2018 KIA NIRO

5 recalls — 72 complaints

23V534000 Jul 31, 2023
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:INTERNAL:CLUTCHES/BANDS:ACTUATORS/SOLENOIDS
Defect Description
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2017-2022 Niro and 2018-2022 Niro Plug-in Hybrid vehicles. Fluid may leak into the printed circuit board inside the hydraulic clutch actuator, which can result in an engine compartment fire.
Consequence
A fire increases the risk of injury.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the hydraulic clutch actuator as necessary and install a new fuse, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 29, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC276.
121,411 vehicles affected
Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
23V534000 Jul 31, 2023
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:INTERNAL:CLUTCHES/BANDS:ACTUATORS/SOLENOIDS
Defect Description
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2017-2022 Niro and 2018-2022 Niro Plug-in Hybrid vehicles. Fluid may leak into the printed circuit board inside the hydraulic clutch actuator, which can result in an engine compartment fire.
Consequence
A fire increases the risk of injury.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the hydraulic clutch actuator as necessary and install a new fuse, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 29, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC276.
121,411 vehicles affected
Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
23V534000 Jul 31, 2023
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:INTERNAL:CLUTCHES/BANDS:ACTUATORS/SOLENOIDS
Defect Description
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2017-2022 Niro and 2018-2022 Niro Plug-in Hybrid vehicles. Fluid may leak into the printed circuit board inside the hydraulic clutch actuator, which can result in an engine compartment fire.
Consequence
A fire increases the risk of injury.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the hydraulic clutch actuator as necessary and install a new fuse, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 29, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC276.
121,411 vehicles affected
Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
22V836000 Nov 11, 2022
HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM
Defect Description
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Kia Niro hybrid electric vehicles previously recalled under recall 18V-666. The Main Relay within the Power Relay Assembly (PRA) may have inadequate connections between its contacts, causing increased electrical resistance, which can overheat ... Read more
Consequence
Overheated rear seats increase the risk of a fire.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect the PRA and replace either the PRA or the Main Relay, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 9, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC256. This recall supersedes NHTSA recall n... Read more
27,030 vehicles affected
Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
18V666000 Sep 25, 2018
HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM
Defect Description
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Kia Niro hybrid electric vehicles. The Main Relay within the Power Relay Assembly (PRA) may have inadequate connections between its contacts, causing increased electrical resistance.
Consequence
The increased electrical resistance can overheat the rear seat which is above the PRA, increasing the risk of a fire.
Remedy
Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the Power Relay Assembly (PRA) for damage. If no damage is found, the main relay will be replaced. If damage is found, the PRA will be replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began November 23, 2018. Owners may contac... Read more
27,030 vehicles affected
Manufacturer: Kia Motors America

Complaint Statistics

72 total complaints 6 crashes 6 injuries

Top Reported Components

ComponentComplaints
ENGINE15
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM15
POWER TRAIN15
UNKNOWN OR OTHER8
SERVICE BRAKES6
STRUCTURE:BODY3
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL3
EXTERIOR LIGHTING2
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM2
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING1
POWER TRAIN Mar 31, 2026
Incident date: Feb 7, 2026
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Niro. The contact stated that when the vehicle was shifted into reverse(R), the vehicle failed to respond. The vehicle was turned off and restarted to reset the transmission, but the vehicle failed to respond while in reverse(R). The vehicle was shifted to drive(D) but fa... Read more
STRUCTURE:BODY Feb 14, 2026
Incident date: Feb 14, 2026
Everything is falling off the bottom of this vehicle
EXTERIOR LIGHTING Jan 23, 2026
Incident date: May 1, 2019
Ever since the purchase of the car I been bringing this attention to the dealership but they always turn down and avoiding the situation at first electrical issues like turning signals goes in and out window stop rolling up sometimes had to try for hours just rolls up fog light check light headlight... Read more
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Jan 23, 2026
Incident date: May 1, 2019
Ever since the purchase of the car I been bringing this attention to the dealership but they always turn down and avoiding the situation at first electrical issues like turning signals goes in and out window stop rolling up sometimes had to try for hours just rolls up fog light check light headlight... Read more
POWER TRAIN Jan 23, 2026
Incident date: May 1, 2019
Ever since the purchase of the car I been bringing this attention to the dealership but they always turn down and avoiding the situation at first electrical issues like turning signals goes in and out window stop rolling up sometimes had to try for hours just rolls up fog light check light headlight... Read more
SEATS Jan 8, 2026
Incident date: Dec 12, 2025
Driver heated seat shorted out and caused burn to leg. System has not been repaired, will wait to hear from Kia Customer Affairs prior to decision to repair. I was injured by this and have concerns about the safety of the vehicle, will this happen again if a new grid is installed. Kia dealership con... Read more
1 injured
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Jan 8, 2026
Incident date: Dec 12, 2025
Driver heated seat shorted out and caused burn to leg. System has not been repaired, will wait to hear from Kia Customer Affairs prior to decision to repair. I was injured by this and have concerns about the safety of the vehicle, will this happen again if a new grid is installed. Kia dealership con... Read more
1 injured
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Dec 5, 2025
Incident date: Oct 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Niro. The contact stated that occasionally driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated to stop as intended while the brake pedal was depressed, and the brake pedal was depressed to the floorboard. The message "Stop - Regenerative Braking Failure" was displayed. The c... Read more
ENGINE Sep 21, 2025
Incident date: Sep 30, 2024
Just before Hurricane Helene, I brought my 2018 Kia Niro Hybrid to Asheville Kia (NC) after noticing coolant loss and white smoke coming from the exhaust. The dealership charged me $1,400 for a repair involving new gaskets and the EGR cooler. Within a month, the same symptoms returned. I returned t... Read more
SERVICE BRAKES Apr 29, 2025
Incident date: Apr 27, 2025
I'm 59 years old never have an accident or had to slam breaks on the guy in front of me slammed his breaks on so I did the same time the brake pedal was to the floor the car didn't even slowed down and not even skid marks hit him then air bags deployed the car was totaled no one got hurt thank God... Read more
Crash
SERVICE BRAKES Apr 22, 2025
Incident date: Apr 22, 2025
An alert to "check regenerative brakes" popped up on the dashboard screen. My younger sister who is borrowing our car, told me it now takes her much longer to come to a stop when braking. She's having to brake really early to stop on time but traffic and animals will not always allow for that. From ... Read more
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Jan 25, 2025
Incident date: Jan 25, 2025
Known issues with wiring cause check engine light to come on and also now the door open sensors to stay on. Just paid $800 for a known issue to the wiring that a Kia technical bulletin wss issued for, however the cost was left to the customer.
ENGINE Jan 25, 2025
Incident date: Jan 25, 2025
Known issues with wiring cause check engine light to come on and also now the door open sensors to stay on. Just paid $800 for a known issue to the wiring that a Kia technical bulletin wss issued for, however the cost was left to the customer.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Jan 9, 2025
Incident date: Jan 6, 2025
Hydraulic Clutch Actuator recall was previously done and only a fuse was changed as the inspection only determined the actuator itself did not have an active code. 4 months has gone by and now the actuator has now failed.
ENGINE Oct 31, 2024
Incident date: Oct 30, 2024
Internal combustion engine coolant leaking out exhaust. The heat exchanger located in the catalytic converter system is leaking, leading to the ICE coolant draining. This leads to the engine overheating, and damage. Signs of the issue started with the coolant level lowering quickly, then the car hea... Read more
POWER TRAIN Oct 10, 2024
Incident date: Jul 31, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 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 contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time fo... Read more
POWER TRAIN Oct 7, 2024
Incident date: Sep 24, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Niro. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the vehicle failed to shift out of neutral while shifting the gear shift lever. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and the DTC c... Read more
UNKNOWN OR OTHER Jul 15, 2024
Incident date: Jun 25, 2024
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
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM Jul 15, 2024
Incident date: Jun 25, 2024
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
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Jul 15, 2024
Incident date: Jun 25, 2024
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
ENGINE Jun 13, 2024
Incident date: May 8, 2024
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... Read more
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Jun 13, 2024
Incident date: May 8, 2024
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... Read more
ENGINE Mar 21, 2024
Incident date: Mar 18, 2024
Coolant leak within the heat exchanger of the catalytic converter. Increases likelihood of overheating and engine damage. Especially when driving long distances, or within heavy traffic. Increases emissions as burning off coolant within exhaust.
POWER TRAIN Feb 2, 2024
Incident date: Feb 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 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 dealer ... Read more
POWER TRAIN Feb 1, 2024
Incident date: Feb 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 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 contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the... Read more
ENGINE Jan 26, 2024
Incident date: Jul 6, 2023
Fire warning recall notice issued in July 2023. Follow up with both Kia and with Kia dealership that I purchased the vehicle from still says that there is no fix to this problem. THE PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD (PCB) IN THE HYDRAULIC CLUTCH ACTUATOR (HCA) MAY BECOME CONTAMINATED WITH FLUID. A FLUID-CONT... Read more
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Jan 26, 2024
Incident date: Jul 6, 2023
Fire warning recall notice issued in July 2023. Follow up with both Kia and with Kia dealership that I purchased the vehicle from still says that there is no fix to this problem. THE PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD (PCB) IN THE HYDRAULIC CLUTCH ACTUATOR (HCA) MAY BECOME CONTAMINATED WITH FLUID. A FLUID-CONT... Read more
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM Jan 26, 2024
Incident date: Jul 6, 2023
Fire warning recall notice issued in July 2023. Follow up with both Kia and with Kia dealership that I purchased the vehicle from still says that there is no fix to this problem. THE PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD (PCB) IN THE HYDRAULIC CLUTCH ACTUATOR (HCA) MAY BECOME CONTAMINATED WITH FLUID. A FLUID-CONT... Read more
POWER TRAIN Jan 25, 2024
Incident date: Nov 23, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 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 vehicle was towed to the dealer for servicing however, while the vehicle was being inspec... Read more
POWER TRAIN Jan 19, 2024
Incident date: Jan 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 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 manufact... Read more
POWER TRAIN Jan 9, 2024
Incident date: Jan 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 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 contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for... Read more
POWER TRAIN Jan 8, 2024
Incident date: Jan 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 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 contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for... Read more
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Nov 30, 2023
Incident date: Nov 1, 2018
The contact's wife owns a 2018 Kia Niro. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where an unknown part was replaced. The contact stated that on another occasion while his wife wa... Read more
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Nov 14, 2023
Incident date: Nov 14, 2023
This recall specifically says my car it's a fire risk because of this recall. I have the HEV warning light on in my car on just as described in the recall notice but no Kia dealer wants to repair my car until the recall notice has a remedy from corporate. It's been over 2 months and still no actual ... Read more
POWER TRAIN Nov 13, 2023
Incident date: Jul 31, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 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 exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had stated ... Read more
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Nov 7, 2023
Incident date: Oct 13, 2023
Nothing has happened yet, but I am very concerned about my car catching on fire due to the recall notice I received. I want it fixed ASAP!
ENGINE Nov 7, 2023
Incident date: Oct 13, 2023
Nothing has happened yet, but I am very concerned about my car catching on fire due to the recall notice I received. I want it fixed ASAP!
UNKNOWN OR OTHER Nov 7, 2023
Incident date: Oct 13, 2023
Nothing has happened yet, but I am very concerned about my car catching on fire due to the recall notice I received. I want it fixed ASAP!
POWER TRAIN Oct 26, 2023
Incident date: Oct 26, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 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 manufact... Read more
ENGINE Oct 21, 2023
Incident date: Sep 29, 2023
Got the recall letter but kia dealer and customer service have no info about when the remedy will be available. This is a major issue as I need to sell the car now to use the cash for other urgent matters. Dont even think the dealer will give a decent wholesale amount or take them on a trade. It is ... Read more
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Oct 13, 2023
Incident date: Mar 28, 2023
On March 28, 2023 the vehicle HEV warning light came on. I called the dealership where I was informed they did not have any mechanics available to look at it until August. No one to work on Hybrid. I then took it to a mechanic shop, And I was informed to take it to the dealer. I could not drive the... Read more
ENGINE Oct 13, 2023
Incident date: Mar 28, 2023
On March 28, 2023 the vehicle HEV warning light came on. I called the dealership where I was informed they did not have any mechanics available to look at it until August. No one to work on Hybrid. I then took it to a mechanic shop, And I was informed to take it to the dealer. I could not drive the... Read more
UNKNOWN OR OTHER Oct 13, 2023
Incident date: Mar 28, 2023
On March 28, 2023 the vehicle HEV warning light came on. I called the dealership where I was informed they did not have any mechanics available to look at it until August. No one to work on Hybrid. I then took it to a mechanic shop, And I was informed to take it to the dealer. I could not drive the... Read more
AIR BAGS Oct 6, 2023
Incident date: Jul 31, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Niro. The contact received a recall notification of the NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V534000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. An undisclosed dealer was contacted and confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated t... Read more
POWER TRAIN Oct 6, 2023
Incident date: Jul 12, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Niro. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to restart. The hybrid system warning was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where the vehicle was diagnosed, but the cause of the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was then towed to a second deale... Read more
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL Oct 5, 2023
Incident date: Oct 2, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Niro. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine revved up. The contact stated that the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle was slow to respond. Eventually, the vehicle shifted into gear and started to move. The contact stated t... Read more
ENGINE Oct 5, 2023
Incident date: Oct 2, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Niro. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine revved up. The contact stated that the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle was slow to respond. Eventually, the vehicle shifted into gear and started to move. The contact stated t... Read more
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING Sep 28, 2023
Incident date: Sep 15, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Niro. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle started shaking and vibrating abnormally. The contact stated that the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact stated that the message "Engine Ov... Read more
ENGINE Jun 9, 2023
Incident date: Jun 9, 2023
HEV warning light on, car monitor says possible MCU failure. I just bought this car. This car is in perfect condition, no accidents all service actions in order but the warning lights make it seem like the electric engine is about to fail.
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL Apr 14, 2023
Incident date: Mar 18, 2023
The car can slow down suddenly in the middle of traffic even if I accelerate. The engine has a problem according to the mechanics who was trying to fix my car twice without succes. The car does not hold coolant liquid for more than 15 minutes. It looks like the coolant is staying somewhere in the en... Read more

Showing 50 of 72 complaints.

EPA Fuel Economy — 2018 KIA NIRO

Trim / Engine City MPG Highway MPG Combined MPG Fuel Type Annual Fuel Cost
1.6L 4-cyl, Automatic (AM6) (Front-Wheel Drive) 51.0 46.0 49.0 Regular $1,200

CO2 Emissions: 183.0 g/mile (Small Station Wagons)

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Actual fuel economy may vary based on driving conditions.

KIA NIRO — All Years Overview

Complete safety history for the KIA NIRO across all model years (2017–2025).

43 Total Recalls
416 Total Complaints
0 Investigations
44 Reported Crashes
14 Reported Fires
2 Reported Deaths

KIA NIRO — Year by Year

Compare recalls and complaints across model years. Click any year to see full details.

Year Recalls Complaints
2025 4 13 View
2024 4 11 View
2023 12 63 View
2022 3 34 View
2021 3 10 View
2020 3 41 View
2019 3 77 View
2018 (current) 5 72
2017 6 95 View

Other KIA Models

Model Recalls Complaints
SORENTO 188 13,593 View
SPORTAGE 165 6,601 View
SEDONA 118 3,350 View
OPTIMA 100 10,128 View
TELLURIDE 70 2,186 View
SOUL 66 7,233 View
SORENTO HYBRID 62 159 View
SOUL EV 62 50 View