2022 Kia NIRO EV

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Above Average

Quick Summary

The 2022 Kia NIRO EV has 45 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 0.6x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is other problems (29% of all complaints), specifically: this complaint is about a vehicle design and implementation issue rather than a malfunction. the implementation of the low speed warning alert for this vehicle is dangerous to pedestrians. several times, as i was backing out of a parking spot pedestrians have stopped directly behind the moving vehi.

4 crash reports 1 injury

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

0.6x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

OTHER

13 complaints

29%

• This complaint is about a vehicle design and implementation issue rather than a malfunction. The implementation of the low speed warning alert for this vehicle is dangerous to pedestrians. Several times, as I was backing out of a parking spot pedestrians have stopped directly behind the moving vehi
• After putting the car in park on a moderate slope, I exited the car and about 2 seconds later, as I was connecting the charger, the car rolled backward 4 feet before coming to a stop. I immediately confirmed that the car was in park. The parking brake was *not* on. (Or at least, I did not manually
• Vehicle is equipped with a back up alarm that exceeds 75 decibels and is measured at 90 decibels inside of garage. This Poses a public safety risk and violation of local noise ordinances

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 3 crashes

“This complaint is about a vehicle design and implementation issue rather than a malfunction. The implementation of the low speed warning alert for this vehicle is dangerous to pedestrians. Several times, as I was backing out of a parking spot pedestrians have stopped directly behind the moving vehi”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ELECTRICAL

10 complaints

22%

• The vehicle has failed to start on 3 occasions and needed to be jumped. When towed to the dealership they’ve been unable to find any issues.
• 2022 Kia Niro EV loses main battery power causing the vehicle to not be able to maintain speed. This has happened at varying speeds including highway speeds. The vehicle showes "limited power" warning on the dash along with "check electrical system" warnings. The OBDii system does not record thes
• I have now had 8 instances of the Low Power warning coming on while driving, which reduces available power, and when coming to a stop, car cannot go forward. This has happened at highway speeds as well as city street speeds. This happened 4 times on a 50 mile drive today, creating a very dangerous r

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“The vehicle has failed to start on 3 occasions and needed to be jumped. When towed to the dealership they’ve been unable to find any issues.”

— NHTSA complaint filing

TRANSMISSION

5 complaints

11%

• When the KIA is shifted into "park", it will sometimes roll forward or backwards until the brakes are applied by the driver. This doesn't happen all the time and we have not figured out a way to predictably reproduce the results, but it happens a lot. My wife is the primary driver and I have only
• After putting the car in park on a moderate slope, I exited the car and about 2 seconds later, as I was connecting the charger, the car rolled backward 4 feet before coming to a stop. I immediately confirmed that the car was in park. The parking brake was *not* on. (Or at least, I did not manually
• Vehicle enters power limited (turtle) mode randomly. While driving under normal conditions, with ample battery charge and range, the “turtle mode” warning indicator chimes. Sometimes it is brief and no noticeable power loss is experienced. However, often power will be lost and the vehicle must limp

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“When the KIA is shifted into "park", it will sometimes roll forward or backwards until the brakes are applied by the driver. This doesn't happen all the time and we have not figured out a way to predictably reproduce the results, but it happens a lot. My wife is the primary driver and I have only ”

— NHTSA complaint filing

SPEED CONTROL

4 complaints

• When driving with ACC engaged in traffic at a speed below the target speed the vehicle will sometimes speed up. This seems to happen when the ACC radar loses the return from the vehicle ahead -- for example when when a ahead vehicle changes lanes in stop-and-go traffic, I think this may happen if th
• Started 2-3 months ago and is progressively getting worse. Battery drop from charged down to 2% randomly. Battery would drop 1% every 3 seconds. During highway drive it would cancel out cruise control and/or limited power down to 30mph. Which almost caused accident for the sudden loss of power.
• Started 2-3 months ago and is progressively getting worse. Battery drop from charged down to 2% randomly. Battery would drop 1% every 3 seconds. During highway drive it would cancel out cruise control and/or limited power down to 30mph. Which almost caused accident for the sudden loss of power.

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“When driving with ACC engaged in traffic at a speed below the target speed the vehicle will sometimes speed up. This seems to happen when the ACC radar loses the return from the vehicle ahead -- for example when when a ahead vehicle changes lanes in stop-and-go traffic, I think this may happen if th”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ENGINE

4 complaints

• The vehicle has failed to start on 3 occasions and needed to be jumped. When towed to the dealership they’ve been unable to find any issues.
• Car has broken down, not started, battery dead when fully charged MULTIPLE TIMES. It has been in the Kia service department since March 2024 (9 months) and they can’t figure out where the parasitic drain is from. This is the third time this year getting towed to the Kia dealership with no resolution
• I bought my 2022 Kia Niro EV new in 2022, and around 40,000 miles, I had a problem with the reduction motor so I replaced it, shortly after that I had a problem with the wheel so I replaced a part called the axle, and shortly after that, the other wheel had the same problem so I replaced the same pa

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“The vehicle has failed to start on 3 occasions and needed to be jumped. When towed to the dealership they’ve been unable to find any issues.”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

OTHER(~50K mi)

$500

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

TRANSMISSION(~50K mi)

$500

SPEED CONTROL(~50K mi)

$500

ENGINE(~50K mi)

$500

Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 45 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
OTHER: This complaint is about a vehicle design and implementation issue rather than a malfunction. The implementation of the low speed warning alert for this vehicle is dangerous to pedestrians. Several times, as I was backing out of a parking spot pedestrians have stopped directly behind the moving vehi
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ELECTRICAL: The vehicle has failed to start on 3 occasions and needed to be jumped. When towed to the dealership they’ve been unable to find any issues.
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
TRANSMISSION: When the KIA is shifted into "park", it will sometimes roll forward or backwards until the brakes are applied by the driver. This doesn't happen all the time and we have not figured out a way to predictably reproduce the results, but it happens a lot. My wife is the primary driver and I have only
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
SPEED CONTROL: When driving with ACC engaged in traffic at a speed below the target speed the vehicle will sometimes speed up. This seems to happen when the ACC radar loses the return from the vehicle ahead -- for example when when a ahead vehicle changes lanes in stop-and-go traffic, I think this may happen if th
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)