2025 Kia K4

The insurance claim agent called on behalf of their insured driver, who rented a 2025 Kia K4. The contact stated that while their insured driver was attempting to reverse, the reverse sensor became inoperable with no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the reverse sensor failed to function properly. The contact stated that due to the failure, the rear of the vehicle crashed into a barrier. The driver did not suffer any injuries, and no medical attention was required. A police report was not filed. The contact stated that the air bags did not deploy during the incident. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The rental company was made aware of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was not available.

The digital instrument panel (including infotainment screen) has occasionally turned off and back on. An article showed Kia and Hyundai were going to have a recall at the end of March for this problem, but noted only 2025 K4 vehicles built after Aug 4, 2025 were involved, while the door frame shows my vehicle built 7/2025. Please include my vehicle VIN in the planned software update for the problem to correct the instrument panel screen occasionally turning off and back on. (vehicle recently bought Jan. 2026)

There are times my vehicle keeps accelerating even though I’m hitting the brakes. Once stopped, it then doesn’t want to accelerate. I’ve reported to the dealership and they try to tell me it’s the type of transmission it has and that it’s normal. Continuing to accelerate while braking is extremely unsafe. My engine is also making a ticking noise that it never used to make. I bought my car brand new in October of 2025. I left the dealership with 9 miles on it, I now have 25k miles on it and I don’t feel safe driving it. The lane assist and emergency braking system is also extremely inaccurate and over corrects when it shouldn’t especially in bad weather. Emergency braking is detecting stuff in front of me that isn’t actually there, same with in reverse it sees things extremely far away and prevents you from moving, although it’s safe to do so.

I am reporting a serious safety defect involving the brake pedal area of my newly leased Kia K4 GT-Line. There is a metal bracket/component located directly above the brake pedal that interferes with foot placement. My foot becomes caught on this bracket when attempting to apply the brake, which delays or prevents proper brake application. On [XXX], while exiting the roadway and attempting to stop at a stop sign, my foot became stuck on this bracket as I applied the brake. This caused a delay in braking and nearly resulted in an accident. I was shocked and frightened, as this situation could have resulted in a life-threatening collision. I took the vehicle to the dealership, Kia Beavercreek in Dayton, Ohio, for inspection. The dealership reviewed the vehicle and stated that they were unable to fix the issue. I was told there was “nothing wrong” with the vehicle and that I simply did not know how to drive it. Despite this, the obstruction remains and continues to interfere with safe braking. Because this defect directly affects my ability to safely apply the brakes, I do not feel safe operating this vehicle. This is a critical safety issue involving brake operation that poses a risk of serious injury or death. The vehicle has extremely low mileage, and the dealership has acknowledged the concern but stated it cannot be corrected. Photos of the brake pedal area are available and clearly show the metal bracket near the brake pedal that causes the obstruction I can not put life and others life in danger driving this car. Please assist INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Location: Intersection of [XXX] and [XXX] Lakeville, MN Date/Time: [XXX], at approximately [XXX] Vehicle: 2025 Kia K4 (911 call placed at 10:08 am) On [XXX], while traveling toward the roundabout at [XXX] and [XXX], my vehicle experienced a sudden and violent unintended acceleration. Despite having my foot completely off the gas pedal, the engine began to accelerate the vehicle rapidly on its own. I immediately attempted to regain control by pumping the brake pedal repeatedly with significant force. These efforts had no effect; the vehicle continued to accelerate faster and faster. As the speed increased, the vehicle began to swerve, and I realized I was losing control while rapidly closing the distance between myself, the roundabout, and the vehicles ahead of me. Fortunately, the right lane was clear. Because the vehicle was already veering in that direction and the brakes were failing to slow the car, I made a split-second decision to steer into a large snowbank to avoid a high-speed rear-end collision. The force of the impact with the snowbank was substantial, resulting in the front body panel and a lower front component being torn off the vehicle. The Lakeville Police and Fire Departments responded to the scene and were required to dig the vehicle out of the snow pile. I have attached the official police report to this statement. Had I not maintained a safe following distance or made the decision to steer off the road, the result would have been a catastrophic multi-vehicle collision. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

I am reporting ongoing safety issues with my Kia K4 LXS involving driver assistance systems and steering control. While driving in heavy rain with reduced visibility, the vehicle disabled multiple sensors and displayed a “camera obscured” message along with inattentive driving warnings, despite both of my hands being on the steering wheel and my full attention on the road. The loss of driver assistance features during hazardous weather conditions created a distracting and dangerous situation. This issue occurs frequently. I regularly receive false inattentive driving and hands-on-wheel warnings even when I am driving properly. These alerts are distracting and interfere with safe vehicle operation. I am also experiencing lane control and steering interference. The steering wheel will sometimes pull the vehicle in a direction that does not match the road, even when lane assist is turned off. This is especially dangerous in construction zones with temporary lanes marked by reflectors, including when driving next to large trucks. I have experienced multiple near-miss incidents and have had to physically override the steering wheel to remain in my lane. These problems now occur almost every time I drive and have caused me to feel unsafe operating the vehicle. I believe this represents a serious safety defect.

Bought car in Nov 24. Noticed a popping sound as if a rock was hitting windshield. Nothing hit windshield. The popping sound was intermittent but went on for months. Finally in August 2025, I noticed a crack in upper side of drivers windshield. Next day crack got bigger. Called safelite to replace. Had to park car with cover over windshield since I couldn’t get an appointment right away. Had to rent a car. Windshield replaced. Popping continues, less frequently but it still pops. Took it to Burlington Kia and explained my issue. They could not replicate the popping sound.