While Ford continues to headline the recall leaderboard in 2025, it’s not the only automaker grappling with reliability woes. Kia is now in the spotlight, and not for the right reasons. The South Korean brand has issued a recall for over 100,000 units of its sleek K5 sedan—this time for an unusually mundane but surprisingly problematic issue: falling trim pieces.
The recall affects 100,063 K5 sedans spanning the 2023 to 2025 model years. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the vehicles are equipped with C-pillar trim pieces that may loosen, detach, and fall off, potentially creating road hazards and increasing the risk of crashes.
A Problem That Started Small
Kia first became aware of the issue back in 2023, initiating a service action to address early signs of delamination in the C-pillar garnish face plate. At the time, the problem seemed minor and was deemed non-critical by the automaker. Their reasoning? The piece in question was relatively light, flat, and unlikely to cause serious danger if it fell to the road.
But the government wasn’t convinced.
Fast forward to 2025, and NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation reopened the file after receiving four consumer complaints about detached trim. Upon revisiting the issue, Kia discovered 4,082 cases of missing or detached C-pillar trim—hardly an isolated problem. With numbers like that, a recall became inevitable.
What’s Actually Going Wrong?
At the heart of the issue is a manufacturing shortfall: an insufficient adhesive layer applied during assembly. This causes the trim to gradually delaminate, loosen, and eventually fall off. Kia acknowledges that affected drivers might hear rattling sounds before full detachment, providing a subtle warning sign before the part goes airborne.
To fix the issue, Kia dealerships will inspect and replace the C-pillar trim assemblies using new components. These updated trims integrate both a stronger adhesive and a mechanical retention system, promising a more secure fit.
What Owners Need to Know
Kia plans to notify affected K5 owners beginning in September 2025. Until then, the company advises drivers to visually inspect their vehicles—or more simply, look for gaps or missing trim near the rear window pillars.
It’s a small part, but as this recall shows, even minor components can lead to major headaches. And in an era where vehicles are growing increasingly high-tech, Kia’s latest trim trouble serves as a reminder that attention to basic quality control is still just as critical as advanced driver-assist systems.
Source: KIA
