Kia Cadenza: which model years to avoid
Complaint and recall totals for every Kia Cadenza model year we track, ranked by severity.
| Model year | Complaints | Recalls | Crashes | Fires | Severity | Most-reported system |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 110 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 85.5 Medium | ENGINE |
| 2015 | 48 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 83.3 Medium | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM |
| 2016 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 Low | VISIBILITY |
| 2017 | 31 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 96.8 High | ENGINE |
Across 4 model years, the 2017 Kia Cadenza carries the highest severity index (96.8, driven by engine), while the 2016 is the cleanest at 0.0.
Source. NHTSA public complaint and recall APIs. Complaint counts are not normalised by units sold; a high-volume seller will attract more filings than a rare trim.