Owners have filed 206 complaints on the Kia Cadenza, covering 2014–2019. The system named most often is Engine (36 reports). Worst years by volume: 2014, 2015, 2017; cleanest: 2019, 2018, 2016. 8 reports describe a crash, 6 a fire. On average the car was 6.4 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Kia Cadenza
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 206 Cadenza complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Engine 36 Read
Failure of Oil Pressure Sensor resulting in oil leaking into wiring harness, this is the same problem with 3.3L engines in other models that KIA has extended coverage. I contacted KIA Customer Care and was told they tracked VIN and not enough Cadenzas had reported the same repair. If the problem is with the engine…
Vehicle has been properly maintained and at 78k miles, while at a stop sign, the engine seized. No warning signs from vehicle appeared
No prior issues/light on dashboard as the car was just serviced for coolant hose replacement. On my way home from work, the car stalled and loss power at the light. The signs were giving engine failure due to losing power then a clicking/ticking noise. After pulling over and giving the car a break I tried to restart…
Service Brakes 28 Read
Brake issue: I had an accident due to a brake failure on this car. I was driving very slowly going downhill (speeds 0 to 10 mph) in a line of cars stopping and going, stopping and going many times. At first the brake pedal felt normal as pressure was applied the car slowed then petal resistance would drop and the car…
I was braking approaching a light on a state road, when the brake went all the way to the floor suddenly and it felt as though the wheels locked up. The vehicle slowed but did not stop, I rear ended a vehicle in front of me
The contact owns a 2019 kia cadenza. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 21V137000 (service brakes, hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. Airport kia…
Electrical System 28 Read
Problem unknown, i was driving to my friends house with 2 kids, about 2 mins from the house the steering wheel light started flashing on my dashboard, nothing major happening, so slowed down got to the house. When at the house realized a light come from the engine bay. A fire started out of no where. I used a fire…
The contact owned a 2015 kia cadenza. While the vehicle was being operated, the front seat passenger noticed smoke and a burning odor coming from the air vents. The failure occurred without warning. The contact pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road and exited before the vehicle caught fire. The fire…
While driving home my vehicle began to smoke and leave fumes within the car. I pulled the vehicle immediately to inspect to find that my kickplate was on fire from below the kickplate. I pulled the panel off and doused out the flame. Now with the vehicle home I do not feel safe driving this vehicle knowing something…
Visibility 20 Read
The Windshield is a defect on the cadenzas, as the seals break on them. It lifts up while driving or even shutting my doors, which I see as a safety hazard. It causes water to leak into the car by where my feet are and from the top of the windshield as well. I believe this is causing my car and other cadenzas to also…
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Cadenza. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V158000 (Visibility) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of…
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Cadenza. The contact stated that there was water leaking into the vehicle from the top of the front windshield. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer, who stated there was no recall. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the…
Steering 17 Read
Hello, I wasn't notified of the recall on my vehicle. The steering wheel is extremely hard to turn and all of the system lights are on
Bought a left over 2017 kia cadenza in july of 18,within first 10,000 miles car started sounding like a helicopter,took to the dealership,they drove it,thought maybe a wheel bearing,replaced that,rotated tires told me to drive for awhile and see if that changed it,went back 3 weeks later saying need to rotate tires…
The vehicle steering wheel became hard to turn while driving. This could have caused serious accident and injury. The car also died on me while driving and impossible to turn the steering wheel while the vehicle is in motion. I then noticed a flashing light. This happened all at the same time and without notice. This…
Structure 8 Read
The contact owns a 2014 kia cadenza. The contact stated that while driving approximately 5 mph, another vehicle crashed into the driver side of the contact's vehicle. A police report was filed. The contact sustained a fractured neck and the passenger sustained back injuries that required medical attention. The vehicle…
The contact owns a 2015 kia cadenza. After inclement weather, the contact noticed water in the trunk of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing, but the details of the diagnosis could not be provided. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not made…
When I am driving home just a mile away from home I heard a pop noise similar to a balloon and my kids with me and I asked them did they have any balloons with you all . They say no and heard the same noise and I was thinking may be the tire popped but I didn't feel anything in my steering wheel . Then I started…
Air Bags 7 Read
The contact leased a 2017 kia cadenza. While driving 65 mph with the adaptive cruise control activated, the vehicle experienced unintended acceleration. As a result, the vehicle was involved in a front end collision. The air bags did not deploy. The contact sustained injuries to the cervical stenosis and a herniated…
I was driving down the road going 70mph and then another vehicle swerved and struck my vehicle causing us to hit barrier and rollover 4-6 times. None of the airbags went off and me and 2 other passengers sustained injuries
I happen to be driving from work,and loud noise caused me to hit wall,as I was transported to hospital
Fuel/propulsion System 5 Read
Shortly after filling fuel tank a strong raw fuel odor emanated from the left side of the vehicle near the fuel door. The smell was most pronounced outside the vehicle. Initially I thought some fuel had spilled, but the smell lasted several days until the tank was depleted to 1/2 full, and immediately came back upon…
This is a continuation of previous NHTSA complaint id 11047835. The strong raw fuel odor after fillup recurred on my vehicle at 9550 miles, 3600 miles after this problem was supposed to be fixed. Dealer claims to have repaired gap in the previously-replaced high pressure fuel pump seal; however, fuel smell remains…
Unknown
Cadenza years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Service Brakes, Hydraulic | — | — | |
| 2018 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2017 | Air Bags | 4 | 1 | |
| 2016 | Electrical System,unknown Or Other,engine | — | — | |
| 2015 | Air Bags | 1 | 2 | |
| 2014 | Air Bags | 3 | 3 |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 59 |
| Average complaints per series | 3.5 |
| Worst single series | 15 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 6.4 years |
A model average of 3.5 hides a worst series at 15. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the Cadenza?
By complaint volume, 2014, 2015, 2017 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which Cadenza years are the cleanest?
2019, 2018, 2016 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Kia Cadenza have?
206 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2014–2019. Of those, 8 describe a crash and 6 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.