Home › Kia › Stinger › 2021

2021 Kia Stinger

Gas Midsize car

202320222021202020192018
Specs & fuel economyRecallsComplaintsCrash ratings
F
Safety Signal
51 / 100
FSafety Signal · 51 / 100
5Recalls · 2 critical
17Complaints · owner reports
5★Crash rating · NHTSA overall
25 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 2021 Kia Stinger is sold in the U.S. as a gas midsize car with 4 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Stinger RWD, is EPA-rated at 25 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for this model year, 2 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of F. Owners have filed 17 complaints, most often about unknown or other. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.

Specs & fuel economy (EPA)

ConfigurationPowertrainDriveEngine / motorCityHwyCombAnnual fuel*
Stinger RWDGasRWD2.0L 4-cyl turbo222925$3,100
Stinger AWDGasAWD2.0L 4-cyl turbo212924$3,250
Stinger AWDGasAWD3.3L 6-cyl turbo172520$3,900
Stinger RWDGasRWD3.3L 6-cyl turbo172520$3,900

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

Out of factory warranty soon?

The 2021 Kia Stinger is in the years where transmission, electronics and drivetrain repairs land on the owner. Compare extended-coverage quotes in about two minutes.

Compare coverage →

Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Data on this page is never influenced by that.

Recalls (5)

Engine And Engine Cooling

critical
36,248 vehicles

Problem: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2019-2020 K900, and 2018-2023 Stinger vehicles equipped with a 3.3-liter turbo gasoline direct injection engine. The left turbocharger oil feed pipe and hose assembly may deteriorate and leak oil.

Risk: An oil leak in the presence of hot engine components can increase the risk of an engine compartment fire while driving.

Fix: Dealers will replace the left turbocharger oil feed pipe and hose assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 26, 2024. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC300.

NHTSA campaign 24V169000 · reported Mar 1, 2024 · Kia America, Inc.

Fuel System, Gasoline

high
18,224 vehicles

Problem: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2018-2021 Stinger vehicles. The fuel control valve plunger may stick inside the high pressure fuel pump, causing over-pressurization and loss of drive power.

Risk: A loss of drive power can increase the risk of a crash.

Fix: Dealers will update the engine control unit software, inspect, and replace the fuel pump as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 18, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC281.

NHTSA campaign 23V634000 · reported Sep 13, 2023 · Kia America, Inc.

Electrical System

minor
53 vehicles

Problem: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Stinger vehicles. A software error in the instrument cluster may cause an inaccurate fuel gauge reading.

Risk: An inaccurate fuel gauge may result in the vehicle unexpectedly running out of fuel and stalling, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Dealers will update the software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 10, 2021. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC219.

NHTSA campaign 21V862000 · reported Nov 5, 2021 · Kia Motors America

Fuel System, Gasoline

high
635 vehicles

Problem: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Stinger vehicles. The fuel pump's jet nozzle may have a plastic burr remaining from the manufacturing process, possibly causing a blocked nozzle and an insufficient fuel supply to the engine.

Risk: Insufficient fuel supply to the engine can result in a loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the fuel pump and replace the jet nozzle housing assembly, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began October 29, 2020. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC198.

NHTSA campaign 20V560000 · reported Sep 16, 2020 · Kia Motors America

Service Brakes, Hydraulic

critical
Park outside28,200 vehicles

Problem: Kia Motors America (Kia) recalled certain 2019 Stinger vehicles equipped with 3.3L T-GDI engines on August 27, 2020. On December 30, 2020, Kia expanded the recall population and added certain 2018-2021 Stinger vehicles. While driving, an engine compartment fire may occur in the area where the Anti-lock Brake Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) is located.

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

Fix: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will install a new fuse kit in the electrical junction box, free of charge. Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures as a precaution until the recall repair is complete. The recall began November 30, 2020. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC196.

NHTSA campaign 20V518000 · reported Aug 27, 2020 · Kia Motors America

Owner complaints

17 complaints filed

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

Filed by year — 2021: 5 · 2022: 6 · 2023: 2 · 2024: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2026: 1

Most-cited components

  • Unknown Or Other — 5
  • Engine — 4
  • Service Brakes — 4
  • Fuel/Propulsion System — 3
  • Electrical System — 2
“Bought this vehicle from Carvana.com and have been trying to get it repaired since then. There is something wrong with the steering/braking/suspension system. According to License Mechanic Derek Hartfield at Monroe (248) 980-3262 after a road test - told me the vehicle is not safe to drive. He attempted to repair vehic…”Jun 20, 2023 · Service Brakes · NHTSA owner report
“My transmission/engine and brake system failed. I was slowing down to probably 5 mph to make a right hand turn into my driveway from the street when the engine started racing. I heard a loud whine and the car started to speed up. I jammed my foot onto the brake to slow down but did not have the time to try to put the t…”Dec 9, 2022 · Engine · NHTSA owner report
“I was driving on hwy 73 when I heard a sound like a shotgun went off. Glass started falling in the car and on me as the sunroof had shattered. There was no other vehicle in the area and the sunroof was closed.”Oct 10, 2022 · Unknown Or Other · 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

ConfigurationOverallFrontalSideRolloverRollover risk
4 DR AWD★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★★9%
4 DR RWD★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★★9%

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program.

Other Stinger model years

B

2023 Stinger

1 recalls · 5 complaints

B

2022 Stinger

1 recalls · 17 complaints

F

2020 Stinger

6 recalls · 16 complaints

D

2019 Stinger

3 recalls · 44 complaints

F

2018 Stinger

4 recalls · 67 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 42778, 42777, 42779, 42780). Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

JSON for this page · API