2018 Kia Stinger Problems

What owners report

Complaints on this model year cluster around two areas: the high-pressure fuel pump, where owners describe hesitation, sputtering and sudden loss of power, and engine oil-pressure and turbo oil feed line problems that sometimes come with oil leaks and smoke. A smaller group concerns brake shudder and the brake vacuum pump, headlight brightness failures, and infotainment or electrical glitches. Many complaints reference an open recall on the same part.

1. 1
   Fuel system

   Loss of power / hesitation from high-pressure fuel pump

   • 21 complaints (30%)
   • median 63,500 mi at 6.2 yrs old (10 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2019–2026

   Owners describe the car hesitating, sputtering or stalling while accelerating, sometimes with the check engine light on, and in several cases a total loss of drive power at highway speed. The high-pressure fuel pump is the part most often named by dealers and independent shops. Several complaints say the parts were not yet available for the recall repair, and some report the symptom returned after the recall work was done. Spread across the mileage range, with several reports between roughly 45,000 and 140,000 miles; often described as intermittent while accelerating or driving uphill.

   Recall 23V6340002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether recall 23V634000 (fuel pump control valve) was completed and get the paperwork; also scan for stored fuel-pressure codes such as P0088 and P0172. A test drive that includes a hard pull and an uphill grade can reveal hesitation.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “All of a sudden while driving on the road my vehicle lost total power in the middle of an intersection. I would pres the gas pedal and got no response the vehicle would not go. I had to turn car off and try starting it again then the vehicle got power. This keeps happening not everyday but it's happening about once a week while driving. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11547591, filed 2023-10

   “Casey Kia located in Newport News Virginia continues to delay the replacement of my fuel pump. I was told it was replaced but 2 weeks later I was having the same issue to the point where my car was decelerating on the interstate. After I took it back in for them to repair it I was told they would look into it. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11604694, filed 2024-07
2. 2
   Engine

   Engine oil leaks, oil pressure light and turbo oil feed line

   • 29 complaints (41%)
   • median 76,635 mi at 6.5 yrs old (12 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2018–2026

   Complaints describe the oil pressure warning light coming on at idle, oil pooling or burning under the hood, a strong oil smell and sometimes smoke from the engine bay. Several owners say the dealer traced it to the oil pressure switch or the left turbocharger oil feed pipe and hose; a few report engine knocking or seizure afterward. Some note the dealer declined repair, citing gaps in oil change records or that their vehicle was not included in the recall. Reports range from around 22,000 miles up to about 139,000 miles, with many clustered in the 70,000-120,000 mile range.

   Recall 24V1690003 related service bulletins

   What to check: Check the oil level and look for a fuel or burnt smell, and inspect the underside and turbo area for oil residue. Ask whether recall 24V169000 (turbo oil feed pipe) was completed and review oil change records.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Oil Pressure Switch is bad. Kia had a recall begin July 3, 2029 that the part was faulty and did extend to eligible vehicles to 15 years or 150,000 miles. This part is known problem in the make and model of the Kia Stinger and I now have this issue with my 2018 Stinger GT2 with 115,000 miles. Many complaint on forums related to this but it seems that Kia has selected specific vehicles only. Oil light comes on when care is stopped at an idle. Then goes off and does happen when car is cold.”

   NHTSA complaint #11630695, filed 2024-12

   “Confirmed that the Oil Pressure Switch had to be replace. Kia had a recall begin July 3, 2019 that the part was faulty and did extend to eligible vehicles to 15 years or 150,000 miles. This part is known problem in the make and model of the Kia Stinger. My 2018 Stinger GT2 was not included in the recall. The dealer did replace and confirmed that the part number is 24V169000 which was included in the recall SC300 by Kia but my VIN was not included. Apparently they did not recall all the vehicles that have this safety hazard.”

   NHTSA complaint #11639447, filed 2025-01
3. 3
   Electrical system

   Electrical and infotainment glitches

   Mentioned in 8 of 60 sampled complaints

   Complaints include warning lights for ABS, traction control and auto hold appearing together and then clearing, hazard lights flashing on their own, front wiring harness damage under the hood, and infotainment units with no sound. Owners describe repeated dealer visits and, in some cases, waiting on recall parts. Reported across the range, with several at low mileage under about 12,000 miles.

   Recall 18V754000Recall 20V5180003 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether recall 18V754000 (front wiring harness inspection) was done, and check that the audio system produces sound on all sources. Note any stored ABS or traction-control codes during a pre-purchase scan.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The Kia dealership performed a manufacturer recommended update/replacement of the ecu. Before the replacement my car had ambiant lighting for the cabin that changed lights. After the ecu update/replacement the ambiant lighting doesn't not work and it's no longer an option in my cars settings.”

   NHTSA complaint #11182090, filed 2019-02, 12,000 miles

   “The vehicle was in car accident. Vehicle was in motion and had adaptive cruise control on and vehicle in front of me so it shifted down so car was in front of me and lane assist jerked the wheel as I was approaching the car in front of me and caused me to go into the other lane and and then it resumed speed because it did not realize a vehicle was coming the other way. At this time I had no control of the car. By the time I could get back over and got control of the vehicle it was to late and I hit someone and they died. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11242708, filed 2019-08, 8,500 miles
4. 4
   Brakes

   Brake shudder when stopping and hard brake pedal at startup

   • 6 complaints (8%)
   • median 11,000 mi at 1.7 yrs old (3 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2019–2023

   Owners report the steering wheel and pedal shaking when braking at speed, sometimes beginning at low mileage and persisting after rotor or pad replacement. A second pattern is a very hard, unresponsive brake pedal right after a cold start, which owners say made backing out of a driveway difficult; some had the vacuum pump or a vacuum line replaced. Mostly reported under about 15,000 miles; the hard-pedal complaints also appear on low-mileage cars right after startup.

   Recall 20V5180003 related service bulletins

   What to check: Test braking from highway speed for wheel or pedal shudder, and start the car cold to feel whether the pedal is firm before the engine has run a few seconds. Ask whether the brake vacuum pump service campaign SC204 was performed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Car has no brakes when initially starting it and backing out of my driveway. The brake pedal is so hard that I am unable to depress it. After a few seconds, the brake pedal behaves normally. This problem has resulted in me rolling out into the road more than once. I have had the car into the dealership to be analyzed and fixed three times. One time they replaced a vacuum line and the other two times they have replaced the vacuum pump. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11361690, filed 2020-09, 12,000 miles

   “I took my 2018Kia Stinger into my local authorized Service Center (Nationwide Kia, Timonium MD.) on August 17,2021 to check recall # SC204 (Brake Vacuum Pump) and they determined that the recall DOES need to be performed, but they did not have the part(s) in stock to perform the recall. They had me bring the car back on September 21, 2021 after they confirmed my reason for the return visit and accepted my appointment. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11446153, filed 2022-01
5. 5
   Exterior lighting

   High-beam shutter failure in headlight assembly

   • 6 complaints (8%)
   • median 1,550 mi at 1.4 yrs old (2 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2018–2026

   Owners describe the high beams simply stopping working, with the dealer attributing it to a failed shutter motor or stripped gears inside the sealed headlight. Complaints say the internal part cannot be serviced separately and the whole assembly is quoted, and a few mention poor aim or dim low beams from new. Reported from near-new mileage up to a few years old; several owners note the failure came on suddenly with no warning.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Cycle the low and high beams before buying and confirm both work on each side; also check for moisture or fogging inside the lenses and that the beams aim straight ahead.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Headlights cannot be adjusted side-2-side. Currently both driver and passenger side headlights point off center to the left, blinding on-coming traffic. This is also a massachusetts vehicle safety violation which could result in a rejection when the vehicle is due for inspection.”

   NHTSA complaint #11140710, filed 2018-10, 100 miles

   “The bright lights on both headlights stopped working instantly.. the design is flawed as it operates on a shutter using one bulb.. the malfunction is cause by premature failure of the gears in the shutter. The dealerships are aware of this problem as the shutter is also used in their Telluride vehicles as well… it causes safety issues when driving at night. Kia also knows the problem also the gear in the headlight can’t be replaced and Kia forces to replace whole headlight assembly which is $1200 per light.. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11634213, filed 2025-01

Buying note. Confirm in writing that the open fuel pump and turbo oil feed line recalls were completed, and review oil change records since some engine repairs were declined for maintenance gaps. A pre-purchase scan for stored codes plus a cold start and highway test drive covers most of what owners report here.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 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.