2021 Kia K5 Steering Problems
- Complaints
- 7about this part
- Share
- 4%of 169 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 16,000miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 7 complaints about the steering of the 2021 Kia K5, 4% of the 169 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 16,000 miles. 1 recall campaign on record is filed under a similar system.
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.
“The vehicle consistently pulls sharply to the right while driving, creating a serious safety hazard. As soon as I release the steering wheel, the car veers aggressively to the right, making it difficult to stay in the lane. The steering wheel does not center and requires constant correction. The issue feels mechanical and significantly impacts my ability to drive safely.”
NHTSA complaint #11660607, filed 2025-05“Rotors warp after only a few months. I’ve replaced them multiple times since I got my vehicle 2 1/2yrs ago. Steering wheel will shake really bad while braking and that’s how I know I need new rotors again. Many people with this year/make/model have had the same issue. It’s definitely a safety issue that needs to be addressed.”
NHTSA complaint #11602951, filed 2024-07“The steering wheel became stiff all the sudden and became hard to turn. As well as all the warning lights came on when that happened such as Adaptive Cruise Control Automatic Emergency Braking Blind Spot Warning Forward Collision Warning Lane Departure Warning Lane Keeping Assistance Parking Collision Warning Rear Cross Traffic Warning. I was driving in the middle of the road when this happened and this could’ve caused a huge accident due to the fact that I couldn’t steer my car properly. No, the problem has not been resolved yet. It is in the dealership at the moment to be inspected. …”
NHTSA complaint #11717979, filed 2026-02“Took my car to the dealership on 12/20/21 because all of my sensors were going off so they installed a new harness and cleared all the sensors, I got my car back on 1/3/22. …”
NHTSA complaint #11449631, filed 2022-01“The contact owns a 2021 Kia K5. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the power steering malfunctioned, and the steering wheel failed to turn in either direction. Additionally, during the failure several unknown warning lights were displayed. After turning off and restarting the vehicle, the failure self-corrected on several occasions. Recently, the failure failed to self-correct and the vehicle was towed to the local dealer. While the vehicle was at the dealer, the mechanic experienced the failure but was unable to determine the cause of the failure. …”
NHTSA complaint #11490627, filed 2022-10, 16,000 milesRelated recalls
- 21V447000Jun 14, 2021Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2021-2022 K5 vehicles equipped with 2.5L T-GDI engines. The Rack-Mounted Motor Driven Power Steering (R-MDPS)…Covers: Kia K5 2021–2022
Related service bulletins
- 10242913Sep 25, 2023PITSTOP: AWD SYSTEM CONCERN DUE TO TIRE CIRCUMFERENCE - This Pitstop provides information regarding potential concerns with the All-Wheel-Drive (AWD) system due to tire sizes of…
- 10230616Jan 19, 2023CUSTOMER SATISFACTION CAMPAIGN: OWNER NOTIFICATION - This document is the owner notification advising that Kia has now developed a software upgrade that can be installed on your…
- 10202227Oct 6, 2021TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: REPLACEMENT OF MOBIS C-MDPS SMALL BEARING - This bulletin provides the procedure to replace the small bearing of the Column Motor Driven Power…
- 10200422Aug 13, 2021TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: PARTIAL REPAIR OF THE DUAL PINION MOTOR DRIVER POWER STEERING SYSTEM - This bulletin provides information regarding the availability of partial repair…
Steering: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 6 | 5% |
| 2021 | 7 | 4% |
Other parts of the 2021 Kia K5
57 complaintsElectrical system
46 complaintsOther or unknown
32 complaintsEngine
30 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
19 complaintsAir bags
10 complaintsBrakes
10 complaintsBody and structure
10 complaintsForward collision avoidance
9 complaintsLane departure
9 complaintsSeats
8 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
5 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2021 Kia K5
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 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