2015 Kia Cadenza Recalls & Complaints

Incident: March 25, 2026 · Filed: March 25, 2026

Vehicle: 2015 Kia Cadenza Issue: Open HECU Safety Recall — Fire Risk I am the owner of a 2015 Kia Cadenza with an open HECU recall related to a known fire risk. I have been experiencing a burning smell inside the cabin of the vehicle, consistent with the recall defect. Upon contacting Kia Consumer Assistance, I was advised not to drive the vehicle due to the fire risk and to have it towed to a dealer. However, after calling multiple Kia dealers in the Pittsburgh, PA area, the earliest available appointment is over one week away. Kia Consumer Assistance called dealers on my behalf and was unable to secure an earlier appointment. They said they could "Look into a potential reimbursement of $55/day for a rental vehicle." but could not confirm a loaner. I am concerned that Kia is not treating this recall with the urgency a fire risk warrants. I WAS NOT PROACTIVELY CONTACTED ABOUT THIS RECALL DESPITE MY VIN BEING AFFECTED. I am now without transportation, my vehicle cannot be safely driven or stored in an enclosed space, and I am waiting over a week for a repair on a vehicle that could combust. I am requesting NHTSA review whether Kia is adequately addressing this recall with appropriate urgency and dealer capacity.

Incident: August 24, 2025 · Filed: February 1, 2026

My entire Dash went Black. I could not see speed, gas level, milage. This is an extreme Hazard! I brought the car into "Crown KIA" in Clearwater to run a Diagnostic Check for 0.5 hour at $150 and they could not find the problem. I had no money to pay for additional time! I did research on this and found that this is a common problem with KIA's no matter what year!! Just because my particular VIN # is not on the recall should not absolve KIA from their duty to provide a safe reliable car!

Incident: May 1, 2024 · Filed: January 28, 2025

The bulbs had originally been replaced in 2021 at the dealer. We took the car to the dealer November 26, 2024 having noticed how dim they were around May 2024. The dealer states no problem was found, lights appear to be working normally. These are HID lights. The DS1 bulb color is white, and the composite lens color is clear. The dealer has no idea what the problem could be. Called the xenon bulb manufacturer. They believe that with the bulbs only being 4 years old and the light being bright and even white(they're rated 5K) the problem is elsewhere in the electrical system. The dealer made a similar comment about their color when the car was checked. The dealer rechecked the lights 01/26/25, still could not identify a problem, and suggested that we start by replacing the bulbs, then move on from there. These bulbs retail for $400 and headlight assemblies run about $1700 ea. I advised that you cannot see much past the front of the car with the lights on and that either the high beams or fog lights need to be on when conditions dictate the use of the lights. It is nearly impossible to discern road hazards such as potholes or potential problems on the roadside within the headlamps arc.

Incident: September 24, 2024 · Filed: October 3, 2024

Engine seized. 3.3L Lambda II GDI. This is the 2nd Hyundai/KIA product that the engine has seized on me. Both with bearing failure. Neither on the list of recalled engines. You need to do a more thorough investigation into Hyundai/KIAs engines. The brands share the same power trains across the entire line up for a number of years. This class of engines has been produced for YEARS along with the Theta class of engines that you already forced Hyundai/KIA to recall. This seizure has cost me THOUSANDS and additional THOUSANDS that I am unable to pay. I was forced to do a voluntary surrender of the vehicle due to this repairs! BEFORE completing the suggested maintenance totaling over 5 thousand dollars the service tech should have warned me that the engine wasn't going to last much longer instead of telling me that the repairs were necessary and could be dangerous. The dealer and this company took advantage of me and who knows how many others! NHTSA needs to do something about Hyundai/KIA!

Incident: October 1, 2024 · Filed: October 2, 2024

There are thousands of vejicles with a variant of the 3.3L V6 Lambda II GDI Hyundai/KIA class of engines on the road. There are hundreds if not thousands of complaints regarding different variants of this engine throught Hyundai/KIAs line up. All of them with seized engines. There are class action lawsuits in other countries regarding this engine. They have known since before 2015 that these engines were defective! Just like with the Theta class of engines these engines also have bad engine components. The metal that is used is subpar. These engines need to be recalled. Every owner needs a replacement engine. The little people need justice. Every day someone is affected by a Hyundai/KIA product in a major way. $11,000 dollar engine. Every service completed every repair completed every recall completed thousands of dollars invested into this vehicle only to have it fail me. Now I am stuck like many others with a car that I am forced to surrender to my lender because of the negligence of a huge corporation.

Incident: October 1, 2024 · Filed: October 1, 2024

PLEASE OPEN AN INVESTIGATION INTO HYUNDAI/KIA LAMBDA II CLASS OF ENGINES! THEY ARE LEAVING HUNDREDS OF FAMILIES STRANDED! NHTSA NEEDS TO DO BETTER! STAND UP TO KIA MAKE THEM FIX THESE ENGINES! ITS UNFAIR TO THE LITTLE PEOPLE AKA THE CONSUMER! STOP PROTECTING THE GIANT COMPANIES!

Incident: August 27, 2024 · Filed: September 24, 2024

At startup I experienced a knock in the engine which seemed to have gone away. I notified the KIA dealership of the issue. The service advisor told me to drive the vehicle in for service. While attempting to drive the vehicle in for service the vehicle TURNED OFF while going 55MPH without any warning at all. KIA diagnosed the vehicle with a failed crank bearing and that it can happen to high mileage vehicles despite imbecile maintenance records. I have read hundreds of complaints regarding the HYUNDAI/KIA 3.3L Lambda II class engines and faliures at various mileage. Prior to this vehicle i owned a 2012 Buick Regal CXL Turbo. When I decided I no longer wanted to invest any money into it it had over 280,000 miles on it. The engine and transmission were still running strong. I believe that the quality of the materials used and the workmanship is below what the standard should be. Also considering all of the problems that this corporation has had with other engines who is to say that these engines are not also defective?

Incident: September 2, 2024 · Filed: September 18, 2024

Engine seized without warning while driving at approx 50mph. This occurred within 6,000 miles of a KIA dealership performing a 6,000 dollar maintenance to the vehicle.

Incident: November 23, 2023 · Filed: May 17, 2024

I received a letter dated November 14, 2023 from KIA America identifying a defect in my vehicle which relates to motor vehicle safety. The defect in the hydrolic electronic control unit (HECU) may experience an electrical short in the engine compartment which can result in an engine fire while driving or parked. It is recommended to park outdoors and away from other vehicles. Status checks on the recall were done on 3/10/2024, 4/24/2024 and 5/17/2024 with KIA Customer Care Center at 800-333-4542 which as ot today the recorded message indicates no solution is available yet. I am preparing to take my family on a road trip in July and I am not happy about the suggestion of parking my car outdoors during Nebraska storm season.

Incident: November 14, 2023 · Filed: March 26, 2024

I received a recall letter dated [XXX] with NHTSA Recall #: [XXX] for 2015 Kia Cadenza Vin# [XXX] . I contacted Kia's customer care number on or around January 17, 2024 as I had started having more and more electrical problems associated with this recall. My compass direction on my rear view mirror has not worked for well over a year and a half. I cannot lock my car with my key fob going on a year now. If I do lock it with the key fob, my car alarm randomly goes off multiple multiple times. Now my interior lights are not properly going off when you shut the door, and flicker when manually turning them on. The letter clearly states that a fire could happen either while parked or driving. This is my primary means of transportation, but at this point it is going on 5 months since the recall was issued. I definitely have safety concerns at this point, and feel that this has taken far longer than should have. What are the next steps to actively get the ball rolling to get this taken care of so that we don't have to move forward in far more complicated ways? Thank you for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you with an active solution. : ) INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)