Kia Niro Complaints (2019)

101 consumer complaints on file.

#11666944June 14, 2025
POWER TRAIN
2019 Kia Niro DCT engaged REVERSE during manual 1→2 upshift attempt in Sport Mode, causing violent reversal. Resets with ignition cycle. Smell of burnt clutch present. Happend at 41,000mi, then 73,000mi then again today at 154,584. Believe it may be a faulty range selector, corrupted tcu logic, or both. **Canadian Recall R238 (May 2022)** for DCT clutch actuators
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11666341June 11, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I am writing to formally file a complaint regarding the mishandling of a recall repair (Recall SC276) by the authorized dealership KIA of Lincolnwood, located in Illinois. In October 2024, I contacted the dealership in relation to Recall SC276. A diagnostic inspection confirmed the issue, related to the HCA system, and was supported by multiple error codes: U1010, U1011, P17ED, P17EE. I was informed that the required parts were not available at the time and would be ordered. Despite the known fire risk associated with this recall, the dealership allowed me to drive the vehicle home, which clearly contradicts the safety procedures outlined in Kia’s own recall regulations. I waited approximately two months for a follow-up, but received no communication from the dealership. I called them myself and was informed, after repeated inquiries, that the replacement part had allegedly been damaged during delivery, and that I would need to wait longer. Weeks later, I was contacted and asked to bring the vehicle in. By that time, the car could no longer operate under its own power and had to be transported to the dealership. I left it for repairs. Shockingly, within an hour I received a call saying the car was “ready for pickup.” Upon returning, I discovered that nothing had been done. The vehicle was parked exactly where I had left it. After further discussions, the dealership admitted that the repair had not been performed and the part had not been replaced. I have photographic evidence to confirm this. They assured me the part would be ordered again. My vehicle remained at the dealership from early January until late April 2025. Eventually, I was told that I must pick up the vehicle or face storage fees. Still, no repairs had been completed. This dealership has twice returned the vehicle to me without making the required safety repairs, despite the known risk of fire and potential harm to life. They also misled me about the repair status on multiple occasions.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11663439May 28, 2025
BACK OVER PREVENTION: REARVIEW SYSTEM BRAKING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The rear backup camera works intermittent, checked wiring and still having issues, could cause backing issues for people that don't use their mirrors
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11655978April 22, 2025
STEERING
Ever since the car was purchased 2nd hand, I reported an issue with the car within the 30 day warranty period that the vehicle was steering towards the right and would not go in a straight line, also it popped when steering right, 2 days ago the rod that connects to the bar in the middle that moves in and out as you steer came undone and was chipped
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11637525January 21, 2025
ENGINE
I have a Kia Niro Hybrid. I had the check engine light come on. I took it to Kia dealership in Cicero, NY (Driver's Village/ Burdick Kia. Upon inspection, the dealership stated the following: "CONFIRM CUSTOMER CONCERN CEL ON, P0401 EGR INSUFFICIENT FLOW EGR PORT BECOMES CLOGGED AT HIGH MILEAGE, EGR REPLACEMENT WOULD CORRECT LIGHT TEMPORARILY HOWEVER CASUAL CONDITION WILL STILL REMAIN, CLOG IN EGR FROM ENGINE ITSELF. LONG BLOCK REPLACEMENT MAY BE NEEDED FOR FULL CORRECTION OF CONDITION"
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11634268January 6, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE
Car brought to dealership on 12/2 due to check engine light. scan showed cylinder 4 misfire. Car in shop for 1 week to fix cylinder head replacement. stated "operating as designed". Car returned to shop due to car turning off in the highway. All light were on. now showing hybrid system fault. Dealership had to open kia tech ticket [XXX]. CONFIRMED LIGHTS ON DASH, HYBRID SYSTEM FAULT. DTC SCAN FOUND MCU,BMS DTC'S. REMOVED CONNECTIONS FROM THE HPCU TO INSPECT WIRING AND FOUND CENTER PIN IS MELTED AND THERE IS THERMAL DAMAGE TO WIRING. P0A3E DTC, OPEN TA#[XXX] TA HPCU REPLACEMENT IS NEEDED. CABLE REPLACEMENT IS NEEDED. 1/6 - now advised another part is needed. 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
#11634419January 6, 2025
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, SERVICE BRAKES
The contact's customer owns a 2019 Kia Niro LX. The contact stated that his customer stated that the vehicle overheated. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who replaced the converter. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The owner stated that the vehicle was randomly stopping. The vehicle was taken back to the independent mechanic. While test driving at 15 MPH, the brakes were operating as designed, and then after several attempts, the brake pedal was applied and depressed to the floorboard, and the driver crashed into a parked BMW X5. There were no warning lights illuminated. The brakes were inoperable. The air bags deployed. There were no reported injuries, fire or police report filed. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the faikure. The failure mileage was approximately 144,800.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11631681December 19, 2024
ENGINE, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Niro. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that there was a misfire in cylinder #1. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the cylinder #4 injector. The dealer also informed the contact that the clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 32,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11630030December 11, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
While I’m driving a turtle light randomly illuminates and the car shuts off. The car shuts off from a few seconds up to a minute so far. I have taken it to Kia McDonough Ga and to no avail nothing: they had my car 2 months and by the time they did the diagnostic “the computer box reset”. Why let it sit for a diagnostic when all they are doing is connecting to a computer. I provided them videos and pictures and nothing. This is a danger any passengers, other drivers, as well as myself. The times are random and once the light comes on it’s off. Battery is new, battery is charged.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11625464November 15, 2024
POWER TRAIN
Car made loud whinning noise for 6 months, due to defective transmission. KIA refused to fix because car was out of warranty- but has TSB: ELE234. My extended warranty did not cover because it was a known defect from KIA.' Car stopped working, transmission was repaired. Please see below attached 16k invoice.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11624965November 13, 2024
ENGINE
Service bulletin eng212. 4th cylinder misfire. Diagnostic has been done at Dennis Dillon 9501west Fairview ave Boise id 83704. Engine shaking when increasing speeds above 30 mph. Started without warning while driving. It was recently serviced for routine items on October 16th 2024. On November 5th it had diagnostic performed. Check engine light and display showed automatic diagnostics, engine control system, possible engine condition. I was on my way to vote. Yes it is available for inspection. I am currently not driving it but unsure what to do with it since the value of the car and amount of repairs needed are close in range.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11620633October 18, 2024
POWER TRAIN, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Niro. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power with the message "Stop Engine". The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed failures with the hydraulic clutch actuator and catalytic converter. The catalytic converter was replaced, but the hydraulic clutch actuator was not repaired due to lack of part availability. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V534000 (Power Train); the VIN was included, but parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and confirmed that the part was on backorder. The failure mileage was 87,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11618747October 8, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:TRACTION BATTERY
On June 28, 2022, I set my Juicebox Pro 40 charger to charge my car overnight. The car did not charge and I discovered that the breaker had tripped. I tried resetting the breaker and it immediately tripped again. I noticed a burning smell in the garage in the vicinity of the charger after attempting to reset the breaker. There was discoloration on the unit box. I then unplugged the unit at which point I was able to reset the breaker without it tripping. I concluded that the unit was unsafe to use and I returned it to ENEL. I bought a new one while I waited for warranty service on the old unit. I have not tested the old unit since it was repaired by ENEL. It was my judgment at the time, and remains so, that the unit presented a fire hazard.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11612682September 4, 2024
POWER TRAIN
There’s motor rumble due to a misalignment of the traction motor and reduction gear. It’s a known issue with these vehicles and a technical bulletin was issued but no recall. I’ve brought the vehicle in twice and the first time the dealer told me there was nothing wrong. Now a year later they admit it is wrong and is unsafe to drive without a $10k replacement.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11611750August 30, 2024
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Niro PHEV. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V534000 (Power Train); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer informed the contact to ship the vehicle to the United States for the repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11606590August 5, 2024
ENGINE
The contact owned a 2019 Kia Niro. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed a ticking and a popping sound coming from the vehicle. The contact's friend who was following behind noticed white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The vehicle was driven to the destination. The following day, the oil level was checked, and the contact stated that the oil level was low; however, there was no sign of an oil leak. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started and made a rattling sound. The contact turned the vehicle off and the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a hole in the crankcase. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11605641July 31, 2024
POWER TRAIN
When accelerating from a dead stop, sometimes the car makes a very loud 'clunk' noise and lurches forward. Similar to the feeling when someone drives a manual transmission and takes the clutch out too fast. The car eventually finds the first gear and keeps driving, but this problem happens daily. Maybe around 5-10% of the time after every stop. There are multiple similar complaints on the NHTSA website and on online forums. It is a well-documented issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
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
#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
#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

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