Owners have filed 14 complaints
about the 2026 KIA K4 with NHTSA between 2026 and 2026.
The largest single group is the driver assist & collision avoidance.
Every complaint is filed against a part. Follow any row for the complaints about that part alone.
Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance
750.0%
2 crashes, 0 fires · median 465 mi
Steering
321.4%
Other & Unspecified
214.3%
1 crashes, 0 fires
Tires
17.1%
1 crashes, 0 fires · median 465 mi
Acceleration & Cruise Control
17.1%
When owners complained
A spike years after the car went on sale usually means a part wearing
out on schedule across the whole fleet — the kind of pattern no single
owner can see from inside their own car.
Feb 2026peak 4Aug 2026
Recalls on the 2026 KIA K4
A complaint is one owner's allegation. A recall is the point at which
the manufacturer or a regulator agreed the defect is real and dangerous
enough to fix for free — however old the car is.
Canada — Transport Canada
Canada runs its own recall programme, and its campaigns do not
always mirror the American ones.
Recall 2026106307 units in Canada
Seats And Restraints
Issue: On certain vehicles, the rear center seat belt buckle may not have been manufactured properly. As a result, the seat belt may not latch securely. Note: This recall only affects certain K4 hatchback models. Safety Risk: A seat belt that doesn't latch properly could increase the risk of injury in a crash. Corrective Actions: To reduce the safety risk, Kia advises that you shouldn't transport a passenger in the rear center seat until the recall repairs are completed. Kia will notify owners by mail and advise you to take your vehicle to a dealership to inspect and, if necessary, replace the rear center seat belt buckle.
Reports where the owner recorded a crash, a fire, an injury or a death.
Scottsville, KYCrash
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
The contact owns a 2026 Kia K4. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds with the smart cruise control activated, the brake was applied inadvertently and the steering wheel steered to the right, overcorrecting his steering efforts. The contact state that the inadvertent braking and steering nearly caused the vehicle to crash and almost resulted in the vehicle being rear-ended by another vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the vehicle operating normally and there was no failure replicated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and multiple complaints were filed. The failure mileage was unknown.
NHTSA complaint #11741355 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Morgan City, LACrash1 injured
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My car was brand new with only 1442 miles. I was hit in the rear passenger side at a four way stop, this was not much force, however I was injured and my car was deemed a total loss. I fear this car ranks low in safety. Thankfully my daughter was not with me at the time.
NHTSA complaint #11739871 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 465 milesCaldwell, IDCrash
TIRES:PRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS
The contact owns a 2026 Kia K4. The contact stated while her daughter was driving at approximately 25 MPH, the lane assist feature was diabled however, the contact attempted to avoid a dog and the vehicle independently jerked the vehicle and caused the front driver side of the vehicle to crash into a fence. No warning lights were illuminated. The air bags were not deployed. The vehicle was taken back to the residence. A police report was filed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 465.
NHTSA complaint #11738505 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 465 milesCaldwell, IDCrash
LANE DEPARTURE: LANE KEEP: AUTOMATIC STEERING
The contact owns a 2026 Kia K4. The contact stated while her daughter was driving at approximately 25 MPH, the lane assist feature was diabled however, the contact attempted to avoid a dog and the vehicle independently jerked the vehicle and caused the front driver side of the vehicle to crash into a fence. No warning lights were illuminated. The air bags were not deployed. The vehicle was taken back to the residence. A police report was filed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 465.
NHTSA complaint #11738505 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The most recent complaints
In the owners' own words, exactly as filed with NHTSA.
Midlothian, VA
STEERING
The vehicle issues began 3 weeks after purchasing a 2026 Kia K4 with 89 miles on it. *"Key fob not recognized", black screen, car not starting and cascading into many other infotainment problems. ** Revving far higher (1.4 - 4.4) with the slightest acceleration ***Hesitating, them engaging so suddenly that steering is incredibly difficult. On more than one occasion, of someone had been in front of me, I would have hit them. ****All steering assist options OFF yet the car will take control and turn me towards oncoming traffic. I absolutely could have been in/caused a serious accident. •We have had it into the service department 3 times and they were "unable to replicate" in spite of the fact that the second technician was unable to lock/unlock the door while my husband was standing with him. They refused to see the videos that we had of some of the problems.They lied about how far it was driven. 2 of the visits the average speed limit was 23 and 25 mph. Total miles driven: 11 v/s the 39 reported. One visit claims 4 miles but our app shows nothing for the time it was being looked at. •I have asked many times if the computer system had been checked for error codes or glitches and no one will answer the question. •No warning lights, just MANY obvious computer system problems
NHTSA complaint #11755719 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Midlothian, VA
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The vehicle issues began 3 weeks after purchasing a 2026 Kia K4 with 89 miles on it. *"Key fob not recognized", black screen, car not starting and cascading into many other infotainment problems. ** Revving far higher (1.4 - 4.4) with the slightest acceleration ***Hesitating, them engaging so suddenly that steering is incredibly difficult. On more than one occasion, of someone had been in front of me, I would have hit them. ****All steering assist options OFF yet the car will take control and turn me towards oncoming traffic. I absolutely could have been in/caused a serious accident. •We have had it into the service department 3 times and they were "unable to replicate" in spite of the fact that the second technician was unable to lock/unlock the door while my husband was standing with him. They refused to see the videos that we had of some of the problems.They lied about how far it was driven. 2 of the visits the average speed limit was 23 and 25 mph. Total miles driven: 11 v/s the 39 reported. One visit claims 4 miles but our app shows nothing for the time it was being looked at. •I have asked many times if the computer system had been checked for error codes or glitches and no one will answer the question. •No warning lights, just MANY obvious computer system problems
NHTSA complaint #11755719 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Midlothian, VA
LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
The vehicle issues began 3 weeks after purchasing a 2026 Kia K4 with 89 miles on it. *"Key fob not recognized", black screen, car not starting and cascading into many other infotainment problems. ** Revving far higher (1.4 - 4.4) with the slightest acceleration ***Hesitating, them engaging so suddenly that steering is incredibly difficult. On more than one occasion, of someone had been in front of me, I would have hit them. ****All steering assist options OFF yet the car will take control and turn me towards oncoming traffic. I absolutely could have been in/caused a serious accident. •We have had it into the service department 3 times and they were "unable to replicate" in spite of the fact that the second technician was unable to lock/unlock the door while my husband was standing with him. They refused to see the videos that we had of some of the problems.They lied about how far it was driven. 2 of the visits the average speed limit was 23 and 25 mph. Total miles driven: 11 v/s the 39 reported. One visit claims 4 miles but our app shows nothing for the time it was being looked at. •I have asked many times if the computer system had been checked for error codes or glitches and no one will answer the question. •No warning lights, just MANY obvious computer system problems
NHTSA complaint #11755719 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Scottsville, KYCrash
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
The contact owns a 2026 Kia K4. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds with the smart cruise control activated, the brake was applied inadvertently and the steering wheel steered to the right, overcorrecting his steering efforts. The contact state that the inadvertent braking and steering nearly caused the vehicle to crash and almost resulted in the vehicle being rear-ended by another vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the vehicle operating normally and there was no failure replicated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and multiple complaints were filed. The failure mileage was unknown.
NHTSA complaint #11741355 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Morgan City, LACrash1 injured
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My car was brand new with only 1442 miles. I was hit in the rear passenger side at a four way stop, this was not much force, however I was injured and my car was deemed a total loss. I fear this car ranks low in safety. Thankfully my daughter was not with me at the time.
NHTSA complaint #11739871 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 465 milesCaldwell, IDCrash
TIRES:PRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS
The contact owns a 2026 Kia K4. The contact stated while her daughter was driving at approximately 25 MPH, the lane assist feature was diabled however, the contact attempted to avoid a dog and the vehicle independently jerked the vehicle and caused the front driver side of the vehicle to crash into a fence. No warning lights were illuminated. The air bags were not deployed. The vehicle was taken back to the residence. A police report was filed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 465.
NHTSA complaint #11738505 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 465 milesCaldwell, IDCrash
LANE DEPARTURE: LANE KEEP: AUTOMATIC STEERING
The contact owns a 2026 Kia K4. The contact stated while her daughter was driving at approximately 25 MPH, the lane assist feature was diabled however, the contact attempted to avoid a dog and the vehicle independently jerked the vehicle and caused the front driver side of the vehicle to crash into a fence. No warning lights were illuminated. The air bags were not deployed. The vehicle was taken back to the residence. A police report was filed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 465.
NHTSA complaint #11738505 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Jonesboro, GA
STEERING
Sometimes when I’m driving the steering wheel just jerks to the left sometimes causing me to swerve into incoming traffic. It’s very scary. Luckily I’m holding tight to the steering wheel to keep myself from hitting someone.
NHTSA complaint #11733624 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Jonesboro, GA
LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
Sometimes when I’m driving the steering wheel just jerks to the left sometimes causing me to swerve into incoming traffic. It’s very scary. Luckily I’m holding tight to the steering wheel to keep myself from hitting someone.
NHTSA complaint #11733624 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Jonesboro, GA
LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING
Sometimes when I’m driving the steering wheel just jerks to the left sometimes causing me to swerve into incoming traffic. It’s very scary. Luckily I’m holding tight to the steering wheel to keep myself from hitting someone.
NHTSA complaint #11733624 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
St. Louis, MO
STEERING
Steering Instability: The steering wheel would periodically veer to the right and left on its own without my input. This created an unsafe driving condition and required constant correction to maintain control of the vehicle. Blind Spot / Reverse Detection Malfunction: When shifting the vehicle into reverse, the dashboard display indicated that no vehicle was present. However, when visually checking my driver-side mirror, there was clearly a vehicle immediately adjacent to my car. The system failed to detect or warn of the nearby vehicle, creating a significant near missed accident and safety risk.
NHTSA complaint #11720323 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
St. Louis, MO
LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION
Steering Instability: The steering wheel would periodically veer to the right and left on its own without my input. This created an unsafe driving condition and required constant correction to maintain control of the vehicle. Blind Spot / Reverse Detection Malfunction: When shifting the vehicle into reverse, the dashboard display indicated that no vehicle was present. However, when visually checking my driver-side mirror, there was clearly a vehicle immediately adjacent to my car. The system failed to detect or warn of the nearby vehicle, creating a significant near missed accident and safety risk.
NHTSA complaint #11720323 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Steering Instability: The steering wheel would periodically veer to the right and left on its own without my input. This created an unsafe driving condition and required constant correction to maintain control of the vehicle. Blind Spot / Reverse Detection Malfunction: When shifting the vehicle into reverse, the dashboard display indicated that no vehicle was present. However, when visually checking my driver-side mirror, there was clearly a vehicle immediately adjacent to my car. The system failed to detect or warn of the nearby vehicle, creating a significant near missed accident and safety risk.
NHTSA complaint #11720323 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Los Angeles, CA
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
transmission stopped working when the vehicle was used under 200 miles.
NHTSA complaint #11718955 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.