Kia America, Inc.: Hybrid Propulsion System
Kia America, Inc. reported this defect to federal regulators on Nov 11, 2022 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 27,030. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Kia Niro hybrid electric vehicles previously recalled under recall 18V-666. The Main Relay within the Power Relay Assembly (PRA) may have inadequate connections between its contacts, causing increased electrical resistance, which can overheat the rear seats.
The risk
Overheated rear seats increase the risk of a fire.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect the PRA and replace either the PRA or the Main Relay, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 9, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC256. This recall supersedes NHTSA recall number 18V-666. Vehicles already repaired under the previous recall will need to have the new remedy completed.
2 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 Kia Niro | 60 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| 2017 Kia Niro | 82 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
What this page is, and what to do next
A recall is not an opinion. It is a Part 573 report a manufacturer is required by federal law to file once it decides a defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety, and it commits them to repairing the vehicle at no cost to the owner. The three passages above are the manufacturer’s own wording as published by NHTSA.
This page describes the campaign. It cannot tell you whether one particular car has already been through the shop — that is tracked by VIN, and only the manufacturer knows it. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a franchised dealer, quoting campaign number 22V836000.
Full record for the 2018 Kia Niro → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →