What breaks most · 2017 to 2026 model years
Kia Niro problems by year
Owners have filed 338 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Kia Niro across model years 2017 to 2026. Three years stand out: 2017 for engine complaints, 2018 for powertrain and transmission complaints and 2019 for powertrain and transmission complaints. The quietest years are 2021, 2024 and 2022.
- Years to check closely: 2017, 2018, 2019
- Fewest complaints: 2021, 2024, 2022
- Complaints on file
- 3382017 to 2026, all trims
- Worst year
- 201779 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 349 fires · 30 injuries · 1 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 54kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 15Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 79 | 4 | 4 | Engine (28) | |
| 58 | 5 | 3 | Powertrain and transmission (18) | |
| 54 | 4 | 1 | Powertrain and transmission (21) | |
| 38 | 2 | 1 | Engine (9) | |
| 9 | 1 | 1 | Powertrain and transmission (3) | |
| 30 | 5 | 1 | Brakes (7) | |
| 43 | 8 | 2 | Unknown or other (15) | |
| 9 | 2 | 1 | Electrical system (3) | |
| 16 | 2 | 1 | Unknown or other (7) | |
| 2 | 1 | 0 | Air bags (1) |
What fails on the 2017 Kia Niro
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 35% |
28 | 0 | Shop engine parts for the 2017 Kia Niro |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 25% |
20 | 0 | Shop all electrical system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 23% |
18 | 1 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Unknown or other | 15% |
12 | 2 | — |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 11% |
9 | 0 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2017 Kia Niro |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 9% |
7 | 0 | Shop body and structure parts for the 2017 Kia Niro |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 9% |
7 | 0 | Shop all steering parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 5% |
4 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2017 Kia Niro |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
Active Air flap system error message and check engine light. Error message and check engine light come on and off randomly kind of annoying since I've only had it just over a month and already have to have it go to get repaired
-
My kia niro 2018 backup camera takes a few seconds to start up when the vehicle is put in reverse. the time it takes differs from a second to sometimes 5 seconds. I know of accident caused in a McDonalds drive through where someone was backing up but the cam didn't turn on right away and they got in a small accident.
-
When coming to a stop, the car will jerk forward with a loud clack sound. Sometimes it's mild, but other times it is as if the car had been rear-ended, causing it to lurch forward abruptly. There is no rhyme or reason to when it will happen, but it is always when coming to a stop, usually at a very slow speed.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Kia Niro years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2017, 2018, 2019 carry the most filings on the Kia Niro. The 2017 alone has 79 complaints, led by engine.
What is the most common Kia Niro problem?
On the 2017 model year, the most-reported component is engine with 28 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Kia Niro problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Kia Niro complaints that include mileage is about 54,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.