The Recall Desk
SevereNHTSA·22V836000·Announced 2022-11-11

Kia Recalls 2017-2018 Niro Hybrids for Fire Risk

Kia is recalling 2017-2018 Niro hybrid vehicles because a faulty relay may cause rear seats to overheat, increasing the risk of a fire.

What this means for you

Illness, injury, or structural failure has been reported. Stop using the product immediately and contact the manufacturer for a refund or repair.

Our severity reasoning: The recall involves a defect that can cause overheating and increase the risk of a fire, which aligns with the rubric criterion for 'significant injury/property-damage reports' or structural vehicle defects leading to severe hazards.

Plain-English summary

Kia America, Inc. is recalling certain 2017-2018 Kia Niro hybrid electric vehicles. This recall supersedes a previous recall (18V-666) and affects approximately 27,030 vehicles. The issue involves the Main Relay within the Power Relay Assembly (PRA), which may have inadequate connections between its contacts.

This defect causes increased electrical resistance, which can lead to overheating of the rear seats. Overheated rear seats increase the risk of a fire. Vehicles that were already repaired under the previous recall will still need to have the new remedy completed.

Dealers will inspect the Power Relay Assembly and replace either the PRA or the Main Relay, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on January 9, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542 or the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236.

The recalled product

Product
KIA NIRO
Brand
KIA
Manufacturer
Kia America, Inc.
Category
Vehicle — Hybrid Electric Vehicle
Hazard
Affected units
27,030

Is your product affected?

Check your packaging against the codes below. If any of them match, the product is part of this recall.

Model numbers (1)

  • NIRO

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

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