IllustrationPULLING INTO MY PARKING SPACE, BARELY MOVING, CAR SUDDENLY LUNGED FORWARD AND TO THE RIGHT OVER A CONCRETE BARRIER AND UPHILL. THIS HAPPENED WITH ANOTHER KIA - FORTE- A FEW YEARS AGO . SAME TRAJECTORY. LOW SPEED TURN, I DID NOT ACCELERATE.
2019 Kia Niro
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2019 Kia Niro do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 34.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Niro years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 19 of 56 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Power Train. Review the 22 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 13 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 10 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
4 crash reports2 fire reports2 injury reports
What owners actually said
56 reportsWHEN I WAS GOING TO LA USING 110 EXPRESS LANE. CAR STOP UNPREDICTABLY TOTALLY AND I PARKED THE CAR LEFT SIDE 110 EXPRESS LANE. I WAS STAYED 3 HOURS UNTIL TOW COMING.
TL* THE CONSUMER RENTED A 2019 KIA NIRO. THE CONSUMER STATED THAT WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED AND PLACED IN REVERSE, THE VEHICLE MOVED FORWARD WITHOUT WARNING. THE GEAR SHIFT INDICATOR DISPLAYED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS IN REVERSE AT THE TIME OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS RETURNED TO THE RENTAL COMPANY. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURE…
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TL* THE CONSUMER RENTED A 2019 KIA NIRO. THE CONSUMER STATED THAT WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED AND PLACED IN REVERSE, THE VEHICLE MOVED FORWARD WITHOUT WARNING. THE GEAR SHIFT INDICATOR DISPLAYED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS IN REVERSE AT THE TIME OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS RETURNED TO THE RENTAL COMPANY. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 9,000. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. *AS
THE PROBLEM THAT I'M I'M HAVING IS A CODE P0456 (EVAPORATIVE EMISSION SYSTEM LEAK DETECTED, WHICH IS A SMALL LEAK. THE REASON WHY I'M WORRIED IS BECAUSE THE GAUGE FOR THE RPMS GOES ALL THE WAY ACROSS AS FAR AS IT CAN GO, IN OTHER WORDS IT'S LIKE AS IF I'M PUSHING DOWN ON THE GAS PEDAL AS FAR AS IT CAN GO , IT DOES THIS WHEN I'M …
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THE PROBLEM THAT I'M I'M HAVING IS A CODE P0456 (EVAPORATIVE EMISSION SYSTEM LEAK DETECTED, WHICH IS A SMALL LEAK. THE REASON WHY I'M WORRIED IS BECAUSE THE GAUGE FOR THE RPMS GOES ALL THE WAY ACROSS AS FAR AS IT CAN GO, IN OTHER WORDS IT'S LIKE AS IF I'M PUSHING DOWN ON THE GAS PEDAL AS FAR AS IT CAN GO , IT DOES THIS WHEN I'M DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, WHEN I'M ABOUT TO LEAVE A SIGNAL LIGHT FROM A COMPLETE STOP , WHEN I'M DRIVING UP A HILL IS WHEN IT'S WORST.
FIRST THE AIR CONDITIONER STOPPED WORKING FOR 2 DAYS. THEN ON THE 3RD DAY, 8/13/19, THE HEV LIGHT AND OIL LIGHTS WENT ON. THE ENGINE SLOWED DOWN. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE KIA DEALERSHIP IN ONTARIO, CA. INITIALLY THEY SAID IT MAY NOT BE COVERED BY WARRANTY. THEN ON 8/17 THEY TOLD ME THE AIR CONDITIONER NEEDS A NEW COMPRESSOR. THE…
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FIRST THE AIR CONDITIONER STOPPED WORKING FOR 2 DAYS. THEN ON THE 3RD DAY, 8/13/19, THE HEV LIGHT AND OIL LIGHTS WENT ON. THE ENGINE SLOWED DOWN. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE KIA DEALERSHIP IN ONTARIO, CA. INITIALLY THEY SAID IT MAY NOT BE COVERED BY WARRANTY. THEN ON 8/17 THEY TOLD ME THE AIR CONDITIONER NEEDS A NEW COMPRESSOR. THEN ON 8/23 I WAS TOLD THAT OIL AND METAL SHARDS HAD LEAKED INTO THE ENGINE AND THE ENTIRE ENGINE NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. IT IS UNKNOWN WHEN THE REPAIR WILL BE DONE.
AS I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, THE AC STOPPED WORKING. THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS, ALARMS OR INDICATORS THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG, BUT I IMMEDIATELY GOT OFF THE HIGHWAY BECAUSE I THOUGHT THIS IS NOT RIGHT. AS I BRAKED ON THE RAMP, THE CAR STILL WORKED, BUT WHEN I TRIED TO ACCELERATE LEAVING THE RAMP, THERE WAS NO POWER. I GOT…
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AS I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, THE AC STOPPED WORKING. THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS, ALARMS OR INDICATORS THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG, BUT I IMMEDIATELY GOT OFF THE HIGHWAY BECAUSE I THOUGHT THIS IS NOT RIGHT. AS I BRAKED ON THE RAMP, THE CAR STILL WORKED, BUT WHEN I TRIED TO ACCELERATE LEAVING THE RAMP, THERE WAS NO POWER. I GOT INTO AN ADJACENT PARKING LOT AND TURNED OFF THE CAR. WHEN I TRIED TO TURN IT BACK ON, IT WAS COMPLETELY DEAD. I CALLED AAA, THEY GAVE IT A JUMP, BUT EVEN THOUGH THE BATTERY WAS FULL, WHEN PUT INTO DRIVE OR REVERSE IT WOULD DO NOTHING.
Official recalls
123V534000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission:internal:clutches/bands:actuators/solenoids
Jul 31, 2023
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 & remedy
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.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1DP22005 · Pedestrian Alert Sounds
Opened Jan 27, 2023 · Closed Aug 7, 2023
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Electrical System:propulsion 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.