KIA CADENZA · model year

2016 KIA CADENZA

18 NHTSA complaints, and 2 active recalls for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2016KIACADENZA carries 18 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. For crash performance, NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gave this cohort an overall Not Rated/5 rating, with Not Rated/5 front crash, Not Rated/5 side crash, and Not Rated/5 rollover scores derived from standardized barrier and dynamic tests.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2016 CADENZA is engine with 4 filings, followed by visibility:windshield (3) and visibility (3). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 2 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.

NHTSA currently has 38 investigation files overlapping the 2016 CADENZA, and 1 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

18
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

18 filings

Crashes Reported

0 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

NHTSA NCAP overall: Not Rated/5 — Not rated · Front: Not Rated/5 · Side: Not Rated/5 · Rollover: Not Rated/5

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
ENGINE4
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD3
VISIBILITY3
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC2
UNKNOWN OR OTHER2
VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY1
STRUCTURE:BODY1
SUSPENSION1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM1

Recalls (2)

23V65200025/09/2023

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE

Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2010-2019 Borrego, 2014-2016 Cadenza, 2010-2013 Forte, Forte Koup, Sportage, 2015-2018 K900, 2011-2015 Optima, 2011-2013 Optima Hybrid, Soul, 2012-2017 Rio, 2011-2014 Sorento, and 2010-2011 Rondo vehicles. The Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) may

22V15800015/03/2022

VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD

Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling all 2014-2016 Cadenza vehicles. During manufacturing, the front windshield may not have been properly bonded to the vehicle, allowing it to detach.

Recent Complaints

20251203ENGINE

My 2016 Kia Cadenza (VIN [XXX] ) experienced repeated overheating, coolant loss, and eventually white exhaust smoke consistent with internal coolant intrusion. The issue began mid-2025 and worsened over time. Despite reporting overheating and coolant loss to Central Kia of Plano, the dealership failed to diagnose the problem, did not escalate to Techline, and did not check or apply Kia Service Action WTY039, which was active. They returned the vehicle to me still overheating, forcing me into multiple out-of-pocket repairs for coolant, radiator, radiator fan, and water pump replacement. None resolved the issue, and the vehicle became unsafe to drive due to rising temperature and smoke. A second dealer, Mesquite Kia, performed a proper diagnosis. Kia Corporate approved an engine replacement under WTY039 on 11/6/25, and the repair was completed on 11/29/25, confirming the overheating was caused by a covered engine defect. Kia Corporate later denied reimbursement for prior repair attempts

20250904ENGINE

I am submitting this complaint regarding a 2016 Kia Cadenza (VIN: [XXX] ) and Kia’s repeated failure to properly diagnose or repair a serious overheating/safety defect despite this being a well-documented and known issue affecting these engines. Vehicle and Service Information •Vehicle: 2016 Kia Cadenza (VIN: [XXX] ) •Mileage: ~129,608 •Dealer Involved: Central Kia of Plano (Plano, TX) •Repair Order #: [XXX] •Dates: [XXX] Issues 1.Overheating / Known Engine Defect •My vehicle overheats, especially with the A/C on or at idle. •Kia has already been directed to issue extended warranties on these engines due to systemic defects (including bearing wear, engine failure, and overheating). •Despite this, Kia continues to deny or delay proper repairs and instead authorized the dealer to replace only a cooling fan relay, which did not fix the defect. 2.Dealer Misconduct •Central Kia of Plano kept my vehicle for 10 days, charged me $269.92, and returned the vehicle still ove

20250904UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I am submitting this complaint regarding a 2016 Kia Cadenza (VIN: [XXX] ) and Kia’s repeated failure to properly diagnose or repair a serious overheating/safety defect despite this being a well-documented and known issue affecting these engines. Vehicle and Service Information •Vehicle: 2016 Kia Cadenza (VIN: [XXX] ) •Mileage: ~129,608 •Dealer Involved: Central Kia of Plano (Plano, TX) •Repair Order #: [XXX] •Dates: [XXX] Issues 1.Overheating / Known Engine Defect •My vehicle overheats, especially with the A/C on or at idle. •Kia has already been directed to issue extended warranties on these engines due to systemic defects (including bearing wear, engine failure, and overheating). •Despite this, Kia continues to deny or delay proper repairs and instead authorized the dealer to replace only a cooling fan relay, which did not fix the defect. 2.Dealer Misconduct •Central Kia of Plano kept my vehicle for 10 days, charged me $269.92, and returned the vehicle still ove

20250904ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I am submitting this complaint regarding a 2016 Kia Cadenza (VIN: [XXX] ) and Kia’s repeated failure to properly diagnose or repair a serious overheating/safety defect despite this being a well-documented and known issue affecting these engines. Vehicle and Service Information •Vehicle: 2016 Kia Cadenza (VIN: [XXX] ) •Mileage: ~129,608 •Dealer Involved: Central Kia of Plano (Plano, TX) •Repair Order #: [XXX] •Dates: [XXX] Issues 1.Overheating / Known Engine Defect •My vehicle overheats, especially with the A/C on or at idle. •Kia has already been directed to issue extended warranties on these engines due to systemic defects (including bearing wear, engine failure, and overheating). •Despite this, Kia continues to deny or delay proper repairs and instead authorized the dealer to replace only a cooling fan relay, which did not fix the defect. 2.Dealer Misconduct •Central Kia of Plano kept my vehicle for 10 days, charged me $269.92, and returned the vehicle still ove

20250512VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Cadenza. The contact stated that there was water and air leaking through the windshield of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V158000 (Visibility); however, the dealer inspected the vehicle and informed the contact that the repair was not necessary. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at the car wash, a significant amount of water leaked through the windshield, causing the contact to be soaked. The contact stated that upon attempting to wipe the interior of the windshield, the windshield was unsecured and almost separated from the vehicle. The contact stated that the windshield could be pushed forward. The contact was able to put the windshield back into place. The dealer was not informed of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

20250318UNKNOWN OR OTHER

While driving down the highway, I heard a loud boom and my sunroof exploded sending glass everywhere all through the car with my kids in the backseat. Driving straight on the highway at 60 miles per hour and nothing to hit the glass, Something is definitely wrong with the pano sunroof on these cars.

20240502VISIBILITY

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Cadenza. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the front windshield, after which she observed that the windshield had begun to crack and was leaking. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the windshield bonding. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V158000 (Visibility) the VIN was included, and the vehicle had been repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was unknown.

20240429SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Cadenza. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

20231220SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Cadenza. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair 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. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

20231003VISIBILITY

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Cadenza. The contact stated that there was water leaking into the vehicle from the top of the front windshield. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer, who stated there was no recall. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the dealer. The vehicle was taken back to the local dealer to be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V158000 (Visibility). The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and informed the contact that the front windshield was cracked and declined to perform the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted again and informed the contact that the cracked windshield nullified the recall repair. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

Mileage: 140,000

20231003VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Cadenza. The contact stated that there was water leaking into the vehicle from the top of the front windshield. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer, who stated there was no recall. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the dealer. The vehicle was taken back to the local dealer to be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V158000 (Visibility). The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and informed the contact that the front windshield was cracked and declined to perform the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted again and informed the contact that the cracked windshield nullified the recall repair. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

Mileage: 140,000

20230525VISIBILITY

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Cadenza. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V158000 (Visibility) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

20220708ENGINE

Per the Kia dealer head bolts have loosened up which have resulted in engine failure.

20220307SUSPENSION

While driving, I heard a loud pop followed by a loud grinding noise. I wqs able to pull over and noticed the passenger front side of the car was lower than the rest of the car. At around 75k the passenger side strut went out. Fast forward 2 months later, driving my car the same thing happened but to the drivers side. Both struts needing replaced by 80k. Definitely should be a recall on these struts as this seems very premature and alot of other people with this car have had this problem.

20210909VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD

The Windshield is a defect on the cadenzas, as the seals break on them. It lifts up while driving or even shutting my doors, which I see as a safety hazard. It causes water to leak into the car by where my feet are and from the top of the windshield as well. I believe this is causing my car and other cadenzas to also have electric issues since i’ve had, 7 speakers blew, back up camera glitched and stopped working, sunroof stopped working and i’ve had signals / sounds stop working as well a shot throttle all before 24,000 miles.. Kia has been giving me a run a round with trying to fix my windshield and still has yet to do so. I see this as a huge safety issue. What happens if I hit a bump and it falls off when I’m driving? It could cause a huge accident and or killing myself and others. At first, I thought this was my fault.. but then Kia said it looked like there was no influence I had done anything to it (despite still not replacing it for me). I decided to do some research. I

20210519ENGINE

THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 KIA CADENZA. THE CONTACT STATED UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE, A LOUD RATTLING SOUND WAS COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE CONTACT STATED NO WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE LOCAL DEALER AND DIAGNOSED HOWEVER, THE MECHANIC STATED THERE WAS NOTHING TO REPAIR OR REPLACE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT YET REPAIRED. THE CONTACT RELATED THE FAILURE TO AN UNKNOWN RECALL. THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 42,674.

Mileage: 42,674

20161212VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY

ON DECEMBER 6, 2016 MY SUNROOF EXPLODED WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY. THE EXPLOSION WAS SO LOUD AND VIOLENT I THOUGHT I WAS SHOT. SHARDS OF GLASS RAINED DOWN ON MY HEAD. I WAS ABLE TO AVOID A VEHICLE COLLISION, BUT WAS VERY SHAKEN UP ABOUT THE ORDEAL. MY RIGHT EAR FELT DEAF AND I NOTICEABLE HAVE LESS HEARING AS A RESULT OF THE EXPLOSION. *TR

Mileage: 10,000

20161212STRUCTURE:BODY

ON DECEMBER 6, 2016 MY SUNROOF EXPLODED WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY. THE EXPLOSION WAS SO LOUD AND VIOLENT I THOUGHT I WAS SHOT. SHARDS OF GLASS RAINED DOWN ON MY HEAD. I WAS ABLE TO AVOID A VEHICLE COLLISION, BUT WAS VERY SHAKEN UP ABOUT THE ORDEAL. MY RIGHT EAR FELT DEAF AND I NOTICEABLE HAVE LESS HEARING AS A RESULT OF THE EXPLOSION. *TR

Mileage: 10,000

Compare 2016KIACADENZA to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 1 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2016 KIA CADENZA have?
The 2016 KIA CADENZA has 18 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What is the safety rating for the 2016 KIA CADENZA?
The 2016 KIA CADENZA received an overall NHTSA safety rating of Not Rated/5, front crash rating of Not Rated/5, side crash rating of Not Rated/5, and rollover rating of Not Rated/5.
Are there any recalls for the 2016 KIA CADENZA?
Yes, the 2016 KIA CADENZA has 2 recall(s). The most common affected component is SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2016 KIA CADENZA?
The most-complained component for the 2016 KIA CADENZA is ENGINE with 4 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD and VISIBILITY.
Is the 2016 KIA CADENZA safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. The 2016 KIA CADENZA has an NHTSA safety rating of Not Rated/5. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.