Transmission overheat due to clutch inactivity
2022 Kia Niro Phev
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Niro Phev years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 2 of 12 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Power Train. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Visibility/wiper. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
What owners actually said
12 reportsWhen I got to work one day I turned off my vehicle and went about my regular day until I went to go home and my car was dead. The entire electrical system wasn’t working. No lights on the dashboard or in the vehicle when I opened the door. We went to jump it with the instructions from the owner’s manual. We finally got it jumped…
Read full complaint
When I got to work one day I turned off my vehicle and went about my regular day until I went to go home and my car was dead. The entire electrical system wasn’t working. No lights on the dashboard or in the vehicle when I opened the door. We went to jump it with the instructions from the owner’s manual. We finally got it jumped the next day and I drove home everything seemed okay I put gas in it and battery seemed charged from what my dashboard said. I moved my vehicle once again and it was fine but then the next day I went to turn it on and my car system was freaking out saying I needed to check my brakes and wouldn’t let me move or anything. I turned it back off to see if it was just a weird malfunction but it did the same exact thing then the car completely shut off everything dashboard everything. I called AAA. He jumped the car so he could drive it up on his truck to not do any other damage to it. I got them to tow it to my Kia dealership I bought my car from. They ran diagnostics on it and told me the wiring harness needed to be replaced and was internally shorting causing my battery to drain. They still have my vehicle in shop at the dealership. Thankfully both times I had had issues I was either at my work or my home (safe locations), but I couldn’t imagine not being able to get my car started out in an unknown area or having to jump it every time I were to drive it due to this issue. Cronin Kia dealership in Harrison, Ohio has information on the vehicle, the issue, and the fixes they were doing. If you would like to further inspect it you can as well. [xxx] was the first time it died and the [xxx] was the day it had alerted of a problem with the brakes and died then I called AAA. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2022 Kia Niro Plug-in Hybrid. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V534000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware o…
Read full complaint
The contact owns a 2022 Kia Niro Plug-in Hybrid. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V534000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2022 Kia Niro. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V534000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and…
Read full complaint
The contact owns a 2022 Kia Niro. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V534000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2022 Kia Niro. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there were exhaust fumes inside the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the …
Read full complaint
The contact owns a 2022 Kia Niro. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there were exhaust fumes inside the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V534000 (Power Train). The VIN was included; however, parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. VIN tool confirms parts not available. The failure mileage was 10,500.
The contact owns a 2022 Kia Niro PHEV. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the HEV warning light illuminated. The contact called the local dealer, who informed her to bring the vehicle in for service. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and informed her that the failure was due to the port component. The vehicle …
Read full complaint
The contact owns a 2022 Kia Niro PHEV. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the HEV warning light illuminated. The contact called the local dealer, who informed her to bring the vehicle in for service. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and informed her that the failure was due to the port component. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. While unplugging the vehicle, it failed to disengage from the port. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V534000 (Power Train). The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 17,500.
Hi, We made an appointment for lube oil and filter change for Oct. 12 in Redding. We made the call because the dock to recharge the phone was getting very hot and the phone shut down and said it needed to cool down. Two different phones and several times. We do not use it. During the call to two different dealers. Harper Moto…
Read full complaint
Hi, We made an appointment for lube oil and filter change for Oct. 12 in Redding. We made the call because the dock to recharge the phone was getting very hot and the phone shut down and said it needed to cool down. Two different phones and several times. We do not use it. During the call to two different dealers. Harper Motors and Redding Kia the said there was another issues with no remedy but we should receive a recall by mail. This leading to yesterday morning. Sept. 30, 2023 at 08:30. I put my foot on the brake and pushed the start button. Nothing happened except the dash read Check regenerative braking system and some other things then everything shut down and screen went black. The dash made a winding down sound. Everything shut down and locked. No response with the FOB. Hatch will not open. No lights anywhere. I can not move the gear shift to move the gear shift. It recommends moving the car away from structures and other cars. Because of fire danger. 2022 Kia Niro PHEV. As noted before we made contact with the dealers, They said to have it towed to them. It is a fire safety issue. How do I get it out of my garage with it locked down like this.
The silver strip on the dash reflects the sun and it blinds you while you're trying to drive
The dash chrome trim running across the dashboard reflects the sun and blinds the driver. It is so reflective it makes driving almost impossible. This needs to be addressed by Kia as it blinds the driver bad enough that it's only a matter of time till this will cause an accident that will cause harm or death of the cars occupant…
Read full complaint
The dash chrome trim running across the dashboard reflects the sun and blinds the driver. It is so reflective it makes driving almost impossible. This needs to be addressed by Kia as it blinds the driver bad enough that it's only a matter of time till this will cause an accident that will cause harm or death of the cars occupants.
The car is equipped with an excessively loud and obnoxious backup alert that deploys whenever the car is shifted into reverse gear, whether or not the vehicle is moving. The dealer tells me this is a "safety" feature and that therefore the alert cannot be disconnected and the volume cannot be adjusted. My complaint is that this …
Read full complaint
The car is equipped with an excessively loud and obnoxious backup alert that deploys whenever the car is shifted into reverse gear, whether or not the vehicle is moving. The dealer tells me this is a "safety" feature and that therefore the alert cannot be disconnected and the volume cannot be adjusted. My complaint is that this feature is not only not necessary, especially for a PHEV, but also in fact is itself a safety hazard. It is so loud and distracting it prevents the driver and those around the car from paying full attention to other circumstances. Is NHTSA requiring this or is this Kia's invention? I don't hear it from other EVs, let alone PHEVs.
Official recalls
123V534000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission:internal:clutches/bands:actuators/solenoids
Jul 31, 2023
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 & remedy
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.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1DP22005 · Pedestrian Alert Sounds
Opened Jan 27, 2023 · Closed Aug 7, 2023
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Electrical System:propulsion System
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 pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by NHTSA regarding the subject matter of the petition.
Illustration