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Kia Driver’s Back Seats Completely Pop Off. It's Not Just Him: ‘The Whole Gas Tank Basically Imploded’

"Kia is not buying them back."

Kia Driver’s Back Seats Completely Pop Off. He’s Not The Only One

Photo by: THLT LCX & Kahn & allchipnodip06

Alexandra Samuels

By: Alexandra Samuels

Oct 19, at 6:00pm ET

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A man says he was stunned to see not one, but two Kia vehicles on his lot with what appeared to be the same bizarre problem: the rear seat had lifted away from the car's body.

Andrew (@allchipnodip06), who says his page is “satire,” recently showed viewers what he described as a customer’s Kia after they came in complaining that the “back seats pop up.”

He said he “couldn’t believe it.”

At first, Andrew didn’t fully understand what the customer meant. Then he saw the Kia in person. The entire backseat appeared to be detached from the body of the vehicle, with the seat pushed noticeably upward.

The body “just popped up,” Andrew said.

According to Andrew, the damage wasn’t limited to the seat. “The whole gas tank basically imploded,” he said.

What made the situation even stranger was that Andrew said this wasn’t the only Kia on his lot with the same problem. He showed another vehicle that appeared to have similar damage around the rear seat.

“Completely lost for words, also Kia is not buying them back,” Andrew wrote in the caption of his clip. As of this writing, the video has more than 90,400 views.

Kia Recalls K5s Over Fuel Tank Problems

At least one documented Kia gas tank defect can cause the tank to deform, though it’s unclear from Andrew’s video whether the cars he showed are affected by that recall.

Last November, Kia recalled over 250,000 2021-2024 K5 passenger cars equipped with the 1.6-liter Turbocharged Gasoline Direct Injection (T-GDI) engine. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a check valve in the purge-control system can deteriorate and allow pressurized air to flow into the fuel tank. That pressure can then cause the tank to expand—until it contacts hot exhaust components.

If the vehicle continues to be driven, NHTSA says the tank can melt and leak fuel, risking the risk of a fire. For owners of affected cars, Kia recommends replacing the check valve, inspecting the fuel tank for damage, and replacing it if necessary—all at no charge.

That issue is notable because Andrew described the tank in one of the vehicles as having “basically imploded.” But the federal recall describes the opposite: the tank expanding from internal pressure. Without the model year, VIN, diagnostic information, or repair records for the vehicles in Andrew’s clip, there’s no way to say for certain whether the same defect is involved.

In a separate matter affecting second-row seats in Kias, however, the manufacturer addressed an issue in certain 2022-2024 MY Kia Carnival minivans. In 2023, the company launched a “product-improvement campaign” to reinforce plates in the car’s second-row seat outer rails after crash testing showed the rails could detach. Kia said those vehicles still met all federal safety standards.

That campaign, however, involved the seat mounting points, not the fuel tank, so it should not be treated as an explanation for what Andrew showed.

Gallery: 2026 Kia K5

2026 Kia K5 Front 3/4

2026 Kia K5 Rear 3/4 2026 Kia K5 Front 3/4

Source: Kia

Viewers Highlight Kia Recalls

Several viewers immediately tied the damage back to the check-valve recall.

“Someone didn’t have their check valve recall done… oooooops,” one commenter wrote.

Andrew had a short response. “Womp womp,” he said.

Another viewer, who said they used to own a repair shop, used the clip to make a broader point about brands they don’t trust.

“As someone who owned a repair shop, I always tell people to never buy a Nissan or Kia/Hyundai,” they wrote.

One commenter offered a more specific explanation for what may have happened.

“There’s a recall for that, which is the check valve, which lets air out of [the] gas tank. You don’t do it, then it doesn’t let air out, and that happens. You ignore recall, Kia won’t buy it back,” the viewer said.

Andrew appeared to agree with that version of events.

“Wow, I think this is the first comment that got the story right,” he responded.

Some viewers focused on whether the damage would be enough to total the vehicles.

“Wouldn’t this legit total them?” another asked.

“In a perfect world, the dealership would buy it back…” Andrew replied.

Another person floated a much rougher repair plan.

“I mean, if I could snag one for insanely cheap, I’d just put a new tank in it and sledgehammer the floor back down,” they wrote.

Andrew didn’t disagree.

What do you think?

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“Because that’s valid,” he said.

Motor1 contacted Andrew via TikTok direct message. We’ll be sure to update this if he responds.

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