2020 KIA NIRO PHEV — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data

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N/A

Safety Rating

5

Owner Complaints

1

Recall

ACTIVE RECALL

7

Service Bulletins

0

Investigations

Overview of the 2020 KIA NIRO PHEV

The 2020 KIA NIRO PHEV has received a total of 5 safety complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). There have been 3 recall campaigns affecting this vehicle, covering issues with POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:INTERNAL:CLUTCHES/BANDS:ACTUATORS/SOLENOIDS. 7 technical service bulletins have been issued by Kia America, Inc. for this model year. The most commonly reported problems involve the Power Train (2 complaints), Service Brakes (1 complaint), and Steering (1 complaint).

Recalls for the 2020 KIA NIRO PHEV

NHTSA has recorded 3 recalls for the 2020 KIA NIRO PHEV, potentially affecting up to 364,233 vehicles.

Recall 23V534000 — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:INTERNAL:CLUTCHES/BANDS:ACTUATORS/SOLENOIDS

| 121,411 vehicles 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...

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Recall 23V534000 — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:INTERNAL:CLUTCHES/BANDS:ACTUATORS/SOLENOIDS

| 121,411 vehicles 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...

View full details →

Recall 23V534000 — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:INTERNAL:CLUTCHES/BANDS:ACTUATORS/SOLENOIDS

| 121,411 vehicles 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...

View full details →

Owner Complaints for the 2020 KIA NIRO PHEV

5 complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2020 KIA NIRO PHEV. Below is a breakdown by vehicle component.

Most Recent Complaints

#11625509 | STRUCTURE:BODY | | N/A miles
On [XXX], Flakes of paint starting peeling away and flew over the windshield while simply driving along an interstate highway at 65 MPH on a calm, dry and sunny day in CO. (A factory paint application defect of the SWP paint color is a common owner complaint) Issue reported to Kia Customer Service on NOV 15th, 2024 who provided case No.[XXX]
#11615809 | SERVICE BRAKES | | N/A miles
The vehicle locks the left wheel when braking. It skids and brakes in one simultaneous action. It doesn't happen often but occasionally if I'm in heavy traffic. I reported this problem to the Kia dealer who found no problem. I really feel that this requires investigation as it could cause an accident. El vehículo bloquea la rueda izquierda al frenar. Patina y frena en una sola acción simultánea. No sucede a menudo, pero de vez en cuando, si hay mucho tráfico. Informé de este problema al concesionario de Kia, que no encontró ningún problema. Realmente creo que es necesario investigarlo, ya que podría provocar un accidente.
#11553199 | POWER TRAIN | | N/A miles
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Niro. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V534000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
#11487095 | STEERING | | N/A miles
The bearings in the steering wheel is going bad. The car is a 2020 and should not have this issue. They’re claiming it’s not covered under basic warranty since my mileage is 77,637, over the 60,000 mileage. Even with this many mileage, a steering wheel bearing should not go bad this quickly.
#11365017 | POWER TRAIN | | 50 miles
WE PURCHASED A NEW 2020 KIA NIRO EX PREMIUM PHEV ON 10/10/2020 AND REGRET IT. LESS THAN A WEEK AND 50 MILES IN WE HAD THE "CHECK ACTIVE AIR FLAP SYSTEM" WARNING. APPARENTLY THIS A KNOWN PROBLEM, HTTPS://WWW.KIANIROFORUM.COM/THREADS/2020-PHEV-CHECK-ACTIVE-AIR-FLAP-SYSTEM.9142/ HOW RIDICULOUS THAT A WELL KNOW AND VERY WIDESPREAD FAULT LIKE THIS IS NOT ADDRESSED BY THE MANUFACTURER BEFORE THE SALE. THE 1-800 PEOPLE WERE WELL AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT COULD NOT ANSWER EVEN THE MOST SIMPLE QUESTION. Q - IS THE VEHICLE SAFE TO DRIVE? A - IF YOU FEEL THE VEHICLE IS UNSAFE THEN DON'T DRIVE IT. VERY CAVALIER BUT I SUSPECT THE REP WAS NOT PROVED DETAIL AND SCRIPT. I HAVE ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT KIA DIRECTLY AND ALSO VIA THE BBB. FROM WHAT I SEE THE DEALER IS ALSO A VICTIM. I AM BUILDING MY CASE FOR A LEMON LAW RETURN. HOW SAD A LARGE AND EXCITING PURCHASE GOES WRONG SO QUICKLY AND THAT BASIC SAFETY QUESTIONS CAN'T BE ADDRESSED. *LN CONSUMER STATED VEHICLE WOULD RANDOMLY STOP AUTOMATICALLY AND EMERGENCY BRAKE WOULD ENGAGE ON IT'S OWN. SCAN SHOWED FAULTY BODY CONTROL MODULE WHEN CONSUMER FIRST PURCHASED THE VEHICLE.*JB *TR

Safety Rating for the 2020 KIA NIRO PHEV

NHTSA has not yet tested the 2020 KIA NIRO PHEV in its New Car Assessment Program.

Technical Service Bulletins for the 2020 KIA NIRO PHEV

Kia America, Inc. has issued 7 technical service bulletins (TSBs) for the 2020 KIA NIRO PHEV. TSBs are notices sent by manufacturers to their dealers describing a known issue and the recommended repair procedure.

TSB_BOD314 — INTERIOR LIGHTING

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: OVERHEAD CONSOLE SUNGLASS DOOR-LATCH REPAIR - This bulletin provides information to repair the overhead console lamp assembly and sunglass door latch on some 2012-2023MY model vehicles listed in the table below, which may encounter the sunglass case of the overhead console lamp not closing properly.

PS686 — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

PITSTOP/TECHNICAL OPERATIONS - SMOKE MACHINE NOT TO BE USED FOR EMISSIONS TESTING WITH HEV/PHEV MODELS - This Pitstop provides information to properly test the evaporative emissions system in all Kia 2011MY~ Hybrid (HEV) and Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV) model vehicles. A smoke machine should NEVER be used when testing the evaporative...

TSB_ELE219 — EQUIPMENT

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: AVN SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR DTC P17A0 (SA446) - This bulletin provides the procedure to update the head unit software on some 2020MY Niro (DE HEV/PHEV), which may experience a MIL with DTC P17A0.

TSB_ENG221 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN SERVICE ACTION: ACTIVE AIR FLAP (AAF) MIL ON JUDGMENT LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SA429) - This bulletin provides the procedure to improve the logic of the Active Air Flap (AAF) on some 2020MY Niro (DE P/HEV) vehicles, produced from November 1, 2019 through July 17, 2020. This will improve...

PS621_R1 — EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY

PITSTOP: NIRO EV (DE EV) COOLANT COLORS - This Pitstop provides information regarding the two (2) types of coolant used in 2019MY Niro (DE EV) vehicles. One is the common coolant colored GREEN (also used for combustion engine models) and the other is the EV (low-conductivity) coolant colored BLUE. The...

TSB_ELE195 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: PHEV HCU/LDC 12V BATTERY WARNING MESSAGE LOGIC IMPROVEMENT - This bulletin provides the procedure to improve the logic of the Hybrid Control Unit / Low Voltage Direct Current (HCU/LDC) on some 2020MY Niro PHEV (DE PHEV) vehicles which may display an "€œAbnormal 12V battery discharging" warning message...

TSBCHA084_R4 — STEERING

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: PARTIAL REPAIR OF C-MDPS MOTOR, ECU AND/OR STEERING COLUMN HOUSING - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information.This bulletin provides information regarding the partial repair of the Motor Driven Power Steering (MDPS) Motor, Electronic Control Unit (ECU) or Steering Column Housing on some 2010MY~ Kia...

NHTSA Investigations for the 2020 KIA NIRO PHEV

There are no NHTSA defect investigations on record for this vehicle.

Other Model Years of the KIA NIRO PHEV

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Other KIA Models

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