2025 Kia Niro

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

crash · 35,000 miles

The contact leased a 2025 Kia Niro. The contact was stopped at a traffic light during the night. When the light changed, the contact was partially turning when the other vehicle slammed into the contact's vehicle. No injuries were reported. The contact stated that the front collision sensor failed. The contact was not warned of the impending collision. The driver-side and passenger-side air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was taken to the collision center. A police report was filed. The contact believed that the sensor failed in the evening and worked as intended during the daytime. The insurance company was notified of the accident. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The …

NHTSA complaint 11736086, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

The vehicle began shaking violently on the Florida Turnpike, and the factory-installed tire completely separated from the factory rim at highway speeds. This was a life-threatening equipment failure on a brand-new vehicle fully covered under Kia’s 5-year/60,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty. The vehicle is at the dealership awaiting repairs. The tire size is 205/60R16

NHTSA complaint 11757072. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Finally got car back from previous repairs and it was making a loud groaning noise all the time. Took it back to dealership and they said they had to repair the rack and pinion system and the gears were shredded. Employee says they now have another niro with the same problem as my original symptoms when transmission was replaced twice. Car has consistently had problems with the RPMs being incredibly high at low speeds but the dealership can’t seem to replicate the problem. Car randomly switched over to manual mode after a long drive. Video of problems given to employee and just said he’s going to give them to his field technician. Car has now been at the dealer for over 4 months and was …

NHTSA complaint 11752437, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Re: Driver Safety Downgrade Stemming from Recent Software Update Complicating Tire Pressure Display Accessibility I am writing as the owner of a 2025 Kia Niro HEV to express my concerns regarding a recent software update that altered how tire pressure information is accessed on the instrument cluster. Prior to the update, tire pressures were available through the steering wheel page button, allowing drivers to view this safety-critical information with a single press and a quick glance. After the update, the tire pressure screen was removed from the page sequence and relocated into a deeper Vehicle Information submenu that requires multiple button presses and menu navigation. This change …

NHTSA complaint 11751226, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

I purchased this vehicle new from the dealer last year. The second time I went to them for an oil change the tires were worn out oddly and needed to be replaced. They said the car needed an alignment that I had to pay for. I purchased replacement tires from another shop and had the alignment paid for at another shop. The dealer refused any responsibility. This vehicle has not been in any accidents and miles driven are highway miles

NHTSA complaint 11748421. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Transmission was replaced but then completely shut down as I was making a right turn. Multiple indicators on dash went off and safety errors kept scrolling across dash. Vehicle then wouldn’t shift at all. TCM was replaced but vehicle has high RPMs at low speeds. Has been at the dealership now for over 90 days.

NHTSA complaint 11744906. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Situation: Slowing on exit lane from freeway while in I-Pedal mode. Anomaly: As i gradually lifted the accelerator pedal, at about 61 mph the car strongly accelerated. My response: I lifted my foot entirely off the accelerator pedal and scanned the dash to confirm that cruise control was not active. Acceleration continued. I tapped the accelerator pedal and the acceleration stopped. We were now at 69 mph and close to the car in front of us.

NHTSA complaint 11737568. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.