RecallRadar

HomeKiaK5 → 2021

2021 Kia K5 Recalls & Complaints

6

open safety recalls on record

Critical

250 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.28 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Critical21V519000

Fuel System, Gasoline:Delivery:Hoses, Lines/Piping, And Fittings

fuel leak raises the risk of a fire.

Remedy & full details

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.

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.

Critical25V794000

Fuel System, Gasoline

melted fuel tank can leak, raises the risk of a fire.

Remedy & full details

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.

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.

Serious21V164000

Air Bags: Air Bag/Restraint Control Module

In the event of a crash, deployment of the front passenger air bag, with a child in that seat, can raises the risk of injury to the child.

Remedy & full details

Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the OCS/ODS unit, free of charge. The recall began March 18, 2021. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC207.

Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2021 Telluride, K5, and Forte vehicles. The Occupant Classification and Detection System (OCS/ODS) unit may not detect the presence of a child restraint system in the front passenger seat. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

Serious21V447000

Lane Departure: Lane Keep: Steering Assist

sudden increase in steering effort can raises the risk of a crash.

Remedy & full details

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.

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.

Serious22V760000

Power Train:Automatic Transmission

Loss of drive power raises the risk of a crash.

Remedy & full details

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.

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.

Serious23V149000

Air Bags:Side/Window:Curtain

Air bags that do not deploy as intended can raises the risk of injury in a crash.

Remedy & full details

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.

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.

Complaint volume

250 this model-year 7 median, same year

Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.

What owners reported happened

8Crashes
3Fires
9Injuries
1Deaths

Across 250 complaints. Severity Index 0.28.

Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.

What owners report most

Electrical System43 · 17%Fuel/Propulsion System40 · 16%Unknown Or Other31 · 12%Engine28 · 11%Power Train17 · 7%Fuel System, Gasoline11 · 4%Air Bags10 · 4%Structure · Body9 · 4%
  1. Electrical System — 43 reports
  2. Fuel/Propulsion System — 40 reports
  3. Unknown Or Other — 31 reports
  4. Engine — 28 reports
  5. Power Train — 17 reports
  6. Fuel System, Gasoline — 11 reports
  7. Air Bags — 10 reports
  8. Structure:Body — 9 reports
  9. Service Brakes — 9 reports
  10. Seats — 8 reports

What to do

  1. Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
  2. Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
  3. Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.

Other model years

2021 · 2022 (5) · 2023 (4) · 2024 (2) · 2025 (2) · 2026 (1)

Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.

Questions

Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?

Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.

Do I pay for recall repairs?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.

Why are there complaints but no recalls?

Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.