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Kia · NHTSA safety record

2024 Kia Niro

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 10 safety complaints about the 2024 Kia Niro with the US government. Of those, 3 describe a crash, 5 people were injured and no death is recorded. One recall campaign is open against it, covering the seats.

The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 3 complaints, 30% of the total.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers February 2025 to September 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

10 complaints on file

10

Complaints

3

Describe a crash

0

Mention fire

5

People injured

0

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
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 3 · 30%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 3 · 30%
ENGINE 2 · 20%
POWER TRAIN 2 · 20%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 · 20%
AIR BAGS 1 · 10%
Carry Handle, Shell, Base 1 · 10%
TIRES 1 · 10%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 · 10%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 · 10%
0 4 8

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 10.

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 2026 at 6.

8 6 4 2
25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2025 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 crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2024 Kia NIRO, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test SUV FWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover 11.8%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard

A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.

Recall campaigns

1 on file

SEATS

25V024000 · January 17, 2025

The defect
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023-2025 Niro EV, Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV), and Hybrid vehicles. The floor wiring assembly beneath the front passenger seat may become damaged, which can prevent the front air bags and seat belts from deploying properly or cause an unintended side curtain air bag deployment.
The risk
Air bags and seat belts that deploy improperly or an air bag deploying unintentionally can increase the risk of injury in a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect, replace and reroute the floor wiring assembly, as necessary, free of charge. In addition, dealers will install wiring covers. Owner notification letters were mailed February 27, 2025. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC332.

Kia America, Inc. · up to 80,255 vehicles across all model years covered

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

2 injured · crash · towed

What happened? While driving my 2025 KIA Niro on [XXX] , I stopped at a red light behind another vehicle. Suddenly, my car was rear-ended by another vehicle, causing a significant impact that pushed my car forward into the vehicle in front. The seat belts deployed but I sustained a broken nose from hitting the steering wheel. My daughter and I were taken to the hospital for treatment. Component or System that Failed or Malfunctioned: The floor wiring assembly beneath the front passenger seat, which may have prevented the front airbags and seat belts from deploying properly, and could have caused an unintended side curtain airbag deployment. The vehicle is available for inspection upon

NHTSA complaint 11643288, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN

2 injured · crash · towed · 140,000 miles

The contact owns a 2024 Hyundai Niro Hybrid. The contact stated that while at a stop light the warning message "transmission overheating" had displayed and the vehicle did not drive forward. The contact attempted to push the vehicle offer the road when suddenly the vehicle accelerated forward and drove on the opposite side of the over a curb and drove into oncoming traffic and crashed head on into a second vehicle. The vehicle the drover over a curb and down an embankment and crashed. The failure mileage was 140,000.

NHTSA complaint 11738543. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

1 injured

Forward collision system fully activated while driving eastbound in the fast lane on [XXX] . The sun was behind me. No glare. No cars or objects were in front of me or next to me. The dashboard started flashing and warning sounds activated and the car slammed on the brakes itself. The seatbelt locked up and left me bruised. Miraculously, the cars behind me avoided crashing into me while I accelerated out of it. I could have been killed. Dealership minimized my concerns. I don’t want to drive this car ever again unless someone can make sure it doesn’t happen again. This safety feature malfunctioning is a death trap. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5

NHTSA complaint 11692576, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE

crash

I have experienced two incidents of sudden, severely reduced propulsion while driving my 2024 Kia Niro Hybrid. The incidents occurred several weeks apart. During both incidents, pressing the accelerator did not produce normal acceleration. The vehicle continued moving with very limited propulsion, but the gasoline engine remained at 0 RPM and did not engage when additional power was requested. There were no warning lights, error messages, or other indications of a malfunction on the dashboard. During both incidents, I shifted to Neutral and back to Drive while safely coasting, but this did not correct the problem. After coming to a safe stop, placing the vehicle in Park, turning it

NHTSA complaint 11767593, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
My 2024 Kia Niro Hybrid has experienced multiple issues that I believe should be documented. The vehicle previously displayed an Electronic Parking Brake (EPB) warning. It was taken to an authorized Kia dealership for diagnosis and repair. Although repairs were performed for the EPB-related issue, I am submitting this report so the condition is documented if similar reports are being received from other owners. In addition, the vehicle developed a persistent creaking/clicking noise during forward driving. The noise was not present when the vehicle was new and began after normal use. It is most noticeable during forward driving and is not heard while backing up. The vehicle has been

NHTSA complaint 11753848, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
I was travelling on a road today and was in the right hand lane with adaptive cruise control on. I then switched lanes to the left hand lane (it's only 2 lanes) and the adaptive cruise control was still on. I noticed the car travelling faster than it should be for there being a stopped vehicle ahead. I was prepared to stop on the brakes and luckily I was! The collision warning came on and I immediately applied the brakes. How is it that the collision warning came on before adaptive cruise control came on? This is at least the 3rd time something like this has happened.

NHTSA complaint 11744241. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VISIBILITY/WIPER
The interior surface of the windshield freezes during cold weather operation, beginning at the edges of the windshield and progressing toward the center directly into the driver’s line of sight. This significantly impairs visibility and requires approximately 20–30 minutes of vehicle warming before safe operation is possible. The condition has occurred repeatedly since November under normal winter temperatures. No warning lights or system messages appear prior to the event. The vehicle has fewer than 8,000 miles. The vehicle has been inspected multiple times by authorized dealerships. Three separate dealerships performed diagnostics and preventative service, including cleaning A/C drains

NHTSA complaint 11721626, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The 12-volt battery system in my 2024 Kia Niro (VIN: [XXX] ) has suffered two total failures in under one year of ownership (approx. 10,000 miles). In both instances, the vehicle was completely unresponsive, with no power to essential systems. Safety Risks and Incidents: 1. [XXX]: Vehicle experienced a total power loss. It would not start and all electrical systems were dead. 2. [XXX]: Identical failure. These failures create a significant safety risk by potentially stranding the driver in hazardous locations and disabling critical safety systems, including hazard lights, power steering assist, and emergency braking. If a total power loss occurs while the vehicle is in motion, it could

NHTSA complaint 11709314, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Kia Niro

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2025 17 1 —
2023 44 2 —
2022 31 1 —
2021 9 1 —
2020 39 1 —
2019 56 1 1
2018 60 3 —
2017 82 4 —

Other 2024 Kia models

Telluride 218 EV9 207 EV6 76 Carnival 74 Sportage 71 Seltos 45 Sorento 41 K5 30

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every Kia on this site — 181 vehicles.

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.

Where these numbers come from

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.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst