2020 KIA NIRO — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data
N/A
Safety Rating
36
Owner Complaints
1
Recall
11
Service Bulletins
0
Investigations
Overview of the 2020 KIA NIRO
The 2020 KIA NIRO has received a total of 36 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. 11 technical service bulletins have been issued by Kia America, Inc. for this model year. The most commonly reported problems involve the Power Train (7 complaints), Unknown Or Other (7 complaints), and Engine (6 complaints).
Recalls for the 2020 KIA NIRO
NHTSA has recorded 3 recalls for the 2020 KIA NIRO, 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...
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 →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
36 complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2020 KIA NIRO. Below is a breakdown by vehicle component.
| Component | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Train | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Or Other | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical System | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Air Bags | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Back Over Prevention | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine And Engine Cooling | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance Automatic Emergency Braking | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance Warnings | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Fuelpropulsion System | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hybrid Propulsion System | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Traction Control System | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Most Recent Complaints
When I’m braking at slow speeds, 10mph or less the front left tire braking system locks and makes the car skid. This happens randomly. There’s also a clicking sound made from the regen braking to switching to regular braking. The mechanic replaced the hca assembly and wiring kit from a recall but the car is still having the same issues. This also brings up the codes EBS and AUTO HOLD on my dash.
There were no symptoms prior to the warning message and warning symbol on the dash. Warning message was "Check EV System". I took my car to the dealer immediately. The dealer has had my car for 3 1/2 months, since Sept 12, 2025. Now the field tech from Kia, on 12/22/25, says that the Electric Power Control Unit (EPCU) needs to be replaced. This could have cause the vehicle to stop in the middle of traffic and cause an accident.
AS AT 11/07/2023 KIA AMERICA KNEW OF HCV/HYDRAULIC CLUTCH ACTUATOR -HEV/HYBRID ELECTRIC VEHICLE CAUSED TRANMSISSION PROBLEM IN KIA NIRO HYBRID 2020 AND KIA AMERICA REFUSED TO REPAIR IT. RECALL COMPLETED 5/27/2025 AFTER POWER TRAIN WARRANTY EXPIRED.
AS AT 11/07/2023 KIA AMERICA KNEW OF HCV/HYDRAULIC CLUTCH ACTUATOR -HEV/HYBRID ELECTRIC VEHICLE CAUSED TRANMSISSION PROBLEM IN KIA NIRO HYBRID 2020 AND KIA AMERICA REFUSED TO REPAIR IT. RECALL COMPLETED 5/27/2025 AFTER POWER TRAIN WARRANTY EXPIRED.
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Niro. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V426000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION). However, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the rearview camera displayed a black screen while the vehicle was in reverse(R) or the image was frozen. The failure obstructed the driver's visibility, which prevented the driver from safely operating the vehicle. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was not provided.
Safety Rating for the 2020 KIA NIRO
NHTSA has not yet tested the 2020 KIA NIRO in its New Car Assessment Program.
Technical Service Bulletins for the 2020 KIA NIRO
Kia America, Inc. has issued 11 technical service bulletins (TSBs) for the 2020 KIA NIRO. TSBs are notices sent by manufacturers to their dealers describing a known issue and the recommended repair procedure.
TSB_ELE246_R1 — EQUIPMENT
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: FRONT VIEW CAMERA REPLACEMENT AND SOFTWARE UPGRADE INSTALLATION - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides the procedure to update the software logic of the front view...
TSB_ENG224_R1 — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: ACTIVE AIR FLAP (AAF) MIL ON JUDGMENT LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SA459) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides the procedure to improve the logic of...
TSB_TRA093 — POWER TRAIN
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: 6-SPEED DCT SHIFT IMPACT/NOISE INSPECTION AND OIL REPLACEMENT - This bulletin provides the inspection method and procedure on some 2019-2020MY Niro (DE HEV/PHEV) vehicles equipped with 6-speed Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT), produced after January 11, 2019, which may exhibit an intermittent noise and/or shift impact. The shift...
TSB_ENG213_R1 — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: DATA COLLECTION: EXTRACT CALIFORNIA EMISSIONS DATA FROM ECU (DC20). This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. - This bulletin provides information related to extracting âÂÂin use performance trackingâ emissions data...
TSB_ENG224 — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: ACTIVE AIR FLAP (AAF) MIL ON JUDGMENT LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SA459) - 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 November 30, 2020, which may exhibit...
TSB_ENG224 — EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: ACTIVE AIR FLAP (AAF) MIL ON JUDGMENT LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SA459) - 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 November 30, 2020, which may exhibit...
TSB_ENG224 — EQUIPMENT
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: ACTIVE AIR FLAP (AAF) MIL ON JUDGMENT LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SA459) - 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 November 30, 2020, which may exhibit...
TSB_ELE219 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
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.
PS675 — EQUIPMENT
PITSTOP - BRAKE CALIPER LEAK INSPECTION - This PITSTOP provides information related to a brake caliper fluid/oil substance found on some Kia vehicles, due to possible excess assembly oil applied during assembly.
TSB_ENG221 — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:FAN
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...
Showing 10 of 11 technical service bulletins.
NHTSA Investigations for the 2020 KIA NIRO
There are no NHTSA defect investigations on record for this vehicle.
Other Model Years of the KIA NIRO
- 2017 KIA NIRO — 91 complaints
- 2018 KIA NIRO — 71 complaints
- 2019 KIA NIRO — 71 complaints
- 2020 KIA NIRO (current)
- 2021 KIA NIRO — 8 complaints
- 2022 KIA NIRO — 33 complaints
- 2023 KIA NIRO — 63 complaints
- 2024 KIA NIRO — 10 complaints
- 2025 KIA NIRO — 9 complaints
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