Kia Niro Complaints

531 consumer complaints on file.

#11496969December 11, 2022
AIR BAGS
I was in a car accident (I t-boned a guy that ran a red light in front of me) at about 20 mph but no airbags deployed. My car is a total loss and I have a concussion from hitting my head on the window plus contusions along the path of the seatbelt. I suspect something could be wrong with the airbags considering they failed to deploy despite a collision that totaled the car. I wonder if I might not have got a concussion had they deployed. Police responded and commented about my airbags failing to deploy and my insurance is inspecting the car this week.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11496486December 7, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN
Back seat got warm & later that morning car engine would not start but lights in vehicle came on. Appt made w/dealer who after a week hadn't done diagnostics nor checked battery & main hybrid fuse as I had requested. I towed to a service garage who upon starting to open the box covering battery, found battery had kindof exploded & bulged. I searched online for recalls on 12/7/22 and found a recall 11/10/22 -22V836000 (KIAs # is SC256) which is "Main Relay within Power Relay Assembly (PRA) may have inadequate connections between its contacts, causing increased electrical resistance, which can overheat the rear seats." "This recall supersedes NHTSA recall number 18V-666. Vehicles already repaired under the previous recall will need to have the new remedy completed" I have receipt showing I had did the 1st recall but the recall is not showing up when I search my VIN#. Kia has found some dealers lied & never replaced the part they said they did. My car will be towed tomorrow to a KIA dealer who will look into this issue & what my battery looks like. No warning lights came on prior to the engine not starting. I called KIA cust service for recalls this morning 12/7 and they were no help to me at all seeing the recall isnt showing under my VIN number.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11495928December 3, 2022
ENGINE, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
I have a used 2019 Niro PHEV. I started getting a loud jerk when starting from a full stop. At first it started happened in EV mode only but I've had it happen in Hybrid mode a couple of times ( not sure if the engine is actually working or just on for Heating). The sound and jerk can best be described as what happens when you drive a stick shift and you pull the clutch too quickly in first gear without any gas and the car jerks forward. It also feels like I've been rear ended. The car feels unsafe the drive. There were no warning lights. Dealer hasn't reproduced it yet. I just brought it in. Please see these forum posts about this issue. Many others are experiencing this: https://www.kianiroforum.com/threads/brand-new-2019-phev-loud-jerking-noise-when-starting-from-full-stop.8740/ https://www.kia-forums.com/threads/occasional-hard-loud-shift-from-start-on-new-niro-phev.342780/
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11493839November 16, 2022
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES, STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR:HANDLE:EXTERIOR
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Niro. The contact stated that while her mom was opening the front passenger’s side door outside door handle detached. The driver’s and passenger’s side door handle and button detached. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer four times where it was diagnosed and determined that the door handles needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not covered under a warranty or recall. No additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000. The VIN was not available.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11492683November 8, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I first bought the car brand new from the car dealership and the first problem was a check engine light came on when I bought it. I took it to the car dealership and could not find the problem. I bought the car in December 2020. And off and on the check engine light comes and goes. And they could not find the error. Lastly about two weeks before the car caught on fire. It was service for oil change and a catalytic converter replacement. After that while I was driving on the parkway in New Jersey I heard a loud bang in the engine and I pulled over and I saw a fire starting underneath the engine. The whole car is consumed in fire. The fire department came and put it out.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11491873November 2, 2022
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Niro. The contact stated that while her son was driving at an undisclosed speed, he noticed white smoke coming from the exhaust. The contact stated that her son pulled over to input more coolant however, upon starting the vehicle, the coolant immediately drained from the reservoir. Additionally, the contact stated that a burning odor could be detected throughout the vehicle. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that a hole was in the exhaust and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 97,000. The VIN was not available.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11487095September 29, 2022
STEERING
The bearings in the steering wheel is going bad. The car is a 2020 and should not have this issue. They’re claiming it’s not covered under basic warranty since my mileage is 77,637, over the 60,000 mileage. Even with this many mileage, a steering wheel bearing should not go bad this quickly.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11485034September 18, 2022
ENGINE, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My Niro has been having issues with sputtering, jerking, chugging, and feeling like it’s about to stall. Sometimes it happens right when I start the car and sometimes it happens while I am driving. The check engine light just started coming on yesterday. I believe the transmission is faulty and have spoken to or taken it to the dealer with this same issue multiple times as it is covered under warranty. They keep telling me that’s just how the car drives but in the 8 cars I’ve owned in my life, I have never had a car that behaves this way before. An internet search of “Kia niro transmission problems” proves that this is a common and known issue with this car that Kia is doing nothing to resolve. I have a daily 20 mile commute to work and feel incredibly unsafe driving my car and letting my teenage daughter drive it.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11484542September 15, 2022
VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY
While driving on a major highway, my sunroof suddenly exploded. Luckily the screen was pulled shut otherwise I would have been covered in glass. I was able to drive to the next exit and park the vehicle to then get out and observe the damage. There was a gaping hole in the sunroof. I called a tow who brought me to a Kia dealership. I explained what happened and after inspecting the car the dealership told me it was road debris that caused the issue. I did not see or hear anything hit my car prior to the explosion of the sunroof and I question their findings that it was debris related.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11484418September 14, 2022
SERVICE BRAKES
The contact’s wife owns a 2020 Kia Niro. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently decelerated. The contact stated that during the failure the regenerative brake warning light illuminated. The contact stated that his wife was able to coast into a parking lot. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the failure could not be duplicated. The manufacture was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was covered under warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 46,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11482958September 6, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
When driving with ACC engaged in traffic at a speed below the target speed the vehicle will sometimes speed up. This seems to happen when the ACC radar loses the return from the vehicle ahead -- for example when when a ahead vehicle changes lanes in stop-and-go traffic, I think this may happen if the side of the vehicle merging into the lane is relatively "clean" and most of the radar energy is reflected away. When this happens the car will start accelerating to the target speed, in rush hour traffic the spacing between vehicles can be quite tight and there is little time to respond to the sudden acceleration. This has also happened at an approach to a roundabout where there is a sharp turn before entering the roundabout. The vehicle is available for inspection. The problem has happened several times and I'm often able to predict when it will happen, but it has not been independently reproduced. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer (the problem was reported to the dealer who sold the car, they brushed it off and could not provide a means of reporting it to the manufacturer). There were no warnings or indication of an equipment failure.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11482959September 6, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The car has chrome trim on the dashboard that can cause blinding reflections and which also reflects in the side windows making it hard to see the side mirrors. This is a design flaw (not strictly a failure or malfunction) and the vehicle is available for inspection. The risk is that it impedes the driver's vision and the ability to use the mirrors and sometimes to read the display. Impeding the driver's vision can result in a crash. This problem has been reported by many owners on various forums, but I have not had it corroborated.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11480978August 24, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The contact owned a 2022 Kia Niro. The contact stated that while his wife was driving in a parking lot at approximately 5 MPH, she drove over a curb to avoid a vehicle that was reversing. The vehicle crashed into the roadway aggressively after coming down from the curb and the contact's wife inadvertently depressed the accelerator pedal. The vehicle accelerated to approximately 40 MPH in a straight line and then crashed into four parked vehicles in a chain reaction, crashing into the rear end of the first parked vehicle. The contact stated that his wife was not aware of any warning lights being illuminated. The vehicle came to a stop on its own due to the crash's impact. The damage to the contact's vehicle was a crushed grill, hood, and fenders, all the way to the windshield. The contact's wife suffered a fracture to her C2 vertebrae on her neck, a fracture to her right foot, a small laceration to her left knee. The contact suffered bruises to her chest and shoulders from the seat belt. The contact's wife was transported to the ER by ambulance. The driver's side front air and side air bags had been deployed. The contact stated that the police were on the scene and filed a report. The contact said that the vehicle had been towed to an impound lot. The vehicle had not been diagnosed by a dealer or independent mechanic. The contact stated that the insurance provider requested that the vehicle be released to them. The contact stated that the vehicle was equipped with front collision avoidance technology which had apparently failed to stop the vehicle. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 1,500.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11478282August 8, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I own a 2017 Kia Niro with 48,000 miles on it. In early February 2022, I received a "system overheating" warning on my dashboard. When I pulled over and checked the engine, I noticed that the coolant overflow reservoir was nearly empty. I had the vehicle towed to a dealership (Destination Kia in Albany, NY), who pressure tested the engine but couldn't find any leaks. They returned the vehicle to me, but a day later I got another overheating warning and this time noticed excessive smoke, along with the coolant reservoir once again being drained. I thus brought it to a different dealer (Matthews Kia in Schenectady, NY), who also could not find a leak, but offered to replace the engine. Several months went by without the repair being completed, so I finally went to Matthews last week for a status update. They informed me that they had several Niro's experiencing similar issues, and that Kia Corporate had sent out a "technical service bulletin" to the dealers informing them that this recurring issue in the Niros is due to faulty EGR coolers. I brought the vehicle back to Destination, hoping that as a larger dealer they could complete the repair more quickly. They have since confirmed that the EGR cooler needs replacing, but quoted me $2500 for the repair, stating that it is not covered under warranty. Considering that this problem has recurred in enough Niros to warrant a technical service bulletin from the corporate office, and the obvious safety issues that an overheating vehicle can cause, I argue that Kia should have to send out a recall for this part. It's absurd that I'm being asked to pay $2500 to repair a vehicle with less than 50,000 miles on it, especially considering that this is clearly a recurring issue with this model. I have attached the initial repair records that I received, and will add the $2500 repair order for the EGR cooler once it is completed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11477529August 4, 2022
POWER TRAIN
The vehicle has an intermittent jerk/clunk sound when accelerating or coming to a stop. Occasionally it can feel as if the clutch is coming engaging/disengaging roughly and cause passenger's heads to shake forward. In a few instances there has been a delay when pressing on the brakes to initiate stopping before the vehicle, this momentary loss of control is alarming. It feels as if the clutch and brakes did not react to the pedal immediately. I have taken the vehicle to the Kearny Mesa Kia dealership to diagnose the issue on 3 separate occasions starting from 2 months after purchasing the vehicle. On the most recent visit they have diagnosed that dual clutch failed a calibration test - it is unclear if they performed this test on the previous visits. Repairs have not yet been performed as I am disputing the out of warranty claim by the dealership
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11475984July 26, 2022
SERVICE BRAKES, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
During driving or while parked, the vehicle will shut off power brakes, and display an error "Stop Vehicle and Check Regenrative Brakes". When the power brakes shut off, the brake pedal location and feedback change sharply and the responsiveness is severely impaired. This error can occur at any time, which is very dangerous especially at highway speeds or when coming to a stop. I have let an authorized Kia dealership inspect the car for 31 days and did not see the issue. I took the vehicle back, and it happens frequently, so I drove it in with the issue active again and they have had it for another 7 days so far after seeing the issue actively reported. The first occurrence occurred at approximately 18000 miles, about 2.75 years of operation on May 12, 2022. since then, it occurs about twice per week. These trouble codes are asserted when this happens: C1360(81) Raw code: 536081 ECU: Adaptive cruise-control Status: Test failed, Confirmed, Warning indicator requested C1741(81) Raw code: 574181 ECU: Adaptive cruise-control Status: Test failed, Confirmed, Warning indicator requested C2405(27) Raw code: 640527 ECU: ABS control unit Status: Test failed, Confirmed, Warning indicator requested
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11475992July 26, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
While pulling into a parking space my car accelerated, flew over the curb and landed on another parked car. It was very sudden and going very fast
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11475843July 26, 2022
VISIBILITY/WIPER
The dash chrome trim running across the dashboard reflects the sun and blinds the driver. It is so reflective it makes driving almost impossible. This needs to be addressed by Kia as it blinds the driver bad enough that it's only a matter of time till this will cause an accident that will cause harm or death of the cars occupants.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11474865July 20, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The car is equipped with an excessively loud and obnoxious backup alert that deploys whenever the car is shifted into reverse gear, whether or not the vehicle is moving. The dealer tells me this is a "safety" feature and that therefore the alert cannot be disconnected and the volume cannot be adjusted. My complaint is that this feature is not only not necessary, especially for a PHEV, but also in fact is itself a safety hazard. It is so loud and distracting it prevents the driver and those around the car from paying full attention to other circumstances. Is NHTSA requiring this or is this Kia's invention? I don't hear it from other EVs, let alone PHEVs.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11472871July 8, 2022
POWER TRAIN
On four separate occasion I shifted it the car into park and a car computer did not register it in the correct mode. Video of lst event upload to Google photos https://photos.app.goo.gl/Ty4AYfnUiF9EX6oE6
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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