Is Kia as reliable as Toyota?
Toyota comes out ahead: Kia 3.32 vs Toyota 0.94 NHTSA owner complaints per 1,000 vehicles sold (model years 2015–2022). Kia owners filed 3.5× as many complaints per vehicle sold as Toyota owners.
By CarWhere Research · Updated November 2026 · Method
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA per 1,000 vehicles sold (model years 2015–2022; published U.S. sales). Not a survey, not Consumer Reports' method, and not repair frequency.
Kia vs Toyota at a glance
| Kia | Toyota | |
|---|---|---|
| Complaints per 1,000 sold | 3.32 | 0.94 |
| Serious-safety complaints per 1,000 | 0.29 | 0.10 |
| Rank of 19 brands | #16 | #2 |
| Models covered | 10 | 12 |
| Vehicles sold (rated model years) | 4,737,776 | 15,629,831 |
| Owner complaints | 15,719 | 14,637 |
| Share of brand U.S. sales covered | 91.4% | 96.2% |
| Top complaint areas | Engine 52.1% · Electrical system 12.2% · Powertrain / transmission 9.9% | Powertrain / transmission 16% · Engine 14.6% · Electrical system 13.9% |
| Recall campaigns (vehicles covered) | 148 (13.0 million) | 198 (15.8 million) |
Model years 2015–2022. Lower is better. Serious-safety complaints are those where the owner reported a crash, a fire or at least one injury. Recall campaigns are NHTSA campaigns filed January 2016 to September 2026; vehicles covered counts a vehicle once per campaign.
What drives the numbers
- Kia's count is driven most by 2016–2017 Sorento complaints about engine and powertrain / transmission (2,074, 13.2% of Kia's complaints). Other models with rates above Kia's overall 3.32: Optima (4.25), Telluride (4.56), Soul (3.80).
- Toyota's count is driven most by 2019–2020 RAV4 complaints about engine and fuel / propulsion (1,563, 10.7% of Toyota's complaints). Other models with rates above Toyota's overall 0.94: Highlander (1.46), Venza (2.00), Tundra (1.06).
Kia vs Toyota complaints per 1,000 sold, by model year
Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are still growing. Compare the two lines within a year, not one year against another.
| Model year | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kia | 5.34 | 5.39 | 4.12 | 2.04 | 1.88 | 3.18 | 2.58 | 1.75 |
| Toyota | 0.86 | 0.79 | 0.79 | 1.03 | 1.28 | 1.04 | 0.95 | 0.74 |
What Kia and Toyota owners complain about
Share of each brand's NHTSA complaints naming the area (a complaint can name more than one).
Kia
- Engine52.1% · 8,188
- Electrical system12.2% · 1,916
- Powertrain / transmission9.9% · 1,562
- Fuel / propulsion6.5% · 1,015
- Lighting6.1% · 963
- Body structure5.4% · 844
Toyota
- Powertrain / transmission16% · 2,340
- Engine14.6% · 2,143
- Electrical system13.9% · 2,028
- Fuel / propulsion11.9% · 1,744
- Brakes11.8% · 1,725
- Air bags9.6% · 1,404
Model matchups
Each brand's best-selling model in the classes both sell, on the same per-1,000-sold measure.
Compact SUVs: Kia Sportage vs Toyota RAV4
The Toyota RAV4 has fewer complaints per vehicle sold: Kia Sportage 1.76 vs Toyota RAV4 1.10 complaints per 1,000 sold. The Sportage's most-cited area is engine (55%); the RAV4's is electrical system (21.5%).
1.76 complaints per 1,000 sold
- Basis:
- 1,191 complaints / 676,704 sold, MY 2015–2022 NHTSA
- Better years:
- 2010
- Years to avoid:
- 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2023
- Top complaint areas:
- Engine 55% · Electrical system 14.6% · Brakes 10.7%
1.10 complaints per 1,000 sold
- Basis:
- 3,483 complaints / 3,155,248 sold, MY 2015–2022 NHTSA
- Better years:
- None flagged
- Years to avoid:
- 2008, 2019–2021, 2023, 2024
- Top complaint areas:
- Electrical system 21.5% · Engine 17.8% · Fuel / propulsion 13.6%
Midsize cars: Kia Optima vs Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry has fewer complaints per vehicle sold: Kia Optima 4.25 vs Toyota Camry 0.84 complaints per 1,000 sold. The Optima's most-cited area is engine (61.2%); the Camry's is powertrain / transmission (18.5%).
Kia Optima
4.25 complaints per 1,000 sold
- Basis:
- 2,711 complaints / 637,247 sold, MY 2015–2020 NHTSA
- Too few sold to rate:
- 2021
- Better years:
- 2009, 2010
- Years to avoid:
- 2011–2016
- Top complaint areas:
- Engine 61.2% · Electrical system 13.2% · Powertrain / transmission 8.1%
0.84 complaints per 1,000 sold
- Basis:
- 2,348 complaints / 2,788,813 sold, MY 2015–2022 NHTSA
- Better years:
- 2016, 2017, 2022
- Years to avoid:
- 2008–2012, 2018–2020
- Top complaint areas:
- Powertrain / transmission 18.5% · Engine 15.4% · Brakes 14.4%
Compact cars: Kia Forte vs Toyota Corolla
The Toyota Corolla has fewer complaints per vehicle sold: Kia Forte 1.47 vs Toyota Corolla 0.68 complaints per 1,000 sold. The Forte's most-cited area is engine (46.7%); the Corolla's is air bags (20.9%).
Kia Forte
1.47 complaints per 1,000 sold
- Basis:
- 1,167 complaints / 792,731 sold, MY 2015–2022 NHTSA
- Better years:
- 2020, 2022
- Years to avoid:
- 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017
- Top complaint areas:
- Engine 46.7% · Electrical system 13.7% · Powertrain / transmission 10.8%
0.68 complaints per 1,000 sold
- Basis:
- 1,586 complaints / 2,339,849 sold, MY 2015–2022 NHTSA
- Better years:
- None flagged
- Years to avoid:
- 2009–2011, 2019, 2020
- Top complaint areas:
- Air bags 20.9% · Engine 16.8% · Powertrain / transmission 13.7%
Three-row SUVs: Kia Sorento vs Toyota Highlander
The Toyota Highlander has fewer complaints per vehicle sold: Kia Sorento 5.35 vs Toyota Highlander 1.46 complaints per 1,000 sold. The Sorento's most-cited area is engine (47.7%); the Highlander's is powertrain / transmission (31.1%).
5.35 complaints per 1,000 sold
- Basis:
- 4,168 complaints / 778,652 sold, MY 2015–2022 NHTSA
- Better years:
- 2009, 2020
- Years to avoid:
- 2011–2017
- Top complaint areas:
- Engine 47.7% · Powertrain / transmission 12.2% · Electrical system 11.6%
1.46 complaints per 1,000 sold
- Basis:
- 2,546 complaints / 1,749,226 sold, MY 2015–2022 NHTSA
- Better years:
- None flagged
- Years to avoid:
- 2008, 2017–2023
- Top complaint areas:
- Powertrain / transmission 31.1% · Brakes 11.8% · Electrical system 10.5%
Minivans: Kia Sedona / Carnival vs Toyota Sienna
The Toyota Sienna has fewer complaints per vehicle sold: Kia Sedona / Carnival 4.55 vs Toyota Sienna 0.92 complaints per 1,000 sold. The Sedona / Carnival's most-cited area is engine (39%); the Sienna's is body structure (17.8%).
Kia Sedona / Carnival(whole line)
4.55 complaints per 1,000 sold
- Basis:
- 828 complaints / 182,119 sold, MY 2015–2022 NHTSA
- Better years:
- None flagged
- Years to avoid:
- None flagged
- Top complaint areas:
- Engine 39% · Electrical system 18.2% · Body structure 13.4%
Toyota Sienna
0.92 complaints per 1,000 sold
- Basis:
- 695 complaints / 758,660 sold, MY 2015–2022 NHTSA
- Better years:
- None flagged
- Years to avoid:
- None flagged
- Top complaint areas:
- Body structure 17.8% · Electrical system 14.1% · Powertrain / transmission 13.5%
How these numbers are calculated
complaints per 1,000 sold = NHTSA owner complaints filed for model years 2015–2022 ÷ U.S. vehicles sold in calendar years 2015–2022 × 1,000
Complaints come from NHTSA's public owner-complaint database (NHTSA data), counted once per complaint and matched across NHTSA's trim and body-style names. Vehicles sold are published U.S. calendar-year sales per nameplate. Model years with fewer than 5,000 sold are too few to rate and are left out. A brand gets a score only when its covered models number at least 3 and make up at least 70% of its U.S. sales; rates under 10% apart are called close.
This is the federal complaint rate, not an owner survey or repair-frequency figure. Consumer Reports publishes a survey-based ranking that measures something different. Full method and brand ranking.
Questions
Is Kia as reliable as Toyota?
Toyota comes out ahead: Kia 3.32 vs Toyota 0.94 NHTSA owner complaints per 1,000 vehicles sold (model years 2015–2022). Kia owners filed 3.5× as many complaints per vehicle sold as Toyota owners.
Which has more serious complaints, Kia or Toyota?
Counting only complaints that report a crash, fire or injury, Kia logs 0.29 per 1,000 sold and Toyota 0.10. Those are 9% of Kia's complaints and 11% of Toyota's.
Where do Kia and Toyota rank overall?
Kia ranks #16 and Toyota #2 of the 19 brands with enough sales data, ranked by NHTSA complaints per 1,000 sold for model years 2015–2022.
What do Kia and Toyota owners complain about most?
Kia: engine (52.1%), electrical system (12.2%), powertrain / transmission (9.9%). Toyota: powertrain / transmission (16%), engine (14.6%), electrical system (13.9%). Shares are of each brand's complaints for model years 2015–2022; one complaint can name more than one area.
Which has more recalls, Kia or Toyota?
From January 2016 to September 2026, NHTSA lists 148 Kia recall campaigns covering 13,045,671 vehicles and 198 Toyota campaigns covering 15,819,237. Vehicles covered counts each vehicle once per campaign, so one car in three recalls counts three times. Recalls are fixes the maker files, a different signal from owner complaints.
Is the Kia Sportage more reliable than the Toyota RAV4?
The Toyota RAV4 has fewer complaints per vehicle sold: Kia Sportage 1.76 vs Toyota RAV4 1.10 complaints per 1,000 sold. Based on 676,704 and 3,155,248 vehicles sold. Years to avoid on the Sportage: 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2023. Years to avoid on the RAV4: 2008, 2019–2021, 2023, 2024.
Is the Kia Optima more reliable than the Toyota Camry?
The Toyota Camry has fewer complaints per vehicle sold: Kia Optima 4.25 vs Toyota Camry 0.84 complaints per 1,000 sold. Based on 637,247 and 2,788,813 vehicles sold. Years to avoid on the Optima: 2011–2016. Years to avoid on the Camry: 2008–2012, 2018–2020.