CSR
Check a VIN

Look up

About

Kia · NHTSA safety record

2019 Kia Stinger

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 44 safety complaints about the 2019 Kia Stinger with the US government. Of those, 1 describes a crash, 3 mention a fire and no death is recorded. 3 recall campaigns are open against it.

The most complained-about system is the engine, named in 12 complaints, 27% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 12,500 miles, the median across the 15 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers May 2019 to August 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

44 complaints on file

44

Complaints

1

Describe a crash

3

Mention fire

0

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year. A further 1 defect investigation is open and unresolved.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
ENGINE 12 · 27%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 9 · 20%
SERVICE BRAKES 6 · 14%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 5 · 11%
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 5 · 11%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 5 · 11%
POWER TRAIN 3 · 7%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 3 · 7%
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 2 · 5%
STRUCTURE 2 · 5%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 · 2%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 · 2%
0 8 15

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 44.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2021 at 10.

12 9 6 3
19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2019 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA has not crash tested the 2019 Kia Stinger. Its New Car Assessment Program tests a selection of each year's vehicles and does not reach motorcycles, heavy trucks, motorhomes or most low-volume models, so an absence here says nothing about how the vehicle would perform. It is not a low score.

What owners have reported about this vehicle is below, and it is a different question: a crash test measures what happens to the people inside in a controlled impact, while a complaint records what broke during ordinary use.

Recall campaigns

3 on file

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE:TURBO/SUPERCHARGER:HOSES/PLUMBING

24V169000 · March 1, 2024

The defect
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.
The risk
An oil leak in the presence of hot engine components can increase the risk of an engine compartment fire while driving.
The remedy
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.

Kia America, Inc. · up to 36,248 vehicles across all model years covered

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

23V634000 · September 13, 2023

The defect
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.
The risk
A loss of drive power can increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy
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.

Kia America, Inc. · up to 18,224 vehicles across all model years covered

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE

20V518000 · August 27, 2020

Park outside until repaired

The defect
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.
The risk
An engine compartment fire can increase the risk of injury or crash.
The remedy
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.

Kia Motors America · up to 28,200 vehicles across all model years covered

Defect investigations

1 on file

An investigation means NHTSA has decided a pattern is worth examining. A preliminary evaluation is often closed with no action; an engineering analysis is the stage that usually precedes a recall.

Hyundai and Kia ABS Module Fires

AQ23002

Still open audit query · opened November 17, 2023

the hydraulic brakes

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-137, 21V-331, 22V-051, 22V-800, and 23V-652 The purpose of this AQ is to evaluate the timeliness and scoping of Hyundai and Kia’s defect decision making and adherence with reporting requirements; and understand the varying defect descriptions and remedies between these recalls.

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

ENGINE

fire · towed · 4,238 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 KIA STINGER. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE STATIONARY AT A STOP SIGN, WHEN HE NOTICE SMOKE ENTERING THE CAB OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THE TIRE GAUGE AND BRAKE WARNING LIGHT WERE ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT STATED HE REVERSED INTO A PARKING LOT AND TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED HE AND HIS WIFE EXITED THE VEHICLE AND OPEN THE HOOD AND SAW THE FIRE STARTED ON THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE. THE CONTACT STATED THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS TURNED ON AND THE HORN BEGAN TO MAKE NOISE ON IT'S OWN. THE CONTACT STATED HE ALSO HEARD AN ABNORMAL NOISE. THE CONTACT STATED A SAMARITAN RAN INTO A NEAR BY HOME DEPOT STORE TO LOCATE A FIRE EXTINGUISHER TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE.

NHTSA complaint 11243325, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

fire · 7,800 miles

ON MAY 14TH AT APPROXIMATELY 2:50PM, I WAS IN THE CAR FOR ROUGHLY THREE MINUTES GETTING ONTO 33 EAST IN MARYVILLE OHIO. I SMELLED SMOKE COMING FROM THE REAR AND PULLED OVER TO SEE WHERE THE SMOKE WAS COMING FROM. I OPENED THE HATCHBACK OF THE CAR AND SAW THE REAR FUSE PANEL IN THE HATCHBACK WAS MELTED OUT AND FLAMES POURED OUT OF THE OPENING. I CALLED 911 IMMEDIATELY. BY THE TIME POLICE AND FIRE ARRIVED THE CAR WAS COMPLETELY ENGULFED IN FLAMES AND BURNED TO THE GROUND WITHIN 7 MINUTES. I AM AWAITING ON THE COMPLETED INVESTIGATION FROM MY INSURANCE COMPANY TO VERIFY MY CLAIM AS THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE.

NHTSA complaint 11208262. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

fire · 12,000 miles

I STARTED MY CAR AND REALIZED THAT THE ENTIRE INSTRUMENT PANEL WAS FLASHING AND INDICATED "CHECK MY BLIND SPOT FOR A COLLISION". I WAS PULLING OUT ONTO A SECONDARY ROAD AND THERE WERE NO OTHER CARS IN THE NEAR VICINITY. I THOUGHT EVERYTHING WOULD CORRECT ITSELF ONCE I STARTED DOWN THE ROAD. I TURNED ONTO THE MAIN ROAD AND EVERYTHING KEPT FLASHING, THERE WAS EXCESSIVE PLAY IN THE STEERING AND THE CAR WOULD NOT SHIFT GEARS. I SLOWED DOWN TO MAKE IT TO THE SAFEST PLACE TO PULL OVER, WHICH WAS A DOLLAR GENERAL. ONCE I PULLED INTO A PARKING SPACE, I SHUT MY CAR OFF AND RESTARTED TO SEE IF IT WOULD RESET THE COMPUTER AND INSTRUMENT PANEL. I THEN SMELLED BURNING PLASTIC AND SAW WHITE SMOKE COMING

NHTSA complaint 11329240, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE

towed · 54,000 miles

The contact owns a 2019 Kia Stinger. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the Forward Collision Avoidance system erroneously engaged, and the vehicle slowed down. The contact was able to pull over, wait for several minutes, and then restart the vehicle. The service engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that while merging into traffic, the vehicle slowed down and stopped in traffic. The contact stated that the battery had drained. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer. who was unable to duplicate the failure and cleared the warning light. The accelerator pedal and battery were replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The

NHTSA complaint 11538654, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
My 2019 Kia Stinger 2.0T, VIN [XXX], suffered catastrophic engine failure at 32,000 miles due to a replacement fuel injector installed by an authorized Kia dealership. On XXX, Galeana Kia of [XXX], replaced the fuel injector on cylinder 3 under fault codes P0300 and P0303 and returned vehicle as "operating as designed." I paid for this repair out of pocket. On XXX— 57 days post-repair — Galeana Kia's own technician documented verbatim: "Found injector stuck opened. Performed compression test and found low compression on cylinder 3 due to piston ring failure. Injector stuck open washed out piston rings." The failed injector was the replacement part Galeana Kia installed on XXX Full engine

NHTSA complaint 11760222, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VISIBILITY/WIPER
I was driving on the highway & my sunroof exploded. At first i thought someone had dropped something off a bridge , but i realized from the damages. Sunroof exploded. The glass caused damage to my paint !

NHTSA complaint 11751465. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
Oil pressure sensor failure on the engine, there is an open TSB for this same issue/same engine on other Kia models but not the Stinger. Dealer verified that the oil pressure is fine and that it is the sensor, independently verified by a third party shop. Dealer charge is over $3k for the repair and third party is just about $2k.

NHTSA complaint 11743225. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
My 2019 Kia Stinger GT2 with approximately 25,000 miles has been out of service since February 12, 2026 for diagnosis and repair of a system issue. The vehicle has remained at the dealership for over two months. Multiple repair attempts have been made, including escalation to Kia corporate engineering. Despite these efforts, the issue has not been clearly diagnosed and no permanent repair has been completed. The vehicle is currently unusable, and the inability to identify the root cause raises concerns that the issue could result in unpredictable or recurring system behavior. Given the reliance on electronic and computer-controlled systems, there is concern about safe and reliable operation

NHTSA complaint 11732324, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:BODY
The roof trim panel separates from the vehicle while driving. Depending on the car's speed the metal, plastic and rubber strip is lifted up and off the car and into the slip stream behind the vehicle creating a serious hazard for cars behind us. We examined the strip and determined the plastic clips that hold this panel in place do not function as intended, or fail to adequately hold this large section of trim in place during driving conditions. We brought this to the attention to the Kia dealership and were told "Warranty replacement items are not covered after 12 months". They offered to replace the item but we believe it is material craftsmanship and a design flaw that allows this trim

NHTSA complaint 11725409, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
The issue involves the high-pressure fuel pump covered under Recall 23V634000 (Kia SC281). When the recall was marked as “completed” at the dealership, only a software update was performed. The required inspection of the fuel pump and potential replacement were never carried out. Two years later, the vehicle began experiencing problems consistent with the recall defect, including loss of power and engine performance issues. This indicates the recall remedy was not properly completed, and the defective fuel pump was left in place. The safety risk is that the vehicle may lose motive power while driving, increasing the likelihood of a crash. This problem could potentially affect other owners

NHTSA complaint 11688866, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Kia Stinger

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2022 18 1 —
2021 17 5 —
2020 16 6 —
2018 69 4 1

Other 2019 Kia models

Sorento 428 Optima 210 Forte 147 Soul 136 Sportage 70 Niro 56 Sedona 38 Niro PHEV 26

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every Kia on this site — 181 vehicles.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst