Kia Niro Complaints

531 consumer complaints on file.

#11602496July 15, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
hybrid battery warning paid out of pocket for towing, car still at the dealership, loss of income and wages, been treated with awful customer services, and paying out of pocket. Car went in on June 25
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11602434July 15, 2024
POWER TRAIN
Engine light indicating error code P040100. Dealership noted excessive buildup in emission tube, cooler plugged and needs replaced, EGR valve needs replaced. Car has less than 35k miles.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11600985July 10, 2024
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
I was backing out of a tandem parking spot in a private garage and got too close to a pillar, and tried to pull forward into the spot. It felt like the car got snagged on the pillar, but while pulling forward slowly, the gas pedal snapped off and the car accelerated quickly and uncontrollably. I was able to avoid hitting other cars but drove straight into a concrete wall despite immediately braking. I'm relatively uninjured, but if it had happened in a less controlled environment and/or I hadn't reacted as quickly, there could have been serious injuries to myself or others. There was no indication of an issue prior, and the car is currently in storage with my insurance company and will be appraised next week. I have photos of the broken pedal.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11599526July 6, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
EV battery cooling system displayed the warning, "LOW INVERTER COOLANT LEVEL." I checked and it is not low.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11597684June 29, 2024
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS, STEERING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Last year, I purchased a new 2023 Kia Niro Hybrid and had a 24-month lease contract on it. After 9 months (5,700 miles), my car started having problems (Forward Collision Warning, random loss of power steering). My car had to be towed twice to a KIA dealership, where I was told nothing was wrong with my car. They finally agreed to run a scan on the electric syste, where they found a few communication issues. After doing a system update, KIA told me the problems were fixed, however, the car kept having the same problems plus a new one (random Automatic Emergency Braking). At this point, the car was too unreliable to drive so I returned it to my KIA dealership. Although the car clearly had problems that Kia couldn’t fix, I had to pay to get out of my lease and ended up buying another car, not a KIA. I am reporting the issues with the 2023 KIA Niro Hybrid to make sure people are aware of the issues on this particular car in case it is put on the pre owned market. I believe we’ve been very lucky not to get into an accident, my [XXX] drove it in the city and on the highway and I can't imagine what would have happened if the Automatic Emergency Braking would have gone off then. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11597580June 28, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My key fob works perfectly fine. I came out from work and my car was dead, I pressed my key fob to unlock and nothing happened. I tried the key attached to the key fob and it’s strange because it doesn’t even fit to open the door. It was so hot outside because I’m in Texas and when I called KIA roadside assistance an hour passed by and they still hadn’t arrived. I could’ve had a heat injury, but I was able to hide under a tree for some shade. This is the second time my car just dies and doesn’t turn on without having to get help from roadside assistance. I took it to the dealership and they did a diagnostic on my car. They said nothing is wrong with it. This is crazy, it’s making KIA look bad. I attached the service copy of the diagnostic test. They didn’t have extra vehicles to rent so I had to take Lyft to work. They were kind enough to drop me off home, but I still had to pay to get to work.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11596449June 25, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Emergency stop blocked by a piece of the bottom dash panel under the steering column. There are castings in the underside of the panel covering the steering column that prevent the right foot of a driver with a larger foot/shoe to operate the brake pedal. I have a size 11 shoe and my foot catches on this plastic casting and interferes with the brake operation. Last night a car pulled out of a parking spot in front of me and the protuberance block my foot from applying the brakes. This has happened multiple times and I am forced to drive without my right shoe for safety sake !
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11595788June 21, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
When slowing with regenerative braking, there is a ticking sound and shaking until the car stops.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11595592June 20, 2024
ENGINE, UNKNOWN OR OTHER, LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION
I am unsure of what to say about my car. I saw a check oil light flicker and it went away. The car had oil when I checked on it so it didn't seem to be a problem. There was no sign of leakage and no sign of burning oil or fuel. Several days later, the check oil light came on permanently. Before I could get the car anywhere, the car started making a strange sound. I took it to my usual shop. They said it had sprung a spontaneous leak. They said it was a large oil pressure switch leak. They replaced the sensor and added oil. They said there was some damage but that the car was still drivable. I drove the car for a week and then when I was on the highway, the car starting roaring and shaking like I was in an earthquake. The check engine light started blinking. I could not accelerate properly and had to coast to safety on the electric. I was able to use my friends scanner and found 4 misfire codes: PO300-303. My neighbor (a mechanic) looked at the vehicle and said that was damage was internal and was going to need extensive work or a new engine. He didn't have the time to take the vehicle apart so we did not find the true cause and I am now wondering if this is a new safety issues or related to the recall. I did not receive the recall information until recently (I tend to have issues receiving my mail sometimes) and haven't even had time to get to the dealership to check on it. Everyone I have spoken to has said this is how Kia's are and they are not worth purchasing.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11594151June 13, 2024
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Niro. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the vehicle was shuddering and failed to start. The battery charge was low. The HEV warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer informed the contact that a field expert would be determining the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 140,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11591574May 30, 2024
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, ENGINE
The Exhaust heat recovery system has a valve that can malfunction and allows coolant to leak into the exhaust and ignite it into the atmosphere. It can cause misfires in the engine, there are technical service bulletins (TSB 212 and Pitstop Tech bulletin PS709 that are attached to this report) that have more information on this issue. This can drain the coolant from the system and cause engine overheating issues. Some shops may misdiagnose it as a head gasket problem. This is a common problem for Kia Niro's 2017-2022. A new heat exchanger as of now costs $3000 brand new from the OEM and Kia is very strict about how they apply their warranty to any kind of part. Please can you help remedy this issue for Niro owners.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11590715May 25, 2024
TIRES, TIRES:SIDEWALL
Tire size 215/55 R17 Tire model: Nokian One. All 4 tires cracked at the sidewall and thread, around or below shoulder. It is about less than 20k miles on this set of 4 Nokian One tires. They have been used for 15 months. Nokian released the Nokia One model in 2021.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11590360May 23, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES
My right brake light keeps going out and it was “fix” before my the Kia dealership and they said it was just a lose harness but months later it has happened again, the warning light constantly comes on and the power to the light is intermittent. It is currently back into the shop to run another diagnostic
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11590270May 22, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The interior instrument panel horizontal angled trim has a shiny metal surface that when the sun shines on it, reflects into the driver's eyes causing a blinding experience. The driver cannot see the instrument panel, the display, the controls, and causes a total white out/ washout of visibility. Due to a camera's light sensitivity and auto adjustment of same, pictures don't serve well as to the actual blinding experience.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11589434May 18, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER, SERVICE BRAKES
Car has warning message and several engine lights on dash come up and asks to stop car and check the regenerative brake system. Car loses all systems that are electrical, car is very hard to drive, even not operative. This has happened many times over the past four years. Each time the car has been taken to a authorized KIA Dealership and they have not been able to fix the problem. It happened almost a week ago and dealership told us that they couldn't find anything wrong and were told to pick it up. Happened again today and it was while driving. Same issue, same warnings on dash.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11588671May 14, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
- While driving, we received a notice on the dashboard to "stop driving and check regenerative brakes". Simultaneously we lose 95% of our braking power and all of the acceleration. Slamming on the brakes all the way to the floor provided some minor braking ability, but it was significantly diminished and frankly terrifying. We turn the car off, turn it back on again, and everything seems totally normal. - We cannot recreate the error, but we call the dealership. They say they can get us in in a week to service us. As this is our only car we keep driving it cautiously. - This happens again once more, before we bring it into the dealership. - The dealership runs a bunch of tests, tells us its the 12V battery, replaces the 12V battery, charges us $500 and tells us its fixed. - one week later (today) the same thing happens. Clearly it's not fixed, but even if it had been fixed, why is so much of the braking tied to the 12V? The dealership cannot get us in for days and is suggesting this may not be covered under our warranty.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11587407May 7, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Coolant keeps leaking causing car to overheat. Faulty heat exchange flooding catalyic converter. This is a know issue with Kia Niros. No warning lights. Kia service department found the issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11587368May 7, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My car drives forward when in reverse. This happened twice. Second time I was able to get it on video. Car Is currently at dealership
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11585858April 29, 2024
POWER TRAIN
The contact owned a 2017 Kia Niro. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the temperature gauge began to indicate that the vehicle was overheating. The contact then observed smoke emanating from the engine compartment. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle soon became engulfed in flames. Local emergency services arrived and were able to extinguish the flames. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and deemed a total loss by the contact's insurance provider. A fire report was filed. A police report was also filed, with no injuries reported. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V534000 (Engine), and the VIN was included, but the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11585252April 25, 2024
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
While entering into a parking spot at minimal speed, the vehicle experienced an unexpected spontaneous acceleration, causing it to lunge forward, climb onto the curb, and collide with the adjacent building. This resulted mainly in damage to the front end and front passenger door, and the shattering of a large tempered glass window that cushioned the impact. Thankfully, there were no pedestrians on the sidewalk, and the impacted office space was unoccupied at the time of the incident. It is important to note that I was not utilizing the cruise control at the time of the spontaneous acceleration incident and that the vehicle had only been driven 1760 miles since it was purchased, further highlighting the totally unexpected nature of the occurrence. This alarming event of the car accelerating on its own, when it had come to an almost full stop, leads me to believe that the car could pose a significant safety risk. I am deeply troubled by the potential consequences of this spontaneous acceleration; no warning light or collision safety feature turned on. I consider that it is imperative for Kia to conduct a thorough investigation and retrieve the vehicle data to determine the root cause of the incident.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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