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ProblemsByVin Index / 2017-KIA-CADENZA / COMPLAINTS
Full complaint record · NHTSA

2017 Kia Cadenza owner complaints

31 complaints filed with NHTSA on this vehicle , including 3 reporting a crash, fire, injury, or fatality. Showing the 300 most recent — grouped by category for scanning.

other 5 complaints shown

11/21/2017 3,100 mi ODI #11047835.0

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 next fill up. No CEL or codes were thrown, and drivability was not affected. Dealer service department initially misdiagnosed problem as clogged fuel vent lines, but on the second visit they appear to have correctly identified the issue as a leaking seal around the high pressure fuel pump atop the vehicle's fuel tank. Dealer invoice notes the fuel pump gasket was "torn apart." (the invoice incorrectly notes the smell was apparent inside the vehicle, not the outside.)

11/07/2018 9,550 mi ODI #11150022.0

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 when tank is full until depleted to about half. I ask NHTSA to investigate this recurring problem with the Kia cadenza.

09/01/2019 13,888 mi Crash ODI #11252659.0

Pulling into a parking space in a parking lot had my foot on the brake to stop when the car suddenly surged forward rapidly. Foot was not on the accelerator when this occurred.

07/28/2024 ODI #11604964.0

While driving 80 mph on Interstate 25 in Wyoming, my wife, great granddaughter (in a car seat), and I (driver) suddenly heard a LOUD bang, followed by wind noise coming from the top of the car. I opened the moonroof and found that the sunroof had exploded and shattered. We were on the northbound lanes with no traffic, other than 1 pickup truck in front of us by approximately 200 yards.There was no evidence of debris hitting it. Temperature was in the low 80’s at approximately 5:30 pm. I have no explanation for the sunroof exploding. Being that the incident happened on Friday evening, I have yet to take the vehicle into a dealer or glass shop

05/26/2023 ODI #11523998.0

McGrath Arlington Kia in Palatine, Illinois stated I had a recall I live over 55 miles from this location. Base on the distance my contract states I can pick a closer location. When I contacted Bill Walsh Kia in Ottawa, Illinois. Service department stated they can not find the recall in there system, so they can't fix the recall. Their explanation was that my car had done made in Korea a Kia motor corporation. So I'd have to take it to Korea to get it fixed. Please advise on fixing recalls for this car. I didn't know this would be an issue when I purchased it. Cell [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

electrical 4 complaints shown

6 total in this category · severe · avg repair $850 · see electrical cluster analysis →
10/14/2025 ODI #11693269.0

Multiple oil, engine/knocking issues. Drove the car unaware of loss of oil ( disguised as water from days rain) no oil light or engine light appeared. When I took to dealer the leak was fixed.Multiple times of loss of oil and only once did it show on dash.I kept taking to dealership for loud knocking and was told it wasn’t reproduced. But fixed a gasket/manifold more than once. overheating of engine when I was driving out driveway. I turned around parked and had it towed to dealership. Stated faulty sensor then was called back & told i needed to pay for the fan wires that kept the engine cool because they had melted in the process.i have had issues with right brake fluid and boot as well. Changed brakes.most of the time It has been loss of oil or engine knocking then needed to rebuild the

07/22/2021 ODI #11426005.0

This is about a recall not solved in timely manner by KIA Van Nuys Dealer and must include the Corporate Office since they were informed by me that the dealer did not respond to my inquiries after many attempts, from my side, in order to resolve the recall. The original letter from Kia Motor America, Inc. , Corporate Headquarters, 111 Peters Canyon Road, Irvine, CA 92606-1790, USA, was dated April 30, 2021, being received by me about 10 days after. I did call the dealer and got an appointment for 5/22/2021. That day the recall was not resolved since the part the dealer had was not for the Cadenza. I return a week later on 5/29/2021 and the recall could not be solved since they did not received the part. After that I waited for another 10 days before call the dealer to find out what was the

07/12/2018 3,000 mi ODI #11110901.0

Outside air temp sensor has defect. It reads 32 degrees f. When temps are over 80 f outside. Won't allow auto air conditioning to work. The engine emission control warning light comes on and stays on. Have had in the dealership 3 times and they keep telling me my gas cap is not sealing. It's reset and it comes back on again.

03/29/2026 ODI #11727779.0

The vehicle harness is burned and under recall sc206 for HECU fuses that was allegedly repaired which should have required a check of the harness connections . part number 91223f6632 is for the wire harness during engine replacement for campaign wty039 I was told the harness was melted and needed replacing , dealer put the car back together and told me we had to wrap up the work and return rental and get my car knowing it is a fire hazard I was in contact with warranty company for escalation who would not cover the recall part according to the dealer , I am still in escalations with Kia I have been left with no vehicle .engine repair was completed via dealer ,but they have reinstalled the broken harness and told me the car is ready for pick up. I am a disabled woman with small children an

airbags 2 complaints shown

10/02/2025 ODI #11691010.0

I am submitting a complaint regarding my 2017 Kia Cadenza related to an ongoing airbag system failure and Kia’s refusal to cover the repair under their existing airbag warranty extension. My VIN is included in Kia’s WTY027 warranty extension, which extends coverage for repairs related to the Airbag Warning Light illumination from 5 years/60,000 miles to 15 years/unlimited miles. Despite this, Kia Affairs has denied coverage because the diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) pulled by the dealership do not “exactly match” the codes listed in the extension, even though the warning light is on and the issue affects the Supplemental Restraint System (SRS). Kia Affairs acknowledged the problem and escalated the case to their District Parts & Service Manager (DPSM) for possible goodwill coverage. Ho

07/20/2018 10,000 mi Crash ODI #11112627.0

Tl* 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 disk in the lower back that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an auto body shop where it was deemed operable. The dealer was not contacted to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000.

seatbelts 2 complaints shown

08/08/2023 60,000 mi ODI #11537234.0

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Cadenza. The contact stated that the front passenger’s seat belt failed to latch or retract as designed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the upper and lower seat belt retractor had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not yet been repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

04/03/2021 ODI #11406176.0

The drivers side seat belt quit rolling up so they would not work in a crash. Dealer notified three weeks still no parts

brakes 2 complaints shown

3 total in this category · severe · avg repair $450 · see brakes cluster analysis →
07/03/2018 14,000 mi Crash ODI #11105339.0

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 would speed up due to the downhill grade. I applied foot pressure to petal again and the same thing happened over and over again. I slowly ran into the back of the car in front of me. I hit the car in front of me many times as it moved forward. This car has an autonomous emergency braking (aeb) equipped on it. The aeb is supposed to apply brakes when you're about to hit something. It's supposed to turn off at about 6 MPH, in this traffic my speed vary through this poin

05/21/2021 ODI #11418007.0

The contact owns a 2017 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 local dealer was contacted and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

engine 2 complaints shown

7 total in this category · moderate · avg repair $3,100 · see engine cluster analysis →
06/02/2024 ODI #11592024.0

A little history, my Cadenza was placed at KIA of Bradley [XXX] 2024, I complained of oil burning, the oil sending unit light staying on and the engine dying. The Kia rep found “THE OIL PRESSURE SENDER INTERNALLY FAULTED, LEAKING OIL INTERNALLY – OIL LEAKING DOWN TO PIGTAIL HARNESS”. The Oil pressure switch and wiring harness lead were replaced. Here lies the problem. During my visit in Feb, I told Kia about the burning oil smell, I provided a video of the smoke coming from the engine and the oil light staying on. I was relying on Kia’s expertise because it’s their product. The complaints I had were about the same issues the KIA Sorento 3.3 L had, considering my Cadenaza has a 3.3 GDI engine also. The Sorento’s engine was recalled. Move forward to [XXX], 2024, I brought my Cadenaza to Ki

04/22/2026 ODI #11732978.0

Engine oil light is on and there is a burning smell when I drive. Fear of a fire breaking out in the engine when driving or parked. Had it looked at by a technician and they expressed those concerns to me and that brings me great worry. The service technician believed it was just the oil cap being loose but there was no evidence of that.

tires 1 complaint shown

08/20/2019 22,500 mi ODI #11245195.0

I have 4 hancook ventis s1 noble 2+ tires on my 2017 Kia cadenza. The size and DOT numbers are 245/45r18 96v DOT 5mef 1a h 0217 I have a bubble, in the sidewall, in one tire that may be the result of a crack in the sidewall. The tires are very noisy particularly at low speeds and the rear tires are at 4/32" depth at 22,500 miles. Can you advise me if these tires are part of a recall? Thanks for any help you can give me. Regards, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

suspension 1 complaint shown

05/21/2019 17,000 mi ODI #11209114.0

Car cupped tires around 17000 miles. Dealer blamed me for car not being aligned and not rotated frequently enough I.e. 7500 miles. I disagreed with dealer filed complaint with Kia and they made a compromise and I paid for 2 tires and Kia paid for 2 tires, different tire brand than previous tires. Car again cupped tires around 44000 miles. I heard sound immediately after tire rotation back to front. Took car to Kia sean the service manager confirmed front tires were cupped. Took car to Kia dealer a week or so later to diagnose problem. They looked at car it was within alignment specs and tire rotations done approx. Every 7500 miles. Kia dealer then told me that they believed that the tires were at fault and were going to contact tire manufacturer to replace tires. I strongly disagre

Showing 300 of 31 total complaints. The full federal record is available at nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2017/Kia/Cadenza#complaints.
Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) owner complaint database. Last synced 2026-06-14. Complaints are owner-submitted and unverified — the existence of a complaint is not proof of a defect, but a pattern of complaints around the same component is a signal worth weighing. Verify any specific filing at nhtsa.gov.
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