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Transmission and drivetrainPart report

2014 Kia Cadenza Transmission and drivetrain Problems

Complaints
7about this part
Share
6%of 111 total for the year
Median mileage
40,540miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 7 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2014 Kia Cadenza, 6% of the 111 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 40,540 miles.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“When traveling above 25 MPH , when I take my foot off the gas pedal in anticipation of an upcoming red traffic signal or on the highway doing 55 or so and seeing traffic coming to a halt ahead, foot off the gas pedal engine keeps going, will not throttle down to near idle. ,its as if the gas pedal is stuck . …”

NHTSA complaint #11100459, filed 2018-06, 19,000 miles

“Parking brake used on decline to park at store parking lot when tried to release to move forward would not engage. Per manual released for a few yards then autohold yellow warning light & ABS warning light came on after loud brake noise & smoke but auto hold locked brakes immedietly unable to move even if I wanted to. I have been checking for recalls there is one on hyundai & Kia that could be similar but not on this car had dealr check brakes 5500 miles b4?”

NHTSA complaint #11389014, filed 2021-01, 40,080 miles

“Timing chain tensioner - I started to get a weird rattle when I started the engine. The Kia dealership told me this was a pretty common noise with these engines and not to worry. At 62k miles I took it back in and said something is definitely not right. Well it was the timing chain tensioner. In searching for common issues I found several TSB's reporting the same thing. There is even a technical service bulletin that tells the service department what parts need to be replaced to resolve the issue but there is no investigations or recalls. I still had to pay 2500.00 to fix it.”

NHTSA complaint #11230265, filed 2019-07, 62,000 miles

“2014 Kia Cadenza Continuous knocking and rattling sound since car purchase and now engine started smoking and from what mechanic states, the engine is now blown after just paying off vehicle. There was a Class Act settlement in other Kia models but not for the Cadenza. After researching & finding out this make of car has numerous engine issues, I contacted the Settlement Dept but was told my model car was not included. …”

NHTSA complaint #11510268, filed 2023-03

“The first time anything happened was June 2021. I’d only had the vehicle 4 months. We were on the interstate doing 70 mph when there was a loud noise, it jerked back, almost ran us into an 18 wheeler, went into LIMP mode, and left us on the side of the road! Since then, we’ve taken it to the Kia dealership in Slidell, La SEVERAL times. They removed 5 pages of codes that came up, said nothing was wrong, then it needed a head gasket until finally they said it needs a $9000 motor!! My Cadenza sat at Kia for over 3 MONTHS before they even looked at it the last time! …”

NHTSA complaint #11481562, filed 2022-08

Related service bulletins

Transmission and drivetrain: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
201476%

Other parts of the 2014 Kia Cadenza

Engine
28 complaintsBrakes
23 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
16 complaintsOther or unknown
14 complaintsElectrical system
13 complaintsSteering
12 complaintsBody and structure
8 complaintsFuel system
5 complaintsWheels
4 complaintsAir bags
3 complaintsExterior lighting
3 complaintsVehicle speed control
3 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2014 Kia Cadenza

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology