The 2020 Kia Niro has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 121,411 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 48 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the engine. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
POWER TRAIN23V5340002023-07-31121,411 affected
Defect
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
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.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“The ac compressor failed due to an isolation resistance failure at the high voltage inverter. Freon leaked from the ac system into the battery chiller coolant loop, causing crystallization and blockages in the inverter coolant circuit. This is a battery thermal management system failure. The…”
“10.25" audio head unit. Uvo no longer connects so that 911 and roadside assistance can not be reached. This is a known problem with 2019 and early 2020 kia niro's part# 96160-q4210. I spoke to the kia uvo call center and they confirmed that my unit is not communicating and has not since dec. 2021.…”
“I own a 2020 kia niro phev. In october 2024, my dealership performed technical service bulletin sa512 on my vehicle addressing the inverter coolant system. I was not informed at that time that the issue was likely to recur or that periodic maintenance would be required. In march 2026, the inverter…”
“I own a 2020 kia niro phev. In october 2024, my dealership performed technical service bulletin sa512 on my vehicle addressing the inverter coolant system. I was not informed at that time that the issue was likely to recur or that periodic maintenance would be required. In march 2026, the inverter…”
“Engine seized at 79,000 miles on kia niro hybrid on 3/8/2025. Oil was changed at 78,225 miles on 12/16/2025. No issues with vehicle until approx. 1,000 miles later and just a month and a half later when car suddenly lost power on a highway forcing me to try to safely and quickly navigate off the…”
“I had my oil changed in dec. 2025. I drove 1000+ miles w/no issue. Engine suddenly seized w/no engine light warning. Oil dumped all at once. Kia refuses to cover under warranty. This happened to my car: ntsa announced it had launched an investigation into hyundai motor company and kia motor…”
“One night the tailgate latch began clicking, locking and unlocking itself and then not latching closed, causing the inside light to remain on and the tailgate open indicator to display on the display panel. Then it just went dead and would not open at all, even if using the specific tailgate open…”
“One night the tailgate latch began clicking, locking and unlocking itself and then not latching closed, causing the inside light to remain on and the tailgate open indicator to display on the display panel. Then it just went dead and would not open at all, even if using the specific tailgate open…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationDP22005 Opened 2023-01-27 · closed 2023-08-07
Pedestrian alert sounds
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…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2020 Kia Niro as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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