2025 Kia K5 Problems

What owners report

Owners of this 2025 model year most often describe tire problems, mainly sidewall bubbles and bulges on original-equipment tires, and some describe tread separation or blowouts. Sudden dropouts of lights, the dashboard, and the infotainment screen, along with hard or delayed shifts and driver assistance alerts, also come up. Many of these complaints give no mileage, and some tire bubbles appeared within the first month of ownership.

1. 1
   Tires

   Sidewall bubbles, tread separation, and blowouts

   • 17 complaints (31%)
   • median 2,500 mi at 1.0 yrs old (1 states mileage, few)
   • filed 2025–2026

   Owners describe bubbles or bulges on the sidewall of original-equipment tires, and others describe tread separation, uneven wear, or sudden blowouts, including while parked and at highway speed. Some say the tire pressure warning did not come on before the failure, and some describe delays or disputes with the dealer over replacement; another says the dealer called it a known issue with that tire brand. Owners say they were told a road hazard was to blame, but many report no impact or debris. Reported mileage runs from under 1,000 miles to about 28,000 miles, and some bubbles appeared within the first month of ownership.

   What to check: Ask whether the tires are the original equipment and check the sidewalls and tread for bubbles, bulges, or uneven wear before buying. Ask for the replacement history and any warranty or dealer records for the tires.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I brought my car into Dyer Kia on March 16, 2025 to replace my rear passenger side tire that had a bubble in it.They finally agreed to replace the tire and after being there for 4 1/2 hours they sent me on my way and I was within 5 miles of home and I did hit a small hole in the road and the tire immediately went flat. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11726488, filed 2026-03

   “Within 1 month of purchasing this vehicle (new), the front passenger tire developed a bubble in the sidewall. We had to argue with the dealership to get it replaced. It had less than 200 miles on it. 7 months later there is a bubble in the sidewall of the front driver side tire. There is less than 9,000 miles on these tires. This is a safety issue and a defect that is not being addressed. We keep being told we must have hit a bump or something to cause this. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11719809, filed 2026-02
2. 2
   Electrical system

   Sudden loss of lights, screen, and dash power

   • 8 complaints (15%)
   • typically at 0.9 yrs old
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2024–2026

   Owners describe the dashboard, infotainment screen, headlights, and interior lights dropping out while driving, sometimes for only a second or two before recovering, and often at night. In another report, the car lost all power at about 40 mph and rolled for a few seconds before it came back on. Dealers could not duplicate the problem in some visits, and a complaint links earlier screen reboots and power loss to a crash, though the link is unconfirmed. Mileage is not stated in these complaints, and most of the blackouts are described as happening at night.

   Recall 25V3510001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Ask whether any lighting control software recall or low-voltage ground wire bulletin has been performed, and check for stored electrical faults with a scan tool. On a test drive at night, check that the headlights and dashboard stay on during normal driving.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “While driving, the entire control panel shuts down including all interior and exterior lights. It completely resets everything including Bluetooth. It has happened 5 or 6 times since I got the car in October 2024. I’ve reported this to Stones Kia in Idaho Falls, and they were unable to duplicate the issue so they couldn’t do anything. It tends to only happen when I’m driving at night.”

   NHTSA complaint #11722397, filed 2026-03

   “I am the owner of a 2025 Kia K5 GT-Line that was recently involved in an accident. In the days prior to the crash, I experienced recurring issues including screen reboots while driving and temporary power loss. I do not remember the moment of the accident, and I am currently under medical care for head trauma. I am reporting this because I believe the vehicle may have malfunctioned in a way that contributed to the accident. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11671380, filed 2025-07
3. 3
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Hard shifts and slow or missing gear changes

   • 7 complaints (13%)
   • median 24,000 mi at 0.0 yrs old (1 states mileage, few)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2025–2026

   Owners describe very hard or jerky shifts, most often on the first drive of the day after the car has sat, with the problem easing once it warms up. Other complaints describe the car not shifting to the next gear while accelerating, and slow or missing response after startup, with a driver limping to a gas station. Dealers reportedly could not duplicate the problem in some visits. The hard shifts are described mainly on the first drive of the day after the car has sat, and mileage is generally not recorded in these complaints.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the 8-speed shift logic update and the transmission control software update have been applied. On a test drive, check for hard or delayed shifts from a cold start on the first drive of the day.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I had plenty of time to pull onto a perpendicular street. While accelerating the car would not shift to next gear. It hit about 4.2 rpm and still did not shift. I was almost hit!!!! After pulIing over to safety, I ensured it was not in manual mode. Started driving again and It wouldn’t go more than like 20 mph. I pulled over a second time and shut it off. Started it up again and it worked fine. 603 miles on this car. Kia is not interested in quality it seems.”

   NHTSA complaint #11647987, filed 2025-03

   “The K5 - as soon as I began driving it at 0 miles, I noticed it shifted at lower speeds extremely hard. Head-jerking hard during the first drive of each day at speeds below 25mph. Once the vehicle warmed up, the problem would go away and wouldn't appear until the next day - after the vehicle cooled down completely. I thought, maybe there was a break-in period. So I drove it for about 250 total miles. At that point, I made a service call and brought it into the dealership. I left it overnight. Explained all of the symptoms. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11691491, filed 2025-10
4. 4
   Other or unknown

   Driver assistance alerts and unexpected braking

   • 7 complaints (13%)
   • typically at 1.5 yrs old
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2025–2026

   Owners describe driver assistance warnings that appear without a real hazard, including a collision warning while the car was parked and brakes that engaged during a highway merge. Other complaints describe a front camera obstruction alert that appears in daylight and disables safety features, and a driver attention warning that repeats more often than the manual suggests and distracts the driver. In another case, after the cruise control was turned off, the owner says the car accelerated and then braked hard, airbags deployed, and the car was a total loss. Mileage is not stated in these complaints, and the braking events are described at highway speeds such as 65 and 70 mph.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Ask whether the airbag control unit software bulletin for forward-collision components has been applied, and whether any stored driver assistance faults were found. On a test drive, check that alerts and braking do not occur without cause and that the front camera shows no obstruction warning in daylight.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “While driving on the interstate at 70 miles an hour on cruise, I turned off cruise control in order to take control of my vehicle in order to change lanes and my car immediately took back the control and accelerated and then abruptly hit brakes at 70 miles an hour throwing me forward hitting my head which caused unconsciousness and when I came to, My air bags had deployed and my car was total lossed. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11729846, filed 2026-04

   “The first time the collision warning lights and sounds came on when I was parked but had my engine on in the morning of 7/21/2026. The second time was when I was merging on a busy highway with cars going 65+mph... There were no cars around me, but the collision warning said crash, the sounds came on, and my brakes went into effect. I pulled off the road, and now I am terrified to drive my car. I called KIA and told them this. They sent out a tow. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11752288, filed 2026-07

Buying note. Ask whether the tires are original equipment and check the sidewalls for bubbles before buying, and ask for the service history of any tire replacements. On a test drive, check that the lights and dashboard stay on and that shifts are smooth from a cold start.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 49 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.