The 2018 Kia Niro has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 175,471 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 79 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. 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.
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Kia Niro hybrid electric vehicles previously recalled under recall 18V-666. The Main Relay within the Power Relay Assembly (PRA) may have inadequate connections between its contacts, causing increased electrical resistance, which can overheat the rear seats.
Consequence
Overheated rear seats increase the risk of a fire.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect the PRA and replace either the PRA or the Main Relay, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 9, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC256. This recall supersedes NHTSA recall number 18V-666. …
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Kia Niro hybrid electric vehicles. The Main Relay within the Power Relay Assembly (PRA) may have inadequate connections between its contacts, causing increased electrical resistance.
Consequence
The increased electrical resistance can overheat the rear seat which is above the PRA, increasing the risk of a fire.
Remedy
Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the Power Relay Assembly (PRA) for damage. If no damage is found, the main relay will be replaced. If damage is found, the PRA will be replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began November 23, 2018. Owners may contact Kia customer…
Complaints by component
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
17
1crashes1injuries
ENGINE
16
POWER TRAIN
16
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
10
1crashes1injuries
SERVICE BRAKES
6
4crashes3injuries
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
4
STRUCTURE:BODY
3
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
2
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
2
AIR BAGS
1
Total complaints79
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“The vehicle just shut down as I exited. The power and gas pressure decreased. Pulled over to see if my hybrid battery was defective or drained. It wasn’t. A notification popped up and said “hybrid control system or low voltage dc/dc converter, contact dealer for service. Finally got it towed…”
“The vehicle just shut down as I exited. The power and gas pressure decreased. Pulled over to see if my hybrid battery was defective or drained. It wasn’t. A notification popped up and said “hybrid control system or low voltage dc/dc converter, contact dealer for service. Finally got it towed…”
“The vehicle just shut down as I exited. The power and gas pressure decreased. Pulled over to see if my hybrid battery was defective or drained. It wasn’t. A notification popped up and said “hybrid control system or low voltage dc/dc converter, contact dealer for service. Finally got it towed…”
“I am writing to request assistance regarding a recurring issue with recall sc276. Approximately two years ago, I had the hydraulic clutch actuator (hca) replaced by a dealership as part of this recall. Since then, the vehicle has been driven only 10,000 miles, bringing the total mileage to about…”
“On april 21, 2026, go kia renton performed an oil change on my 2018 kia niro touring (vin). The car was in perfect condition just two weeks earlier — north seattle transmission did a full service on april 6, 2026 at 283,649 miles with no issues noted. Later that night while driving, the red oil…”
“On april 21, 2026, go kia renton performed an oil change on my 2018 kia niro touring (vin). The car was in perfect condition just two weeks earlier — north seattle transmission did a full service on april 6, 2026 at 283,649 miles with no issues noted. Later that night while driving, the red oil…”
“Everything is falling off the bottom of this vehicle”
“The contact owns a 2018 kia niro. The contact stated that when the vehicle was shifted into reverse(r), the vehicle failed to respond. The vehicle was turned off and restarted to reset the transmission, but the vehicle failed to respond while in reverse(r). The vehicle was shifted to drive(d) but…”
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 2018 Kia Niro as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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