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2025 Kia K5

Gas
Large Cars
4 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-09-11
B
Safety Signal
89 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record
RecallsNHTSA campaigns2
Complaintsowner reports to NHTSA51
Crash ratingNHTSA overall5★
Fuel economybest combined, EPA30 mpg
2027202620252024202320222021

The 2025 Kia K5 is sold in the U.S. as a gas large car with 4 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the K5, is EPA-rated at 30 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of B. Owners have filed 51 complaints, most often about the tires. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov
ConfigurationPowertrainDriveEngine / motorCityHwyCombAnnual fuel*
K5GasFWD2.5L 4-cyl263730$2,100
K5GasFWD2.5L 4-cyl253629$2,150
K5GasFWD2.5L 4-cyl turbo233327$2,300
K5 AWDGasAWD2.5L 4-cyl243327$2,300

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 47719, 47718, 47720, 47717.

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Recalls (2)

Source: NHTSA recall database
▲high

Structure

SC346
100,063 vehicles
ProblemKia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023-2025 K5 vehicles. The left and right rear window trim pieces may loosen and detach.RiskDetached trim pieces can create a road hazard for other vehicles, increasing the risk of a crash.FixDealers 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.
NHTSA campaign 25V493000reported Jul 28, 2025Kia America, Inc.
○minor

Exterior Lighting

SC341
82,281 vehicles
ProblemKia 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."RiskParking lights that fail to illuminate properly can reduce visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.FixThe 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.
NHTSA campaign 25V351000reported May 27, 2025Kia America, Inc.

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database
51complaints filed

4 involved a crash · 0 a fire · 6 injuries · 0 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2024: 5 · 2025: 23 · 2026: 23

Most-cited components

Tires14
Electrical System11
Power Train6
Unspecified6
Wheels5
Exterior Lighting5

What owners describe

“Tire size: P 235/45 R 18 While I was driving home from work my steering started feeling a little shaky. My commute is 6.5 miles. I thought it felt a little weird about 2-3 miles in and I called my boyfriend to meet me when I got home because I could tell something was off, but my tire pressure was fine. When I was abou…”Sep 16, 2025 · Tires · NHTSA owner report
“The contact owns a 2025 Kia K5. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) warning light illuminated. The contact's daughter took the vehicle to a specialty tire shop, and it was determined that the front driver’s side tire had two bubble…”Sep 12, 2025 · Tires · NHTSA owner report
“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…”Sep 4, 2025 · Power Train · 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

Source: NHTSA NCAP
ConfigurationOverallFrontalSideRolloverRollover risk
4 DR AWD★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆11%
4 DR FWD★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆11%

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program. Standard driver-assist: forward collision warning, lane departure warning, automatic emergency braking.

Other K5 model years

A

2027 Kia K5

0 recalls · 0 complaints

A

2026 Kia K5

1 recalls · 11 complaints

C

2024 Kia K5

2 recalls · 29 complaints

D

2023 Kia K5

4 recalls · 106 complaints

F

2022 Kia K5

5 recalls · 124 complaints

F

2021 Kia K5

6 recalls · 164 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. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

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