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2020 Kia Niro Recalls & Complaints

1

open safety recall on record

Critical

50 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.72 · 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

50 this model-year 6 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

4Crashes
4Fires
4Injuries
0Deaths

Across 50 complaints. Severity Index 0.72.

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

Engine8 · 16%Unknown Or Other8 · 16%Power Train8 · 16%Electrical System6 · 12%Service Brakes4 · 8%Air Bags2 · 4%Forward Collision Avoidan…2 · 4%Fuel/Propulsion System2 · 4%
  1. Engine — 8 reports
  2. Unknown Or Other — 8 reports
  3. Power Train — 8 reports
  4. Electrical System — 6 reports
  5. Service Brakes — 4 reports
  6. Air Bags — 2 reports
  7. Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking — 2 reports
  8. Fuel/Propulsion System — 2 reports
  9. Back Over Prevention — 2 reports
  10. Forward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control — 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 (1) · 2020 · 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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