Kia K5
Owners filed 508 complaints across 6 model years of the Kia K5. The 2021 drew the most (169).
Which Kia K5 years should you avoid?
Going by 508 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the Kia K5 years to avoid are 2022.
- 20224.2× the usual share of fires, crashes and deaths for a car of its age (4 fires, 15 crashes, 2 deaths).
Too new to judge: 2025 and 2026. Complaints take a few years to arrive, so a new model year looks better than it is.
How this is worked out: each year is compared with a typical year of the same model, which takes most of the difference in sales out of it, and its share of serious failures is compared with every other car of the same model year, because older cars were complained about differently. A year needs 25 complaints to be judged at all. Complaints are unverified owner reports. Full method →
Every Kia K5 model year compared
Complaints per year| Year | Complaints | Relative volume | Recalls | Fires | Crashes | Most reported | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026Too new | 14 | 1 | — | 1 | Unknown or Other | Routine | |
| 2025Too new | 54 | 2 | — | 4 | Electrical System | Routine | |
| 2024 | 31 | 2 | — | 1 | Engine | Routine | |
| 2023 | 111 | 4 | — | 6 | Fuel/Propulsion System | Routine | |
| 2022Avoid | 129 | 5 | 4 | 15 | Fuel/Propulsion System | Fatalities reported | |
| 2021 | 169 | 6 | 2 | 8 | Electrical System | Fatalities reported |
Data: NHTSA complaint and recall files, October 2026. Complaints are unverified owner reports.