2020 Kia Niro Ev problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Electrical System (3) · Power Train (2) · Wheels (1)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Kia Niro Ev model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (2)
Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Camera 2025-06-20 · campaign 25V426000 · 11,327 vehicles
Defect: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Niro EV vehicles. The circuit board for the rearview camera may become damaged and cause the rearview camera image not to display. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Risk: A rearview image that does not display reduces the driver's view of what is behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the rearview camera, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 7, 2025. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC342.
Electrical System:propulsion System:traction Battery:thermal Management:fluid/Coolant 2022-12-06 · campaign 22V899000 · 872 vehicles
Defect: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2020 Niro EV vehicles. The Electric Power Control Unit (EPCU) may have been improperly sealed and may leak coolant internally.
Risk: Coolant contacting the EPCU circuit board may cause a loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the EPCU as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 9, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC258.
Service bulletins (63)
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
Fuel/Propulsion System 2026-07-08 · PI2603Y_TSB · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: bsa replacement (pi2603y) - this bulletin provides information related to the technical service bulletin previously published under pi2603, titled “bms battery diagnostic logic improvement.” if one or more of the diagnostic trouble codes (dtcs) listed in the bulletin are
Fuel/Propulsion System 2026-06-17 · PI2603_OWNR · Other
product improvement campaign: owner notification (pi2603) - this document is the owner notification advising that kia is conducting a product improvement campaign to update the battery management system (bms) software to enhance battery diagnostic performance in certain 2020-2022 my niro ev vehicles
Fuel/Propulsion System 2026-06-15 · PI2603_QA · Other
product improvement campaign: question and answer (pi2603) - this document is the question and answer guide containing the most frequently asked questions regarding the product improvement campaign pi2603.
Fuel/Propulsion System 2026-06-15 · PI2603_DPSM · Other
product improvement campaign: dealer parts and service manager memo (pi2603) - this document is the announcement to the dealer parts and service managers advising that kia is conducting a product improvement campaign to update the battery management system (bms) software to enhance battery diagnost
Fuel/Propulsion System 2026-06-15 · PI2603_DP · Other
product improvement campaign: dealer principal memo (pi2603) - this document is the announcement to the dealer principals advising that kia is conducting a product improvement campaign to update the battery management system (bms) software to enhance battery diagnostic performance in certain 2020-20
Showing the 6 most recent of 63 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-09-03 · Electrical System · 58,000 mi“the contact owns a 2020 kia niro. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the coolant system warning light illuminated. the contact stated that after entering the vehicle following a charging session, there was a burning odor coming from the vehicle while the coolant system warning light was illuminated. the contact stated th…”
2026-08-23 · Unknown Or Other“i am submitting a complaint regarding a safety issue with the rearview camera on my 2020 kia niro ev. vin # [xxx] the rearview camera display has stopped functioning properly. based on technical research and driver community reports, this issue appears to stem from an electrical surge that causes the camera circuit to malfunction. upon checking ow…”
2026-06-22 · Back Over Prevention · 11,000 mi“the contact owns a 2020 kia niro ev. the contact stated that the rearview camera intermittently failed to display an image when the vehicle was shifted into reverse. the contact stated that reverse engaged normally, and the audible alert was sounded; however, the display screen periodically remained blank. the contact stated that the failure was in…”
2026-02-09 · Electrical System · 55,000 mi“the contact owns a 2020 kia niro ev. the contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under an undisclosed recall on two separate occasions; however, the part failed a third time after the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer declined to offer additional repairs under the recall. the contact referenced nhtsa campaign number: 22v899000 (electrical…”
2025-09-14 · Unknown Or Other“i had just left my doctor after a protracted visit and was almost late for dinner guests. i noticed a thumping and thought it was the road, but it was a 3/8" bolt in my tire tread.i pulled up at costco, hoping they could repair it quickly but was told i had to wait 2.5 hours when i had guests coming in an hour. i decided i would have to change the…”
2025-07-21 · Engine And Engine Cooling · 44,910 mi“the contact owns a 2021 kia niro. the contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the refill inverter coolant warning light illuminated. in addition, the contact stated that the refill inverter warning light illuminated while driving the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with debris and corrosion in the inver…”
2025-06-05 · Visibility/Wiper“there is a silver strip that runs horizontally along the middle of the dashboard from one side to the other. it’s made out of a very reflective material. during the midday hours, it brightly shines the sun directly into the driver’s and passenger’s eyes—it’s very blinding!–and makes it difficult and unsafe to drive. i can’t even begin to think abou…”
2025-01-01 · Unknown Or Other“about 7 months ago, "refill inverter coolant" warning came up. since then, i've scheduled service appoitment wtih van nuys kia dealership 5 times to resolve this issue, but even after recent appoitment 2 weeks ago, this warning is still came up on my dashboard. every time i start the car, the persistent refill inverter coolant light comes on. i bel…”
2024-11-30 · Wheels“vehicle started jerking suddenly and uncontrollably. it jerked to the side almost gliding into another vehicle there is a smell also coming from the car and wheels have extensive loss of threading due to abrupt change of speed and direction. controlling the vehicle does this more regularly but this time i almost hit a vehicle to the side of me and …”
2024-05-22 · Unknown Or Other“the interior instrument panel horizontal angled trim has a shiny metal surface that when the sun shines on it, reflects into the driver's eyes causing a blinding experience. the driver cannot see the instrument panel, the display, the controls, and causes a total white out/ washout of visibility. due to a camera's light sensitivity and auto adjustm…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.