2017 Kia Niro

I am experiencing engine issues with my 2017 Kia Niro Touring Launch Edition at approximately 111,000 miles, including engine hesitation and lack of acceleration, along with engine code P0011. These symptoms started suddenly and have made highway driving difficult and potentially unsafe, as I was recently in the mountains unable to exceed 35 mph. This appears to be a widespread issue among 2017 Kia Niro owners, with many reporting CVVT (Continuously Variable Valve Timing) or solenoid failures around 100,000 miles shortly after the powertrain warranty expires suggesting a pattern of premature failure. My car was purchased certified preowned and is still within the 10 year timeframe. No official recall currently exists for this issue, but it should be investigated. Despite submitting service requests and making multiple attempts to contact the dealership to have these recalls addressed, I have received little to no follow up. I have not yet had the engine issue officially diagnosed by a Kia dealer due to lack of response but the pattern of failure and symptoms match what others are experiencing. There has been no crash, fire, or injury at this time, but the combination of the existing fire related recalls and the new engine malfunction creates serious concerns for long term safety and reliability.

Cooling system broke down at 140k miles. Water pump, EHRS failure EGR Cooler. Engine head gasket blown needs engine replacement 144k miles $9000 repair. Problems confirmed by dealership. Engine light never came on for cooling system, water pump coupling repair. Engine light did come on for head gasket and vehicle stopped working.

I was driving my car as usual and it began overheating. I took it to the mechanic and they could not find a coolant leak, even though the coolant was all gone. We added more coolant and I was on my way. A few weeks later, the same thing happened. The mechanic said to take it to the dealer because they would need to run a diagnostic. I took it to the dealer and they said there were some new recalls that needed to be repaired that could fix the issue. They did the recalls, I topped off my coolant, and I was on my way. One week later, while picking up my son from school, the engine had a catastrophic failure. This was not only dangerous to me and my kids, but to those around me. The car stopped and refused to start up again mid-driving. I had it towed to the Dealer (Kia of Carson) and they rand diagnostics. A few days later they send me a quote for $10K to replace the engine as well as the muffler system - more than the current market value of the car. The car has just over 70K miles on it, and since I bought it used from Carvana, it was not under Kia's warranty. This is NOT how things should be. They should not be allowed to put vehicles that break down like this and then charge people outrageous amounts for it with no compromise whatsoever. How can the engine be worth more than the whole car? I've talked with Kia customer service and they don't care. I've spent months trying to reason with them, but to no avail. Also, upon research online, there are tens of thousands of Kia Niro (and other kia car model) owners who've had the same problem - overheating that turns into engine failure. This is a systemic problem with a fraudulent company that is destroying the lives of their customers. This experience put my family in danger and has essentially ruined my life since it happened. I hope the NHTSA can do something about this!

I had some lurching when trying to accelerate for a month before the check engine and HEV warning beeping came on. Kia Niro EGR (Gas Recirculated Cooler) failed at 105K miles. It leaked on to the engine causing it to overheat. My children and I got smoked out and my child had an asthma attack from this issue. We were also stressed, thinking the engine would catch fire. Kia says there are no recalls for my 2017, yet the 2023 has a recall on this exact item. I would like this complaint to be filed due to a part failing 5K miles after a warrenty. The problem was diagnosed by the Kia Dealer. Quote is $1875.

I received a warning indication that the engine temperature is too hot while driving the vehicle to work. I opened the hood of my vehicle and discovered the vehicle’s coolant reservoir was empty which led me to believe there was a coolant leak. I took the vehicle to be inspected and diagnosed by an independent repair shop (non-dealership) and it was explained that there was in fact a coolant leak and it’s because the exhaust heater exchanger is failing. This is a serious safety concern because if there is a coolant leak the vehicle’s engine can overheat causing further and extensive damage to the engine which could result in a fire. Based on research, there have been other cases where this particular year/model vehicle has had or is experiencing issues with the exhaust heater exchange failing. This faulty system is causing customers who own the same year/model vehicle that I drive to either bypass the exhaust heater exchange all together—which I don’t believe is safe to do—or customers are being made to pay a huge bill just to repair the faulty system. My vehicle only has 73,000 miles and this is something that I should not be experiencing especially since Kia is aware of the fault with the exhaust heater exchange on these particular year/model vehicles. Kia should be recalling these vehicles with the faulty system for diagnosis and repair as this is a major safety concern on the road not only for the driver, but also for other motorists as well.

I am unsure of what to say about my car. I saw a check oil light flicker and it went away. The car had oil when I checked on it so it didn't seem to be a problem. There was no sign of leakage and no sign of burning oil or fuel. Several days later, the check oil light came on permanently. Before I could get the car anywhere, the car started making a strange sound. I took it to my usual shop. They said it had sprung a spontaneous leak. They said it was a large oil pressure switch leak. They replaced the sensor and added oil. They said there was some damage but that the car was still drivable. I drove the car for a week and then when I was on the highway, the car starting roaring and shaking like I was in an earthquake. The check engine light started blinking. I could not accelerate properly and had to coast to safety on the electric. I was able to use my friends scanner and found 4 misfire codes: PO300-303. My neighbor (a mechanic) looked at the vehicle and said that was damage was internal and was going to need extensive work or a new engine. He didn't have the time to take the vehicle apart so we did not find the true cause and I am now wondering if this is a new safety issues or related to the recall. I did not receive the recall information until recently (I tend to have issues receiving my mail sometimes) and haven't even had time to get to the dealership to check on it. Everyone I have spoken to has said this is how Kia's are and they are not worth purchasing.

The Exhaust heat recovery system has a valve that can malfunction and allows coolant to leak into the exhaust and ignite it into the atmosphere. It can cause misfires in the engine, there are technical service bulletins (TSB 212 and Pitstop Tech bulletin PS709 that are attached to this report) that have more information on this issue. This can drain the coolant from the system and cause engine overheating issues. Some shops may misdiagnose it as a head gasket problem. This is a common problem for Kia Niro's 2017-2022. A new heat exchanger as of now costs $3000 brand new from the OEM and Kia is very strict about how they apply their warranty to any kind of part. Please can you help remedy this issue for Niro owners.

My 2017 Kia Niro (hybrid) discharges white smoke and overheats while being driven. I brought it to a reputable mechanic immediately. After an inspection, it was discovered that coolant is leaking into the engine because the heat exchange system is not functioning correctly. There are 6 similar complaints files about the same model vehicle (NHTSA 11561701, 11550994, 11547940, 11442817, 11457565 & 11491873) and many that have not been filed on line but complaints are the same. A Kia dealership said that the part (#28601G5320) is on back order everywhere w/ no availability in sight. This is a $3000-$6000 repair and is ridiculous. No engine lights or indications of anything malfunctioning, this needs to be recalled ASAP!

I was driving and the car was stuttering. Then after I stopped for a bit it resumed normal operations. Then the warning light came on, then it went off again. This happened for a couple of weeks until finally, while on a road trip at the end of July 2023, the car seemed to just lose power in 4th gear and I would have to really rev the engine just to keep it moving, that happened while on a road trip. I called the dealership several times during the trip and they said I’d already had the computer recall reset so they didn’t think it made any sense. I took it to my neighborhood repair shop when I got back and they said two spark plugs are shot, they replaced them and it ran fine. But now it’s stuttering again, just a few months later. I called the dealership again and they said I could bring it it for a diagnostic (not free) and then I got a letter about a recall. Not sure if it’s related to my issue because the dealer said probably not and said they’d call me when they knew more and my car had the computer issue not this one. No one has called and the car is still stuttering. I took it to the mechanic again and he said spark plugs look fine, but again, it is losing power in 4th gear, just around 45 mph only when I’ve been driving for more than two hours. I would just like the dealership to take a look and fix it.