Hyundai and Kia ABS Module Fires
AQ23002
Still open audit query · opened November 17, 2023 · the hydraulic brakes
NHTSA safety record
Kia
Every complaint, recall and defect investigation on file for a Kia, model years 2010 to 2027.
181
Vehicles
32,901
Complaints
209
Recalls
1,540
Fires
55
Deaths
181Kia year and model combinations have enough on file to be worth a page here, and between them their owners have filed 32,901 safety complaints with NHTSA. More of those name the engine than any other system: 14,187 of them. The single most complained-about is the 2011 Sorento, with 1,518.
NHTSA holds 209 recall campaigns naming Kia vehicles, across every model year the agency records rather than only the ones shown here. 1 defect investigation into these vehicles is open and unresolved. A death has been reported in 32 of these 181 vehicles.
Most complained-about Kia models
Complaints for every published model year of each model added together. A model that sold in larger numbers collects more complaints, and nothing here divides by sales because NHTSA does not publish them.
What goes wrong on a Kia
The systems named most often across every Kia complaint on file. One complaint can name more than one system, so these add up to more than the complaint total. "Unknown or other" is excluded: it is what the intake form records when an owner cannot place the failure.
- ENGINE 14,187
- ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 4,910
- POWER TRAIN 3,002
- STEERING 2,105
- STRUCTURE 2,034
Open investigations (1)
NHTSA has decided a pattern is worth examining and has not closed the file. A preliminary evaluation is often closed with no action; an engineering analysis is the stage that usually precedes a recall.
Most recent Kia recalls
The newest campaigns naming a Kia, by the date the manufacturer's defect report reached NHTSA. Each one covers a build range, which may be narrower than the model years listed.
AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER
26V545000 · August 21, 2026
A child in the front seat may be at a greater risk of injury if the air bag deploys during a crash.
Kia America, Inc. · up to 21,290 vehicles
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:TRACTION BATTERY
26V431000 · July 2, 2026
A fire increases the risk of injury.
Kia America, Inc. · up to 8 vehicles
SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:POWER ADJUST
26V430000 · July 2, 2026
A fire increases the risk of injury.
Kia America, Inc. · up to 462,869 vehicles
Pages 2024 Telluride 2023 Telluride 2022 Telluride 2021 Telluride 2020 Telluride
SEAT BELTS:FRONT
26V356000 · June 2, 2026
A seat belt strap that does not extend can fail to restrain an occupant in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Kia America, Inc. · up to 6,264 vehicles
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
26V232000 · April 10, 2026
A fuel leak increases the risk of a fire.
Kia America, Inc. · up to 141,032 vehicles
Pages 2026 Carnival 2025 Carnival 2024 Carnival 2023 Carnival 2022 Carnival
SEATS:MID/REAR ASSEMBLY:POWER ADJUST
26V173000 · March 20, 2026
A person, especially a child, may become trapped by a rear powered seat, increasing the risk of injury.
Kia America, Inc. · up to 568 vehicles
Pages 2027 Telluride Hybrid
SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER:ANCHORAGE
26V135000 · March 6, 2026
A seat belt buckle that is not latched properly can fail to restrain an occupant in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Kia America, Inc. · up to 14,870 vehicles
Pages 2027 Telluride 2026 K4
SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER
26V105000 · February 23, 2026
A seat back frame that fails to properly restrain an occupant during a crash increases the risk of injury.
Kia America, Inc. · up to 85,515 vehicles
Pages 2025 Telluride
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL
26V046000 · January 27, 2026
An 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.
Kia America, Inc. · up to 42,677 vehicles
Pages 2026 Sportage 2026 Carnival 2026 EV9 2026 Carnival Hybrid 2026 K5 2026 Sportage Hybrid
TRAILER HITCHES
25V874000 · December 17, 2025
An instrument panel screen that fails to display critical safety information, such as the speedometer or warning lights, can increase the risk of a crash.
Kia America, Inc. · up to 5,046 vehicles
Pages 2025 Sportage 2025 Sportage PHEV 2024 Sportage 2024 Sportage PHEV 2023 Sportage PHEV
Every manufacturer's latest recalls, or check a single car with the VIN lookup.
Every Kia page on this site
181 vehicles across 32 models, newest model year first.
Built from NHTSA's complaint file published October 2, 2026, its recall campaign API and its defect investigation file. A complaint is one owner's unverified account, not a finding of fault. How this is counted. · All makes
Compiled and maintained by guarledes
Independent developer and analyst