2025 Kia K5
2 recalls and 51 owner complaints on record for this model year.
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Decode a VIN2 recalls and 51 owner complaints on record for this model year.
This page describes the model. To see how one particular car is equipped, and whether its identifier is valid, decode its VIN.
Decode a VINAlmost all of this describes the model year, not the individual car. Nothing here can tell you about this vehicle’s mileage, accidents or ownership — no identifier encodes those.
The contact owns a 2025 Kia K5. The contact stated that the engine made an abnormally loud sound while driving and idling. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times, but the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the tensioner and the pulley were worn out and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the contact stated while driving 55 MPH six days later, the service, the battery, the low-pressure oil warning lights, and several other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel and the brakes locked, causing the contact to lose control of the vehicle. The vehicle then stalled in the middle of the road. The contact stated that the vehicle that was behind swerved to avoid hitting the contact's vehicle and unexpectedly crashed into another vehicle. The contact sustained mental injuries. The driver that was behind the contact's vehicle sustained significant bleeding from the forehead, back, and neck pain, and abrasions on the neck, arms, legs, and other parts of the body. The driver's vehicle was significantly damaged. The other driver whose vehicle was crashed into was an older individual, who sustained a broken arm, broken neck and collar bone, abrasions on the facial area, injured back, and a broken nose. The driver's vehicle was totaled. Both drivers were transported to the hospital by ambulance. No further information was provided. A police report was filed, but the contact did not have the police report information available. The vehicle was towed to a second dealer, Kia Delray(2255 S Federal Hwy, Delray Beach, FL 33483), where it was determined that the pulley and the tensioner had detached. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and several cases were opened, but no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 2,230.
I am the owner of a 2025 Kia K5 GT-Line that was recently involved in an accident. In the days prior to the crash, I experienced recurring issues including screen reboots while driving and temporary power loss. I do not remember the moment of the accident, and I am currently under medical care for head trauma. I am reporting this because I believe the vehicle may have malfunctioned in a way that contributed to the accident. Please advise if there are known issues with the 2025 K5 GT-Line, and how I can formally report this case for technical investigation.
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 miles. At that point, I made a service call and brought it into the dealership. I left it overnight. Explained all of the symptoms. The next day, one of your service advisors test drove the vehicle. I was called and told they were unable to reproduce the problem and that I could come pick up the car. I was told by your service advisor that the problem "could be rats or rodents in my garage". I was greatly taken back by that suggestion because I live in an upscale neighborhood, with a highly secured finished garage and have never had any rodent problems. I mentioned that to the service advisor, and she said "You'd be surprised how many people tell us they don't and we find out they had a rodent in their garage". I couldn't believe I was having a conversation of such sorts. I laughed it off and took the vehicle home, quite disgusted that it was suggested that this hard shifting might be "My problem because of rodents". I explained this to [XXX] that evening and couldn't believe that was even brought up given the situation. The very next day, the vehicle did the same thing at about 20 to 25 mph, and extremely hard, head-jerking shift on the first drive of the day. I have now driven the vehicle 3000 miles since new. I have tried driving in several different driving "modes". I've tried, Sport, My Drive, and others, but it doesn't seem to help. Every time I get in my car at O'hare after flying a trip, I look forward to driving a brand new car home, but left extremely disappointed when I drive away from the employee lot only to have an extremely hard, head-jerking shift for the first INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Transmission has extremely hard shifting if vehicle sits for more than 24 hours. After the vehicle is parked, inside garage, or outside, the first drive of the day has an extremely hard shift of the transmission on the first shifting of the day. The shift it so hard, it jerks the entire car and jolts me in my seat. The remainder of the drive and day, the hard shifting does not occur. Took the vehicle into dealership where purchased at 1000 miles and left it with them for 2 full days. Unsurprisingly, they said they were, "Unable to reproduce". The next day, the vehicle had the exact same problem. I have close to 3000 miles on the vehicle and the transmission continues to do the exact same thing every time I drive it. It is terrible for a brand new car. It doesn't matter which "Drive mode" the vehicle is in. The dealership also tried to reset the ECM. But no luck. My neck and back have been sore from the hard shift events too.
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.
While driving on a rural road, a cow ran in front of my vehicle and I collided with it. The car was towed to a repair shop and the estimated cost of repairs was $15,000. The impact was on the front corner of the drivers side of the vehicle. No airbags deployed. It seems to me that with the violence and location of the impact that some airbags should’ve deployed.
I am filing this on behalf of a relative. He was driving his Kia k5 home and he heard a sudden POP. He got it to the side of the road and saw his tread was delaminated and a flap was made on the sidewall. The tires were the factory installed ones with a long life left
At approximately 20,000 miles, an original-equipment Pirelli P Zero All Season 235/45R18 94V tire on my 2025 Kia K5 GT-Line suffered a sudden apparent tread/outer-shoulder separation while traveling at highway speed. The tire had been maintaining normal pressure and remained inflated, but a large portion separated and exposed the internal cords.
235/45 r18 at 12,000 miles miles. I’ve noticed that the front passenger side had a slight little lump on the side wall as it reached 28,000 that ball that bigger and bigger. Had to replace the tire due to the safety concerns. Noticed that the other three tires are showing other patterns of deformities.
235/46 r 18 tires currently have 28,000 miles and I’ve already replaced one tire due to lump on side wall that started developing at 12,000 miles and on other three tires. The tread is chipping and separating from the tire on the same pattern all three tires.
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 went into effect. I pulled off the road, and now I am terrified to drive my car. I called KIA and told them this. They sent out a tow. They had my car and told me that the computer on my car did not register any issues for both times this happened. Someone is taking my car home tonight and going on the same highway to see if it happens again.
The turning lights keep flickering and the back trim became lose.
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 indicates internal structural failure and an imminent risk of sudden blowout. There were no warning lights, no impact event, and no inflation problem before the bulge appeared. This is especially concerning because my father purchased an identical 2025 Kia K5 on the same day from the same dealer. His vehicle has significantly fewer miles, yet his front driver-side tire suddenly blew out while parked in his driveway. The fact that two identical vehicles, purchased together, both experienced failure of the same tire position points to a possible defect in the original-equipment tires and/or a vehicle alignment/suspension condition causing abnormal wear. No crash or injury has occurred yet, but a sidewall bulge at highway speed creates a serious risk of a blowout, loss of control, and crash. The vehicle and the affected tire are available for inspection upon request. The tires have not yet been inspected by a dealer or independent shop. I am filing this complaint to document the safety concern and the apparent pattern across two identical vehicles.
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 vehicle had approximately 16,500 miles. This is part of an apparent pattern: my son purchased an identical 2025 Kia K5 on the same day from the same dealer. At about 22,000 miles, his front driver-side tire developed a sidewall bulge, and all four of his original-equipment Pirelli tires show rapid, uneven wear. Two identical vehicles, bought together, both experienced failure of the same tire position (front driver-side) - his bulging, mine blowing out - which strongly suggests a defect in the original-equipment tires and/or a vehicle alignment/suspension condition causing abnormal wear and failure. No crash, injury, or fire resulted because the vehicle was parked. However, a sudden tire failure of this kind at highway speed would create a serious risk of a blowout, loss of control, and crash. The failed tire is available for inspection upon request. I am filing this complaint to document the failure and the pattern across two identical vehicles.
On startup, the engine took about an extra second to fire. The starter cranked noticeably longer than normal before the car turned on. Shortly after, I pulled out and turned onto a street. When I pressed the accelerator, there was no response at all. No rev increase and no acceleration. The car would not pick up speed. I switched to manual shift mode to try to force a gear change. When I changed gears, it took a couple of seconds to respond each time, much slower than normal. I managed to coast/limp to a nearby gas station. I shut the car off and restarted it, and the problem cleared completely. The car has driven normally since.
Filed by owners of this model year and unverified by NHTSA — one person’s account, not an established fact.
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023-2025 K5 vehicles. The left and right rear window trim pieces may loosen and detach.
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.
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."
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.
Published by model year, not by VIN — may not apply to this vehicle, or may already have been done. Confirm with a dealer.