Kia America, Inc
An engine compartment fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
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The 2014 Kia Cadenza has 110 NHTSA owner complaints and 3 active recall campaigns on file. Here's the breakdown — what's serious, what's noise, and what a working mechanic would actually do about it.
The 2014 Kia Cadenza has 110 NHTSA owner complaints and 3 recalls on file (U.S. federal records, as of August 2026). The most-reported system is brakes at 19 complaints, typically surfacing around 58,583 miles (~$450 to repair). Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.
| Model year | Owner complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 Cadenza (this page) | 110 | 3 |
| 2015 Cadenza | 48 | 2 |
| 2016 Cadenza | 14 | 2 |
| 2017 Cadenza | 31 | 2 |
Solid reliability overall. Common issues are concentrated in a few systems.
Worth owning if you verify the specific issues below before you buy.
Our read of the federal NHTSA complaint and recall record for this exact year and model — not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection. How we score.
Here's what this model is known to do — so you can inspect for it, price it in, or make the seller fix it before you sign.
⚠ The one to take seriously: engine is flagged severe on this model , showing up around 91,938 mi. Inspect it closely on a test drive.
Run the VIN from the listing — 3 active recalls on this model. Recall repairs are always free.
Verdict for buyers: 7.2/10 model. The priciest documented failure is engine (~$3,100) — get the seller's service records for it or inspect closely. Otherwise an average-risk used buy at a fair price.
We tell you what this model is known for and what to inspect — a vehicle-history report tells you what this exact car has been through. Smart buyers get both.
See the full pre-purchase inspection checklist →The vehicle has been carefully maintained and received the 144,000-mileage thorough maintenance service which was performed at the KIA dealership in August 2023 three months prior to the incident. While driving in November 2023 the Malfunction Indicator Light came on. I took…
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Cadenza. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The ABS warning light and the check engine warning light were illuminated. The…
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Cadenza. The contact stated that the vehicle was included in a recall 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) and was taken to the dealer for the recall repair. After the repair was completed, while attempting to accelerate, the vehicle hesitated before…
Several times the car has accelerated without me pushing on the gas pedal. Kia has been unable to find a problem.
Drag to your current mileage. Numbers are derived from this vehicle's complaint history.
An engine compartment fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
A front windshield that detaches from a vehicle can increase the risk of a crash or injury.
A wheel fracture could cause the circular rim to separate, resulting in a loss of tire pressure, increasing the risk of a crash.
NHTSA has an open defect investigation covering this vehicle — the step that can precede a recall, not a finding of fault. AQ23002 on NHTSA →
How NHTSA investigations work, and what's open now →
Mostly yes. With a reliability score of 7.2 out of 10 based on 110 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2014 Kia Cadenza is generally a sound vehicle. The areas to watch are listed in the top problem section above — most are budget items, not deal-breakers.
The 2014 Kia Cadenza is acceptable, with specific caveats. Worth owning if you verify the specific issues below before you buy. The record behind that call: Reliability score 7.2/10 — around the segment average; 3 recall campaigns on file. This is our read of the federal complaint and recall data — not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection.
Inspect the brakes first — it's the most-reported issue on this model, with 19 owner complaints filed. Typical failure occurs around 58,583 miles. Average repair cost runs about $450 at an independent shop. Also confirm any open recalls have been completed by running the VIN, and ask for service records covering the problem areas listed above.
It scores 7.2 out of 10 on our NHTSA-based read of 110 owner complaints. The main thing to watch is brakes. Typical failure occurs around 58,583 miles. Priced fairly and clean on inspection, it's a reasonable used buy. Our data covers what this model is known for — pair it with a vehicle-history report on the VIN to see what that specific car has been through.
Based on NHTSA records, the most-reported issue is brakes, with 19 complaints filed. Typical failure occurs around 58,583 miles. Average repair cost runs about $450 at an independent shop.
The brakes is one of the costlier repair items. Average repair cost runs about $450 at an independent shop. Typical failure occurs around 58,583 miles. Catching early warning signs can sometimes extend life by 20–30,000 miles.
Paste your VIN into the decoder at the top of this page. We pull live from NHTSA, so you'll see exactly which campaigns apply to your vehicle and whether the dealer has logged the fix. Recall repairs are always free regardless of mileage or warranty status.
Math is straightforward: a quality service contract runs $1,800–3,500 over 3 years. With 110 complaints on file and the costliest repair averaging $450, one major failure more than pays for it. The catch is reading the contract — many providers exclude wear items and require pre-authorization, so cheaper plans are not always better value.