Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government
holds on this vehicle.
Owners have filed 56 safety complaints
about the 2019 Kia Niro with the US government. Of those, 4 describe a crash, 2 mention a fire, 3 people were injured and 1 death is recorded. One recall campaign is open against it, covering the power train.
The most complained-about system is the power train,
named in 22 complaints, 39% of the total.
The typical failure was reported at 35,000 miles,
the median across the 19
complaints that gave
an odometer reading.
Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files
· Covers August 2019 to September 2026 · How this is counted
What is on file
56 complaints on file
56
Complaints
4
Describe a crash
2
Mention fire
3
People injured
1
Deaths
A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a
finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts
them.
A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free.
Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can
answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a
model year.
Which system owners named
Complaints naming each system
POWER TRAIN 22 · 39%
22 39%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 13 · 23%
13 23%
ENGINE 10 · 18%
10 18%
SERVICE BRAKES 10 · 18%
10 18%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 8 · 14%
8 14%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 6 · 11%
6 11%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 4 · 7%
4 7%
AIR BAGS 2 · 4%
2 4%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 2 · 4%
2 4%
STEERING 2 · 4%
2 4%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 2 · 4%
2 4%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 · 2%
1 2%
01223
Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it.
One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 56.
When the complaints arrived
By the year NHTSA received them
By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures
happened. They peaked in 2025 at 11.
12 9 6 3
192019202020212021222022232023242024252025262026
This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure
happened. The range runs from 2019 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.
Crash test ratings
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program
NHTSA has not crash tested the 2019 Kia Niro. Its New Car Assessment Program
tests a selection of each year's vehicles and does not reach
motorcycles, heavy trucks, motorhomes or most low-volume models, so
an absence here says nothing about how the vehicle would perform. It
is not a low score.
What owners have reported about this vehicle is below, and it is a
different question: a crash test measures what happens to the people
inside in a controlled impact, while a complaint records what broke
during ordinary use.
Recall campaigns
1 on file
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:INTERNAL:CLUTCHES/BANDS:ACTUATORS/SOLENOIDS
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.
The risk
A fire increases the risk of injury.
The 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.
Kia America, Inc. · up to 121,411 vehicles across all model years covered
Defect investigations
1 on file
An investigation means NHTSA has decided a pattern is worth examining. A
preliminary evaluation is often closed with no action; an engineering
analysis is the stage that usually precedes a recall.
Pedestrian alert sounds
DP22005
Closed defect petition · opened January 27, 2023 · closed August 7, 2023 · led to recall 22V063000
the electrical system
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by NHTSA regarding the subject matter of the petition.
In owners’ own words
Quoted from the complaint file
Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the
people who filed them, not findings of fault.
AIR BAGS
1 injured · crash · towed
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.
NHTSA complaint 11496969. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
fire
It caught on fire and burnt my house down when it was in my carport. Not sure why but it happened august 2,2022.
NHTSA complaint 11537776. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
STRUCTURE:BODY
fire
Car caught fire
NHTSA complaint 11575526. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
SERVICE BRAKES
crash
Breaks seized to respond when doing a sharp break. Vehicle did not break and slid off until it hit the vehicle up front. Waiting for vehicle inspection to begin. No warning signs, lights, or prior issues happened before the incident.
NHTSA complaint 11557140. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
POWER TRAIN
On August 22nd, I was driving from the grocery story to my house (5 miles away) when the transmission started failing only going on 2nd gear and the check engine light came on, when I got home, I called my mechanic and he connected his code reader to my card and the error code is P090B$07E9 Clutch "B" actuator control circuit performance error, he told me that Kia motors had an open recall for the clutch actuator, I called the Kia dealer to make an appointment for August 26th I told them the issue with my car and they told me they will check that error, it took two weeks for them to return my car and they told me that they replaced only the fuse for the Recall SC275 / NHTSA 23V534000 and …
NHTSA complaint 11764701, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
SERVICE BRAKES
2019 Kia Niro. While driving normally on the street, the driver attempted to brake & the brakes would not respond. This is a very scary situation and Kia needs to handle immediately!! The message "Stop the Vehicle and Check Regenerative Brakes" was displayed. Thankfully the driver was able to come to a stop without crashing but if this was during heavy traffic time it definitely would've resulted in a crash. Could be even that much worse on the freeway, especially in Los Angeles. The vehicle was towed to the drivers home. After checking again, the vehicle was in limp mode & would not go over 15mph. The driver was able to get it to a Kia shop to be checked & they quoted a $9,000 repair!! …
NHTSA complaint 11762422, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
SERVICE BRAKES
towed · 93,000 miles
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Niro. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop as needed. The contact pulled over to the shoulder of the roadway and the parking brake was engaged to keep the vehicle from moving. The message "Stop the Vehicle and Check Regenerative Brakes" was displayed. The failure was a recurring failure. The vehicle was towed, and the dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired because the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 93,000.
NHTSA complaint 11753028. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
SERVICE BRAKES
My car is a 2019 KIA Niro Hybrid. It's only 7 years old, and my husband and I have been the only owners. It only has 61,000 miles on it, and it is serviced regularly and has to pass a state emissions test each year. As I was driving the other day, the dashboard lit up with critical alerts saying "check regenerative battery" and the braking system went completely soft; I could not stop the car using the brakes. It was terrifying. I had to pull off the road and use the emergency brake to stop the car. This was an awful incident that could have resulted in deaths or serious injuries. Again this is for a car that is well-maintained and well under 100,000 miles.
NHTSA complaint 11745988. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The Hydraulic Clutch Actuator has caused functional driving issues and caused my vehicle to go into limp mode. I was never informed of the recall issue prior to purchase, and the recall was marked as complete, when it was not. The fix for KIA NIRO Recall SC276 was incomplete in January 2024, and I purchased my vehicle in April 2024. My issues started in November 2025, and the incomplete recall issue has been ongoing. KIA offers only a 1/2-way fix, and this is simply not acceptable.
NHTSA complaint 11743671. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
STEERING
A major drivetrain service and repair was completed by an authorized manufacturer dealership. After picking up the vehicle, an unusual front-end/steering noise was immediately reported to the staff. Over just 390 miles of driving, the symptom worsened. A subsequent formal inspection by a separate, independent authorized service center confirmed the root cause of the safety failure: the primary axle nut had been left completely unstaked during the initial drivetrain assembly, rendering the vehicle entirely unsafe to operate. The vehicle was grounded to prevent an accident. Because the mandatory safety protocol of staking the axle nut was omitted, the critical fastening hardware was allowed …
NHTSA complaint 11739644, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's
lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How
many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by
the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.
Complaints: NHTSA's ODI
complaint file, published October 2, 2026. One
complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.
Recalls: NHTSA's recall
campaign API, newest campaign on this vehicle filed July 31, 2023.
Investigations: NHTSA's ODI
investigation file, published October 2, 2026.
A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by
us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that
sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.
G
Compiled and maintained by guarledes Independent developer and analyst