Which Kia K5 years should you avoid?

No Kia K5 model year in 2021–2021 scores in the flagged band. The weakest are 2021.

What is the best year for the Kia K5?

2021 is the best-scoring Kia K5 model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 60 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.

How many recalls does the Kia K5 have?

8 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Kia K5 model years. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

Which Kia K5 years to avoid

No Kia K5 model year in 2021–2021 falls into the flagged band. The weakest are 2021, and even those sit close to this model’s own median.

Ownership label · Kia K5 Full report

Grade 2021–2021

2021 vs model median 1.0×

Model median3× median

Electrical 30

Fuel System 23

Driver Assist 19

Weakest

2021

Best

2021

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Severity-weighted complaint volume and grade by model year for the Kia K5
Year	vs median	Reports	Grade
2021	1.00×	166	C
2022 P	1.76×	212	D
2023 P	1.02×	152	C
2024 P	0.23×	40	A
2025 P	0.51×	68	B

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What owners report

The component groups most often named, with one representative report. These are unverified — allegations, not findings.

2021 C 166 reports · median 10,400 mi

Electrical 30

The contact owns a 2021 kia k5. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, an unknown warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. owner complaint filed with NHTSA
Fuel System 23

When filling up the gas tank on 3 separate occasions the station pump failed to cut off causing fuel to leak unto the surrounding surface. The kia k 5 is leased vehicle that I entered into contract in july 2021. owner complaint filed with NHTSA
Driver Assist 19

I was driving 35 MPH with nobody in front of or behind me and the car slammed on automatic braking for no reason, stopping me in the middle of the road. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

8 crash · 2 fire · 9 injuries

The best year for the K5

Ranked by overall score among years with a full 60 months on the road.

2021 is the best-scoring K5 model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 60 out of 100 — a score that combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.

Best-scoring model years
Year	vs median	Reports	Grade
2021	1.00×	166	C

Recalls

8 campaigns on record.

Recall campaigns, largest first
Campaign	Component	Model years	Units affected
25V794000	FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE	2021–2024	250,547
23V149000	AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW:CURTAIN	2021–2023	188,912
25V493000	STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS	2023–2025	100,063
25V351000	EXTERIOR LIGHTING:LIGHTING CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWARE	2025	82,281
22V760000	POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION	2021–2023	69,038
21V519000	FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS	2021, 2022	21,575
21V447000	LANE DEPARTURE: LANE KEEP: STEERING ASSIST	2021, 2022	846
21V164000	AIR BAGS: AIR BAG/RESTRAINT CONTROL MODULE	2021	142

How long do they last?

Complaint records show when problems get reported, not how long a car survives. Where owners gave an odometer reading, faults on the 2021 were reported at a median of 10,400 miles. Treat that as the point problems start being noticed, not a lifespan.

Common questions

Answered directly from this model’s record.

Which Kia K5 years should you avoid?: No Kia K5 model year in 2021–2021 scores in the flagged band. The weakest are 2021.
What is the best year for the Kia K5?: 2021 is the best-scoring Kia K5 model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 60 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
How many recalls does the Kia K5 have?: 8 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Kia K5 model years. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2021 K5

Complaints in window: 166
Severity-weighted: 215
Model median (weighted): 215
vs model median: 1.00×
Recall campaigns (weighted): 6
Open investigations: 0

Score 60 C