What Kia Niro owners have reported to NHTSA, the service bulletins the manufacturer sent dealers, and any federal defect investigations, by model year. See Kia Niro safety recalls or check your VIN.
Complaints owners filed with NHTSA, by the model year of the vehicle. A high count can also mean a popular year, so compare it with how many were sold.
| Year | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Injured | Deaths | TSBs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| 2025 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| 2024 | 19 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 28 |
| 2023 | 65 | 10 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 52 |
| 2022 | 73 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 40 |
| 2021 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 53 |
| 2020 | 63 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 68 |
| 2019 | 99 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 76 |
| 2018 | 73 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 93 |
| 2017 | 101 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 82 |
The vehicle systems named most often in Kia Niro complaints (one complaint can name several).
In the owners’ own words, as filed with NHTSA. Unverified reports; NHTSA removes personal details before publishing.
This is a supplemental complaint to NHTSA Complaint #11744598 and #11749340. Multiple 2020 Kia Niro Hybrid and PlugâIn Hybrid vehicles are exhibiting identical Electronic Parking Brake (EPB) failures. I have personally encountered other Niro owners reporting the same intermittent EPB/ABS/ESC warnings. A Kia service coordinator confirmed another 2020 Niro currently in their shop with the same issue. In that case, Kia declined warranty coverage because the owner is the second owner, despite the failure involving safetyâcritical brake system components. These repeated occurrences indicate a broader pattern of EPB system malfunction across 2020 Niro Hybrid and PHEV models.
I have experienced two incidents of sudden, severely reduced propulsion while driving my 2024 Kia Niro Hybrid. The incidents occurred several weeks apart. During both incidents, pressing the accelerator did not produce normal acceleration. The vehicle continued moving with very limited propulsion, but the gasoline engine remained at 0 RPM and did not engage when additional power was requested. There were no warning lights, error messages, or other indications of a malfunction on the dashboard. During both incidents, I shifted to Neutral and back to Drive while safely coasting, but this did not correct the problem. After coming to a safe stop, placing the vehicle in Park, turning it completel…
September 18th I had to jump the battery from the 12 volt switch at the drivers side dash. Going to the dealership where I had bought it on August 27th I noticed smoke rolling out from behind the car. I exited off the highway 40 and checked the oil it was clean and full. Water level in radiator was also fine. It smoked several times during the trip but the service department at Parkside Kia was no longer opened so I returned the next morning when I got there they service department technician could not find anything wrong with the battery and he never seen any smoke. Now, I will take it to another Kia dealership in my area because I do not feel side driving it on the highway on a long trip a…
On XXX, at approximately 11:30 a.m., a friend and I were driving on XXX near [XXX], when I noticed smoke coming from the engine compartment. As I pulled over to the side of the road, a warning light appeared on the dashboard. Once stopped, I saw flames coming from the engine compartment. We immediately got out of the car, retrieved our dogs from the back seat, and ran away from the burning car. Another motorist who had witnessed the flames pulled over behind us. Because our cell phones were still inside the car, we used his phone to call [XXX]. The Tennessee Highway Patrol and the Fire Department responded to the scene. The car was completely destroyed by the fire and was declared a to…
On August 22nd, I was driving from the grocery story to my house (5 miles away) when the transmission started failing only going on 2nd gear and the check engine light came on, when I got home, I called my mechanic and he connected his code reader to my card and the error code is P090B$07E9 Clutch "B" actuator control circuit performance error, he told me that Kia motors had an open recall for the clutch actuator, I called the Kia dealer to make an appointment for August 26th I told them the issue with my car and they told me they will check that error, it took two weeks for them to return my car and they told me that they replaced only the fuse for the Recall SC275 / NHTSA 23V534000 and the…
My 2018 Kia Niro had the Hydraulic Clutch Actuator (HCA) replacement in 2024 due to a recall. About two years later, it failed again causing the call to completely stop working creating safety issues for me. The car was towed to the dealership but Kia refused to pay for the fix. I eventually paid for the fix and requested a reimbursement since my vehicle is directly impacted by Safety Recall Campaign SC276 (NHTSA Campaign 23V534000) due to a critical design defect causing fluid leaks and electrical fire hazards. Kia never responded after initial request for escalation on August 4th, then August 14th, then August 21st and finally a voicemail on September 1st. Under federal safety regulation…
The dealership is falsely reporting to Kia Corporate and the NHTSA that Recall SC276 is 'completed' by only replacing a fuse. They are refusing to replace the actively leaking, fire-hazardous Hydraulic Clutch Actuator unless I pay an out-of-pocket diagnostic fee. They are violating federal recall safety mandates by trying to release a vehicle with an active, un-repaired recall leak.
The vehicle's hydraulic clutch actuator (HCA) has failed and is actively leaking fluid onto the printed circuit board (PCB), creating an immediate electrical short and engine bay fire hazard. This failure is identical to the defect detailed in Safety Recall SC276 (NHTSA Campaign 23V534). As indicated by a search of my VIN, the vehicle was brought in by us previously when we learned there was a recall, and the recall was officially marked "completed" in the NHTSA database. However, the dealership at the time claimed the vehicle was not affected by the recall, stating there was nothing wrong. They simply performed the minor step of changing a fuse to mark it as completed but did not provide …
Repair instructions and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about known issues. A TSB is not a recall, and the repair is usually free only while the car is under warranty; ask your dealer for the bulletin number.
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: PARTIAL REPAIR â ELECTRICAL A/C COMPRESSOR - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information regarding the partial repair of the Air Conditioning (A/C) compressor assembly on some 2011MY~ Optima Hybrid (TF HEV, JF HEV/PHEV), 2015MY~ Soul EV (PS EV), 2017MY~ Niro (DE HEV/PHEV/EV), 2022MY~ EV6 (CV), 2021MY~ Sorento (MQ4 HEV/PHEV), 2023MY~ Sportage (NQ5 HEV/PHEV), and 2023MY~ Niro (SG2 EV/HEV/PHEV) vehicles.
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: AVN GEN 5.0 WIDE SOFTWARE UPDATE - This bulletin provides information on the Audio Video Navigation (AVN) system software update for certain vehicles equipped with AVN5W and Navigation System listed in the table below. Affected vehicles may overestimate travel times during route calculation.
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: BSA REPLACEMENT (PI2603Y) - This bulletin provides information related to the Technical Service Bulletin previously published under PI2603, titled âBMS Battery Diagnostic Logic Improvement.â If one or more of the Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs) listed in the bulletin are present or stored after the Battery Management System (BMS) software upgrade has been performed per PI2603, follow the procedure outlined in this publication to replace the Battery System Assembly (BSA) on the applicable vehicle.
PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: OWNER NOTIFICATION (PI2603) - This document is the owner notification advising that Kia is conducting a Product Improvement Campaign to update the battery management system (BMS) software to enhance battery diagnostic performance in certain 2020-2022 MY Niro EV vehicles.
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: BMS BATTERY DIAGNOSTIC LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (PI2603) - This bulletin provides information regarding a Battery Management System (BMS) software update for certain 2020â2022MY Niro (DE EV) vehicles produced from June 2, 2020, through November 8, 2021. Kia has developed improved battery health monitoring software to enhance the BMS diagnostic performance of the high-voltage battery (HVB) cells produced by a specific supplier in the subject vehicles. This improved software will enhance the long-term issue detection capabilities of the high-
PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: QUESTION AND ANSWER (PI2603) - This document is the Question and Answer Guide containing the most frequently asked questions regarding the Product Improvement Campaign PI2603.
PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: DEALER PARTS AND SERVICE MANAGER MEMO (PI2603) - This document is the announcement to the dealer Parts and Service managers advising that Kia is conducting a Product Improvement Campaign to update the battery management system (BMS) software to enhance battery diagnostic performance in certain 2020-2022 MY Niro EV vehicles manufactured from June 2, 2020 through November 8, 2021.
PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: DEALER PRINCIPAL MEMO (PI2603) - This document is the announcement to the dealer principals advising that Kia is conducting a Product Improvement Campaign to update the battery management system (BMS) software to enhance battery diagnostic performance in certain 2020-2022 MY Niro EV vehicles manufactured from June 2, 2020 through November 8, 2021.
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM SOFTWARE UPDATE USING UPDATE.KIA.COM - This bulletin provides information and service procedures for updating the infotainment systems on applicable Kia vehicles using the Kia Navigation Updater available at update.kia.com. The software update may improve system performance, enhance existing features, and apply the latest operating software for supported vehicles (2021-2026MY All Models).
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: INFOTAINMENT SOFTWARE UPDATE PROCEDURE - This bulletin provides information on the process for downloading infotainment software updates and preparing USB for installation on applicable Kia vehicles. The software downloads and USB preparation process is similar across all supported platforms; however, inâvehicle installation procedures vary by head unit type.
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: AVN5.0W DTC P17A000 DAIGNOSTIC PROCEDURE - This bulletin provides information regarding a potential illuminated Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) accompanied by DTC P17A000 on some 2022-2025MY Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV) and Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) equipped with AVN5.0Wide head units listed below. This condition occurs when the Global Positioning System (GPS) module within the Audio Video Navigation (AVN) head unit, sends an inaccurate signal to the Hybrid Power Control Unit (HPCU), causing the DTC to set. There are no drivability symptoms associat
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: AEWP INSPECTION AND REPLACEMENT (SC325) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information to inspect and, if necessary, replace the Auxiliary Electric Water Pump (AEWP), control harness wiring, and/or engine room junction box for coolant intrusion and/or corrosion on certain 2022-2023MY Kia Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid vehicles listed in the table below. The AEWP in the subject vehicles may cra
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opens these when complaints point to a possible safety defect. Many end in a recall.
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-spe
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation public data (complaints, manufacturer communications, investigations), model years 2010 and later. Had a safety problem? Report it to NHTSA.
In complaints filed with NHTSA for model years 2017–2026, owners most often name: electrical system, power train, unknown or other. 527 complaints are on record.
No. A complaint is an unverified report from an owner. A technical service bulletin (TSB) is the manufacturer telling dealers how to fix a known issue; it is not a safety recall and is usually covered only under warranty. A recall is a formal safety action, and its repair is free.
File a vehicle safety complaint at NHTSA.gov. NHTSA reads every report, and patterns of complaints are what open defect investigations and, eventually, recalls.
