2022 Kia K5: What to check before buying

The under-hood fuse box overheats and melts at the HVAC fuse. This knocks out the blower motor, and with it the AC and heat. Some owners get it working again for a while by pressing or shaking the fuse. Dealers link the problem to TSB CS2301, and one owner was quoted almost $2000 outside warranty. Reported mileages run from 24,000 to about 91,000. With no blower, defrost stops working and windows fog. Other reports describe no-starts with ESC and no-key warnings, limp mode, the stereo jumping to full volume with static, and one fire at the console charging port.

The fuel tank expands, often with a loud bang, and pushes the rear seat up. In some cases it lifts a child seat out of position. Reports describe a strong gasoline smell, fuel dripping, a gauge that suddenly reads empty, fuel spraying out at the pump, and stalling. Dealers tie it to the fuel tank expansion recall. Many reports are about the repair itself: weeks without a fix or a loaner, parts on order, and tanks that expanded again after the recall work. Several owners say Kia offered to buy the car back.

The fuel tank expands and lifts the rear seat, usually with a loud boom. Check engine and low fuel lights follow, the fuel gauge drops toward empty, and the car may jerk or hesitate. Dealers point to a failed purge control solenoid valve or an EVAP fault and connect it to Service Campaign SC288. Reported mileages run from about 47,940 to 81,000. Repairs can take three weeks, and the expansion can damage the rear seat support metal. Owners report that dealers or the manufacturer offered buybacks in some cases.

The most common complaint is a sudden loss of power. The engine revs but the car will not accelerate, or it sits at a stop until restarted. Owners also report jerky, delayed or slipping shifts, a transmission that will not downshift, and shaking with misfire codes. Reported mileages cluster between 31,000 and 38,000. Dealers often find no code, and one owner says the symptoms returned months after a recall repair. The filings include a crash with 2 injuries blamed on lost acceleration, an injury tied to power loss on the interstate, and a fire in a parked car.

All 9 complaints come after crashes, and most say the front air bags or all of them failed to deploy. These include frontal and side impacts at speeds from 30 to 60 mph. Injuries reported include fractures, concussions and a sternal fracture, and one crash killed two people while only the side bags deployed. A smaller group blames the bags that did deploy, citing shrapnel from a seat side bag and a bag above the pedals large enough to hurt the driver's leg. Several also say automatic braking or collision warning did nothing before impact.

While driving, the steering stiffens, sticks or locks, which makes it hard to stay in the lane. Reports describe a wheel that drifts into the next lane above 20 mph, binds on curves, and makes a high-pitched rattle with a slight shake. A dealer confirmed one failed power steering motor under 50,000 miles, and another failure came near 35,000. Two crashes with injuries followed sudden stiffening or lockup, one into a ravine and one into a guard rail. No warning lights appeared beforehand. One complaint filed under steering actually describes the engine stalling.

The engine splash shield breaks down in rain. One owner has replaced it twice at over $500 each and says many cars from this model year have the same problem. The remaining reports are scattered: chipping paint on a door, glass between the windshield and sunroof shattering while the car sat parked, and a door swinging open on the highway. One report of a bang, gas smell and stumbling matches the fuel tank expansion problem. Another blames a detached bumper on undisclosed accident repairs, not a factory defect.

One pattern is sudden stalling. The engine dies while the radio, dash and lights stay on, then restarts normally and the check engine light clears. Other complaints cite misfires blamed on piston rings, and an engine that failed and began smoking with warranty coverage denied. Two reports are really about the fuel tank. One describes an expansion that left the car unsafe to drive. The other cites an open fuel-system recall: a damaged check valve can let the tank swell against hot exhaust parts and melt, and no remedy is available yet.

Most reports here are the fuel tank expansion problem showing up at the rear seat. Owners describe a loud boom, the back seat popping out of its clips, and gasoline fumes strong enough to cause lightheadedness. Some also report fuel gauges that disagree with the range reading and pumps that will not dispense fuel. One owner says the expansion happened twice. The other complaints are unrelated: a driver's seat heater that shuts off within 30 seconds, a dead wireless charger, and a trunk and seat pass-through that locked shut with even the emergency release failing.