10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
9 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 miscellaneous problems

miscellaneous problem

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2020 Kia Niro Owner Comments

problem #10

Jun 272024

Niro

  • miles

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

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.

- El Paso, TX, USA

problem #9

May 212024

Niro

  • miles
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.

- Alameda, CA, USA

problem #8

Mar 152024

Niro

  • miles
Car lost power, turtle warning lamp came on with -??power limited-?? warning. This happened as I was slowing down in the fast lane of [XXX] just outside Novato CA. Fortunately, the cars behind me slowed down and stopped while I turned off the power and restarted the car. The car was fine after that, but this is the second time this has happened to us in less than a week. The other time it happened while we were idling at a red light. When the light turned green, the car lost power. We had to turn off the ignition and restart the vehicle. We will not drive the car again until we can get it repaired because of the fear for our safety. If the car had lost power while I was at full speed in the fast lane of the freeway, I could easily have been rear ended by a car traveling at the same speed or faster. We have not taken the car to a Kia dealership yet, but we will as soon as possible. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Santa Rosa, CA, USA

problem #7

Sep 292023

Niro

  • miles

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

My vehicle was the victim of attempted theft and reported to City of Cincinnati police 8/11/23. It then underwent repairs and delays before it was returned to me on 9/22/23. The left side rear door is basically detached from the system, causing the alarm to go off or not even work. The back seat lock is completely malfunctional, and there is glass remaining inside the car. I was informed by two separate Kia locations that they would contact me about repairs. On 9/29, notice attached here, I was informed that when a remedy is available, they will repair and cover the costs. No one has contacted me, and I have called multiple times over the last several months, including leaving voicemails, asking for any updates. I have phone logs I can provide as well. NOTE: The "Upload Files" button is not working below. Each time I click it, it just vanishes. This makes it impossible to attach anything.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

problem #6

May 152023

Niro

  • miles
I have been a Lyft driver for over 2 years, and because of the mileage I put on mile personal vehicle. I had to result to renting a vehicle from Lyft Flex Drive Rental, located at 2214 Century Center Blvd Irving, TX 75062. 0n 05/15/2023 at approximately 8:15 p.m. Right after dropping off passenger, and on my way to pick up another one. The vehicle mentioned hereof suddenly blew up out of no where. My personal property in the vehicle was destroyed, and almost loss my life! However, Lyft is suggesting I pay over a thousand dollars. When it wasn't my fault the car blew up. Moreover, their stagnating me from getting back to work, and not allowing me to rent a car from Lyft Fleet. Because supposedly the car hasn't been totaled out yet. Despite it as been weeks since the incident occurred. I also took my vehicle to Lyft Flex shop for a check up the previous week before the incident occurred. My Please see photos attached! THE INSURANCE COMPANY HANDLING THE MATTER IS LIBERTY MUTUAL CLAIM # 241398210 / Phone Number: 888.638.3564

- Dallas, TX, USA

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problem #5

May 142022

Niro 4-cyl

  • miles
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.

- West Orange , NJ, USA

problem #4

Sep 172022

Niro

  • miles

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

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.

- Erie, PA, USA

problem #3

Mar 032022

Niro

  • miles
I've had my Kia Niro EV approximately 1yr. I'm the only owner so far was brand new but it had set for a year or so. (Purchase Date: March 2021). I noticed about 6 mo./8k miles that listening the same thing that my 2012 Kia Sorento that was involved in the class action lawsuit was having. When I pressed the gas pedal my RPMs go up to five to seven but the car doesn't really go it's like it's barely even going 10 miles an hour. This to me is a huge safety concern considering what if you were trying to get out of the way of a semi and you have the gas pressed all the way to the floor in your car is not going fast enough this really worries me considering how much I spent on the car I bought it new and traded in my old one that was having the crankshaft issue that would stall out no matter what speed you were going numerous times a day so that way I would be safe. Now here I am with a 20/20 vehicle and experiencing the same issues. Then the other day we are now March of 2022 and I start up my car and it says service vehicle immediately take it to your nearest dealership try to take a picture then this message disappears so then I turn off the car turn it back on to see if the message would reappear and it says service car in 20 something days but yeah I'm still having the same problem so then I'd use my new my UVO diagnostic thing button and it tells me there's no issues with the vehicle. I drove the vehicle every day and it doesn't do it all the time but this is exactly how my Sorrento started out too I would sit there and tell my husband that I couldn't get enough power and the vehicle wasn't going shifting gears it's something with the gears I can feel it underneath the vehicle it's almost like something's blocking it or something's not connecting this could be a very serious issue and I feel like that you guys really do need to investigate this to prevent casualties 1 report of the issue should open an investigation. Not once innocent ppl get injured/die

- Clarksville, IN, USA

problem #2

Oct 292021

Niro

  • miles
My husband and I have both experienced an abrupt jolt when the Lane Keeping Assist is activated. It's not the "normal" tug that alerts you when drifting. And sometimes this startling jolt is activated when not changing lanes. Also, for a split second when the Lane Keeping Assist has this unexpected abrupt jolting that tries to force you into the lane, the steering wheel locks for a split second which is more frightening because for a split second you lose control of the car. In my other Kia Niro EV, I reported this to Kia Van Nuys dealership and went on a "test" drive with a mechanic. At that time my other vehicle (also reported here due to a collision) did not exhibit this "jolting, jerking" experience. I have asked other people I know who own or lease this Kia Niro EV if they experienced anything unusual with the Lane Keeping Assist. All reported this same "abrupt jolting" experience which was so concerning, they were "forced to disable the Lane Keeping Assist" for fear it might cause an accident.

- Sherman Oaks, CA, USA

problem #1

Dec 112020

Niro

  • 89 miles
Volume on vess and backup alert system greatly exceeds recommended levels, to the point where backing up out of garage can annoy neighbors in their homes. When backing out of a parking spot at a local strip mall, the volume of the backup alert from the vess was so shocking that it startled a pedestrian, causing them to trip and almost fall on their face. Kia does not provide a way to reduce vess volume to closer to NHTSA recommended levels. Also, vess stays engaged up to around 23 mph, making it an annoyance to people we share the road with under lower speed conditions such as neighborhood streets.

- Vancouver, WA, USA

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