7.8

pretty bad
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
5,755 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2020 Kia Niro drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2020 Kia Niro Owner Comments

problem #10

Jan 212024

Niro

  • 27,500 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2020 Kia Niro. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V534000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed, and the dealer determined that the failure was related to the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the part was not yet available. The failure mileage was approximately 27,500. Parts distribution disconnect.

- Takoma Park, MD, USA

problem #9

Jul 312023

Niro

  • 30,000 miles
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Niro. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V534000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that the traction control warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that another warning light of an HEV failure had occurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 30,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

- Yakima, WA, USA

problem #8

Oct 142023

Niro

  • miles
Faulty EPCU and circuit board damaged from coolant leak, as described by Kia technician. Other components have been affected. Estimated $3,000 in parts left to replace. Total repair cost is looking to exceed $13,000. On last failure of car, I was driving as the Electical Vehicle Systems error occurred and the car went into neutral and when it slowed down, went into Park. Car would start and drive 10-15 feet before becoming inoperable again. Dealership says they fixed by adding coolant and they couldn't replicate the error. It took me 200 ft of driving to do it. I turned on the AC and the error happened. Could have been coincidental. Kia has declined/refused repairs because serious fault happened at 60,800 miles and they say its out of warranty. Issue had been going on for about 30,000 miles at that point with no resolution ever being reached. Car has been throwing errors and codes and repeated attempts to have Kia check my car for the recall that had been issued were ignored and i was told the recall wasnt the issue. April 29, 2023 was the first time I contacted Kia service about the Low Inverter Coolant message I was getting. Kia insisted that coolant just needed to be flushed. Coolant Issue persisted. They bled and flushed the system and put new coolant in. Issue peristed. Car was taken to dealership at least 3 or 4 times. On one occasion, technician informed me that if the coolant message goes away when you turn the car off and it doesn't constantly flash, there's no urgent issue. He was apparently misinformed. I have now had the exact thing happen to my car that the recall was meant to prevent. My car was produced in 8/20 so within recall time-frame. My car should be recalled and Kia should be made to rectify the situation. All repair documents and estimates are included in my submission.

- El Mirage, AZ, USA

problem #7

Dec 192023

Niro

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Drive unit defect in EV motor/reduction gear. These vehicles have a manufacturing defect that causes a percentage of them to experience a loud noise while under acceleration, loudest at around 30mph. It is described as a "card in spokes", "motor rumble", "wheel of fortune", "clicking/tapping" sound. There is a TSB that Kia has released for this issue, ELE234, but Kia continually denies and obstructs owners from getting their vehicles repaired under warranty. It typically begins quietly at around 20-30k miles, gradually getting louder. Currently at 68k, Kia continues to deny repairs. It has been inspected and diagnosed several times by a Kia dealership, acknowledging the defect referenced in their own TSB, but Kia will not authorize the repair.

- Pearland, TX, USA

problem #6

Sep 202023

Niro

  • miles
-Abnormal Reduction Gear and/or EV motor Rumble noise as identified in KIA TSB-234. The car is available for inspection. -Car not working properly/increasing the risk of stall or breakdown while driving and therefore increasing the risk of collision/accident. There is a loss of power and increased revolution noise from the reduction gear/EV motor increasing the incidence of vehicle failure during operation and accident, therefore increasing the incidence of property and bodily injury/damage due to known issues by KIA currently being serviced only under TSB and not as a recall. -This problem was confirmed by the dealer technician. The technician also identified that a TSB exists for the identified issue. Per technician same issue has been previously serviced by the dealership for other Niro EV customers when under 100K (warranty period). Per the technician, this problem occurred outside of the 100K and would require authorization from KIA corporate. Kia customer service was contacted and was unwilling to resolve the issue. -Yes a test drive was performed with the technician who was knowledgeable about the issue and the TSB who immediately identified the issue as the one identified in TSB-234 and informed that some vehicles in the past have been serviced for the exact same issue but require KIA Motors authorization for service outside of 100K. KIA is unwilling to provide authorization. -No prior warning signs/warning lamps, Issues started happening after 100K. The dealer was notified at the time of service of another recall on the current vehicle. No resolution was provided for the safety issue being experienced.

- San Jose, CA, USA

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problem #5

Nov 172023

Niro

  • miles
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Niro. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V534000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

- Marshfield, MO, USA

problem #4

Jul 312023

Niro

  • 0 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2020 Kia Niro. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V534000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

- Costa Mesa, CA, USA

problem #3

Jul 312023

Niro

  • miles
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Niro. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V534000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. 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 contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

- Austin, TX, USA

problem #2

Sep 012023

Niro

  • miles
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Niro. 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 made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

- Decatur, AL, USA

problem #1

Oct 152020

Niro 4-cyl

  • 50 miles
We purchased a new 2020 Kia Niro ex premium phev on 10/10/2020 and regret it. Less than a week and 50 miles in we had the "check active air flap system" warning. Apparently this a known problem, https://www.kianiroforum.com/threads/2020-phev-check-active-air-flap-system.9142/ how ridiculous that a well know and very widespread fault like this is not addressed by the manufacturer before the sale. The 1-800 people were well aware of the problem but could not answer even the most simple question. Q - is the vehicle safe to drive? a - if you feel the vehicle is unsafe then don't drive it. Very cavalier but I suspect the rep was not proved detail and script. I have attempted to contact Kia directly and also via the BBB. From what I see the dealer is also a victim. I am building my case for a lemon law return. How sad a large and exciting purchase goes wrong so quickly and that basic safety questions can't be addressed. Consumer stated vehicle would randomly stop automatically and emergency brake would engage on it's own. Scan showed faulty body control module when consumer first purchased the vehicle.

- Talladega, AL, USA

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