2021 Kia K5: Reliability Data

216
Total Complaints
16,975mi
Median Mileage
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Top Issue
8
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

3,213 25th Percentile
16,975 Median Mileage
52,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
39
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
35
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
26
ENGINE
23
POWER TRAIN
14
AIR BAGS
10
STRUCTURE:BODY
9
SERVICE BRAKES
8
STEERING
7
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
7

Severity Assessment

8
Crashes
3
Fires
9
Injuries
1
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"WAS DRIVING TO WORK ON FREEWAY AND A DEER JUMPED OUT IN FRONT OF CAR, I HIT IT BETWEEN 65-70 MPH AND NOT ONE OF THE MANY AIRBAGS INSTALLED ON THIS BRAND NEW CAR DEPLOYED . THE POLICE OFFICER AT THE SCENE SAID I'M LUCKY TO BE ALIVE."
"KEEP LOST WIRELESS CARPLAY SCINAL."
"TRANSMISSION REQUIRES TOTAL REPLACEMENT WITHIN 5 DAYS OF PURCHASE OF NEW CAR. VEHICLE WAS PARKED WHEN TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAK WAS DISCOVERED. IT WAS DRIVEN BACK TO THE DEALER, WHICH IS NEARBY, BUT THIS EXPERIENCE HAS SHAKEN OUR FAITH IN THE SAFETY AND BUILD QUALITY OF THIS 2021 KIA K5 GT-LINE."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 39 complaints
25th: 2,400 mi Median: 10,475 mi 75th: 21,482 mi
ENGINE 23 complaints
25th: 2,268 mi Median: 3,142 mi 75th: 15,463 mi
POWER TRAIN 14 complaints
Median: 298 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

FL: 38 TX: 38 CA: 38 GA: 20 NC: 8 VA: 8 TN: 8 IL: 7 OH: 5 MN: 5

Who Files Complaints?

1.4%
Original Owners
98.6%
Second+ Owners

Kia K5 — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

YearComplaintsCrashes
202219030
202312510
2024291
2025526

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28