4) vehicles produced from September 17, 2024 to November 01, 2024 which may exhibit an inop...