NHTSA recalls & complaints · 2025–2026

Kia K4 recalls, complaints and VIN decoding

NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns and 55 owner complaints for the Kia K4, covering model years 2025 to 2026. The 2025 model year drew the most complaints (45), and Electrical System is the component owners name most often.

Source: NHTSA recall and complaint flat files, updated September 25, 2026.

Decode your Kia K4 VIN

See the model year, plant and build details of one vehicle, then the recalls for its exact year.

3 recall campaigns on file
55 owner complaints (unverified reports to NHTSA)
2 model years with data (2025–2026)

most complaints: 2025 (45 for that model year)
top component: Electrical System (12 complaints)
latest recall 26V135000 (reported Mar 6, 2026)

15 complaints reporting a crash (27.3%)
0 complaints reporting a fire (0.0%)
7 complaints reporting an injury (12.7%)
0 complaints reporting a death (0.0%)

Kia K4 complaints by model year

2 model years · NHTSA complaints

The 2025 model year has the most complaints: 45 of 55, or 81.8%. Next come 2026 (10).

Kia K4 complaints by model year, with complaints reporting a crash, fire, injury or death

Kia K4 complaints by model year, with complaints reporting a crash, fire, injury or death
Model year	Complaints	Reporting a crash	Reporting an injury
2025	45	10	6
2026	10	5	1
All model years	55	15	7

Crash, fire, injury and death columns count complaints that report at least one of them, not people.

Most-reported Kia K4 components

top 15 · NHTSA categories

Electrical System is the component named most often, in 12 complaints (21.8% of all 55), followed by Lane Departure (11) and Steering (9). Another 16 complaints are filed under NHTSA’s “Unknown or Other” category.

Components named most often in Kia K4 complaints (top 15)

Components named most often in Kia K4 complaints (top 15)
Component	Complaints	Share of complaints
Unknown or Other	16	29.1%
Electrical System	12	21.8%
Lane Departure	11	20.0%
Steering	9	16.4%
Forward Collision Avoidance	8	14.5%
Air Bags	7	12.7%
Engine	7	12.7%
Power Train	7	12.7%
Vehicle Speed Control	5	9.1%
Back Over Prevention	3	5.5%
Engine and Engine Cooling	2	3.6%
Fuel/Propulsion System	2	3.6%
Service Brakes	2	3.6%
Tires	2	3.6%
Wheels	2	3.6%

One complaint can name several components, so the shares add up to more than 100%. Component names are NHTSA’s top-level categories.

What NHTSA owner complaints mean

These figures count complaints that vehicle owners and other members of the public have submitted to NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. NHTSA uses complaints, together with other data, to spot safety issues that may warrant an investigation and to check whether existing recalls go far enough.

They are reports, not findings. Each complaint is the submitter's own account. Its presence in the database does not mean NHTSA has confirmed a defect.
Counts are not defect rates. The data doesn't say how many vehicles were sold, so a raw count can't tell you what share of vehicles had a problem.
Popular models collect more complaints. A model sold in large numbers will usually gather more complaints than a rare one, simply because more people own it.
One complaint can name several components. Totals by component can therefore add up to more than the number of complaints.
Coverage starts in 1995. NHTSA's complaint file contains complaints received since January 1, 1995.

Use complaint patterns as a prompt for questions: whether a recall covers the issue, whether the vehicle you are considering has had the fix, and what a mechanic finds on inspection. For confirmed safety defects, see the recall list for this model.

Kia K4 recalls

3 campaigns · newest first

Every vehicle recall campaign NHTSA lists under the model name K4, newest first. The 3 campaigns cover model years 2025 to 2026. The 2025 model year appears in the most campaigns (2).

3 recall campaigns

Kia K4 recall campaigns covering each model year
2025: 2 campaigns	2026: 1 campaign

Highlighted: the model year with the most campaigns.

NHTSA campaign 26V135000
Reported Mar 6, 2026
Seat Belts › Rear/Other › Anchorage
Model year 2026
Kia America, Inc (Kia) is recalling certain 2027 Kia Telluride and 2026 Kia K4 vehicles. The rear center seat belt anchor buckle in the 2026 K4 and the third-row center seat belt anchor buckle in the 2027 Telluride may not latch properly.
Consequence:
A seat belt buckle that is not latched properly can fail to restrain an occupant in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy:
Dealers will inspect and replace the anchor buckle assembly, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 5, 2026. Owners may contact Kia at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC364. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning March 20, 2026.
Filed by Kia America, Inc.
NHTSA campaign 26V046000
Reported Jan 26, 2026
Electrical System › Instrument Cluster/Panel
Model year 2025
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2025 Kia K4, 2025-2026 Sorento, Sorento Hybrid, Sorento Plug-In Hybrid Electric (PHEV), 2026 Sportage, Sportage Hybrid, Sportage PHEV, K5, EV9, Carnival, and Carnival Hybrid vehicles. Due to a software error, the instrument panel display may fail. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 101, "Controls and Displays" and 138, "Tire Pressure Monitoring System."
Consequence:
An instrument panel display that fails to show critical safety information, such as the speedometer, tire pressure, or warning lights, increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy:
The instrument panel display software will be updated over-the-air (OTA) or by a dealer, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed March 26, 2026. Owners may contact Kia Customer Service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC361. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov on February 9, 2026.
Filed by Kia America, Inc.
NHTSA campaign 25V548000
Reported Aug 25, 2025
Engine and Engine Cooling › Critical Fasteners
Model year 2025
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2025 K4 and Sorento vehicles. The connecting rod bolts in the engine may have been improperly tightened, which can cause a loss of drive power.
Consequence:
A loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy:
Dealers will replace the sub engine assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed September 12, 2025. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC349.
Filed by Kia America, Inc.

Recall text is shown as NHTSA publishes it. NHTSA’s Vehicle Safety Hotline, 1-888-327-4236, also answers recall questions.

How to read this recall list

This list shows every safety recall campaign NHTSA has on file for this make, model and model year. It is not specific to one vehicle: a recall often covers only vehicles built in a certain date range or with a certain part, and many of the vehicles it covers will already have been repaired.

What each recall field means

What each recall field means
Field	What it tells you
Campaign number	NHTSA's unique ID for the recall, such as 20V771000. Quote it to a dealer or when searching NHTSA's site.
Component	The system or part involved, for example air bags, brakes or electrical software.
Summary	What the defect or non-compliance is and which vehicles are covered.
Consequence	The safety risk if the problem isn't fixed.
Remedy	What the manufacturer will do, such as a repair, replacement or software update, and whether it is free.

Some recalls carry an NHTSA consumer advisory, “Do Not Drive” or “Park Outside”. Follow it until the repair is done.
A single campaign often covers several models or model years, so the same campaign number can appear in more than one list.
Recalls are shown as NHTSA publishes them. Very recent campaigns may take time to appear.

Does your vehicle have an open recall? Only a VIN check can tell you. Enter the VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup (opens in a new tab) or on the manufacturer's website. Our VIN recall check guide explains what each option covers.

Kia K4 questions

5 questions

How many recalls does the Kia K4 have?

NHTSA lists 3 vehicle recall campaigns for the Kia K4, covering model years 2025 to 2026. The most recent, 26V135000, was reported on March 6, 2026 and is filed under “Seat belts”. The 2025 model year is covered by the most campaigns (2).

Which Kia K4 model year has the most complaints?

The 2025 model year, with 45 of the 55 complaints in NHTSA’s file (81.8%). The next is 2026 (10). Complaint counts also reflect how many vehicles of each year were sold and how long they have been on the road, so they are not a reliability ranking.

What is the most common Kia K4 complaint?

Electrical System is the component named most often: 12 complaints, or 21.8% of all 55. Lane Departure (11) and Steering (9) follow. Complaints are unverified reports from owners, not confirmed defects, and one complaint can name several components.

Does every recall on this page apply to my Kia K4?

Not necessarily. Each campaign lists specific model years, and many cover only vehicles built in a certain period or fitted with a certain part; repairs already carried out aren’t shown. To see whether a recall is open on your vehicle, enter its VIN at NHTSA’s recall lookup (opens in a new tab) or ask a Kia dealer.

How many Kia K4 complaints report a crash, fire, injury or death?

Of the 55 complaints, 15 report a crash, 0 a fire, 7 at least one injury and 0 at least one death. These figures count complaints, not people, and each complaint is the submitter’s own unverified account.

8 models · most complaints first

The Kia models with the most NHTSA complaints, and the Kia VIN decoder with every Kia model page, WMI code and VIN note.

Kia Sorento 2003–2026 · 40 recalls · 10,159 complaints
Kia Optima 2001–2020 · 22 recalls · 7,499 complaints
Kia Soul 2010–2025 · 15 recalls · 5,532 complaints
Kia Sportage 1995–2026 · 36 recalls · 4,687 complaints
Kia Forte 2009–2024 · 18 recalls · 2,539 complaints
Kia Sedona 2002–2021 · 23 recalls · 2,406 complaints
Kia Telluride 2020–2027 · 19 recalls · 2,009 complaints
Kia Sephia 1995–2003 · 7 recalls · 1,687 complaints

All Kia models and WMI codes Look up recalls by year

Data: NHTSA recalls and complaints flat files, updated September 25, 2026. Recall campaigns are vehicle (V) campaigns listed for this model name; complaints are counted once per NHTSA ODI number and model year.