The Used Car Index

2015 Kia Cadenza problems

NHTSA lists 48 complaints for the 2015 Kia Cadenza, 1 of them mention a crash and 2 mention a fire. 1 complaints mention an injury, with 3 injuries and 0 deaths reported.

Data build 2026-10-09.

NHTSA lists this vehicle as KIA CADENZA.

At a glance

Complaints
48
With crash
1
With fire
2
With injury (complaints)
1
Injuries
3
Deaths
0
Recalls
2
Do not drive recalls
0
Park outside recalls
1
Recall potential units (maximum)
1,730,192
Investigations
1
Open investigations
1
Manufacturer communications
96

Complaints per 100k sold unavailable. No sales source is available for this record.

Where the complaints are

Top systems
SystemComplaintsShare of this vehicle's complaints
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM1327.1%
ENGINE1327.1%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER918.8%
VISIBILITY510.4%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING48.3%
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC36.3%
STEERING36.3%
STRUCTURE36.3%
SUSPENSION24.2%
VISIBILITY/WIPER24.2%
Top subsystems
SystemSubsystemComplaints
STRUCTUREBODY3
VISIBILITYWINDSHIELD3
BACK OVER PREVENTIONSENSING SYSTEM1
SERVICE BRAKES, AIRANTILOCK1

One complaint can name several systems, so shares can add to more than 100 percent.

Model-generated complaint tags

These labels are model-generated, not NHTSA data.

Failure modes
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
mechanical failure1429.2%0.82
visibility or lighting714.6%0.68
electrical electronic510.4%0.89
loss of control510.4%0.83
unclear510.4%0.72
fire or overheating48.3%1.00
structural or corrosion48.3%0.50
fluid or fuel leak36.3%0.69
restraint or airbag12.1%0.98
Severities
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
moderate3266.7%0.81
low1327.1%0.66
high24.2%0.85
critical12.1%0.98

Model: typesafe/jev-1.13-20260917; schema version: tag-v1. 48 tagged complaints of 48 complaints (100.0%).

Confidence is the model's own probability for the label it chose (0 to 1), not accuracy.

Model-generated labels on tagged complaints only. Model years 2013 and newer are tagged in full; 2012 in part (see tagged_share); earlier model years have no tags. NHTSA's own flags remain separate in the complaints block.

Recalls

See new recalls and investigations this week.

2 recalls.

23V652000

Date: 2023-09-25. Systems: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC.

Defect: 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 experience an electrical short, which can result in an engine compartment fire while parked or driv (excerpt)

Consequence: An engine compartment fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury. (excerpt)

Remedy: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will replace the HECU fuse, free of charge. Interim notification letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed November 14, 2023. Owner notification letters were mailed March 29, 2024 through June 18, 2024. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: Yes.

22V158000

Date: 2022-03-15. Systems: VISIBILITY.

Defect: 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.

Consequence: A front windshield that detaches from a vehicle can increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect the front windshield glass. If necessary, the windshield will be removed and reinstalled. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 13, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC232.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

Investigations

1 investigations; 1 open.

AQ23002

Opened: 2023-11-17. Closed: Not listed.

Hyundai and Kia ABS Module Fires

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received eight Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) and eight Kia America, Inc. (Kia) Part 573 Recall Reports between 2016 and 2023. The combined 16 safety recalls all involve the antilock braking system (ABS) modules or Hydraulic Electronic Control Units (HECU) manufactured by the equipment supplier Mando. The Part 573 Recall Reports contain varying defect

Systems: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC.

Linked campaign numbers: None listed.

Manufacturer communications

96 manufacturer communications.

Communications by system
SystemCount
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM20
EQUIPMENT16
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING14
ENG13
STEERING9
ENGINE8
POWER TRAIN8
SUSPENSION7

11030382

Date: 2026-03-18. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ENGINE.

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: WARRANTY EXTENSION CAMPAIGN: OIL PRESSURE SWITCH (OPS) REPLACEMENT (WTY026 REVISION 2) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides informa

11026823

Date: 2025-12-18. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ENGINE.

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: ENGINE SUB ASSEMBLY INSPECTION/REPLACEMENT (WTY039 - REVISION 7) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information associated with t

11026698

Date: 2025-12-09. Type: Other. Systems: BACK OVER PREVENTION.

PITSTOP: TECHNICAL OPERATIONS: EXTERNAL DAMAGE TO ULTRASONIC SENSOR: This Pitstop provides information related to Parking Distance Warning (PDW) alerts and repairs involving ultrasonic sensors. The PDW system alerts the driver while parking, by calculating distance based on the difference in signal

11026531

Date: 2025-12-01. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ENGINE.

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: ENGINE SUB ASSEMBLY INSPECTION/REPLACEMENT (WTY039 REVISION 6) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information associated with the

11025651

Date: 2025-11-04. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ENGINE.

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: WARRANTY EXTENSION CAMPAIGN (WTY039) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information associated with the a Warranty Extension Pro

11024188

Date: 2025-10-08. Type: Warranty Program/Extension. Systems: ENGINE.

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: ENGINE SUB ASSEMBLY: INSPECTION/REPLACEMENT (WTY039) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information associated with the a Warran

11017166

Date: 2025-04-22. Type: Service Campaign. Systems: SUSPENSION.

VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN: OWNER RENOTIFICATION (SC240) - This document is the owner renotification advising that Kia conducting a Voluntary Service Campaign to replace the front coil springs in certain 2015 MY Kia Cadenza vehicles that were originally sold in, or are currently registered in, state

11017172

Date: 2025-04-17. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: POWER TRAIN.

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: TRANSMISSION FLUID APPLICATION GUIDE - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information relating to the correct transmission fluid ty

11011566

Date: 2024-12-05. Type: Warranty Program/Extension. Systems: ENGINE.

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: WARRANTY EXTENSION CAMPAIGN: ENGINE SUB ASSEMBLY INSPECTION/REPLACEMENT (WTY039) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information a

11010129

Date: 2024-11-05. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ENGINE.

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: ENGINE SUB ASSEMBLY INSPECTION/REPLACEMENT (WTY039) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information associated with the a Warran

Notes on this record

  • Complaints from the API and bulk file are merged and deduplicated by ODI number; the API alone misses records.
  • System and subsystem counts are numbers of distinct complaints, recalls or communications that name them. One record can name several systems, so shares across systems can add to more than 100 percent; a single share never exceeds 100 percent.
  • Recalls are counted once per campaign, investigations once per action and manufacturer communications once per NHTSA id, even when NHTSA lists several model names for the same record.
  • A sales denominator is a calendar-year proxy, not the population of vehicles still in use. Rates are copied from verified pipeline output.

Other names NHTSA uses

None listed.

Matched NHTSA models

Matched labels and complaints
NHTSA model labelComplaints
CADENZA48

Same model, other years

All model years | All Kia models

Other Kia models, 2015

Sources

Get this record as JSON

The free rate-limited demo needs no key.

curl "https://api.theusedcarindex.com/v1/demo/vehicle_risk?make=Kia&model=Cadenza&year=2015"

Paid endpoint: https://api.theusedcarindex.com/v1/vehicle_risk. MCP endpoint: https://api.theusedcarindex.com/mcp.