2023 Kia Niro

My dashboard screen has turned off completely 3 different times in the 14 months I have had the vehicle. It is normally off for several days at a time. When it is off, I have no access to my speed, gas, or any other controls shown on that display. When I run the KIa diagnostic tool, it tells me there is an issue with my airbags. Kia has a recall for this issue but refuses to apply the recall (software update) to my vehicle because it was manufactured 19 days before the recall period. I have photos and videos that I have shared with Kia Corporate every time it happens. Below is the reply from Kia Corporate "Dear [XXX] , Thank you for your inquire. We apologize the service campaign in reference is not related to customers vehicle. If we release a Service Campaign also known as a Safety recall, the customer with the affected vehicle will receive a letter in the mail. This campaign is for Niro thats production date is between September 14, 2022 to March 8, 2023, customers vehicle production date is [XXX]. If you are still having concerns customer is welcome to take the vehicle to an alternate Kia Dealer for a second opinion. Sincerely, [XXX] Phone | [XXX] Kia America" INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The car has an issue where the Apple CarPlay system randomly disconnects. I have brought this to the dealership multiple times and they have not been able to fix it. This is a safety hazard because each time the system disconnects and then reconnects, the driver needs to restart the apps that are running at the time which causes a distraction while driving. I have recorded this and also researched this online and it appears to be a very common issue with the Kia systems. In the recording you can see that there is one time where while resetting the system, I had a near crash because the car in front of me stopped unexpectedly. The dealership has already replaced the USB port and the car's head unit and the problem persists. The problem is also repeated with multiple phones (one that is brand new) and multiple Apple manufactured cables.

I was 3 1/2 weeks into a four year lease driving this brand new car and it stopped completely in the middle of the road flashing a HYBRID SYSTEM FAILURE warning. I nearly died. It would not move nor turn off. Had to be in the shop for 2 weeks. I don’t feel safe in this car and I want out of this lease asap. Kia is not willing to work with me on this

The contact owns a 2023 Kia Niro. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle suddenly lost significant motive power and was unable to accelerate above 43 MPH. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle briefly returned to normal functionality, but the failure reoccurred. The EPS, stability control, impending collision, Lane Keep Assist, engine oil pressure, check engine, and catch-all warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who confirmed the warning lights were illuminated but was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was 600.

I backed out of my drive and began to go forward. Five times in my 2023 Kia Niro HEV within one block the dashboard began to flash red, beeping sounds were emitted, and then the brakes slammed rapidly bringing the car to a stop. My attempts to accelerate were futile until the car let me accelerate about 5 -10 seconds later.. There was absolutely nothing in front of me or to the sides of me or anything coming towards me. This was entirely phantom braking. In four of these phantom forward collision avoidance ( FCA) instances there was nothing in back of me. However, the fifth episode involved a car that was in back of me and nearly rear ended me with the sudden illogical stop caused by the phantom braking. I had the car towed to the dealership. The car dealer did not find any log of this happening and could not make it happen on demand. After three weeks of looking at it, they finally called their national tech line and decided a sensor need to be realigned. They took the fender off the car, did the realignment and declared the vehicle repaired.

The contact owns a 2023 Kia Niro. The contact stated that while making a left turn a second vehicle crashed into the front driver's side of the vehicle. The contact stated that during the crash the front driver side air bag, the driver's side curtain airbag and driver's side lower leg air bags all deployed as intended but the she sustained severe flesh wounds to both lower legs due to the airbags deploying. The contact was transported to the local trauma center and required multiple surgeries and skin grafts due to the injuries sustained from the airbag deployment. A police report was taken at the scene. During the crash the vehicle was destroyed and was later towed away. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure but the manufacturer was not yet contacted. The contact was concern that the injuries were caused by metal fragments from the air bags deploying. The failure mileage was 200.

I was in a very light two-car collision on 08-09-2023. Both cars had little to no damages, just very minute scratches that are very hard to see. But two of the airbags on my KIA Niro (front and knee) deployed suddenly, causing me to black out for a couple of minutes and later have a concussion, and the bottom airbag caused a bruise and consistent knee pain to this day. My car is at a Kia Service facility and has been for the past 3 weeks and we haven’t gotten any information from them as to what the problem was. I visited this facility to get some answers and I stated that I think this car has a problem with the airbags, a Kia employee responded with “do not tell that to your insurance”. I have called and called to get answers and they say they don’t know are are trying to figure out why the airbags deployed. Everyone I have spoken to (police officer and paramedics at time of collision, claim adjustor, third-party mechanic etc) all think it’s very strange that the airbags deployed. I have read that KIA currently has airbag recalls on some models and I’m suspecting that my car could also be affected by this. The car is at a Kia facility where it CAN be inspected.

Forward Collision System: When stopped or at low speeds, the vehicle’s forward collision warning will activate for short intervals (roughly 1-2 seconds) randomly. Hybrid Battery: The vehicle won’t go below 50% battery on the hybrid battery and the engine unnecessarily turns on to charge back to 90% when hitting 50% rather the exercising a wider range on the battery such as 20-80%

1st noticed when parking car, beeping from control panel as if touchscreen buttons were being pressed when they were not. Day or 2 later, AC and/or heat started coming on randomly, would not turn off, all touchscreen buttons illuminating as if pressed. Dealership found crack in screen. No knowledge or memory of any impact to cause damage. Dealership refused warranty coverage. Controls unusable and screen is glass, so there is now broken glass all around controls. Crack spread and expanded during normal driving conditions over next week. Control panel affects multiple other screens that should display information needed while driving. Problem mostly stopped after crack expanded more after I hit a pothole. Started again recently. Glass is badly cracked and has gotten worse with temperature changes that should be expected when a car is parked in the sun, and due to vibrations while driving. Control panel now entirely unresponsive. This panel is far too fragile to be in a car. There was no accident or incident prior to the initial problem. It seemed to happen spontaneously.