2026 Kia K4

The defect

Kia America, Inc (Kia) is recalling certain 2027 Kia Telluride and 2026 Kia K4 vehicles. The rear center seat belt anchor buckle in the 2026 K4 and the third-row center seat belt anchor buckle in the 2027 Telluride may not latch properly.

The risk

A seat belt buckle that is not latched properly can fail to restrain an occupant in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

The remedy

Dealers will inspect and replace the anchor buckle assembly, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 5, 2026. Owners may contact Kia at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC364. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning March 20, 2026.

Kia America, Inc. · up to 14,870 vehicles across all model years covered

crash · towed

Was in a side impact collision on july 17, 2026, vehicle was totaled but no air bags deployed nor did any collision sensors go off

NHTSA complaint 11762542. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

crash · towed

On August 28, 2026, I was driving my 2026 Kia K4 GT-Line with approximately 1,872 miles at low speed in a parking lot. While making a left turn at the end of an aisle, I attempted to straighten/unwind the steering wheel. The steering became unusually unresponsive and I was unable to straighten the vehicle as expected. The vehicle continued left and struck a curb, causing body and front suspension damage. The abnormal steering behavior occurred before the curb impact. I observed no power steering, check-engine, ADAS, or other warning lights or messages before or during the incident. An authorized Kia dealer inspected the vehicle before collision repairs. The dealer documented my report that …

NHTSA complaint 11765622, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

crash · 465 miles

The contact owns a 2026 Kia K4. The contact stated while her daughter was driving at approximately 25 MPH, the lane assist feature was diabled however, the contact attempted to avoid a dog and the vehicle independently jerked the vehicle and caused the front driver side of the vehicle to crash into a fence. No warning lights were illuminated. The air bags were not deployed. The vehicle was taken back to the residence. A police report was filed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 465.

NHTSA complaint 11738505. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

towed · 25,352 miles

The contact owns a 2026 Kia K4. While driving 37 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. After restarting the vehicle, the failure persisted, and the message "Press Engine Start/Stop" was displayed with the key warning light illuminated. The following night, the contact started and then turned off the vehicle; however, the vehicle restarted independently without the Engine Start/Stop button being pressed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer but was not yet diagnosed. The manufacturer was notified by phone, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was 25,352.

NHTSA complaint 11769857. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

crash

Driving home, the entire screen flickered, then went out, when it came back the drivers assist lane assist kicked in and the car steered itself into oncoming traffic, which forced an oncoming car in front had to lock its brakes to avoid a collision. Then after forcing the steering out of the incoming lane, the lane assist came back on causing collision with the curb in the opposite direction. After resetting the computer with a pin, and watching the screen flicker and blink, it came back on and now the car is parked at home. Hewitt police would not come out because it was in Waco (the car is garaged in Hewitt), and Waco police said it was not in their jurisdiction so no police report was …

NHTSA complaint 11767387, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

On August 26, 2026, at approximately 5:30 PM, while driving home from work at about 55 MPH, the factory panoramic sunroof glass of my brand-new 2026 Kia K4 spontaneously shattered and catastrophically exploded without any external impact. The sudden, deafening blast sounded like a gunshot or like another vehicle had crashed into me, though I felt no physical impact. This intense noise created an extreme safety hazard as I swerved due to a panic reaction, and could have lost control of the vehicle, or caused a multi-car collision during rush hour traffic. Fortunately, the interior sunshade fabric was completely closed at the time, which prevented the shattered tempered glass from showering …

NHTSA complaint 11767571, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

The vehicle has repeatedly jerked into other lanes while I am driving, requiring me to quickly jerk the steering wheel back to avoid a collision. This occurs whether the lane-keeping assistance feature is turned on or off. I turned the feature off, but the problem continued. The vehicle does not feel safe to drive and appears likely to cause an accident, especially when there is oncoming traffic.

NHTSA complaint 11765205. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.