2022 Kia Niro EV Powertrain (other) Problems

On XXX, After I attempted to plug my car into my home charging outlet at 240V, less than 20 minutes later I received an alert that my battery was at 0%. After unplugging the car, waiting for 30 minutes and plugging it back into the out, my car was unable to see the charging outlet or the 40A cable plugged into the port. Unplugged car again and after talking to remote mechanic, came to decision to take car to AAA repair shop for troubleshooting. Once at the AAA repair shop in [XXX], was advised to take my car to a Kia dealership, as a module was nonfunctional. Brought car to Beyer Kia in [XXX], who held onto my car for two months before making a diagnosis that my car was struck by lightning via a Field Technical Engineer, though the DTC codes stated otherwise: C180287, C161487, C16b487, C161487, C161487, C182D00. All codes noted are internal Controller Area Network Bus Communication Timeouts between internal modules, not power surge or electrical strike. C161487 - registered three times: Internal network timed out because VCU abruptly went offline or lost power. With it registering 3 times confirms ongoing hardware/power supply struggle inside car's computers, not external bolt of lightning. C16B487 - Another subsystem critical timeout error, unable to communicate with VCU. C180287 - Internal stability/chassis lost data connection over vehicle's internal network. C181D00 - Network fault indicating control module voltage dropped below required operating threshold to maintain communication. Kia is trying to claim an external surge (lightning) caused this. However, if a massive high-voltage lightning surge had entered the vehicle through the charging port, it would have permanently fried the OBC (Onboard Charger) or the ICCU (Integrated Charging Control Unit). This would immediately trigger high-voltage hardware failure "P-codes" (Powertrain). INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11773180

Incident

Jul 4, 2026

I purchased this used 2022 Kia Niro EV on August 19, 2023, with approximately 3,042 miles. On December 22, 2023, at 24,086 miles, a Kia of Valencia service record documented a kicking/knocking sensation when releasing the brake. The cause was not identified. On August 22, 2024, another service record documented a rear seat belt retraction concern. I cannot confirm whether these earlier problems share the same cause as the later motor issue. On March 31, 2026, at approximately 139,071 miles, Kia of Valencia confirmed a rattling noise from the gear driver motor and recommended replacement. The estimated repair cost was approximately $4,800. I paid a $250 diagnostic fee but could not afford the repair. I contacted Kia America to request goodwill assistance, but the motor was not replaced. On September 9, 2026, while driving on a freeway in heavy traffic, the vehicle repeatedly stopped and moved again, accompanied by extremely loud knocking, rattling, and banging. The vehicle shook, and no warning lights or messages appeared beforehand. I carefully exited the freeway and stopped the vehicle. After bringing it home, I noticed liquid underneath, but could not determine whether it was related to the incident or normal air-conditioning condensation. I have video recordings and supporting service records. I am concerned that this unresolved mechanical problem poses a serious crash risk, especially in freeway traffic. I request that NHTSA investigate this potential safety defect and review the documented rear seat belt concern.

NHTSA ID

11769211

Incident

Sep 9, 2026

COMPONENT/SYSTEM: The 12-volt auxiliary battery system, the interior fuse box (Total Integrated Power Module) containing an auto-cutoff relay, and the high voltage battery system. All components are available for inspection. SAFETY RISK: The vehicle has lost power and died while being driven, and has left occupants stranded on multiple occasions. A sudden loss of motive power in traffic creates a serious risk of collision to occupants and to other motorists. The vehicle has failed to start dozens of times. FAILURE DESCRIPTION: The 12-volt battery in my 2022 Kia Niro EV has repeatedly discharged, leaving the vehicle dead and unable to start. ~Six 12V batteries have been installed between January 2025 and February 2026, between 60,431 and 77,130 miles. CONFIRMED BY DEALER: Yes. The condition has been reproduced and documented by the dealer across five separate repair orders. On 1/21/2025 at 60,431 miles, the technician found the 12V battery completely dead after sitting, jump-started the vehicle, and reported no abnormal draw on the electrical system. On 11/05/2025 at 74,355 miles the vehicle again required a jump start to be brought into the shop; the battery was replaced, and the technician reported the vehicle was operating as designed. On 1/22/2026 at 77,124 miles, a technician performed a parasitic draw test and measured 0.185 amps, exceeding the specification of below 50 milliamps by approximately 3.7 times. The technician documented that the auto-cutoff relay was remaining closed, continuously supplying current to 21 modules, and that the interior fuse box required replacement at a quoted cost of $2,048.48. This defect was present during the two prior visits but was not identified. On 2/13/2026 at 77,130 miles, the vehicle would not start when we came to pick up the car. The shop had to provide a loaner, and then another battery was installed, and the TIPM was replaced.

NHTSA ID

11750957

Incident

Jan 19, 2025

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 part, and the Kia employee said that this part only breaks if there is a strong impact (traffic accident) so it's strange. All of this happened in less than 2 years but I had it covered under warranty so I got it fixed, but now the reduction motor problem that I had originally replaced has happened again and they are demanding $5,800 to repair it since it's out of warranty. I think this is unfair, and this is the first time I've had a car with this many problems in less than 3 years.

NHTSA ID

11639695

Incident

Jan 30, 2025

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 road situation. I now feel the car is unsafe to drive, as an accident is waiting to happen. I have contacted the dealership where car was purchased and am waiting to hear back from them.

NHTSA ID

11545438

Incident

Sep 19, 2023

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 off the road to restart if it doesn’t resume on its own. This problem arises at varying speeds and ambient conditions. Our safety is at risk because you never know when it will happen. Losing power on the highway and making an emergency stop is clearly a safety hazard. The dealership has not been able to replicate this problem.

NHTSA ID

11527822

Incident

Aug 1, 2021

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 set it- I don't know if this car activates the brake automatically when in park.) The right front wheel was on ice. All other wheels on bare gravel. The temperature was 36 deg F. This is an EV, so it may have some sort of event recorder built in. If so, look at roughly 9:10 EST on 2/10/22. This is a short-term rental from Enterprise, so I'll set the parking brake manually for the remainder of the rental and report it to them on return. Contact them if you want to inspect it. The registration lists the owner as "EAN Holdings LLC"

NHTSA ID

11451321

Incident

Feb 10, 2022

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 driven the car about 10 times. It has happened to just me twice in that time frame. It's such a common problem that we have started trying to routinely activate the emergency brake, as the transmission is not reliable in shifting the vehicle into park. During one incident, my wife forgot to use the emergency brake after shifting the car into park. She got out, the vehicle began rolling in park and her leg almost got ran over in an attempt to stop the vehicle. We have taken the car to Mike Miller KIA in Peoria, IL, but they were unable to reproduce the results, so did not take action to fix the vehicle. We have also reached out to KIA on this issue and are awaiting a response. A quick Google search indicated that KIA is not exactly reliable safety-related issues, so I wanted to be proactive in exposing this potential vehicle hazard.

NHTSA ID

11450489

Incident

Feb 4, 2022