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2026 Kia K5

Gas

Large Cars
4 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-09-11

Safety Signal

92 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record

RecallsNHTSA campaigns1

Complaintsowner reports to NHTSA11

Crash ratingNHTSA overall5★

Fuel economybest combined, EPA30 mpg

2027 2026 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021

The 2026 Kia K5 is sold in the U.S. as a gas large car with 4 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the K5 w/Stop-Start, is EPA-rated at 30 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of A. Owners have filed 11 complaints, most often about the engine. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov

Configuration	Powertrain	Drive	Engine / motor	City	Hwy	Comb	Annual fuel*
K5 w/Stop-Start	Gas	FWD	2.5L 4-cyl	26	37	30	$2,100
K5	Gas	FWD	2.5L 4-cyl	25	36	29	$2,150
K5	Gas	FWD	2.5L 4-cyl turbo	23	33	27	$2,300
K5 AWD	Gas	AWD	2.5L 4-cyl	24	33	27	$2,300

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 49325, 49324, 49326, 49323.

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Recalls (1)

Source: NHTSA recall database

▲high

Electrical System

SC361

42,677 vehicles

ProblemKia 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."RiskAn 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.FixThe 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.

NHTSA campaign 26V046000reported Jan 26, 2026Kia America, Inc.

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database

11complaints filed

0 involved a crash · 0 a fire · 1 injuries · 0 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2025: 1 · 2026: 10

Most-cited components

Unspecified4

Engine4

Electrical System3

Lane Departure3

Forward Collision Avoidance2

Engine And Engine Cooling1

What owners describe

“The contact owns a 2026 Kia K5. The contact stated that while driving 80 MPH, the front driver's side door independently unlatched and swung open. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the failure was not duplicated. The contact was informed that the door latches were being replaced. The manufacturer was not ma…”Aug 11, 2026 · Latches/Locks/Linkages · NHTSA owner report

“Submitted by [XXX], Authorized Representative for the owner. The vehicle has a physical defect in the ADAS forward-facing camera bracket caused by a dealer-concealed repair using industrial silicone adhesive. The bracket is now visibly sagging, causing misalignment that leads to intermittent Automatic Emergency Braking…”Jul 3, 2026 · Forward Collision Avoidance · NHTSA owner report

“The display is shows a "Check Oil Level" error. It comes on then goes off regularly. I have verified that the oil level is OK. Took it into the dealer and he said that this is a common issue and a software fix is coming. The car only has less than 2K miles. I depend on the engine displaying error messages, but they nee…”Apr 13, 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

Source: NHTSA NCAP

Configuration	Overall	Frontal	Side	Rollover	Rollover 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

2027 Kia K5

0 recalls · 0 complaints

2025 Kia K5

2 recalls · 51 complaints

2024 Kia K5

2 recalls · 29 complaints

2023 Kia K5

4 recalls · 106 complaints

2022 Kia K5

5 recalls · 124 complaints

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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