Buyer Research

2023 Kia Stinger — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $28,000–$42,000. There are 2 high-severity known issues you need to know before handing over a check.

Deciding between model years? Compare the 6 Kia Stinger years we've written up →

Kestrel Take

The last Stinger. Kia built a final run for 2023, including the Tribute edition, and then stopped — which is why these hold their money better than the earlier cars and why you will pay close to new-car territory for a low-mileage GT. Five complaints is almost nothing to read: it tells you how few were sold and how recently, not that the car is sound. One recall reaches this year, the turbocharger oil feed pipe on the 3.3-litre; the fuse kit and fuel pump campaigns that dominate the 2019-to-2021 cars were written against earlier build years and do not touch it. What little the record holds is worth your attention anyway — two shattered panoramic roofs and a driver's door that opened at 65 mph. Check the roof glass, check both front door latches, and buy on service history rather than on the thinness of this file.

What we checked

Checked against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 5 owner complaints for the 2023 Kia Stinger, and 1 recall campaign.

That is too small a record to read a pattern from, so we are not going to pretend otherwise — with numbers this low one owner moves the percentage by a lot. What has been filed is grouped under the body and structure (3), electrics and electronics (1), airbags (1). Treat those as things to look at, not as the vehicle's known weaknesses. A thin file usually means few of these were sold or few owners filed. It is not evidence the vehicle is trouble-free, and the issues below are our own research rather than a reading of this record.

One recall campaign covers this model year. Recalls are repaired free, for any owner, with no time limit on most safety campaigns — but only if someone books it in. Ask the seller to show it was done, or have any dealer check the VIN; it takes them a couple of minutes and costs nothing.

Counts come from the NHTSA complaint and recall database — free, public, and worth checking yourself.

Known Issues for the 2023 Kia Stinger

Ranked by wallet impact. These are documented, recurring problems — not freak accidents. How we decide that.

Oil feed pipe serving the left turbo can leak onto a hot engine (recall)High — wallet impact

Campaign 24V169 is the only recall on this year, and it covers Stingers with the 3.3-litre twin-turbo V6: the oil feed pipe and hose serving the left turbocharger can deteriorate and leak oil onto engine parts hot enough to set it alight while the car is moving. Dealers replace the pipe and hose at no charge; letters went out in April 2024. Being the final model year is no protection here — 2023 cars are explicitly named. Check the VIN on NHTSA's lookup, and with the engine warm, look for oil wet on the heat shields low on the left side of the engine. A 2.5-litre GT-Line is not part of this campaign.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed

Source: 1 NHTSA recall campaign on this model year.

Panoramic sunroof breaks on its own with nothing having hit itHigh — wallet impact

Two of the three structural complaints on this year are the roof glass letting go by itself — one described simply as a sunroof explosion, the other an owner who fought Kia and the BBB over it and got nowhere. The 2022 car shows the same thing. Large bonded panoramic panels sit under tension, and a chipped edge or a stressed frame is enough to start a crack that runs the whole panel in an instant. Ask your insurer whether roof glass falls under comprehensive before you assume you are covered. When you inspect the car, run a fingertip round the painted edge of the glass hunting for chips, and look from inside for a hairline running out of any corner.

Repair cost (estimate): $1,200–$3,500 for a panoramic glass panel fitted

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the body and structure (3).

Driver's door came open at highway speed — check both front latchesMedium

One owner reports the driver's door popping open mid-corner on a highway ramp at around 65 mph with the warning chime sounding and no prior sign of trouble. That is one report on this year, so treat it as a thing to check rather than a pattern — but it costs you nothing to check. Open and close each front door hard and listen for both stages of the latch catching; then, with the door shut, pull outward firmly on the handle-side edge and see whether there is any movement. A latch that only half-engages, or a striker worn shiny and oval, is the failure this describes.

Repair cost (estimate): $350–$900 for a door latch assembly fitted

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the body and structure (3).

Cabin electronics glitch together after the driver's window switch acts upMedium

The single electrical complaint on this year describes a chain reaction: the driver's window switch began turning itself on and off the day after warranty work, and when it cut out, several other cabin electronics glitched with it. Other owners online pointed the same way, at a burnt connector behind the driver's door panel. The driver's door carries the master switch pack and a loom that flexes every time the door swings, so it is the usual place for this to start. Work every window, lock and mirror from the driver's pack during your test drive, and watch whether anything else on the dash blinks when one of them misbehaves.

Repair cost (estimate): $150–$600 for the master switch pack or a repaired connector

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under electrics and electronics (1).

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗A chip or a hairline crack at the edge of the panoramic roof glass
✗A front door that closes with only one click, or shifts when pulled
✗Dash or cabin electronics blinking when you work the driver's window switch
✗A 3.3-litre car with the turbo oil pipe recall still showing open
✗Oil wet on the heat shields low on the left side of the engine

Good Signs

✓The turbocharger oil feed pipe campaign shown closed on the NHTSA VIN lookup
✓Roof glass with clean edges and a headliner shade that runs smoothly end to end
✓Both front doors latching with a firm two-stage click and sitting flush
✓Service records from one Kia dealer across the short life this car has had
✓Turbo-rated oil changed every 5,000 miles with invoices to match