Is your car affected?
Check by VIN to confirm the
exact model and see every recall for it.
Recalls are issued for a make, model and model year. Whether the repair has already been done on one specific car is known only to its manufacturer and dealers. Check your vehicle's official status at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a dealer.
US recalls (4)
Power train: automatic transmission, internal
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 and remedy
Risk: 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.
Hybrid propulsion system
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.
Risk and remedy
Risk: 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. Vehicles already repaired under the previous recall will need to have the new remedy completed.
Hybrid propulsion system
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.
Risk and remedy
Risk: 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 service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC168.
Hybrid propulsion system
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2017 Kia Niro vehicles. The Hydraulic Clutch Actuator (HCA) inner oil seal may leak, allowing oil to accumulate in the cap area, possibly resulting in an electrical short.
Risk and remedy
Risk: An electrical short can increase the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the HCA caps for leaked oil and replace the HCA assembly if needed, or replace the HCA cap with additional sealant. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall is expected to begin June 15, 2018. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC163.
Canadian recalls (5)
Show 5 Canadian recalls
Label
2024-08-15 · campaign 2024-549
Issue:
On certain vehicles, the compliance label may be missing information in French. The words listed on the label for "Tires", "Rims", "Front" and "Rear" appear in English only, when they should be listed as "Tires/Pneus", "Rims/Jantes", "Front/Avant" and "Rear/Arriere". Canadian regulations require this information to be listed on the label in both English and French.
Safety Risk:
These small errors do not affect vehicle safety.
Corrective Actions:
This is not a recall. Kia has corrected the compliance label for all new vehicles.
Powertrain
2023-08-01 · campaign 2023-423
Issue:
On certain vehicles, fluid could leak onto the printed circuit board for the hydraulic clutch actuator (HCA). If this happens, the circuit board could short circuit.
Safety Risk:
A short circuit could create the risk of an engine compartment fire while driving.
Corrective Actions:
Kia will notify owners by mail and advise you to take your vehicle to a dealership to inspect the hydraulic clutch actuator (HCA), and replace it if necessary. The technician will also install a new fuse for the HCA to reduce the risk of a fire.
Electrical
2018-09-28 · campaign 2018-537
On certain vehicles, the main relay contacts in the Power Relay Assembly located underneath the rear seat may have an inadequate connection. This could increase electrical resistance and generate heat, increasing the risk of fire causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will inspect the Power Relay Assembly for signs of thermal damage. If no thermal damage is found, the main relay will be replaced. If signs of thermal damage exist, the Power Relay Assembly will be replaced. Note: This problem may cause the Illumination of the HEV warning light while driving and/or an inability to start the vehicle.
Engine
2018-05-01 · campaign 2018-218
On certain vehicles, the hydraulic clutch actuator (HCA) was produced with burrs that could damage the inner oil seal. A damaged oil seal may create an oil leak that could result in an accumulation of oil in the phase cap area, and eventually cause an electrical short. This could increase the risk of an engine compartment fire causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the hydraulic clutch actuator. Note: This condition would result in the “HEV” warning light to illuminate.
Steering
2017-03-23 · campaign 2017-168 · 7 vehicles
On certain vehicles, a connection at the electric power steering (EPS) motor may have been damaged at time of assembly. This could lead to a loss of the steering assist. A loss of power steering assist could unexpectedly increase steering effort which would increase the risk of a crash causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will replace the EPS motor.
Owner complaints (82)
Owners filed 82 complaints with NHTSA about the 2017 Kia Niro (4 crashes, 5 fires, 4 injuries reported). Among 10 model years of this model, it ranks #1 for the most complaints (median 39).
| Most-reported problem | Complaints | |
|---|
| Engine | 29 | |
| Electrical system | 23 | |
| Power train | 19 | |
| Unknown or other | 12 | |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 10 | |
| Steering | 7 | |
| Structure | 7 | |
| Engine and engine cooling | 4 | |
Crash test ratings
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2017 Kia Niro.
| Version | Overall | Frontal | Side | Rollover |
|---|
| 2017 Kia Niro Hybrid SUV FWD | – | – | – | – |
Fuel economy
EPA ratings for each 2017 Kia Niro version.
| Version | City MPG | Highway MPG | Combined | Yearly fuel cost |
|---|
| Niro 1.6 L Automatic (AM6) | 51 | 46 | 49 | $1,350 |
| Niro FE 1.6 L Automatic (AM6) | 52 | 49 | 50 | $1,350 |
| Niro Touring 1.6 L Automatic (AM6) | 46 | 40 | 43 | $1,550 |
Need this data in your app?
Recalls, complaints, crash ratings and fuel economy as a JSON API. Decode up to 50 VINs per call and get a daily feed of new recalls.
Explore the API →Sources: NHTSA recalls, complaints and 5-Star Safety Ratings, US EPA fuel economy and Transport
Canada's Vehicle Recalls Database (contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada).
Recalls updated 2026-10-30.