The Used Car Index

2020 Kia Niro EV problems

NHTSA lists 19 complaints for the 2020 Kia Niro EV, 1 of them mention a crash and 0 mention a fire. 0 complaints mention an injury, with 0 injuries and 0 deaths reported.

Data build 2026-10-08.

NHTSA lists this vehicle as KIA NIRO EV.

At a glance

Complaints
19
With crash
1
With fire
0
With injury (complaints)
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
0
Recalls
2
Do not drive recalls
0
Park outside recalls
0
Recall potential units (maximum)
11,327
Investigations
1
Open investigations
0
Manufacturer communications
63

Complaints per 100k sold unavailable. No sales source is available for this record.

Where the complaints are

Top systems
SystemComplaintsShare of this vehicle's complaints
UNKNOWN OR OTHER842.1%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM631.6%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM315.8%
POWER TRAIN315.8%
LANE DEPARTURE210.5%
BACK OVER PREVENTION15.3%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING15.3%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE15.3%
SERVICE BRAKES15.3%
STEERING15.3%
Top subsystems
SystemSubsystemComplaints
LANE DEPARTUREASSIST2
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCEADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL1

One complaint can name several systems, so shares can add to more than 100 percent.

Model-generated complaint tags

These labels are model-generated, not NHTSA data.

Failure modes
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
loss of control631.6%0.85
electrical electronic421.1%0.78
visibility or lighting421.1%0.95
mechanical failure210.5%0.65
noise or comfort210.5%0.84
fire or overheating15.3%0.57
Severities
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
moderate1157.9%0.85
low526.3%0.73
high315.8%0.62

Model: typesafe/jev-1.13-20260917; schema version: tag-v1. 19 tagged complaints of 19 complaints (100.0%).

Confidence is the model's own probability for the label it chose (0 to 1), not accuracy.

Model-generated labels on tagged complaints only. Model years 2013 and newer are tagged in full; 2012 in part (see tagged_share); earlier model years have no tags. NHTSA's own flags remain separate in the complaints block.

Recalls

See new recalls and investigations this week.

2 recalls.

25V426000

Date: 2025-06-20. Systems: BACK OVER PREVENTION.

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."

Consequence: A rearview image that does not display reduces the driver's view of what is behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: 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.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

22V899000

Date: 2022-12-06. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

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.

Consequence: Coolant contacting the EPCU circuit board may cause a loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: 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.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

Investigations

1 investigations; 0 open.

DP22005

Opened: 2023-01-27. Closed: 2023-08-07.

Pedestrian alert sounds

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 ele

Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

Linked campaign numbers: 22V063000.

Manufacturer communications

63 manufacturer communications.

Communications by system
SystemCount
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM36
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING8
SERVICE BRAKES7
ELE5
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM5
STEERING5
POWER TRAIN4
EQUIPMENT3

11036628

Date: 2026-08-28. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, VISIBILITY/WIPER.

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: PARTIAL REPAIR a 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 A

11035089

Date: 2026-07-08. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM.

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: BSA REPLACEMENT (PI2603Y) - This bulletin provides information related to the Technical Service Bulletin previously published under PI2603, titled a BMS Battery Diagnostic Logic Improvement.a If one or more of the Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs) listed in the bulletin

11033932

Date: 2026-06-17. Type: Other. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM.

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

11033929

Date: 2026-06-15. Type: Other. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM.

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

11033930

Date: 2026-06-15. Type: Other. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM.

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

11033931

Date: 2026-06-15. Type: Other. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM.

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.

11031906

Date: 2026-04-14. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

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

11026698

Date: 2025-12-09. Type: Other. Systems: BACK OVER PREVENTION.

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

11022350

Date: 2025-08-21. Type: Service Campaign. Systems: SERVICE BRAKES.

VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN: OWNER RENOTIFICATION (SC321) - This document is the owner renotification advising that Kia is conducting a Voluntary Service Campaign to address a potential corrosion concern with the Integrated Electronic Brake (IEB) in certain 2019-2022 MY Niro EV vehicles that were ori

11017172

Date: 2025-04-17. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: POWER TRAIN.

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

Notes on this record

  • Complaints from the API and bulk file are merged and deduplicated by ODI number; the API alone misses records.
  • System and subsystem counts are numbers of distinct complaints, recalls or communications that name them. One record can name several systems, so shares across systems can add to more than 100 percent; a single share never exceeds 100 percent.
  • Recalls are counted once per campaign, investigations once per action and manufacturer communications once per NHTSA id, even when NHTSA lists several model names for the same record.
  • A sales denominator is a calendar-year proxy, not the population of vehicles still in use. Rates are copied from verified pipeline output.

Other names NHTSA uses

None listed.

Matched NHTSA models

Matched labels and complaints
NHTSA model labelComplaints
NIRO EV19

Same model, other years

All model years | All Kia models

Other Kia models, 2020

Sources

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