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2019 Kia Cadenza

Gas Large car

20202019201820172016
Specs & fuel economyRecallsComplaintsCrash ratings
B
Safety Signal
85 / 100
BSafety Signal · 85 / 100
1Recalls · 1 critical
5Complaints · owner reports
—Crash rating · NHTSA overall
23 mpgFuel economy · best combined
⚠️
Active NHTSA advisory: park outside and away from structures until repaired. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and see the recall details below.

The 2019 Kia Cadenza is sold in the U.S. as a gas large car. The most efficient version, the Cadenza, is EPA-rated at 23 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign for this model year, 1 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of B. Owners have filed 5 complaints, most often about engine.

Specs & fuel economy (EPA)

ConfigurationPowertrainDriveEngine / motorCityHwyCombAnnual fuel*
CadenzaGasFWD3.3L 6-cyl202723$2,700

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year and EPA reference fuel/electricity prices. Source: fueleconomy.gov vehicle records.

Out of factory warranty soon?

The 2019 Kia Cadenza is in the years where transmission, electronics and drivetrain repairs land on the owner. Compare extended-coverage quotes in about two minutes.

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Recalls (1)

Service Brakes, Hydraulic

critical
Park outside379,931 vehicles

Problem: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2017-2021 Sportage and Cadenza vehicles. The electrical circuit in the Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) may short-circuit, which can cause a fire in the engine compartment.

Risk: An engine compartment fire can increase the risk of injury.

Fix: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures as a precaution until the recall repair is complete. Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace certain fuses in the electrical junction box. Vehicles equipped with an electronic parking brake (EPB) will also receive a HECU software update. Repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on April 30, 2021. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC206.

NHTSA campaign 21V137000 · reported Mar 4, 2021 · Kia Motors America

NHTSA investigations

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip:Control Unit/Module — Hyundai and Kia ABS Module Fires (open)

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received eight Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) and eight Kia America, Inc. (Kia) Part 573 Recall Reports between 2016 and 2023. The combined 16 safety recalls all involve the antilock braking system (ABS) modules or Hydraulic Electronic Control Units (HECU) manufactured by the equipment supplier Mando. The Part 573 Recall Reports contain varying defect descriptions and differing remedy descriptions for the same or similar equipment supplied by Mando. Safety recalls included in this Audit Query (AQ) review include: Hyundai recalls 20V-520, 20V-543, 21V-161, 21V-160, 21V-303, 22V-056, 22V-810, and 23V-651. Kia recalls 16V-815, 20V-518, 20V-519, 21V

Opened Nov 17, 2023 · action AQ23002

Owner complaints

5 complaints filed

0 involved a crash, 0 a fire, 0 injuries, 0 deaths reported by owners.

Filed by year — 2021: 1 · 2022: 1 · 2026: 3

Most-cited components

  • Engine — 2
  • Service Brakes, Hydraulic — 1
  • Steering — 1
  • Exterior Lighting — 1
  • Lane Departure — 1
“While operating the vehicle, the engine suffered a catastrophic internal mechanical failure, resulting in an immediate and dangerous loss of motive power on the road. A subsequent physical diagnostic scan at an authorized Kia dealership revealed manufacturer trouble code P008800 (Fuel Rail System Pressure-Too High) alo…”Aug 6, 2026 · Engine · NHTSA owner report
“I picked up my Cadenza from the repair shop. They were repairing the sunroof controls because the sunroof was not operating properly. I was 24 miles away from the shop headed home from Temple, TX to Waxahachie, TX on [XXX]. It sounded like a shotgun was fired right above my head and scared me. I am surprised I didn't c…”Jun 17, 2026 · Unknown Or Other · NHTSA owner report
“The contact owns a 2019 Kia Cadenza. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, several unknown warning lights illuminated. Additionally, upon starting the vehicle later, the contact noticed that there was an abnormal ticking sound coming from under the hood. The vehicle was taken to AutoZone, where…”Jun 8, 2026 · Engine · NHTSA owner report

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Crash ratings

NHTSA has not published 5-Star crash ratings for this model year.

Other Cadenza model years

A

2020 Cadenza

1 recalls · 0 complaints

B

2018 Cadenza

1 recalls · 7 complaints

C

2017 Cadenza

2 recalls · 32 complaints

C

2016 Cadenza

2 recalls · 14 complaints

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records (ids 40143). Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

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