KIA STINGER · model year

2021 KIA STINGER

24 NHTSA complaints, 3 crash reports, and 5 active recalls for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

5 / 5 ★

New Car Assessment Program

The 2021KIASTINGER carries 24 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 3 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. For crash performance, NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gave this cohort an overall 5/5 rating, with 4/5 front crash, 5/5 side crash, and 5/5 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 2021 STINGER is unknown or other with 5 filings, followed by engine (4) and service brakes (4). 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 5 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 2021 STINGER, 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.

24
Complaints
3
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
2021 KIA STINGER — NHTSA crash-test profile NHTSA NCAP crash-test star ratings for the 2021 KIA STINGER. Overall composite: 5.0 of 5 stars across 3 safety dimensions. Front CrashSide CrashRollover 5.0 NHTSA NCAP of 5 stars
  • Front Crash 4.0 ★
  • Side Crash 5.0 ★
  • Rollover 5.0 ★
NHTSA overall 5.0/5 stars, with front-crash, side-crash and rollover ratings from standardized NCAP barrier and dynamic tests.

Total Complaints

24 filings

Crashes Reported

3 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

NHTSA NCAP overall: 5/5 — Top NCAP rating · Front: 4/5 · Side: 5/5 · Rollover: 5/5

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
UNKNOWN OR OTHER5
ENGINE4
SERVICE BRAKES4
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM1
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL1
VISIBILITY/WIPER1
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:DISC:ROTOR1
VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY1
POWER TRAIN1
SUSPENSION1
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE1

Recalls (5)

20V51800027/08/2020

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

Kia Motors America (Kia) recalled certain 2019 Stinger vehicles equipped with 3.3L T-GDI engines on August 27, 2020. On December 30, 2020, Kia expanded the recall population and added certain 2018-2021 Stinger vehicles. While driving, an engine compartment fire may occur in the area where the Anti

20V56000016/09/2020

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Stinger vehicles. The fuel pump's jet nozzle may have a plastic burr remaining from the manufacturing process, possibly causing a blocked nozzle and an insufficient fuel supply to the engine.

23V63400013/09/2023

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2018-2021 Stinger vehicles. The fuel control valve plunger may stick inside the high pressure fuel pump, causing over-pressurization and loss of drive power.

21V86200005/11/2021

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:INSTRUMENT PANEL:FUEL GAUGE

Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Stinger vehicles. A software error in the instrument cluster may cause an inaccurate fuel gauge reading.

24V16900001/03/2024

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE:TURBO/SUPERCHARGER:HOSES/PLUMBING

Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2019-2020 K900, and 2018-2023 Stinger vehicles equipped with a 3.3-liter turbo gasoline direct injection engine. The left turbocharger oil feed pipe and hose assembly may deteriorate and leak oil.

Recent Complaints

20251001FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

Since April I have been having the same issue. Sometimes when I am stopped and the autostop is supposed to shut down the engine, the engine just sputters and if I hit the gas nothing happens. I have to put the car in park and shut it down then restart it. I try to shut the auto stop off when I get in the car but sometimes I forget. It has happened at over 20 times that I have documented over the last couple of thousand miles, many times in dangerous locations, in the middle of interactions or waiting for a light. The engine light has also gone on and off over the last couple of months. The car is now at the dealership and they say the high pressure fuel pump is leaking. I see there has been a recall in specific Kia Stingers, should my car be involved in this recall? The issue began around 45000 miles and continues at 52000.

20251001ENGINE

Since April I have been having the same issue. Sometimes when I am stopped and the autostop is supposed to shut down the engine, the engine just sputters and if I hit the gas nothing happens. I have to put the car in park and shut it down then restart it. I try to shut the auto stop off when I get in the car but sometimes I forget. It has happened at over 20 times that I have documented over the last couple of thousand miles, many times in dangerous locations, in the middle of interactions or waiting for a light. The engine light has also gone on and off over the last couple of months. The car is now at the dealership and they say the high pressure fuel pump is leaking. I see there has been a recall in specific Kia Stingers, should my car be involved in this recall? The issue began around 45000 miles and continues at 52000.

20250805SERVICE BRAKES

At certain times when I am braking the brake "skips" it's like i am unable to brake so I end up braking late. It's become a safety hazard since there are times when I have almost hit another car. Also, the other is the silver trim on the exterior looks completely faded probably from the sun but I've seen multiple stingers with this issue and should be replaced and yes the car is dirty but that is not dirt.

20250805UNKNOWN OR OTHER

At certain times when I am braking the brake "skips" it's like i am unable to brake so I end up braking late. It's become a safety hazard since there are times when I have almost hit another car. Also, the other is the silver trim on the exterior looks completely faded probably from the sun but I've seen multiple stingers with this issue and should be replaced and yes the car is dirty but that is not dirt.

20240305SERVICE BRAKES

All 4 Rotors are warped and pads are worn down on a 30K mile vehicle. Have had several mechanics tell me That the pressure proportioning valve hose.might be becoming stuck on just enough to make the rotors get hot and wear down. I have looked online and have read many people having the same issues.Kia has told me there are no active bulletins or recalls for this problem.I have driven sport vehicles 40 plus years and have never had to replace the brakes on a 30k mile car.and it is making the steering wheel shake when brakes are applied at 35-40 Mph.

20231121FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

The contact owns a 2021 Kia Stinger. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and making a turn, the vehicle lost motive power inadvertently. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and drove to his nearby residence. The contact stated upon driving the vehicle uphill that same day, the vehicle failed to exceed 2-3 MPH and started losing power. The contact stated that he drove back to his nearby residence. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where an unknown repair was performed; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated while driving approximately 35-40 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and continued driving. The contact stated that the failure recurred several times while driving. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V634000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) that

20230620SERVICE BRAKES

Bought this vehicle from Carvana.com and have been trying to get it repaired since then. There is something wrong with the steering/braking/suspension system. According to License Mechanic Derek Hartfield at Monroe (248) 980-3262 after a road test - told me the vehicle is not safe to drive. He attempted to repair vehicle and Carvana denied the repair. Carvana instructed me to take car to Dealership, dealer has a wait list, I have a family and need to work. It feels like no one wants to help, and just keeps expecting me to drive from repair shop to repair shop. I just want to drive or they can take the car back if it is a lemon. At present the car has alot of issues and I dont know where else to turn. Issue: Vibration driving, vibration stopping, sounds awful when slowing down from highway driving, shakes with or without brakes, the rear wheels both lean inward when looking at the vehicle from the rear. Note: There was a sticker on the undercarriage of what looks like a

20230620SUSPENSION

Bought this vehicle from Carvana.com and have been trying to get it repaired since then. There is something wrong with the steering/braking/suspension system. According to License Mechanic Derek Hartfield at Monroe (248) 980-3262 after a road test - told me the vehicle is not safe to drive. He attempted to repair vehicle and Carvana denied the repair. Carvana instructed me to take car to Dealership, dealer has a wait list, I have a family and need to work. It feels like no one wants to help, and just keeps expecting me to drive from repair shop to repair shop. I just want to drive or they can take the car back if it is a lemon. At present the car has alot of issues and I dont know where else to turn. Issue: Vibration driving, vibration stopping, sounds awful when slowing down from highway driving, shakes with or without brakes, the rear wheels both lean inward when looking at the vehicle from the rear. Note: There was a sticker on the undercarriage of what looks like a

20230620UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Bought this vehicle from Carvana.com and have been trying to get it repaired since then. There is something wrong with the steering/braking/suspension system. According to License Mechanic Derek Hartfield at Monroe (248) 980-3262 after a road test - told me the vehicle is not safe to drive. He attempted to repair vehicle and Carvana denied the repair. Carvana instructed me to take car to Dealership, dealer has a wait list, I have a family and need to work. It feels like no one wants to help, and just keeps expecting me to drive from repair shop to repair shop. I just want to drive or they can take the car back if it is a lemon. At present the car has alot of issues and I dont know where else to turn. Issue: Vibration driving, vibration stopping, sounds awful when slowing down from highway driving, shakes with or without brakes, the rear wheels both lean inward when looking at the vehicle from the rear. Note: There was a sticker on the undercarriage of what looks like a

20221209CrashENGINE

My transmission/engine and brake system failed. I was slowing down to probably 5 mph to make a right hand turn into my driveway from the street when the engine started racing. I heard a loud whine and the car started to speed up. I jammed my foot onto the brake to slow down but did not have the time to try to put the transmission into neutral. The car was not slowing down so I turned right to hit my tree rather than proceed straight and crash into my garage. When I hit the tree there was a large jolt and the car stopped. NO airbags deployed and I felt the impact on my right foot that was firmly on the brake; I checked to make sure I was not inadvertently pressing the accelerator. This same issue with the engine suddenly revving happened one time a year ago but stopped when I put the car in neutral.

20221209CrashSERVICE BRAKES

My transmission/engine and brake system failed. I was slowing down to probably 5 mph to make a right hand turn into my driveway from the street when the engine started racing. I heard a loud whine and the car started to speed up. I jammed my foot onto the brake to slow down but did not have the time to try to put the transmission into neutral. The car was not slowing down so I turned right to hit my tree rather than proceed straight and crash into my garage. When I hit the tree there was a large jolt and the car stopped. NO airbags deployed and I felt the impact on my right foot that was firmly on the brake; I checked to make sure I was not inadvertently pressing the accelerator. This same issue with the engine suddenly revving happened one time a year ago but stopped when I put the car in neutral.

20221209CrashPOWER TRAIN

My transmission/engine and brake system failed. I was slowing down to probably 5 mph to make a right hand turn into my driveway from the street when the engine started racing. I heard a loud whine and the car started to speed up. I jammed my foot onto the brake to slow down but did not have the time to try to put the transmission into neutral. The car was not slowing down so I turned right to hit my tree rather than proceed straight and crash into my garage. When I hit the tree there was a large jolt and the car stopped. NO airbags deployed and I felt the impact on my right foot that was firmly on the brake; I checked to make sure I was not inadvertently pressing the accelerator. This same issue with the engine suddenly revving happened one time a year ago but stopped when I put the car in neutral.

20221010UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I was driving on hwy 73 when I heard a sound like a shotgun went off. Glass started falling in the car and on me as the sunroof had shattered. There was no other vehicle in the area and the sunroof was closed.

20221010VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY

I was driving on hwy 73 when I heard a sound like a shotgun went off. Glass started falling in the car and on me as the sunroof had shattered. There was no other vehicle in the area and the sunroof was closed.

20220810SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:DISC:ROTOR

The contact owns a 2021 Kia Stinger. The contact stated that the dealer had previously replaced the rotors twice; however, the failure recurred with a metal-to-metal noise while the brake pedal was depressed. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brakes failed to stop the vehicle immediately. The contact had to downshift manually to slow down the vehicle. Additionally, after driving for a lengthy period of time, the steering wheel would shake and a burning odor was detected while the brake pedal was depressed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the rotors needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the failure was a maintenance issue and provided no further assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000.

Mileage: 25,000

20220702ENGINE

The car started to slow down and once I came to a stand still. The car would not start!

20220224VISIBILITY/WIPER

When driving in below freezing temperatures, the windshield washer fluid nozzles freeze and prevent the flow of windshield washer fluid when it's needed most resulting in severely impaired visibility and sometimes requiring stopping along the roadway to clean the windshield manually. This condition has happened multiple times, only in freezing temperatures in spite of the use of multiple types of fluid that are all rated for temperatures far below where the freezing is occuring.

20220222UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Component/system failure from repair invoice: Perform Campain SC196A New fuse Kit in junction box 1 cause action to take: service campaign 1 correction action taken SC!96/SC196A MULTI FUSE & JUNCTION BOX COVER INSTALLATION 201121R1 FAILED DESCRIPTION: REPAIR KIT MULTIFUS ,,ENGINE INJECTORS #3&4 STUCK OPEN CAUSING FUEL TO DUMP INTO EXHAUST UMBURNED ... FAILED PIPE ASSY FUEL INJECTOR ASSY FUEL MY AND OTHERS SAFETY WAS PUT AT RISK I WAS ON THE INTERSTATE IN RUSH HOUR AND THE CAR STALLED IN THE MIDDLE LANE THICK WHITE SMOKE COMING OUT THE BACK AND GAS SMELL FILLING UP THE CABIN OF THE CAR AND AS I TRIED TO GET TO THE RIGHT SHOULDER THE CAR KEPT STALLING AND WOULDNT START AND CARS FLYING BY WHIZZING BY ME AND BLOWING THE HORN AND COULD HAVE HIT ME FROM THE BACK OR EITHER SIDE COULD HAVE CAUSED A PILE UP AND KILLED ME OR OTHERS. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED BY OTHER KIA STINGER GT OWNERS ( GOOGLE ) NO WARNINGS NO SYMPTOMS NOTHING THIS HAPPENED FRIDAY DECEMBER 31, 2021

20210910UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Exploding/Shattered Sunroof No cars on the road near me at the time of incident, eliminating rock or debris damage Glass shards fell onto me in the cabin of car There was potential for accident due to sudden distraction Dealer has claimed rock damage but this is false Sunroof appears to have blown out upwards from the center Sounded like a bomb went off when it blew No warning signs Car was purchased brand new 5 months prior

20210530ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL

After failed first fix at 300 miles, wife was driving an ran out of gas on highway around 800 miles on O/D. Told this time the entire instrument/gauge cluster is bad. Dangerous situation to run out of fuel on a highway. Kia roadside assistance driver would not come and get her as she was on an Express Lane. Had to fill up car with fuel myself (after scrambling down highway embankment) while standing in traffic lane (fuel fill cap is on driver's side).

Compare 2021KIASTINGER to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 1 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2021 KIA STINGER have?
The 2021 KIA STINGER has 24 NHTSA complaints, 3 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What is the safety rating for the 2021 KIA STINGER?
The 2021 KIA STINGER received an overall NHTSA safety rating of 5/5, front crash rating of 4/5, side crash rating of 5/5, and rollover rating of 5/5.
Are there any recalls for the 2021 KIA STINGER?
Yes, the 2021 KIA STINGER has 5 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 2021 KIA STINGER?
The most-complained component for the 2021 KIA STINGER is UNKNOWN OR OTHER with 5 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ENGINE and SERVICE BRAKES.
Is the 2021 KIA STINGER 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 2021 KIA STINGER has an NHTSA safety rating of 5/5. 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.