2019 Kia Niro Phev problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Power Train (9) · Service Brakes (2) · Exterior Lighting (2)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Kia Niro Phev model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (1)
Power Train:automatic Transmission:internal:clutches/Bands:actuators/Solenoids 2023-07-31 · campaign 23V534000 · 121,411 vehicles
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.
Risk: A fire increases the risk of injury.
Fix: 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.
Service bulletins (15)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Visibility/Wiper 2026-08-28 · TSB_CLI049_R2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: partial repair – electrical a/c compressor - 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 regarding the partial repair of the air
Electrical System 2026-04-14 · TSB_ELE417 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: infotainment software update procedure - this bulletin provides information on the process for downloading infotainment software updates and preparing usb for installation on applicable kia vehicles. the software downloads and usb preparation process is similar across all
Back Over Prevention: Warnings 2025-12-09 · PS797 · Other
pitstop: technical operations: external damage to ultrasonic sensor: this pitstop provides information related to parking distance warning (pdw) alerts and repairs involving ultrasonic sensors. the pdw system alerts the driver while parking, by calculating distance based on the difference in signal
Power Train 2025-04-17 · TSB_TRA046_R5 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: transmission fluid application guide - 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 relating to the correct transmission fluid ty
Electrical System 2025-03-20 · TSB_ELE378 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: service action: kia connect modem reset (sa611) - this bulletin outlines the procedure for resetting the modem in certain 2016-2025my kia vehicles listed on page 3 that are equipped with kia connect services. the affected vehicles may encounter the following issues: remot
Power Train 2024-05-16 · TSB_TRA046_R4 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides information relating to the correct transmission fluid type and fill quantity requirement for each kia model. a flush is required only when a transmission is replaced.
Showing the 6 most recent of 15 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2024-08-30 · Power Train“the contact owns a 2019 kia niro phev. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 23v534000 (power train); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. 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 mad…”
2024-07-31 · Power Train“when accelerating from a dead stop, sometimes the car makes a very loud 'clunk' noise and lurches forward. similar to the feeling when someone drives a manual transmission and takes the clutch out too fast. the car eventually finds the first gear and keeps driving, but this problem happens daily. maybe around 5-10% of the time after every stop. …”
2024-03-23 · Electrical System“my 2019 kia niro lx phev is or has recently been the subject of multiple including nhtsa recall number [xxx] and service action [xxx]. despite coordinating repair of these defects with the university kia dealership located at 5105 durham chapel hill blvd, durham, nc 27707 (hereafter 'university kia"), and taking my vehicle to university kia for tho…”
2024-02-13 · Electrical System“12 volt battery will suddenly and without warning loose capacity to power the vehicle operating controls and displays including remote key access, start sequence using push button start, and traction battery charging through charging port. while parked and connected to a charging station vehicle ‘died’ in place. this occurred within 10 minutes of l…”
2024-01-04 · Unknown Or Other“this complaint references the open recall with the kia reference sc276 and the nhtsa reference of 23v534. kia has not been able to provide me with repair despite a notice from them stating a remedy is available, and appears kia may be sending out faulty notices. i first received notice in july/august, 2023 that this recall was in process but reme…”
2023-12-13 · Engine“on 7-31-2022 while traveling on the freeway the gas engine shut down, hev triangle came on and the information center on the car displayed "turn off car restart" on this trip it happened three times. i took the car to the dealer and they had it for a month and could not get it to act up. on 5-5-2023 it did it again twice, i called the dealer and th…”
2023-12-12 · Engine“recall letter from kia states "warning: you may experience illumination of the hev warning light. if this occurs, pull over to a safe location and contact kia roadside assistance ... to request to have your vehicle towed to the nearest authorized kia dealership as soon as possible." this implies that the car is not safely driveable if the hev warn…”
2023-10-31 · Power Train“my car sometimes lurches when i am moving from a stopped position. this is dangerous as it causes the car to hesitate when i am sometimes pulling out across traffic for a left turn. it is especially frequent when i am on a slight incline. it feels like it might have something to do with the transmission shifting from the ev mode. i have read abou…”
2023-08-05 · Power Train“from a stop, i step on the gas quickly and it feels like the transmission has just broken. it causes my pulse to increase and scares and distracts me so much i've almost had an accident a several times. i have scheduled an appointment with kia to assess the problem. i will provide an update once they have concluded their assessment.…”
2023-02-06 · Service Brakes“the rubber pad on the brake pedal came off almost causing me not to be able to stop effectively. what was left is a small steel pedal which sometimes is challenging to feel. …”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.