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Model file · KiaUpdated · 13 sources

Selling a damaged or dead Kia K5

The K5's biggest recall is about the fuel tank, not the engine. Campaign 25V794 covers 250,547 K5s from 2021 to 2024: a damaged check valve can let air into the tank, which then swells until it touches hot exhaust parts and melts. Fuel and propulsion is also the component owners name most in K5 complaints to NHTSA, 89 times out of 499.

A gray Kia K5 sedan with its daytime running lights on, parked on a lot at dusk
Photo: Ki hoon · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Model years (EPA)
2021-2027
Complaints to NHTSA, 2021-2026
499
Year with the most complaints
2021 (167)
Recall campaigns
9
Largest recall
25V794, fuel tank: 250,547 vehicles
Assembly
Hwaseong, South Korea; West Point, Georgia
Before 2021
Sold as the Optima

Wrecked, dead or simply not worth the repair bill? You can sell the whole car as it sits. We buy whole non-running and junk cars, and pickup is free anywhere in the US.

The Optima under a new name

Wikipedia's K5 article runs back to the first Optima in 2000; in the US the name changed for 2021. EPA data lists the Optima through 2020 and the K5 from 2021. Every K5 sold here is the fifth generation (DL3), built since 2019 in Hwaseong, South Korea, and at Kia's plant in West Point, Georgia. Wikipedia lists 1.5- and 1.6-liter turbo fours and a 2.0-liter four. Two recall filings also name a 2.5-liter turbo on 2021-2022 cars. Automatic and dual-clutch gearboxes are both listed.

Where the K5's problems cluster

The fuel system, 2021-2024

Besides the tank recall, an earlier one, 21V519, went after fuel leaking where the high-pressure pump meets the fuel rail on 2.5 turbo cars. Its 21,575 vehicles include 2021 Sorentos. In complaints, fuel and propulsion tops the 2022 (24) and the 2023 (36), and on the 2023 another 13 complaints are filed under the gasoline fuel system.

The automatic transmission, 2021-2023

Recall 22V760 covers 69,038 vehicles, 2021-2022 Sorentos among them. A transmission oil pump malfunction is supposed to put the car into a limited "fail-safe" mode, and that mode may not work properly. The remedy is an inspection, a new transmission where one is needed, and a software update for the transmission computer. Power train shows up in 41 K5 complaints overall.

Air bags and steering, the early years

  • 23V149: side curtain air bags on 2021-2023 K5s may have been installed wrong and not deploy properly. 188,912 vehicles.
  • 21V164: the front passenger occupant sensor may miss a child seat. 142 vehicles, shared with the 2021 Telluride and Forte.
  • 21V447: on 2021-2022 2.5 turbo cars, the power steering system can't diagnose communication faults. 846 vehicles.

The 2021, the first year, leads all K5s with 167 complaints, and electrical system tops its list (36).

Newer cars: trim, lights and tires

Recall 25V493 replaces rear window trim on 2023-2025 K5s that can loosen and come off (100,063 vehicles). Recall 25V351 fixes software that can make parking lights flicker on the 2025 (82,281). The 2025's top complaint component is tires, with 15. The single 2026 recall, 26V046, is instrument panel software shared across several Kia models; the K5 is one slice of its 42,677 vehicles.

Complaints and recalls by model year

Source: NHTSA's ODI complaint records, tallied October 10, 2026, with the unknown-or-other code set aside in the last column. A 2025 or 2026 K5 has simply been on the road for fewer months.

Model yearComplaintsCrashesFiresDeathsRecall campaignsComponent named most
20211678216Electrical system (36)
202212915425Fuel/propulsion (24)
20231076004Fuel/propulsion (36)
2024301002Engine (6)
2025524002Tires (15)
2026141001Engine (3)

Fix or sell?

On a car this new, the order matters:

  1. Check recalls before paying for anything. A transmission or fuel tank problem on a 2021-2024 may fall under 22V760 or 25V794, and Kia lists those remedies as free. Use NHTSA's lookup.
  2. Transmission slipping or stuck in limp mode, with no recall left? Our bad transmission guide covers what to weigh.
  3. Crash damage? If an insurer has totaled it or offered a check, see keep the check, sell unrepaired.
  4. Weigh the written estimate against the price of a running K5 of your year. A recall left open doesn't block a sale; open recall explains.

How to sell the K5 whole

Get an offer online or call (877) 421-6008. Keep the VIN and odometer reading handy and describe the problem in a sentence or two. Mention whether it rolls freely and its location, so the truck can load it. Leave everything on it, wheels and converter included. Pickup is free anywhere in the US. When the truck comes, the driver takes the title and any keys you still have, and checks your ID.

Other Kia sedans: the Optima, K4 and Cadenza, or all Kia models.

Questions people ask

Which K5 model year has the most NHTSA complaints?
The 2021, the first year, with 167 complaints in NHTSA's October 10, 2026 count, ahead of the 2022 (129) and 2023 (107). The 2024 and later are younger cars, which partly explains their smaller counts.
What is the K5 fuel tank recall?
Recall 25V794 covers certain 2021-2024 K5s. A damaged check valve can let air into the fuel tank, which expands until it touches hot exhaust parts and melts. Dealers replace the check valve and inspect the tank, replacing it if needed.
Will a dealer replace my K5's transmission under a recall?
Possibly. Recall 22V760 covers certain 2021-2023 K5s and 2021-2022 Sorentos. The listed remedy includes swapping the transmission when inspection calls for it, plus new control software. Run your VIN to see if it applies.
Can I sell a K5 that's been in a crash and won't drive?
Yes. We buy whole non-running and junk cars, with free pickup anywhere in the US. Say what's damaged and whether the wheels turn, and leave the car as it is.

Sources

Every fact on this page comes from one of these. Checked October 11, 2026.

  1. EPA fuel economy data: Kia K5 and Optima model years fueleconomy.gov
  2. NHTSA complaints flat file (FLAT_CMPL.zip), Kia K5, counted October 10, 2026 nhtsa.gov
  3. NHTSA: Check for recalls by VIN nhtsa.gov
  4. NHTSA recall 21V164: occupant classification unit, 2021 Telluride, K5 and Forte nhtsa.gov
  5. NHTSA recall 21V447: power steering diagnostics, 2021-2022 K5 2.5 turbo nhtsa.gov
  6. NHTSA recall 21V519: fuel pipe leak, 2021 Sorento and 2021-2022 K5 nhtsa.gov
  7. NHTSA recall 22V760: transmission fail-safe mode, 2021-2022 Sorento and 2021-2023 K5 nhtsa.gov
  8. NHTSA recall 23V149: side curtain air bags, 2021-2023 K5 nhtsa.gov
  9. NHTSA recall 25V351: parking light software, 2025 K5 nhtsa.gov
  10. NHTSA recall 25V493: rear window trim, 2023-2025 K5 nhtsa.gov
  11. NHTSA recall 25V794: fuel tank check valve, 2021-2024 K5 nhtsa.gov
  12. NHTSA recall 26V046: instrument panel software, 2025-2026 Kia models nhtsa.gov
  13. Wikipedia: Kia K5 (Optima history, fifth generation, engines, assembly) en.wikipedia.org