2021 Kia Niro Phev problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Power Train (1)
🧭 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 (29)
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 2026-05-28 · TSB_ELE422 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: infotainment system software update using update.kia.com - this bulletin provides information and service procedures for updating the infotainment systems on applicable kia vehicles using the kia navigation updater available at update.kia.com. the software update may impr
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
Showing the 6 most recent of 29 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2023-10-11 · Power Train“the contact owns a 2021 kia niro. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 23v534000 (power train); however, the part to do the repair was not yet available. no further information was provided. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was made aware…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.