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2019 Kia Niro Recalls & Complaints

1

open safety recall on record

Critical

84 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.73 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Critical23V534000

Power Train:Automatic Transmission:Internal:Clutches/Bands:Actuators/Solenoids

fire raises the risk of injury.

Remedy & full details

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.

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.

Complaint volume

84 this model-year 7 median, same year

Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.

What owners reported happened

6Crashes
3Fires
5Injuries
2Deaths

Across 84 complaints. Severity Index 0.73.

Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.

What owners report most

Power Train21 · 25%Electrical System12 · 14%Engine10 · 12%Service Brakes9 · 11%Fuel/Propulsion System8 · 10%Unknown Or Other6 · 7%Engine And Engine Cooling4 · 5%Vehicle Speed Control2
  1. Power Train — 21 reports
  2. Electrical System — 12 reports
  3. Engine — 10 reports
  4. Service Brakes — 9 reports
  5. Fuel/Propulsion System — 8 reports
  6. Unknown Or Other — 6 reports
  7. Engine And Engine Cooling — 4 reports
  8. Vehicle Speed Control — 2 reports
  9. Air Bags — 2 reports
  10. Steering — 2 reports

What to do

  1. Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
  2. Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
  3. Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.

Other model years

2017 (4) · 2018 (3) · 2019 · 2020 (1) · 2021 (1) · 2022 (1) · 2023 (2) · 2024 (1) · 2025 (1) · 2026

Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.

Questions

Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?

Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.

Do I pay for recall repairs?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.

Why are there complaints but no recalls?

Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.

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